Intersex people have not often been seen in the public arena. They are rarely represented in series, books or on television.
We have brought together here a number of accounts by intersex people and their families who have shared various aspects of their lives with us.
There are a number of videos, articles and projects on the subject of intersex on the internet. We have listed a few them here: OII Europe (Organisation Intersex International, Europe) has gathered together the testimonies of inter* people from across Europe in the section of their website called #MY INTERSEX STORY. If you look on the project page, you will find videos and information about the project. Inter* people from across the whole of Europe tell their stories in the book. (The website and testimonies are in English)
The Interface Project, which was founded in 2012, portrays the various everyday realities of intersex people. The people introduce themselves in short videos and give accounts of their lives. Each video is accompanied by a transcript.
The TV programme Auf Klo on the public youth TV channel funk has a guest called Audrey from Switzerland in one of its episodes. Audrey talks about various experiences, such as the medical procedures, that she underwent as a child and teenager.
You can watch other videos by Audrey on her YouTube channel (Audr XY).
There is a video on Planet Schule, a website that provides education about the media, in which Lynn from Berlin explains what it is like to be intersex.
OII Europe’s YouTube channel includes a video entitled “My intersex story”.
The German TV channel WDR also aired a segment in which a mother is interviewed about what it is like to have an intersex child.
Ted Talk by Emily Quinn – The way we think about biological sex is wrong (English with German subtitles). Emily Quinn is an author, graphic artist and an activist with InterAct. The books Inter*Trans*Express and Identitätskrise 2.0 are a collection of short stories, poems and drawings on everyday life and the protest activities of a “gender outlaw”. Both books describe personal experiences and highlight the viewpoints of inter* people.
Here is a list of further materials by intersex people:
Books and websites
This anthology includes short, personal stories by intersex people from all over the world:
- Inter – Erfahrungen intergeschlechtlicher Menschen in der Welt der zwei Geschlechter. Elisa Barth et al. (2017/2013): Berlin: NoNo Verlag / Münster: assemblage edition.
Short stories, poems and drawings by an intersex person:
- Identitätskrise 2.0 oder eine Analyse meiner linken DNA. By Ika Elvau (2019). Münster: edition assemblage.
- Inter*Trans*Express* – eine Reise an und über Geschlechtergrenzen. By Ika Elvau (2014): Münster: edition assemblage.
Websites on which intersex people tell their stories:
- Mein Geschlecht – a portal for young trans*, inter* and non-binary people.
- Inter Visibility – European Intersex Visibility. In English.
- Mein Testgelände – das Gendermagazin. Among others Inter*galaktisch, Inter*sexy, Inter*-Was? by Ika.
Other websites and pamphlets on Inter*:
- Regenbogenportal – an online information service on same-sex lifestyles and gender diversity. An extensive range of useful and informative texts on the subject of intersex produced by the German Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ).
- Inter* und Sprache. a pamphlet relating to the antidiscrimination project by TransInterQueer.
- If you want to explore the subjects of acceptance and diversity in more detail, you can find lots of recommended children’s books in the pamphlet Akzeptanz für Vielfalt.
Video clips
- Come Join Us! Intersex Youth in Europe – English with German subtitles.
- My Intersex Story – English with German subtitles.
- We are here (a message for intersex youth) – English with German subtitles.
- What it’s like to be intersex – English with German subtitles.
- Unser Kind ist intersexuell – Video about parents of an intersex child. Deutsch
- Mein Kind ist inter* – animated Video. German with subtitles.
Recommended movies/documentaries:
- Menschen hautnah – Weiblich, männlich, oder was? Leben mit dem dritten Geschlecht by Franziska Ehrenfeld, Insa Rauscher, Hannah Reineke (WDR, 43.30 minutes). Three inter* people from Germany are interviewed and accompanied around their day-to-day lives.
- Nicht Frau, nicht Mann! by Régine Abardia (arte 2017, 57 minutes). Two inter* people are primarily interviewed; one from France and the other from Germany. Protests organised by intersex people and empowerment meetings are also shown.
- No Box For Me – An Intersex Story by Floriane Devigne (58 minutes; French)
- Ponyboi by River Gallo (19 minutes; English). The short film tells the story of a precariously living inter* person in search of love and a better life.
Comics and graphic novels
- Hexenblut. Suskas Lötzerich (2014): Vienna: Luftschacht-Verlag.
This autobiographical graphic novel written by intersex author Suskas Lötzerich describes in a very open and honest way what it is like to grow up as an inter person. - Ach, so ist das?! Biografische Comicreportagen von LGBTI. Martina Schradi Band 1 (2014); Band 2 (2018). Stuttgart: Zwerchfell Verlag.
Plus educational materials: https://www.achsoistdas.com/fuer-schulen/. - The real-life experiences of intersex people are described in each of the two comic strip reportages.
Sasha (pp. 63–66)
Sefik (pp. 71–74)
Mo (pp. 45–46)
Yasar (pp. 83–88)
Some of them are also translated into Russian, Spanish, English and Japanese. - Let them talk! What genitals have to say about gender. A graphic survey. Yori Gagarim (2014): Münster: assemblage edition.
A charming little book about the diversity of sex organs with short statements in English (including German translations).