Ideas worth spreading

The way we think about biological sex is wrong

2,904,261 views |

Emily Quinn |

TEDWomen 2018

• November 2018

Did you know that almost 150 million people worldwide are born intersex -- with biology that doesn't fit the standard definition of male or female? (That's as many as the population of Russia.) At age 10, Emily Quinn found out she was intersex, and in this wise, funny talk, she shares eye-opening lessons from a life spent navigating society's thoughtless expectations, doctors who demanded she get unnecessary surgery -- and advocating for herself and the incredible variety that humans come in. (Contains mature content)

Did you know that almost 150 million people worldwide are born intersex -- with biology that doesn't fit the standard definition of male or female? (That's as many as the population of Russia.) At age 10, Emily Quinn found out she was intersex, and in this wise, funny talk, she shares eye-opening lessons from a life spent navigating society's thoughtless expectations, doctors who demanded she get unnecessary surgery -- and advocating for herself and the incredible variety that humans come in. (Contains mature content)

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Discover how you can best support intersex people in your community.

Learn more about Emily's story and what it means to be intersex.

About the speaker

Emily Quinn

Artist, activist, author

See speaker profile

Emily Quinn describes herself as "a ballsy intersex activist who uses humor and storytelling to create a more welcoming world for people who don’t fit in a box."

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Advocates for Intersex Youth is the leading organization protecting the rights of intersex youth in the United States. They have so many great resources for people to check out: the "What We Wish" brochure series is my favorite. They were made by the intersex youth to show their doctors, friends, teachers and families how to best support them.

Human Rights Watch, 2017 | Article

"US: Harmful Surgery on Intersex Children"

In 2017, InterACT partnered with Human Rights Watch to create a ground-breaking report exposing the physical and psychological damage caused by medically unnecessary surgery on intersex people. The video summarizing the report is so powerful, and the full report can be downloaded from the HRW website.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Discover how you can best support intersex people in your community.

Learn more about Emily's story and what it means to be intersex.