Beyond Binarism? Intersex as an Epistemological and Political Challenge*

Abstract

Sexual difference combines various aspects, ranging from the biological to the social, which, once delimited, reduce people to two political categories: woman and man. Although these categories are not naturally watertight, most societies reject diversity (understood as deformity) in favour of a binary sexual system. This article aims to deconstruct this binarism, suggesting that it is not coherent to speak of two sexes, but rather of a multiplicity. Based on feminist theory, queer theory and philosophy, the text develops a reflection on intersex, showing how it has been considered at different times. It also addresses the history of sexual regulation and discusses its causes and effects. Reflection on the concept of human being, which till now excluded intersex – by and large placed beyond the limits of the possible – leads to the interconnection of Butler’s definition of the livable life with Derrida’s notion of unconditional hospitality, which may be the key to the recognition of intersex as a human category.