Intersex people, or those born with physical variations in sex characteristics, are far more common than most people realize. When broadly defined, an estimated 1.7% of the global population is born with intersex variations, about the same prevalence as people with naturally red hair and more common than identical twins. This can include differences in chromosomes (such as XXY patterns), hormone production or sensitivity, gonadal development (such as variations in ovaries or testes), or genital anatomy that does not fit typical medical definitions of female or male bodies (Clevland Clinic, 2025). These variations are part of normal biological diversity. Despite this, the experiences of intersex people are largely invisible and stigmatized. In conjunction, the public’s understanding of intersex variations remains limited (Hegarty & Smith, 2022). Psychological science helps explain why stigma, secrecy, and violations of intersex people’s bodily autonomy persist, and how they shape mental health and well-being. 3 Insights From Psychology 1. Stigma, Not Biology, Drives Harm Psychological research shows that stigma arises when bodies deviate from socially-enforced norms, particularly binary frameworks of sex …