Although doctors are often already aware of someone’s intersex status when they’re born, and in many cases attempt to “fix” them, intersex people frequently feel stigma that keeps them from being open about their identity. And that means that, all too often, intersex people aren’t able to take up space in the LGBTQ+ movement. The lack of intersex people in LGBTQ+ communities means that queer people aren’t building relationships with intersex people and therefore are less likely to fight for issues that directly impact them, Weigel says — issues that include getting rid of the very surgeries that suggest intersex people shouldn’t exist.