#Intersex issues

[agendercryptidlev]

Update: The claim that Hergie Bacyadan spoke out against Imane Khelif seems to be misinformation. I apologize for spreading it, no one is immune to propaganda etc. This does not change the fact that the trans community has an intersexism/interphobia problem that is being made incredibly obvious by this olympics discourse.

Seeing the recent bigoted comments by transgender Olympian Hergie Bacyadan, it's past time for the perisex trans community to address the normalized intersexism/interphobia that so many of us spread.

The intersex community is constantly used as a prop by the trans community. The most frequent way you see trans people speak about intersex issues is just to remind transphobes that sex isn't binary, which is meaningless when the trans community still strictly enforces intersexist binaries like AMAB vs AFAB and TME vs TMA and Transfemme vs Transmasc, all categories that many if not most intersex people, trans or cis, cannot fit neatly into. The trans community uses the intersex community to win arguments and than makes next to no effort to make our intersex siblings feel welcome.

When talking about HRT and gender affirming care for minors, the trans community almost never uplifts the voices of the intersex community who are often forced to undergo HRT as children and surgery on their genitalia as actual babies against their will. It is important for HRT and gender affirming care to be available to transgender children, it is just as important to keep these same things that can be life saving for trans children from being forced onto intersex children who do not consent.

I implore all perisex trans people to do some reading into the history of intersex activism, and the sad reality of life for intersex people today when so many governments and health systems are still bigoted against intersex people. Uplift intersex voices, always.

[wtchgrrl]

will genuinely never understand how terfs essentially got out a megaphone and yelled “ummm intersex people said they don’t wanna be included!!! they said that they’re deformed and disordered freaks who should be fixed, not celebrated!!! they actually said that!!!” and the queer community at large bought into it

[thealternates]

Can perisex people actually shut up for 2 seconds instead of invalidating, harassing and denying intersex people the simple basic function of acknowledging intersex isn't RARE. Every time one of you calls us "DSD" or similar words an angel should come down and throw a bag of hammers at you. Acknowledging PCOS is under the intersex umbrella does not mean we're calling you broken women, it doesn't mean we're calling you men, it doesn't mean you're disordered now, it doesn't mean you aren't cis. intersex people can be whatever they want, cis, trans, both, neither, etc.

You don't have to personally identify as intersex for you to let others exist with the term and community. I'm going to combust! focus on other things that isn't chanting your intersexist views!

"Woah you're so aggressive" whenever we try to be calm, gentle and patient we get verbally stomped on or straight up told we shouldn't exist. i think its time we got mean - 🪽

[clowncary]

plaidos shut the fuck up forever challenge impossible at 3 am

you don't understand intersex culture

how do yoy know what a tme intersex person is????????????

[imoanurparentsnames]

could someone intersex please answer this for me?

why do some intersex people identify as queer and some don't? i hear lots of posts saying intersex people are queer but some intersex people say they are not.

for the record, i am not trying to say ALL intersex people are queer or not queer, I'm just asking because it is a bit confusing and i would like to include intersex people (and other overlooked groups) as much as possible when talking abt queer people, whilst also not including the ones who don't want to be included.

[intersexcat-tboy]

@helloitslance (link) with over 26k followers on tiktok, blocks anyone who points out that he is spreading misinformation about intersex experiences, such as implying intersex individuals are less likely to face harm or don't experience being outed

Just a few examples of the calm comments that were left by a few different intersex individuals. Myself, another user I know, and my gf were all blocked after leaving these

The post itself isn't awful, it's not horrendous or anything but the way he responds to having biases pointed out is very concerning. He is not an ally to our fight. Look at what this content breeds in the comments

"pity points" are them viewing you as less of a person btw. Also "gyno insecurity" is a disgusting thing to say abt societal abuse regarding intersex traits. This is not only using our abuse, it encourages it to strangers! It supports the belief that we should be medicated, that our existence is pitiful and depressing

As for the last one, I hate to say this, but have any of you ever heard about Brandon Teena? You know he often used being intersex as an excuse, but he wound up being outed anyways, leading to him being brutally raped and murdered?

This whole theory relies on denying intersex abuse

[smilepilled]

[Continuing off from my previous intersex terminology posts (LINK).]

For fellow intersex people who use AFAB/AMAB for how you're perceived or treated: please don't do that, either. I will outright say that I was also a person who did this out of ignorance, but that's also why ai know and believe it is important to learn and avoid making similar mistakes as I have, hence why I'm making this post on sequence. For this, I would like to propose a few different terms for this...

