California did not ban the intersex surgeries

A bill that would have banned unnecessary cosmetic surgeries on intersex babies has failed a key vote in California, despite the state being the first to condemn the surgeries.

Intersex is an umbrella term encompassing those who are born with sex characteristics outside of the binary ‘female’ and ‘male’ definitions. There are many different ways that a person can identify as intersex, and it is thought to be as common as having red hair.

The vast majority of intersex activists now argue against ‘corrective’ surgeries on the genitals of intersex children and babies, pointing out that the operations are often medically unnecessary and can cause long-lasting harm.

If passed, the California bill would have been the first legislation in the US to ban the surgeries, but sadly it has now been tabled for the rest of the legislative session.