#hyperandrogen

[intersexfairy]

you can be feminine with body and facial hair. you can be feminine with broad shoulders or narrow hips. you can be feminine with a strong jawline or receeding hairline. you can be feminine with a deep voice. your body does not dictate your gender - you do.

i hope you find peace and joy in your body, and are able to do whatever you need to obtain that. you are and will be beautiful, no matter what.

[ders1tes]

i love you hairy women. i love you women that are hairy. i love you women with chest hair. i love you women with facial hair. i love you!!!!!! you are beautiful just the way you are, and no amount of hair can make you any less a woman!!

[tortiefrancis]

People talk about testosterone like it's "the evil hormone" but really I'm just very sweaty and hungry all the time

(this post is abt my hyperandrogenism)

[newtscamandersbf]

girl i got snow vision syndrome, tinnitus, i need glasses (u aint ever catching me wearing them tho), low vitamins d and c, low omega-3, low iron, pcos hyperandrogenism, various mental health problems, acne, am trans + gay + aroace spec, neurodivergent, intersex, PICK A STRUGGLE !!!!!!

[bookofmac]

Reading up on this history of Intersex Olympians on Wikipedia is a sure fire way to want to burn everything down forever.

They only ever check the genetic sex markers (originally testosterone and androgens, later Karyotypeing) for women's events, it was MANITORY between 1968 and 1998 for all women competing (the only exception being PRINCESS ANNE, who does EQUESTRIAN).

Men do not get tested on sex markers, only if they are suspected of doping.

Of the 18 total intersex Olympians listed on the Wikipedia, 10 of those are women from African countries. All three of the European competitors on the list competed before the 70's.

The current disqualifying characteristics in women's events are only relevant for Middle distance running, hammer throw and a few other events and are:

have an XY karyotype and

have ≥5 nmol/L testosterone and

do not have androgen insensitivity

Please PLEASE call this what it is, intersexism, sexism and racism. It's been going on at the Olympics for decades.

[satyrradio]

Intersex flag with hyperandrogenism symbol

[ipso-faculty]

Compiling some terms/posts useful for people questioning if intersex

Note: If a definition in is in quotes, the source material it is quoted from is linked to by the relevant term.

Highly relevant terms

Extersex - "[A] term for those who do not know whether they are dyadic or intersex. It could be because one feels as though they might be some form of intersex, but are unable to medically confirm it, or cannot confirm what intersex variation it is. It may also be for those who have a variation that may be considered intersex, but are uncertain if they want to identify as intersex." - @themogaidragon

Inter-Questioning - "a term for anyone who is questioning if they’re intersex, for any reason. (Whether it’s due to one’s physical body, familial experiences that imply one is, or possibly simply a mental feeling that one is intersex.)" - @eldorr

Quoisex - "[An] umbrella term for anyone who doesn't quite understand their sex or doesn't want to define their sex." - LGBTQIA+ Wiki Note: I understand this as more general than extersex, and would include people questioning if altersex. See the wiki entry for subtypes (quoigonadal, quoichest, etc)

Altersex - "An umbrella term to describe having or wanting primary or secondary sex traits/characteristics that do not align with the binary sex model that a significant portion of society has adopted. It is primarily used by those who are not intersex and are trans+ and wish to or transition specifically to have a body that does not fit the aforementioned sex model." -@intersex-questions Note: Being altersex does not make somebody intersex. I include it because many people questioning their intersex status realize this is what they're looking for.

Anisohormonal - "Aniso (unequal/uneven) + hormonal (relating to hormones). An individual who has an imbalance of hormones for any number of reasons. Such individuals may or may not also be intersex." - @sproutflags Note: includes non-intersex variations such as diabetes.

Subtypes of intersex people

Note: In my experience most people questioning if they're intersex have a hormonal intersex variation like PCOS, so I'm skewing towards this accordingly.

Dysgonadal - "[having] dysfunctional gonads. This includes agonadal (no gonads) and hypogonadal. Also known as gonadal agenesis/dysgenesis, dyssex and nullogonadal/asexed (null sex or avaginal/aphallia)." - @arco-pluris Note: contrasted with eugonadal - "people with functional gonads (reproductive cells). Includes hypergonadal (hyperfunctional gonads)"

Interhormonal - "Someone who is intersex and anisohormonal and/or feels that being intersex has impacted their identity as anisohormonal in some way and/or that their identity as anisohormonal has impacted their identity as intersex in some way." - @sproutflags

Intermeer - "a term used to describe all intersex variations that are caused by an overproduction of horomones (testosterone, estrogen, or both.)" - LGBTQIA+ Wiki Variations include: AES, FMPP, PCOS. Part of The Autre System for categorizing intersex variations.