♀️ Perceived As "Female" In Collectivity (PAFIC); a term for those who, regardless of their actual biological sexing (or their forcefully assigned sex), are perceived as "Female". This can occur for many reasons, most of which are up to the user decide on regarding their own experiences. This "Perceived Femaleness" is commonly dyadic/perisex/endosex, but it can be intersectional with many forms of oppression (E.G.: Transmisoginy, Queerphobia, Racism, etc.)

♂️ Perceived As "Male" In Collectivity (PAMIC); a term for those who, regardless of their actual biological sexing (or their forcefully assigned sex), are perceived as "Male". This can occur for many reasons, most of which are up to the user decide on regarding their own experiences. This "Perceived Maleness" is commonly dyadic/perisex/endosex, but it can be intersectional with many forms of oppression (E.G.: TransAndromisia, Queerphobia, Racism, etc.)

⚧️ Perceived As "Thing" In Collectivity (PATIC); a term for those who, regardless of their actual biological sexing (or their forcefully assigned sex), are perceived as a "thing". This can be read as being perceived as both of the constructed sex binaries, being tossed around between the two previous perceptions, being mistreated for not fitting into the previously mentioned two binarified extremes of biological sex, and whatever else fits the user's experiences. This term can be intersectional with many forms of oppression (E.G.: TransAndromisia, Queerphobia, Racism, etc.) — ALTERNATIVE NAME WOULD BE "PERCEIVED AS SOMETHING ELSE IN COLLECTIVITY" (PASIC).

Note: The word "thing" has been directly used to me and many others, hence why I'm using it here. You're free to use PASIC, or even PADIC ("different") if you feel more comfortable doing so.

I hope this can help not only intersex people, but the entirety of the queer community. Being perceived often causes us issues that we don't immediately/often unpack or clock, nor contextualize for ourselves — I think it's important for everyone to understand how being perceived can affect you in society, and affect you as a person.

That being said, THIS TERM IS INCLUSIVE OF ALL PEOPLE. The term has been made with the focus on giving intersex people their terminology back, so naturally this may be used by everyone who wishes to be respectful to intersex people who were forcefully assigned a made-up "binary sex" during their youth.

Read: ANYONE may use this terminology. Dyadic/endosex/perisex AND intersex people. So many of us can be perceived as any of these terms, and it's important to let intersex people have their rightful terms back. Please give this a place in your thoughts.

[bugtoast]

i’ve been reading up on intersex issues here and there lately, and ngl i think the trans community should, as a whole, make it common practice to learn about intersexuality and the issues that come with the identity.

I feel like the same can be said about any and all oppressed groups, but I stress intersex folks here because it’s pride month, and they don’t get as much support from the wider community, which sucks because they have done so much for the wider community.

TL;DR: Intersex people are cool and we should listen to them more often, because the wider community could learn a lot from them

[thealternates]

It would be so amazing if every time we looked through intersex tags there wasn't perisex people stealing our terms, or calling themselves "transintersex" / saying they "wanna be intersex", or proving the point that intersex are excluded/ignored by both cis and trans perisex people. Can we not have one thing? Can we not form a community without perisex people demanding they can join or speak over it?

The one I've seen the most recently is trans perisex people saying they're intersex / they wanna be. No, you are not. You taking hormones doesn't make you intersex, you're either born intersex or you're not. Perisex trans people developing breasts with estrogen isn't intersex, perisex trans people developing a t dick with testosterone isn't intersex. You wanting both genitals does not mean intersex. it's a spectrum of variations and looks. Calling your want to be neutral or to have both parts intersex is both fetishising us and not even knowing what we are. We are not default neutral, we are not default both parts. Intersex people having both parts working parts (like so many perisex transintersex people seem to want??) is so SO rare I'm not even sure it's been a thing yet. There are other terms for what you guys want that isn't intersex. - 🪽

cont rant in reblogs

[irequirealobotomy]

there is not enough attention on intersex people. like, yeah sure, trans people are getting terrible treatment, eyes should be on them. but can we not shut down intersex people??

their bodies are being altered against their will!! all because they were born not conforming to a stupid narrative. trans kids have it hard, and yes, they suffer the same thing. but intersex people aren’t being denied treatment: they get medical violence forced upon them.

and im saying this as a perisex transgender person. please, please, please push for stopping IGM.

[dhddmods]

Intersex Guide!

Hello and happy pride! We wished to share a passion project we have been working on for months - a guide to intersex traits and variations! Please reblog to spread awareness.

