First, it’s not a thing.

Intersex is an umbrella term that includes people having atypical sex characteristics and/or atypical chromosomal patterns. Sometimes these differences result in obvious body trait variations, while in other individuals show no signs of a differing outward appearance.

According to the Intersex Campaign for Equality (IC4E), Intersex people make up about 1.7% of the population, making being Intersex about as common as a person having red hair.

For generations doctors in the US would tell parents of Intersex children that surgery was needed to “correct,” any reproductive-organ abnormalities their baby may have had—even though they were usually not medically necessary. Thousands, tens of thousands, of children underwent painful and dangerous surgeries so that they could be either male or female.  The concept of both or neither was not an option, and to a large extent this is true today as well.

But there are organizations and individuals who are trying to educate the medical community to show that these sex assignments are not necessary.  Children can grow up with different permutations of reproductive organs, without issue.  Later in life they can make an informed decision based on their own wants and needs.

Most people know their own bodies, and know when something is different about themselves.  Forcing surgeries at a young age, without the consent of the person can cause mental anxieties and hardships.