often initialised to SCAB, it refers to the sex assigned at birth, and sometimes used by intersex people to refer to one of the two biological sexes they were forced into adopting at birth.
The term is very specific to intersex people, because it relates to the coercion they faced as infants, such as having to undergo “corrective surgery” in order to appear as a “normal” man or woman – in part to erase their intersex status.
Although this is a term that has found traction in the intersex community, it should be noted that a majority of intersex people identify as cisgender. The term has been co-opted by some endosex trans/nonbinary people, and this is considered problematic.
Originally published: 7th December, 2020
Last modified: 13th January, 2022