Intersex external sex organs, 19th-century illustration. Intersex people have sex characteristics that vary from the definitions for male and female. This can include a mixture of male and female characteristics, including variations in the external genitalia and the internal organs. It can also include genetic variations involving the X and Y chromosomes. The older term hermaphrodite is used to refer to a mix of male and female sex organs. Artwork from 'Hygiene et Medecine Des Deux Sexes' (1890) by French author Alexis Clerc (1841-1894).