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For intersex people — those born with sex characteristics outside the traditional definitions of female and male — the stakes to appear “normal” are high. Drawing on her personal experience, Susannah Temko reveals the shame, prejudice and harm faced by the intersex community, as they’re forced to conform to a binary understanding of sex that ultimately hinders their health and well-being. She calls on us all to discard outdated notions of biological sex and accept the complexity within humanity.
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poochz2
September 16, 2020 at 10:37 pm
There are hundreds of genetic abnormalites where people can still be healthy, but that does not make it “normal”.
Remy Jones
September 16, 2020 at 10:38 pm
This is beautiful. I’m so glad I could watch this
PhantomsDesire
September 16, 2020 at 10:50 pm
What I’m trying to understand is Why the down votes? SMH This is valid and very informative. Can you imagine how difficult this is for people born this way? Empathy is Priceless.
MonkeyspankO
September 16, 2020 at 11:20 pm
empathy is priceless, because there is a global supply deficit
Pavor
September 16, 2020 at 11:43 pm
This topic doesnt matter to society. It is a personal issue. Personal issues need to be kept in the personal realm while we focus on fixing social issues.
Dean M
September 17, 2020 at 1:23 am
@Pavor But aren’t personal issues part of social issues? 🤦
Tong Cheong
September 16, 2020 at 10:52 pm
It means you have a problem up there in ur head.
Amira Bautista
September 16, 2020 at 11:01 pm
oh wow, a very intricate subject but very well explained and really interesting to watch
Darshan K.P
September 16, 2020 at 11:01 pm
LGBTI lesbian gay bisexuals trandenda intersexual where’s H?
John Dirico
September 16, 2020 at 11:03 pm
People get circumcised without consent or medical need but no one cares abt that. Intersex is 2 in a 100 and it really doesn’t matter no one care abt your gender or sexual preference so don’t make a big deal about it
TeggyEgg
September 16, 2020 at 11:09 pm
her main point was that too many do make a big deal about it and then operate on babies. i think she would love it if people didnt make a big deal.
Jeao
September 16, 2020 at 11:05 pm
TED watchers are toxic, I know there’s been a lot of bullshit talks on subjects like this, but if you acc watch the video there’s little wrong with it
G R
September 16, 2020 at 11:09 pm
This must be the best presentation I’ve ever watched. And I totally agree; fix prejudice, not healthy people.
Rebecca Leeman
September 16, 2020 at 11:25 pm
This is very interesting.
A small percentage of humanity that still equals more than a 100million individuals. Who’d have quessed.
Quite a dilemma for the parent.
Most parents would likely have their intersex child operated on.
And the Drs would promote it.
Both thinking they are doing something great for the child.
This person gave a great presentation !! Wonderful.
Marc Anthony Marquez
September 16, 2020 at 11:39 pm
You are an inspiration to all:) a thousand blessings to you;)
Sir Gerbil Macintosh
September 16, 2020 at 11:41 pm
We all have our problems lady so just suck it up please.
nigfheac
September 16, 2020 at 11:42 pm
Do not try and fix something that isn’t broken. Go Sue!!! Came for the incredible talk. Stayed for the incredible pink pant suit. 🙌🏼
Vame Animations
September 16, 2020 at 11:42 pm
All the people who disliked did it on accident as they couldn’t see through their tears of happiness for this amazing talk!
Mark Haunert
September 16, 2020 at 11:48 pm
I wish that was true. So much hate in the comments that it’s sad and disturbing 👍
Unknown Being
September 16, 2020 at 11:42 pm
I’ve honestly never even know about intersex people until about a week ago. My friend got me into this game that had this lgbtqia+ avatar. The only one I didn’t know was the i. I know now. It’s weird that the moment that I found out about this things pop up around it. Happened before with other things I didn’t know, then I found out and ever since had random encounters of that thing being brought up.
Bejnamyn S
September 16, 2020 at 11:55 pm
Ted has kind of gone down hill. Of course this is unquestionably important to better research and understand for the sake of the well being of intersex people, but this person also makes bad faith generalization after bad faith generalization and then ironically states “like most things in this world it is more complicated than that”. Yes, exactly and yet you’ve just fallen upon the same logical fallacies as the people who have inadvertently caused intersex people pain and suffering.
Carson Hunt
September 17, 2020 at 12:03 am
Maybe intersex people is nature’s way of providing gay people with a partner with working genitalia?
alarcon99
September 17, 2020 at 12:24 am
It breaks my heart to think of all the young people who grew up like this and found a refuge in Harry Potter only to find out that J. K. Rowling is such a TERF 😤😡
kathryn moore
September 17, 2020 at 12:44 am
One word, amazing!
