Intersex people have existed since the beginning of time and will exist until the end of time. No law, executive order, judge or advocate of pseudoscience can erase us. Their goal is to conceal any existence outside of an impossibly narrow sex binary. Our existence is resistance.
PCOS is being renamed to PMOS. (Polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome)
The change comes from experts that say the old name was misleading, stating that it inaccurately suggested ovarian cysts as a defining feature.
All girls and women with Olympic dreams will now be subjected to mandatory genetic testing. Many headlines focused on one point: banning transgender women.
But that misses the bigger story: This policy puts every woman’s body under a microscope and creates a system in which officials decide who is “woman enough” to compete.
https://t.co/UYWiTKLSUy
Sex testing has a sordid history of use by sporting bodies to target women athletes who, often through variations in their sex characteristics, or intersex traits, have higher than typical natural testosterone.
The practice—in its many forms—has been debunked as unethical, unscientific, and unworkable, and has often relied on racist gender stereotypes. Moreover, there is no scientific consensus that higher than typical testosterone in women confers an athletic advantage. @hrw
https://t.co/0bjkeuji8r
"Do not use the names of women athletes to target, shame or exclude transgender women. Transgender women are women. Women with intersex variations are women. I welcome these women – and all women – onto my teams." @USATODAY
https://t.co/Nj3q9WKkj9
Most people do not know their chromosomes until they undergo sex testing. Widespread sex testing mandates in the Olympics mean surprises for some athletes, who are outed and banned from the sport they love simultaneously.
If you haven't taken a genetic test, you don't know what your chromosomes are, either. They might be XX or XY. They might be XO, XXY, or a mix of XX/XY.
Science is more complex than many people feel comfortable believing.
Many athletes may only learn they are intersex from genetic testing. “There are places around the world where this kind of outing is incredibly dangerous. I would like to think the U.S. is not one of those places. But right now it doesn't feel like that to a lot of people.”
A new Olympic policy on genetic testing could reshape women’s sports and raise questions for intersex and cisgender athletes alike.
https://t.co/Lf8HrsiB2J
Kate, an intersex college athlete & interACT Youth, worries about what the Olympic policy means for the next generation. “It made me really sad for all the intersex kids who are dreaming of the Olympics." She once thought competing at that level would be “the coolest thing.”
A new Olympic policy on genetic testing could reshape women’s sports and raise questions for intersex and cisgender athletes alike.
https://t.co/Lf8HrsiB2J
"Sports are supposed to be about celebrating the exceptional, not forcing us to conform to outdated perceptions of what it means to be a woman."
https://t.co/hbM69OcM32
“I wish people understood that really, these regulations do target intersex people as well,” said Amelia, an intersex woman in track and field. “I think a lot of times we do get sort of pushed to the side and seen as collateral damage or an unintended consequence of transphobia.”
We are proud to have partnered with @GLSEN on their 2025 National School Climate Survey! The report is telling: only 22% of LGBTQI+ students who received sex ed even learned about intersex topics.
How can we bring inclusion into the classroom?
Learn more: https://t.co/LH0k2VAgUm
The Supreme Court struck down a law that protected youth from conversion therapy – harmful efforts to change a person's sexual orientation or gender.
Intersex youth are disproportionately vulnerable to conversion therapy practices. interACT responds:
https://t.co/W4cKZnxKrH