How was the term “DSD” introduced?
DSD or disorders of sex development grew out of conversations among a select group of intersex activists, parents’ group representatives, medical professionals and scholars that became known as the DSD Consortium, which is responsible for developing two handbooks, “Clinical Guidelines” and “Parents’ Handbook.” Alternatives such as “disorders of sexual development” and “disorders of sex differentiation” were also discussed, but the word “sexual” was rejected because it implied sexuality rather than anatomical sex, and “differentiation” because there were competing medical and scientific definition for what “sex differentiation” was. (However, as noted below, such intricate distinctions may not translate well to other languages.) It should be noted that while the Consortium produced two important handbooks on DSD, three of the intersex adults who have contributed to the guidelines (David Iris Cameron, Esther Morris Leidolf and Peter Trinkl) have pulicly stated that they disagreed with th