Elio Valverde
September 17, 2020 at 12:49 am
Powerful video!
Scribbli Chheery
September 17, 2020 at 12:58 am
Can we all just take a moment and appreciate that Ted did not disable comments?
SIX SIGMA SIX
September 17, 2020 at 1:11 am
Sleepy Joe and Kamala Toe
Dean M
September 17, 2020 at 1:17 am
What’s with the dislikes? Idiots who think inters*x is made up and doesn’t exist? You don’t choose to be born being inters*x so I don’t understand why the dislikes. People dislike… Facts? Reality? Idiots
Denzer Foster
September 17, 2020 at 1:18 am
it is interesting to see how much ted has lost in viewership once it started catering more exclusively to progressive agendas.
Fern Boudreaux
September 17, 2020 at 1:20 am
How is this an agenda? It seems to me to be informational.
Just Cause
September 17, 2020 at 1:25 am
Stop giving testosterone to underaged girls without parental consent just ’cause they feel like their a boy Parenthood ! This sounds like a lot of conjecture and emotionalism, intersex births has risen since the experimentation of birth control medication by Big Pharma on the world’s population. The assumption is that our genetics is stable or improving but it is actually degrading with each generation.
Kareemah Kouzer
September 17, 2020 at 1:28 am
False. Intersex is very common. Even semi worsipped in some places in India. The number appear higher due to social media and the ability of people to share their story.
Paula Regil
September 17, 2020 at 12:24 pm
Agreed 100% let healthy people what they want out of live. We need to stop discrimination, as we speak there are allegations of mass hysterectomy being carried without consent in several ICE detention centers. NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO DECIDE WHAT DO YOU WITH YOUR BODIES. Let’s spread the word and fight discrimination.
Emily
September 17, 2020 at 12:38 pm
I’m an intelligent woman who fights for equality and acceptance of all humans. I donate my time my money and everything that I can. Not one person in my life is”normal” according to society. But having said all that I just want to tackle hug this woman. She speaks so eloquently of the issues that we all face but especially the issues that this group of individuals faces. And yet I can’t get a mature response to come out of me except that I just want to tackle hug her and squeeze her, I just want to squeeze her!
K-FOREST
September 17, 2020 at 1:03 pm
What is the right person/world, and what is it like?
What is right and what is wrong?
Irondragon1945
September 17, 2020 at 3:22 pm
I’d say false promises of happiness when in fact things will hurt you in the long run are wrong.
There, have a quick definition.
Fozzie Bear
September 17, 2020 at 1:54 pm
At this moment, 558 people down-voted this video. So I am supposed to understand, 558 people watched this video and chose not to learn a thing. This tells you much of the stupidity of some humans. SAF. Best wishes to all intersexed people. I will fight for your rights to be you unaltered by the stupid people around you.
Stas Kalbas
September 17, 2020 at 2:08 pm
What is going on with this world….just check the “other box” on the form and keep it moving. And stop pushing ideals on kids under 18years old.
matholton
September 17, 2020 at 2:09 pm
intersex is different to what is going on with the trans stuff going on today. Of course, somebody born intersex (either both genitalia, or mis-matching chromosomes) should never have surgery to fix them…unless as an adult. How anyone can argue against that is beyond me.
nuitNo.6
September 17, 2020 at 2:14 pm
I rather listen to someone with a t-shirt. Why do people always have to be so tight at these talks.
Mor Kaubl
September 17, 2020 at 2:21 pm
Remember this comment when you’re older. Hopefully you will have matured by then.
nuitNo.6
September 17, 2020 at 2:51 pm
@Mor Kaubl Hopefully designer clothes won’t be my only way of achieving self-worth.
Arletrim
September 17, 2020 at 2:40 pm
I cried at the end, it’s really important to accept each other. I didn’t know exactly how it is to be intersex. Much love.
Syafeeq Kamil
September 17, 2020 at 3:08 pm
Simply bollocks
Tembotok
September 17, 2020 at 5:54 pm
Simply unscientificly rejudicial of yours…
Daniel
September 17, 2020 at 3:12 pm
She’s referring to hermaphrodite. They’ve always existed in every species. The child of Hermes and Aphrodite was referred to in Greek legend. I’ve bagged one when hunting deer. It has to be a difficult life to navigate.
Lisa Love Ministries
September 17, 2020 at 3:55 pm
Seek the Creator daily to know who you are.
