History Main / WrongGeneticSex

* The protagonist of ''Fanfic/LittleFires'' is a calico tomcat who [[{{Trangender}} identifies as female]]. Emberpaw is implied to be intersex.

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* In one episode of ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'', the episode starts with a rapist getting killed by his victim and the DNA evidence leads the detectives to a teenage boy who just happens to have an ironclad alibi. It turns out his twin "sister" is actually his twin ''brother''; it seems he lost his penis when they were circumcised as babies and the doctors who botched the operation covered their tracks by completing the job and talking his parents into raising him as a girl.
** Sadly, this is actually TruthInTelevision: The episode is based on an actual case. Just like the character in the episode, the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Reimer real man]] vehemently reverted to a male gender identity as soon as he got the chance. Sadly, he ended up killing himself [[spoiler: instead of killing [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Money the doctor]] like his fictional counterpart in SVU did]].

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In fiction, this usually pops up in various kinds of detective stories and is used as an excuse to make a DNA test into a RedHerring. It can also be a source of drama or simply a character quirk. The actual cause is likely to be HandWaved or just glossed over. {{Transgender}}s are covered by their own trope but may also fall under Wrong Genetic Sex if their transgender status is not known in advance and the plot hinges on the difference between their chromosomes and their appearance. Intersex people may also be included under similar circumstances. However, only individuals count: If an entire population is intersex, then it's a OneGenderRace.

In fiction, this usually pops up in various kinds of detective stories and is used as an excuse to make a DNA test into a RedHerring. It can also be a source of drama or simply a character quirk. The actual cause is likely to be HandWaved or just glossed over. {{Transsexual}}s are covered by their own trope but may also fall under Wrong Genetic Sex if their transgender status is not known in advance and the plot hinges on the difference between their chromosomes and their appearance. Intersex people may also be included under similar circumstances. However, only individuals count: If an entire population is intersex, then it's a OneGenderRace.

** Cal also meets a woman with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Androgen_insensitive Androgen insensitivity syndrome]], an intersex condition that causes the woman affected to be born with a vagina, but with XY chromosomes, no uterus, and internal testes where the ovaries would typically be. Despite being able to pass as a woman, she strongly identifies herself as a {{hermaphrodite}} and is an intersex rights activist.

* In human beings and most types of animals all embryos begin with undifferentiated gonads connected to both ductus (vas) deferns and oviducts (Fallopian tubes). By default the gonads will develop into ovaries and the vas deferens will disappear, but usually the presence of a Y chromosome causes an androgen reaction that makes the gonads instead become testes and the Fallopian tubes wither away whilst retaining the vas deferens. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Androgen_insensitive Androgen insensitivity syndrome]] is an intersex condition that causes the woman affected to be born with a vagina, but with XY chromosomes, no uterus, and internal testes where the ovaries would typically be. These women overwhelmingly identify as female and heterosexual.

* These cases tend to hit the news every Olympic year as various female athletes are accused of or found to be intersexed even though no one has ever demonstrated these women actually derive any unfair advantage from this that exceeds those derived from other natural variations such as height, bone density or muscle mass. There is considerable evidence that most of these conditions actually make them immune to any boost XX females might get from male hormones.

* The big [[TheReveal reveal]] in ''Literature/TheSagaOfTuck'' is that the titular character's increasingly feminine appearance is due to 'his' being a chromosomal chimera, with both XX and XXY sets of chromosomes. Tuck was actually [[{{Hermaphrodite}} intersexed]] at birth, though the doctors never told his family that they had 'corrected' this, a fact that made his mother furious when they learned the truth.

* In ''Manga/TheDayOfRevolution'', the supposedly male protagonist discovers in the first chapter that he is intersexed and genetically female. Despite some misgivings and with a push from her parents she decides to reinvent herself as a girl. HilarityEnsues.

** Cross-sex chimerism can also occur in birds, although their mechanism of sex chromosomes is different (WW males vs WZ females). In fact, it's common enough that captive-breeders of parrots have a term ("half-sider") for a bird that displays one sex/color on one side and a different sex/color on the other.

* Chimerism has been found to be the cause of rare�sometimes, seemingly impossible�coat colors in several species of animal, including dogs, cats, and horses. One particular horse appeared to be a stallion, but was found to have a blend of stallion and mare DNA; calico tomcats are the feline equivalent.

* This is a major plot point in an episode of ''FreaksAndGeeks'', when Ken's new girlfriend Amy tells her she's one of these. There was no DNA test or anything - the conflict came from Amy getting upset at Ken (who initially struggled with the revelation) telling his friends her big secret.

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* Chimerism has been found to be the cause of rare—sometimes, seemingly impossible—coat colors in several species of animal, including dogs, cats, and horses. One particular horse appeared to be a stallion, but was found to have a blend of stallion and mare DNA; calico tomcats are the feline equivalent.

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* Human chimerism exists as well, but has only been discovered to date in women whose partners requested paternity testing of their children. The results showed that the father's DNA matched the children's but the mother's didn't.

* The character Ramona in ''Webcomic/StickyDillyBuns'' is defined to be a fairly classic case of a form of androgen insensitivity syndrome (see below under Real Life). She's a well-adjusted heterosexual woman; the fact mainly serves to bemuse some of the other characters.

In fiction, this usually pops up in various kinds of detective stories and is used as a excuse to make a DNA test into a RedHerring. It can also be a source of drama or simply a character quirk. The actual cause is likely to be HandWaved or just glossed over. {{Transsexual}}s are covered by their own trope but may also fall under Wrong Genetic Sex if their transgender status is not known in advance and the plot hinges on the difference between their chromosomes and their appearance. Intersex people may also be included under similar circumstances. However, only individuals count: If an entire population is intersex, then it's a OneGenderRace.

* In ''Series/FakingIt'', [[spoiler:Lauren]]'s plot revolves around some pills she's taking and very defensive about. The rest of the main cast eventually finds out that she's intersex and has androgen insensitivity.

* In ''Series/FakingIt'', [[spoiler:Lauren]]'s plot revolves around some pills she's taking and very defensive about. The rest of the main cast eventually finds out that she's intersex: Genetically a boy, but physically a girl due to androgen insensitivity.

* In ''Series/FakingIt'', [[spoiler:Lauren]]'s plot revolves around some pills she's taking and very defensive about. The rest of the main cast eventually finds out that she's intersexed: Genetically a boy, but physically a girl due to androgen insensitivity.

* In one episode of ''Series/{{CSI}}'', a DNA sample with female chromosomes turned out to belong to a male character. He was a post-operation trans man and it wasn't known that he had been born female-bodied.