Ideas worth spreading

What it means to be intersex

1,808,987 views |

Susannah Temko |

TEDxLondon

• May 2019

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 She calls on us all to discard outdated notions of biological sex and accept the complexity within humanity.

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 She calls on us all to discard outdated notions of biological sex and accept the complexity within humanity.

This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxLondon, an independent event. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

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About the speaker

Susannah Temko

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Susannah Temko advocates for intersex individuals to be viewed and accepted as part of the beautiful complexity of humanity.

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This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxLondon, an independent event. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about TEDx.