Welcome

This is the website for the Caught Between Two Worlds effort to raise awareness of intersexuality and ensure those who need medical assistance with it actually do get it. This is done through lobbying and as a grassroots effort via volunteers.

Intersexuality

Everyone is aware of the existence of males and females, but there's a third group, also very large: intersexual people, which contains many different conditions and symptoms, but which all basically mean that the person doesn't fall under the strict physical definition of 'male' and 'female' society maintains. According to the most used, and quite limited medical definition, a suspected 1 out of every 2,000 children is born intersexual, which is 0.05% of the world population. If we assume there are 6 billion people on this planet, that means that around 3 million people are intersexual. Even in a tiny country like the Netherlands there are over 8,000 intersexual people.

Another definition which includes many more conditions which would fall under 'intersexual' comes out at 4%, or 1 in every 25 children. This would result in 680,000 in the Netherlands and 240 million world-wide. Naturally this makes it a well-recognized and accepted condition, right?

Taboo

Not so; intersexuality is a taboo, much like homosexuality was in the 1950s and still is in some places. In many countries intersexual people are forced to choose to become either a regular male or female, at birth parents and/or doctors make the decision for them, usually with horrible consequences including emotional trauma, more surgeries to correct wrong decisions and so on. Many intersexual people choose to not make their condition known, many not even to their own family.

Justice

Why does this situation exist today? Why can't such a large group of people be accepted and recognized for what they are? Why can't society deal with the existence of a 'third sex' as it's often called? These are some of the questions which need answering, and which Caught Between Two Worlds fights for.

Participating

One way to show your support for this effort is to add your name to the Facebook and/or Hyves groups (see Menu on the left). You can also educate those around you. Many people aren't even aware of the existence of intersexuality, thus informing them is the first step to recognition.

Here in the Netherlands I, Maya Posch, am currently lobbying politics for the rights of intersexual people in this country. Some of the points I think are important include the right to assume any official gender (within reason) without the need for a lengthy medical and psychological evaluation and surgery. I also lobby for the inclusion of intersexuality as subject in teaching materials at schools. Further I just try to spread a general awareness of this subject, among politicians and common people alike.

Contact

You can contact me (Maya Posch) via my personal site. See the link in the menu on the left. You can also contact me via Facebook and Hyves.