Now, a question that many ask - what is intersex? Well, we will be answering that question for you here! Anything on this post that is written in red is NOT intersex, so if you wish to skip over any of it, you can. And if you wish to get straight into the intersex types, scroll down to the read-more and start from there.

Intersex, also known as the intersex spectrum, is a term used to describe when someone's biological sex - as in the sex they are born with/what they naturally develop during puberty - is not clearly defined as the typical male or female sex traits.

(This does not include someone that was born male or female, and later chose to have their sex traits changed due to being transgender, transsex, or altersex. It also does not include males that experienced circumcision/dorsal slits or penis splitting, females that experienced genital mutilation, or males & females that indulged in modifications such as piercings and beading.)

This only applies to primary sex traits - chromosomes, genitals, reproductive organs, and hormones. Atypical secondary sex traits (breasts, muscle tone, body/facial hair, deepness of voice) do not make someone intersex unless it is paired with "abnormalities" in primary sex traits.

Before you can understand what it means to be intersex, first we must clarify what it means to not be intersex.

A typical male has XY chromosomes, a penis, two testicles within the scrotum, and more androgens (mostly testosterone) than females. Upon puberty, they usually (but not always) develop more facial hair & muscle tone than females, and a deeper voice than females.

(Note: A penis has a phallus, a scrotum beneath the phallus, foreskin protecting the head of the phallus, and a urethra on the head of the penis. It is is straight or slightly curved when erect.)

A typical female has XX chromosomes, a vulva, two ovaries, a single uterus, and more estrogen than males. Upon puberty, they usually (but not always) develop larger breasts and wider hips than males.

(Note: A vulva has two labia, a single pea-sized clitoris, a single vaginal entry, and a urethra above the vaginal entry and under the clitoris.)

Here is a list of non-typical sex traits that, by themselves, are not intersex.

Accessory Breasts (Polymastia): Having more than two breasts. Accessory Nipples (Polythelia): Having more than two nipples. Athelia: Having only one nipple, or no nipples at all. Amastia: Having only one breast & nipple, or no breasts & nipples at all. Breast Hypertrophy/Macromastia/Gigantomastia: Having extremely large breasts Gynecomostia: Breasts on a male. The reason this is not considered intersex is because all sexes (except for people with amastia) have breast tissue, which can vary in size regardless of sex. Females can have small breasts, and males can have larger breasts than is expected. Hypotonia: Low muscle tone. Bicornuate Uterus: A heart-shaped uterus. Septate Uterus: A uterus that internally has a partition down the middle. Macropenis: A penis that is 7 inches/17.78 centimeters or larger. Macroorchidism: Testicles that are 4 milliliters or above pre-puberty, and above 30 milliliters as an adult. Macrovagina: A vagina that is deeper than 5 inches/13 centimeters. Labial Hypertrophy: Labia that is longer than average (above 2 inches/5 centimeters)

Now, onto the intersex spectrum! First, some notes.

-An intersex trait is a singular atypical trait. For example, someone with ambiguous genitals, but no other "abnormality" has an intersex trait. -An intersex variation is when multiple atypical traits are present, with at least one of them being an intersex trait. For example, someone with ambiguous genitals and fused kidneys has an intersex variation. Equally, someone with ambiguous genitals and cryptorchidism also has an intersex variation. -CTF stands for "close to female." CTF traits are when the traits are predominantly "feminine" (vulvas, uteruses, ovaries, estrogen as the main sex hormone, breasts, widened hips, XX chromosomes, etc.) -CTM stands for "close to male." CTM traits are when the traits are predominantly "masculine" (a penis, testicles, androgens as the main sex hormones, increased hair growth, higher muscle mass, a deepened voice, XY chromosomes, etc.)

Also, when we state that an intersex trait/variation is "fairly common", we mean that it is fairly common amongst the intersex population, not that it is fairly common in the general population. Being intersex is still classified as "rare" statistically speaking (as statistics define "rare" as 1 in 1,000 people.)

So for the sake of this post, here is how we are classifying the following:

"Fairly common" = 1 in every 5,000 (or less)

"Rare" = above 1 in every 5,000, up to 1 in every 100,000

"Extremely rare" = above 1 in every 100,000

Similarly, when we say "higher risk of _", it does not necessarily mean that risk is very high, just that its a higher chance than a person without that trait/variation. It could be as low as 1% higher of a risk. Every sex has its risks, whether its male, female, or on the intersex spectrum. To put it into perspective, females are at a higher risk of breast cancer than males.

