From Object to Subject: Intersex Activism and the Rise and Fall of the Gender Binary in Germany

Abstract

Abstract In several states, the universal gender binary has been challenged by the introduction of an official third sex. This article explains that paradigm shift in Germany by analyzing the successful introduction of a third sex category in 2018. Historical legacies of gender variance in the pre-modern and modern states are compared with the contemporary (re-)introduction of a third sex. I show that intersex activists and their transnational advocacy at the United Nations reframed the discourse from medical correction to legal protection. This study offers critical insights into the changing dynamics and meanings of gender, state power, and social movements.

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