Intermindre - "a term used to describe all intersex variations that are caused by a lack of horomones (testosterone, estrogen, or both.)" Note: The wiki lists AIS and EIS as examples although they are not due to a lack of hormones, but rather a lack of sensitivity to them. Part of The Autre System for categorizing intersex variations. See the wiki for more subtypes. Thank you to anon asker who pointed out the AIS/EIS issue.

Mesosex - "[A] person who has an intersex variation, but one which does not conform to perisex (non-intersex) ideas of what intersex is. For example, people who have intersex traits that are considered "mild", or who have variations such as PCOS Hyperandrogenism and Poland Syndrome." - @ipso-faculty

More intersex terminology

Intersex Terminology Masterpost by @intersexfairy

Edits: - 2023-12-13: corrected AIS mischaracterized as lack of hormones, ty to anon for correction - 2023-12-13: added interdynamic - 2023-12-20: added inter-questioning, thank you @fazbears-horror-attraction for sharing it! - 2023-12-21: removed interdynamic. Apparently "secondary sex" means something entirely different in omegaverse. Ty to anon for correction.

[transfaguette]

the "i'm just a little different for my agab" to "wait I'm intersex" pipeline

[ipsogender]

Mesosex

EDIT 2023-11-23: the term has been revised to:

Mesosex: a person who has an intersex variation, but one which does not conform to perisex (non-intersex) ideas of what intersex is. For example, people who have intersex traits that are considered "mild", or who have variations such as PCOS Hyperandrogenism and Poland Syndrome.

Meso- for middle/in between, to refer to the state of being in between what the intersex community accepts as intersex and what the broader public (mistakenly) thinks intersex is.

More info on why the revision has happened: https://www.tumblr.com/ipso-faculty/734822362966540288?source=share

For archival purposes, this was the original post:

Mesosex: somebody who identifies with intersex people but not as intersex, and also feels perisex does not quite apply to them either. Meso- from Greek mesos (middle), to indicate that one feels in between having the intersex experience and the perisex experience. For example, people with reproductive disorders who feel they have common ground with intersex people but not so much common ground as to feel they are intersex.

There are conditions like PCOS and Poland Syndrome that exist on a spectrum from definitely intersex to perisex-ish, and I hope this term gives people on the perisex-ish side of the spectrum more useful word for themselves than the current language of "intersex-adjacent".

I want to be clear that people with conditions like PCOS and Poland Syndrome are completely entitled to call themselves intersex and that there is broad agreement within the intersex community that anybody with these conditions who feels they are intersex is intersex.

In coining this term I am hoping to validate and connect people who would otherwise call themselves perisex yet not feel it is quite accurate for them.

Mesosex people can have any gender, similar to how intersex people can have any gender.

In designing the flag our goal was to give an impression of something in between the intersex flag and cisperinormative gender colours whilst also including nonbinary people. The salmon background is chosen as a colour that is not quite pink, and the periwinkle ring is chosen for being not quite blue, but still reminiscent of the purple ring of the intersex flag. The white centre, put inside the purple-ish ring, is chosen to reflect how the nonbinary flag has white and purple in its middle.

The term and flag were workshopped with @scifimagpie. I had been thinking for a while that it would be useful to have a term for people who feel in between intersex and perisex, and these recent posts by @queercripintersex on identifying with rather than as not only convinced me there is actually an audience for such a term but also inspired me to get this done! PS. If you are questioning if you are intersex, check out this post by @intersex-support with a big list of intersex media, which you can use to get a sense on whether you resonate with intersex experiences. (Also check out their FAQ! And their past posts! They're really great!)

[overkonsumption]

growing up intersex was weird (especially since i had “normal” genitalia and sexual organs so i had no idea for a WHILE), like my mom got me girls clothes but during puberty they just never fit right bc i had more “masculine” fat distribution and even plus size women’s clothes didn’t fit right, it felt like i was denied the chance to have clothes that made me feel nice (didn’t help that i was poor and plus size clothes need a lot of improvement style-wise anyways)

when i started getting my period it was hell, i usually ended up staying home at least one or two days per month because of how bad the pain was. it got better when i started birth control, but that made my dysphoria worse so i stopped when i started t (WHICH STOPPED MY PERIOD ENTIRELY ON MONTH TWO!!!!!)

anyways remember that intersex ppl are so cool and awesome and even though i don’t have ambiguous internal or external genitalia ppl who do go through way worse stuff!! intersex ppl deserve medical equality and clothes that fit and periods that don’t make us throw up from pain and so much love

[intersexfairy]

does pcos count as intersex cause if so then i am

afaik, PCOS with hyperandrogenism does count, yes !

[isobug]

Unified Hyperandrogenism flag

This is part of a larger series of Intersex Hyperhormonal and Hypohormonal flags, but I wanted to create a unified Hyperandrogenism flag first!