Romans 10:9 🙏
Revelation 21:8 💞
Caterfree10
September 17, 2020 at 4:00 pm
God, the HP comparisons hurt given recent events. ;;
Falguni k
September 17, 2020 at 4:26 pm
She sounds so classy… like Michelle Dockery
aarti Kumari
September 17, 2020 at 5:12 pm
I don’t owe anybody anymore with the help of, *p a i d t o b e h o m e .c o m*
Get me to 1k subs with no videos
September 17, 2020 at 5:28 pm
If you have both parts, one part still takes priority so technically you’re that gender, if you have a penis and vagina and the penis doesn’t work then you’re a girl
Tembotok
September 17, 2020 at 5:52 pm
So ,,if you are impotent you aren’t a man anymore” thinking?
You then have no gender, even if you got your organ, only because it doesn’t work properly?
Snails are hermaphrodite, but if they accidently lose one of their organ’s ability to work right they just have a gender set, if they primary thought of themselves they mainly were that ”lost” gender?
E M S
September 17, 2020 at 5:52 pm
It’s interesting that somehow the shift in terminology away from “hermaphrodism” to “intersex” (and the expansion of the list of congenital conditions included in it) has begun to get the issues that come with being intersex more attention. I worry, however, that intersex people (once all-but-completely ignored even within the LGBTI coalition) might get overlooked if and when trans people start to see the few social and legal issues that are specific to them addressed. Most trans issues, on balance, can be and are being addressed as civil rights for gay and lesbian people have improved. But there are a few that were overlooked with all the historical attention on homosexuals. The same goes for intersex issues now. With most gay civil rights issues addressed and finally new attention on trans issues for the first time in history, intersex people seem to be in their shadow. Surely, this isn’t the best way to go about getting what is needed.
Thanks at least that TED is doing their part. But are the leading LGBT rights organizations really including intersex issues in their policy proposals and organizing? I don’t see it if they are …
Necromancer Sloth
September 17, 2020 at 6:02 pm
As usual the comment section is awful, but this talk was great. The intersex/DSD community is horribly misunderstood and under-represented. Everyone deserves bodily autonomy at the very least; non-essential surgery should never be performed on those unable to consent.
Chris Hilsden
September 17, 2020 at 6:44 pm
A lot of the more recent comments are, thankfully, far from “awful”
N T C
September 18, 2020 at 1:22 am
Chris Hilsden Sort by new.
ryce Ev
September 17, 2020 at 6:23 pm
🤢🤮
Aaron Rosenberg
September 18, 2020 at 1:08 am
So sorry about your upbringing. Shall we blame your parents?
An K Tran
September 17, 2020 at 7:12 pm
Yes to more intersex awareness. ❤✨
Angela Ukemenam
September 17, 2020 at 7:28 pm
Why are there more Caucasian than African and Asian Intersex people???
LUKVANCE
September 17, 2020 at 7:42 pm
How many people have 11 fingers?
vigilant_cat
September 17, 2020 at 10:25 pm
Her condition is 1:20,000 to 60,000 not 1.3% of population
billytankx
September 17, 2020 at 11:20 pm
She was born with gonads instead of ovaries? Wow…
anatoli p
September 18, 2020 at 12:56 am
There are NO 100 million ”intersex” people stop spreading nonsense .
For example nonclassic CAH is NOT an ”intersex” condition ( mostly it is no worse than PCOS ) .
MRKH is also not an ”intersex” condition DSD yes but not an ”intersex” .
The most prominent form of ”intersex” condition is the male Klinefelter syndrome (i.e XXY) which has a prevalence of less than 1 in 1,000 of all males (and even then the condition is not very severe except infertility of course) .
All other conditions are far more rare .
Mathew Jenkins
September 18, 2020 at 12:56 am
I’m goimg to give this an approved stamp. It was swaying a bit towards the end talking about love etc but I’m still glad I watched it as I learnt about intersex people.
I don’t think these people will be shunned by society. If we can accept transpeople this should be no problem.
Acceptance is a given in a progressive society as long as it respects equality. The moment one group is seen to be given special privileges prejudice will soon follow.
aristochat3
September 18, 2020 at 3:07 am
You had me until “colonial past”.
Dagmar Solberg
September 18, 2020 at 3:56 am
Gingers are as numerous on Earth as intersex people. I don’t really consider that rare. We need to stop being so worried about what’s in other people’s pants!
Paul Fagan
September 18, 2020 at 5:14 am
Bravo a very powerful talk!!! Have strength keep on, your words will free different people widely across the world
Prashant Vanave
September 18, 2020 at 5:22 am
Love you all intersex people.
