The Heterosexual Matrix’s Negative Consequences

Explore the psychological, institutional, and socio-cultural effects the gender binary has on how intersex people, especially intersex people of color, navigate societies across the globe. This section is meant to highlight the intersectional experiences intersex individuals experience across geographical location and social environments, and how socio-political institutions undermine their identities across various sectors of their lives.


Ussher, J. M., Carpenter, M., Power, R., Ryan, S., Allison, K., Hart, B., Hawkey, A., & Perz, J. (2024). “I’ve had constant fears that I’ll get cancer”: the construction and experience of medical intervention on intersex bodies to reduce cancer risk. International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being, 19(1), 2356924. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11134048/

Muñoz, E., Saavedra, M., & Sansone, D. (2025). The lives of intersex people: Socioeconomic and health disparities in Mexico. PNAS nexus, 4(5). https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgaf126

Esteban, C., Ortiz-Rodz, D. I., Muñiz-Pérez, Y. I., Ramírez-Vega, L., Jiménez-Ricaurte, C., Mattei-Torres, E., & Finkel-Aguilar, V. (2023). Quality of Life and Psychosocial Well-Being among Intersex-Identifying Individuals in Puerto Rico: An Exploratory Study. International journal of environmental research and public health, 20(4), 2899. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20042899

Luk, S. (2015). Beyond the Boundary – Knowing and Concerns Intersex. CAT. https://intersex.shadowreport.org/public/2015-CAT-Hong-Kong-China-NGO-BBKCI-Intersex.pdf

Mamhare, T., Syrajpal, S., Kazibwe, S., Carina, M., Cideka, K., Vijoen, F., & Songunro, A. (2022). Study on the Human Rights Situation of Intersex Persons in Africa. Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria. https://www.chr.up.ac.za/images/researchunits/sogie/documents/Intersex_Report/Intersex_report_Oct_Sept_2022.pdf

Egale. (2020). Intersex Rights in Canada: Literature review. In Egale. https://egale.ca/awareness/intersex-literature-review/

Machado, P. (2009). Intersexuality and sexual rights in southern Brazil. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 11(3), 237–250. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27784440

Jones, T., Hart, B., Carpenter, M., Ansara, G., Leonard, W., & Lucke, J. (2016). Intersex: stories and statistics from Australia. Open Book Publishers. https://interactadvocates.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Intersex-Stories-Statistics-Australia.pdf

Gesink, I. F. (2018). Intersex Bodies in Premodern Islamic Discourse: Complicating the Binary. Journal of Middle East Women’s Studies, 14(2), 152–173. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26951321

Picq, M. L., & Tikuna, J. (2019, August 20). Indigenous Sexualities: Resisting Conquest and Translation. E-International Relations. https://www.e-ir.info/2019/08/20/indigenous-sexualities-resisting-conquest-and-translation/#google_vignette

Bray, F. (2017). Gender, Health, and History in Modern East Asia (A. K. C. Leung & I. Nakayama, Eds.; 1st ed.). Hong Kong University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1w1vmsb

Macdonald, F. (2017, July 20). The semi-sacred ‘third gender’ of South Asia. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20170720-the-semi-sacred-third-gender-of-south-asia

Berezkin, A. (2016, November 3). Breaking the Ice: The intersex movement in Russia. Intersex Day. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/362481737_Intersex_status_of_the_Soviet_Union_person_in_1917-1932

Noralla, N. (2023, April 20). Policies of Erasure: How the MENA’s region intersex people are made invisible – The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy. The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy. https://timep.org/2023/04/20/policies-of-erasure-how-the-menas-region-intersex-people-are-made-invisible/