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Depathologizing Language
Chromodiversity refers to genetic code differences in people's DNA. The term was introduced in 2022 as a way to depathologize the language of genetics at a time of increased prenatal screening and early diagnoses.
Just as 'biodiversity' refers to the diversity of life and
'neurodiversity' to the diversity of brains, chromodiversity is a way to talk about the diversity of human genetic codes in a natural way.
What does 'chromodiversity' mean?
Research shows that language shapes the way we see ourselves and how others see us. For too long, the language of genetics has been dominated by deficit-based terms like disorder, abnormality, and disease.
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"We’re not a disorder, we’re not a syndrome, we’re people.”
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“Why when a physical therapist or a school teacher or anyone meets my kid, they only know the diagnosis as per the textbook? Why are they not looking at my child first?”
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“I’m not lazy. I’m not a bad person. I just have this chromodiversity.”
These are real voices from the community and they highlight the urgent need to reframe the conversation.
We're not a disorder. We're not a syndrome. We're people.
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Changing the language of genetics
We are proud to have presented “From Deficit to Difference: Depathologizing the Language of Genetics” at the 2025 American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.
Presented by Hanna Acevedo-Schlesel, Director at AXYS, and inspired by the work of Tiffany Boughtwood, Managing Director of Australian Genomics, this research explores how shifting the language around genetic differences can help reduce stigma and promote a strengths-based perspective.
Download research poster
Our research presented at ACGM
© 2025 My XXY | Chromodiversity™ Foundation. All Rights Reserved. Please note this content is not medical advice and is for informational purposes only. For further resources, visit chromodiversity.org.