Wild Edibles
September 18, 2020 at 5:50 am
Xoxox much love xoxox
**
September 18, 2020 at 6:36 am
The Western medicine model is always advanced science until it becomes quackery…Blood letting anyone?
**
September 18, 2020 at 6:57 am
This is not an intersex rights issue, this is a Human Rights issue. No doctor or parent has the right to destroy perfectly healthy anatomy for the sake of conformity. These are serious and life altering choices that a person should make for themselves once they become of age…not arbitrarily by a total stranger with a trigger happy scalpel. Birth certificates should have the option to leave the gender blank or choose “ both” or “other”.
wiseguyisyy4u
September 18, 2020 at 9:49 am
1.7%.. yeah nah.
Reason & Rage
September 18, 2020 at 7:01 pm
ok, 5 mins of googling, seems like the number is not too far fetched. However, that number includes broad spectrum issues, such as Klinefelter syndrome (which, before this google search I had never even heard of). Some people want it to be narrower, in which case the number goes down. This is the US by the way. Apparently there was a study done last year in Turkey looking at 14.2k infants and found 18 (so 1.3 in 1,000 – so lower than the 1.7% quoted by her), however they didn’t stipulate their parameter so I don’t know what they included (did they use broad spectrum?). I’m from a tiny village and I knew of one instance of an intersex birth growing up (which would be pretty much 1 in 1000, so anecdotally speaking that makes sense to me). Still a lot.
Evan Lancaster
September 18, 2020 at 11:23 am
Isn’t it the parents’ decision?
Reason & Rage
September 18, 2020 at 6:46 pm
It’s actually an interesting conundrum, I think. When you think about it, a parent is sort of like a (benevolent) dictator to a child. They can decide everything about their whole life, where they live, how they live, what religion to follow, what jobs they cna do (under 16 anyways, here) how much money they get, where they can go. But the better question I think is, should they? It’s important to have adults raise a child and guide it to adulthood but I think people are coddled too much as well. My parents always inolved me and my sibling in decisions. They’d make the final decision but they’d ask for input. I think, in cases where it’s not a health decision, why not wait until the child is old enough to understand and the family can make a decision together (whatever that may be)? Isn’t that a much healthier way? I can’t even imagine what it must feel like to find out that your parents have lied to you your whole life.
Leyla Hussain
September 18, 2020 at 12:47 pm
Just I am curious if this condition affects development of the children?🤔 Do they need help in puberty like hormone therapy?
suraj amom
September 18, 2020 at 2:20 pm
😍🙏
OY -2092
September 18, 2020 at 2:58 pm
Yes you do have a place in this world Susannah , you are the humanity itself
Martha Maclaren
September 18, 2020 at 4:12 pm
POG FOR INTERSEX PRIDE!!
Katiwyek Jopny
September 18, 2020 at 6:33 pm
I think there is a profound difference between accepting something and making something a new norm.
No one denies that intersex people should be accepted and loved, but in the future, with both genetic therapy and advanced surgery widely available, it will not be an issue anymore. So why don’t we focus on medical research instead of twisting norms in favor of the unusual minorities?
Balance Health Wellness Music
September 18, 2020 at 8:34 pm
Very informative, thank you so much for sharing your inspiring story.
Martin Cotterill
September 18, 2020 at 8:40 pm
Wow! Great talk
BrutusAlbion
September 18, 2020 at 9:47 pm
Ah I love it when TED is TED and is damn good.
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Charles White64
September 19, 2020 at 5:53 am
Tremendously Strong and Courageous Spirit and She Enlightens with Such Gracious Dignity! Blessings Always to Her!
Anthony Kaye
September 19, 2020 at 2:02 pm
She’s lived her whole life as a woman, without any discrimination or bias, and suddenly an enraged radical (you can hear it in her voice).
Stop hating people because they have their own subjective perspective that might not be your rare and minority experience!!! This is why we live in a free society…to voice our perspective and negotiate from our subjective perspectives to respect each other, and come to a consensus, and COMMON GOOD, that respects each other (including the majority)!!!
TaciturnGrump
September 20, 2020 at 12:42 pm
clearly you didnt actually listen to what she said, and what you can hear in her voice is not radicalism, its nervousnes, its the sheer terror of trying to articulate clearly and keep control. She isnt hating anyone – there is NOT ONE MOMENT in that speech where she articulates that or says that – and if you actually listened, at the end she celebrated not just her condition but the beauty of human compassion – learn to listen
Boose
September 20, 2020 at 2:07 am
Thank you for this TED Talk.
