Intersex individuals in the United States are legally safeguarded from sexual discrimination under federal civil rights laws. For many years, intersex traits have been viewed as birth defects or disorders, leading to the idea that intersex people need to be “corrected”. This has caused a lot of intersex people, including children who are too young to comprehend or give consent, to be exposed to painful medical treatments such as surgical removal of reproductive organs, alteration of external and internal genitalia, and hormonal therapy before puberty to force their bodies to develop in certain ways. In some cases, doctors and parents have deliberately concealed an individual's intersex status from them.
This has caused many intersex people to be hesitant to seek medical attention. It is essential for intersex individuals to understand that they are legally protected from discrimination and that they have the right to access medical care without fear of judgement or mistreatment.