Andy Hopper, a member of the Texas House of Representatives, admits he has no idea what “intersex” means. As reported by
PinkNews, the moment has gone viral for Hopper stating “I don’t even know what that means” when Democratic representative Lauren Ashley Simmons asks him about intersex individuals and accusing Hopper of wanting to defund a program that he doesn’t even understand.
The Texas House of Representatives voted on Friday April 11 to adopt a $337 billion budget. Representatives looked to attach amendments including Hopper who wanted to discard funding for the University of Texas at Austin because “they had LGBTQ+ and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and policies.”
Simmons asked if Hopper was referring to biological sex or gender to which he replied, “They’re one and the same, ma’am.” Which, of course, they are not. According to the
Yale School of Medicine, sex is classification based on multiple physical factors including chromosomes, while gender refers to an individual’s self-representation in social institutions and can only be determined by the individual.
In response to Hopper’s false claims that
intersex people “are still XX or XY,” Valoree Swanson, a fellow Republican, can be seen in the viral video advising him, “that’s not true.”
The Houston Intersex Society took to Instagram to respond, saying, “Intersex people are born with genital anatomy, hormones, chromosomes, and/or gonads that are in-between what is considered typical for male or female.
“Over one in 1,000 births have intersex traits, sometimes also called variations in sex characteristics or difference of sex development.
“Attempts to legally establish an exclusively binary sex system (are) not only scientifically inaccurate, (they) also create a dangerous situation that leaves intersex people in legal limbo and perpetuate the ongoing practice of forced sterilisation, and genital surgeries on intersex babies and children.”
Hopper’s amendment was voted down after Simmons filed a point of order.
Photos courtesy of social media 
