What Is Intersex?
What does it mean to be intersex? We go into more detail here, but simply put, it refers to people whose bodies do not fit neatly into the typical definitions of male or female. Their bodies, chromosomes, or hormones can be different from what society usually expects. In many ways, it represents a way of living that is not limited by traditional ideas of gender.
Today, I wanted to focus on a someone whose experience being intersex has shaped their work: manga artist Sho Arai.
Japanese Essay-Style Manga
Sho Arai is a manga artist who creates essay-style comics based on personal experiences. Their work focuses on themes such as love, sexuality, the body, and gender. By sharing their own struggles and discoveries about their body and identity, Arai has continued to send messages to people facing similar questions or worries.
Growing Up Intersex: Feeling Different During Adolescence
Arai was assigned female at birth, and was raised as a woman. However, from a young age, they felt confused about changes in their body. Due to precocious puberty, secondary female characteristics appeared when they were still in elementary school. At the same time, other changes occurred that were not typical for most girls, such as some facial hair and an enlarged clitoris.
As Arai grew older, hormonal fluctuations continued to affect their body and appearance. Sometimes they felt more masculine, and other times more feminine. Living with these changes caused long-term confusion. Despite these feelings, Arai continued living as a woman and even got married.
An Intersex Discovery at 30 and the Decision to Masculinize
At the age of 30, Arai spoke with a friend, a female-to-male transgender person. This conversation encouraged them to visit a psychosomatic clinic for testing.
While waiting for the test results, Arai became interested in testosterone and masculinization. They had already felt a strong dislike for their chest, so after being introduced to a hospital by a friend, they began testosterone treatment and had top surgery.
Later, chromosome testing revealed that Arai had Turner syndrome, a condition in which an AFAB person has only one X chromosome instead of the usual two.
After receiving the diagnosis, Arai realized that the effects of testosterone were stronger than expected. At first, they considered stopping the treatment, but the physical changes had already progressed and would be difficult to reverse. At the same time, their body was producing less estrogen, which meant returning to a more typically female appearance was unlikely.
Because of this, Arai decided to accept the situation and continue masculinization. Their legal gender, however, remains female.
Sharing Intersex Experiences Through Japanese Manga
Based on these experiences, Arai began creating manga that documented their experiences, like a graphic essay. In addition to their own life story, they also interviewed other people in the sexual minority community. Their works talk openly about love, sexuality, and the body, sometimes seriously and sometimes with humor.
Many young readers who struggle with questions about gender or sexuality have found comfort and understanding through these stories. Today, Arai is considered one of the pioneering figures in manga to explore gender and sexual diversity.
Intersex Stories in Japanese Manga: “Sexual Identity is Not Just One Thing”
One of Arai’s best-known works is the manga essay series Seibetsu ga, Nai! (No Gender!). The story is based on Arai’s real experiences and explores topics such as gender, the body, relationships, and sexuality.
The manga follows Arai’s life, including the time they lived as a woman until the age of 30, when they later learned more about their body through chromosome testing. Through honest storytelling, the series shows how Arai confronted questions about identity and how they chose to live their life.
The manga also includes stories about friends from sexual minority communities and letters from readers asking for advice about sexuality and identity. Even though it deals with serious topics, the story is told in a humorous and accessible way.
The series continued for about ten years and was published in 15 volumes. Because of its honest portrayal of real experiences related to gender, it left a strong impression on many readers.
In the story, Arai also introduces people around them, including a live-in apprentice named Takumi Usagi. The manga mentions personal interests as well, such as curiosity about what it might be like to attend an all-boys school, feeling sexual attraction toward men, and a love for boys’ love (BL) stories.
Right after beginning masculinization, Arai sometimes still used feminine language or gestures, which made living as a man a bit difficult at first. However, over time they became comfortable living as what they describe as an “ordinary middle-aged man.”
In the book, Arai also describes their sexual orientation as pansexual. They mention that they feel attraction toward men while identifying as someone who lived as a woman, and that identifying as a lesbian does not feel right for them.
What Intersexuality Teaches Us About Life
The existence of intersex people cannot be explained by the simple categories of male or female that society often assumes that everyone must fit into.
In their manga, Arai writes that some intersex people want to become a “proper” man or woman. That statement made me think about how society often expects people to clearly define their gender to live comfortably within it.
Reading this manga introduced me to perspectives and experiences that I had not thought about before. It helped me understand more about how intersex people live and how gender expectations can affect someone’s life.
At the same time, it made me realize that it might be possible to live without being completely defined by gender categories. Everyone has their own way of living, and understanding that diversity is important.
This manga offered a new way to think about identity and the many different ways people can live their lives. I hope that understanding of intersex people continues to grow so that everyone can live more freely and authentically.
