#isitiintersexist

[intersexfairy]

ok so i think i might be intersex? for context i'm a trans male and recently my mom took me to an appointment about possibly going on t and according to the blood test i had taken ages before, apparently i have more testosterone than the average cis girl my age which didn't come as too big a surprise considering that i have quite a few traits that have been deemed to be "male" (ie, broader shoulders, deeper voice, smaller chest, and the stereotypical "teen boy voice cracks" i have) and i was wondering if having more t is considered intersex? (also is it intersexist that i was happy to find out about my higher t levels?) i'm so so sorry if this ask is rude or anything btw

I’m not exactly taking asks about figuring out if you’re intersex however since this one does ask me specific questions and is like... Genuinely a sign you may be, I’m fine with answering it. My hormone levels getting tested 2 years ago is actually one of the things that I hold as my little piece of undeniable proof that something is up with my body, so I get it. 

And no, it isn’t intersexist to be happy about your higher T levels. That’s your body! Nothing wrong with being happy about how your body works. We aren’t about gatekeeping people’s literal biology. That would really just be hypocritical of us if we did that. We’re all about freedom of bodily experience.

Anyhow, any “symptoms” aren’t necessarily intersex. There is a whole range of experiences with our bodies we can have, and an afab person can still have higher T and be dyadic/perisex. So, on its own, it isn’t considered intersex. This goes for a lot of possibly intersex features.

However, the point in which having higher T would be considered part of intersexness is if it were actually something that caused you to have intersex experiences - not just changing your body or metabolism. It’s about being socially marked as different (which can occur in a lot of ways, and can be learned about by interacting with our community and listening to our stories). 

This excerpt from this page (by the Intersex Society of North America) explains this concept well too:

Which variations of sexual anatomy count as intersex? In practice, different people have different answers to that question. That’s not surprising, because intersex isn’t a discreet or natural category...  Intersex is a socially constructed category that reflects real biological variation. 

Nature doesn’t decide where the category of “male” ends and the category of “intersex” begins, or where the category of “intersex” ends and the category of “female” begins. Humans decide. 

Humans (today, typically doctors) decide how small a penis has to be, or how unusual a combination of parts has to be, before it counts as intersex. Humans decide whether a person with XXY chromosomes or XY chromosomes and androgen insensitivity will count as intersex.