I failed biology twice. Years later, I realized biology class had failed to teach me about my own body.

I am an intersex woman born with Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (CAIS). I have XY chromosomes, but because my body cannot respond to androgens, I developed along a female pathway. I grew up as a girl and have lived my entire life as a woman.

But the biology I learned in school left virtually no room for bodies like mine.

Like many students, I was taught a simplified model of biological sex: XX chromosomes are associated with female development and XY chromosomes with male development. That can be a useful starting point for understanding genetics, but it is not the whole story.

Human sex development involves more than chromosomes. Naturally occurring variations can involve chromosomes, genes, gonadal development, hormone production, hormone receptors and sensitivity, internal reproductive anatomy, and external anatomy.

Intersex people are part of that natural human variation.

Including these biological realities in science education isn’t about asking schools to replace science with ideology. It’s about giving students a more complete understanding of the science.

That’s why we’re calling on the Michigan Department of Education and Michigan State Board of Education, including State Superintendent Dr. Glenn Maleyko and Board President Dr. Pamela Pugh, to update Michigan’s high school biology standards so instruction on human sex development acknowledges naturally occurring intersex variations. 

I spent years believing my body was an exception to biology.

It wasn’t. My body was biology. It just wasn’t included in the lesson.

Students deserve science education that prepares them to understand the real complexity of human bodies, including bodies like mine.

Sign this petition if you believe Michigan students deserve biology education that reflects the natural diversity of human sex development.