For the parents of intersex kids, deciding how to proceed isn’t easy
In the US, thousands of infants with intersex traits undergo medically unnecessary genital surgeries each year, often before they can consent.
Words by Nandika Chatterjee, Uncloseted Media
Design by Yosef Phelan
Editor’s note: To protect Zebb’s privacy, this story uses pseudonyms for him and his parents.
In the fall of 2023, Cindy Howard was in a hospital bed recovering from a C-section.
While the birth had gone smoothly, the pregnancy itself carried intense uncertainty.
In the months leading up to the delivery, a technician had indicated she was expecting a girl.
But during an ultrasound at around 30 weeks pregnant, she was told that while her baby had no visible penis, there were testicles. “We figured it was just a bad angle,” Howard told Uncloseted Media and GAY TIMES.