Also, keep in mind that "may include" means that not all of the features will be present on every single person with that variation; in fact, none of the extra features could be present. However, for chromosomal variations specifically, it is highly likely that at least 1-5 (or more) of the listed extra features will be present.

And finally, when we say that "fertility is average", what we mean is that the gonads are fully capable of producing healthy average numbers of sperm/eggs, and/or the uterus is capable of carrying healthy babies. Struggles with the sperm reaching the eggs still might occur, but if direct insemination is done (as in the sperm is directly injected), then pregnancy should occur perfectly fine.

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Penile Traits/Variations (not including those on the agenital spectrum)

Urethral Traits/Variations (not including those on the agenital spectrum)

Ambiguous Genitals

The Agenital Spectrum/Agenital/Agenitalia

An umbrella term, describing those born with no genitals, closed-off genitals, small genitals, or genitals that are missing typical penile or vulval traits.

(Anorchia & Monoorchidism fall under this as well.)

Gonadal Agenesis

An umbrella term, describing an individual that is born with an absence of one or both gonads (ovaries, testicles, or ovotestes).

Other reproductive traits/variations

Hypergonadism

An umbrella term, describing an individual that is born with gonads that produce high levels of hormones compared to males and females.

Hypogonadism

Primary Hypogonadism/Hypergonadotropic Hypogonadism: when its the gonads themselves that have low production levels. The brain is still communicating to produce the average male/female levels of hormones, but the gonads are failing to keep up with the brains-signals.

Secondary Hypogonadism/Hypogonadtropic Hypogonadism/ Central Hypogonadism: when the brain has low levels of communication with the gonads. The brain is failing to send out typical levels of signals to the gonads, and the gonads only produce hormones when a signal is received.

Other Hormonal Variations

Chromosomal Variations

And thats all!

Again, please reblog to spread awareness. Intersex people are highly discriminated against. Their bodies are still regularly mutilated at birth, in order to make them "look right."

This mutilation can cause complete infertility, a loss of sensation in genital areas (making sex unsatisfactory), gender dysphoria, body dysmorphia, and even chronic pain.

Additionally, intersex children are often bullied at school for looking or sounding "abnormal" for their age/gender. And as they grow up, they face the same difficulties transgender individuals do - judgement for not being a "real man" or "real woman" (or for being non-binary), difficulty dating, struggles finding jobs, complications in receiving proper healthcare, and they are at an increased risk of being abused and assaulted. Many are also left out of sports or kicked out of public bathrooms as well.

This is all due to the lack of education. Tolerance and acceptance needs to be taught to children. Many doctors have no idea how to treat intersex patients, as they didn't learn about their bodies, even in advanced schooling. We need to put a stop to this.

[andiv3r]

I fucking hate when people are contradictory about trans and intersex issues. You can't say "You're not a boy and you shouldn't change the way god made you to be a boy" and "I think you should go on female hormones to fix your body and make you a normal girl" at the same time grandma. You can't do that.

[intersexcat-tboy]

Saying or implying intersex individuals who were AFAB and are now transfem to be "assimilationists" is disgusting and I hope you feel bad

[ridibulous]

everyone's able to be affected by transmisogyny dipshit it came free with your fucking (inter)sexist and queerphobic society /ref

[viciouslyrobotic]

Idk where ppl are getting off thinking "zippertits" is feminist praxis cause it's pretty well established that if someone wants to get surgery *for themselves* outside of pressure to conform to patriarchal (unattainable) beauty standards its their body, their choice, and shouldn't be shamed (nor should they be shamed in general regardless).

"Zippertits" How in your head do you have to be to forget breast cancer awareness or were you even in discussions about supporting people who remove their tits or have them removed and get implants later? Were you there for the discussions about how women are shamed for doing ANY alteration to their bodies no matter the reason and that we should support their choice to do so while not conflating personal choice with coercive abuse?

Yeah this particular insult's directed at ppl assumed female at birth (more specifically nonbinary ppl, trans mascs and trans men) and it's so fucking tone deaf? Its giving patriarchy. Its giving "you ruined your natural ~feminine~ body and need shamed for your transgression (which is a decision you made to live and/or to live comfortably)".

[fixtheaxel]

Yeah nope. We're not doing this shit.

Baeddel originated as a slur for intersex people. Just because its used for transfems TOO now, does not remove it from being an INTERSEX SLUR!?

Y'all can be included, but no. A word that originated for us, does not stop being a slur for us by your supreme judgement.

FFS. Perisex trans people try not to appropriate our struggles for 30 fucking seconds.