Introduction

This chapter considers the situation of intersex people who have faced erasure in the areas of science, law, culture, and theology due to the assumption that all humans are either ‘female’ or ‘male.’ First is an examination of the main objectives of the book, to hear the stories of intersex people and to understand how and why science, law, culture, and theology have worked together to uphold the sex/gender binary of sexual dimorphism that has led to the erasure of intersex people. Next is an exploration of the terminology used in the book, noting the importance of language and the need to allow people to self-identify with terms they choose. This chapter concludes by explaining the methodology that was used to conduct the interviews that are the foundation of this book, the methodologies used in writing this book, as well as a summary of each of the following chapters.