Very informative, and I’m happy to learn and become more aware of intersex people. I hope more people see this and with an open mind learn
B Welkinator
September 20, 2020 at 3:32 am
I don’t want to “see” you; get back in the closet. See a therapist and quit whining … especially in public.
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andrew moore
September 20, 2020 at 2:40 pm
Very brave, she is a woman but how we define what a woman or man is can not be drawn from our genitalia.
Romanski
September 23, 2020 at 7:47 am
… or from our genetics or from our reproductive glands or from our hormonal makeup etc..
European Qoheleth
September 20, 2020 at 10:00 pm
Friendly reminder that intersex is a medical condition and isn’t something in one’s mind like transgenderism. I shouldn’t have to point this out but some will just demonise any minority group.
m0j0rising
September 21, 2020 at 3:15 am
Excellent discussion. Thank you, Susannah. Thank you TED.
zeBrowni
September 21, 2020 at 3:34 am
I sexually identify as a potato
Sarah Bowen
September 21, 2020 at 8:47 am
I can’t grasp the courage it takes to stand up and talk about this….amazing person!
CH099 Zenith Radadiya
September 21, 2020 at 4:20 pm
We are not body we are soul(AATMA)
That’s why we said my body we don’t say I m body.
In HINDUISM we believe that everyone is a soul and our ultimate goal is to attain MOKSHA.
“We all are one”
Small Part of PARMARMA (SUPREME POWER)
That’s why we allways taught by our DHARM that “Whole world is a family( वसुधैव कुटुम्बकं )”
Concealed Kitty
September 21, 2020 at 4:43 pm
people who downvoted are pathetic and disgusting. not that i care, just stating the facts
DaBlondDude
September 21, 2020 at 4:56 pm
I’m a tad embarrassed most of these questions never occurred to me. Falsely declaring gender is fraud and yet to be legal you have to lie. Which bathroom are you allowed in? How are professional athletes categorized? Egads, that’s a long list
sonoki82
September 22, 2020 at 2:39 am
This person claims that 1.7% of the population is intersex. But it is a bogus claim. Intersex activists desperately try to inflate their numbers by tossing in every conceivable defect that impacts the genitalia or reproductive system, even if the person is clearly male or female. For example, they claim that a male who is fully and unambiguously male but whose penis “slit” is slightly out of place is “intersex.” These activists are liars. True intersex is very, very rare.
Glenn Bruce
September 22, 2020 at 5:19 am
Well done! Thank you for sharing a light on this subject.
SBP7
September 22, 2020 at 9:04 am
Such an inspiring and well delivered talk – learnt something new that helped shape how I see the world, Ted at its best! 👏
Bread Fan
September 22, 2020 at 1:15 pm
OK, maybe someone can help me with this:
I can understand that the fear and stigma of being intersex stems from homophobia, transphobia and sexism.
How on earth does the fear and stigma of being intersex stem from our colonial past?
This statement (at 9:53) sounds so unreasonable and unsupported to me. It stands out as an incoherent attempt to exploit white guilt, in stark contrast against an otherwise well articulated and balanced talk. Are victims of colonization more accepting towards intersex people today? I sincerely doubt it. Maybe I’m missing something here, if anyone can help I would really appreciate it.
rafinofee
September 22, 2020 at 2:28 pm
the ‘unconsented operation’ practice is an old practice. doctors used to operate their genitalia to be more female look and asked the parents to raise them as female because it’s easier. but not anymore now. the practice has changed as medicine will never stop evolving.
Ilse S
September 23, 2020 at 1:51 am
Thank you for this insight. I knew very little about intersexuality, and what I thought I knew, did stem from the idea that a person should be either a male (and look like one) or a female (and look like one). I kind of feel like a ‘broken specimen’ because I have not been able to carry a child. Doctors could not explain why and kind of ‘left it at that’. Knowing what that has done to me, my self image, self esteem, my relationship and later on recognizing how this has influenced me in my well being and my life choices; I cannot begin to understand what life has been like for you, Susannah, and all other people like and unlike you, dealing with intersexuality in any way. To think of how frequently and severely you would to explain that you are you and that you are not faulty, sick, disabled or defective because of that. I am sorry you had to go through all that. I am gratefull you did this ted talk, as it was helpfull to me. I hope to be able to be helpfull and respectfull to someone dealing with this if and when they decide to speak about their experiences with me.
Annavita Soto
September 23, 2020 at 9:58 am
I’m intersex, I’m glad I didn’t get my intersex genitals cut on, I pray that the doctors will stop cutting up others bodies
Joe Nnochiri
September 23, 2020 at 10:26 am
How is being intersex different from being a hermaphrodite?