The first one used pink as the top stripe, while this second alternative flag used a blue stripe ( for those with more masculine identities. )

Mine uses purple because it's a color which is a combination of pink and red while also being distinct. It can include those with all identities- even those who are not Masc / Fem! Purple is also present on the most commonly used Intersex flag ( made by Morgan Carpenter ) so I thought it was very fitting!

My hope it that this can be a flag which everyone with Hyperandrogenism can be comfortable using as an umbrella symbol- regardless of your personal relationship to Masculinity / Femininity or identity!

I've remade the symbol because I couldn't find a super high quality image of the previous symbol and I was a little worried about copyright. This one is made with totally free components from Wikimedia! Here's the transparent version:

Everything in this post is free for use anywhere by anyone! All I ask is that perisex folk please be respectful.

Taglist - @radiomogai, @revenant-coining, @interarchive

[newtscamandersbf]

tboys w hyperandrogenism wya make some noise 🗣️🗣️

[genderqueerdykes]

hyperandrogensim fucking me up!!! Pain party 🎉

i'm soooo sorry that you experience pain due to your hyperandrogenism- i'm not sure if any of my pain could be linked to it, but i know that it does make menstrual periods (when I have them) extremely painful and uncomfortable. hormonal imbalances can be tough on anyone, our hormones regulate and impact so many different systems in our bodies- i hope you're able to find relief for that, if you have any questions or would just like to talk about it, feel free to message me!

take care of yourself for now

[r0o0se]

So, let's explain all this once and for all.

Who is Imane Khelif?

Imane Khelif is an Algerian boxer born on May 2, 1999 in Sougueur (wilaya (= department) of Tiaret.

Why do we say that Imane Khelif is a man?

This rumor began to arise because of the Italian boxer Angelina Carini who abandoned her match with Imane Khelif 46 seconds after the start of the match.

Italian newspapers also supported this rumor, which gave rise to a wave of hatred and transphobia.

What is Imane Khelif's real gender and what is her illness?

Imane Khelif suffers from hyperandrogenism.

What is hyperandrogenism?

By hyperandrogenism, we mean a particularly high level of testosterone in the blood, a steroid hormone often called male hormone, because it participates in the development of the male phenotype. Hyperandrogenism affects 5 to 10% of women of childbearing age. It is usually diagnosed in late adolescence through a medical evaluation that consists of a pelvic exam, observation of external symptoms, and a blood test measuring androgen levels.

Hyperandrogenism can also affect men but the symptoms are often more negligible in them.

And even if she was an transwoman, you got nothing on her to insult her. Plus, in Algeria, being trans is condamned.

CONCLUSION

Imane Khelif is a woman affected by hyperandrogenism, she’s not intersexual or whatever you call her.

Hope this helps ! 💪💪🏻💪🏼💪🏽💪🏾💪🏿🕊️🇩🇿

[ipso-faculty]

Mesosex: A Revised Definition

Mesosex: a person who has an intersex variation, but one which does not conform to perisex (non-intersex) ideas of what intersex is. For example, people who have intersex traits that are considered "mild", or who have variations such as PCOS Hyperandrogenism and Poland Syndrome.

Meso- for middle/in between, to refer to the state of being in between what the intersex community accepts as intersex and what the broader public (mistakenly) thinks intersex is.

This is a revision to the initial definition for the term, which I originally coined a few months back. The revised definition comes from many conversations with both identifying-as-intersex people and identifying-as-mesosex people.

In particular I'd like to highlight this long (but very productive) thread from which the revised definition was first proposed by @queercripintersex

From that thread and private conversations some key takeaways have been:

There was too much ambiguity in the initial definition.

The people I've spoken to for whom mesosex has resonated all either have intersex variations, or very good reasons to question that they could be intersex.

And a lot of those people have faced harassment and invalidation by perisex people for experimenting and/or claiming the intersex label. They have expressed a desire for alternate language by which they can communicate their relationship to being intersex.

Not everybody with an intersex variation wants to use the term intersex, or to only use it contextually. Some feel they aren't "intersex enough", even people with variations like Klinefelter's or CAIS that are widely accepted as intersex.

For people who are new to thinking of themselves as intersex, it is valuable to have a microlabel available that can capture their impostor syndrome.

There is a real and legitimate concern that the initial definition of mesosex would lead people with intersex variations like PCOS to think of themselves as neither intersex nor perisex, even though the intersex community is unanimous that PCOS hyperandrogenism is intersex.

Although there is a clear hierarchy of which intersex variations are seen as more legitimately intersex by perisex people, if we validate this hierarchy then we undermine our collective need for pan-intersex solidarity.

I hope that redefining the term reduces rather than adds confusion! And that it's useful for people! Feedback is welcome. 💜