interactyouth

[interactyouth]

Happy Intersex Pride!

[interactyouth]

how are the foster kitties doing?

check this thing out

her name is breezy and she is a medical mystery. she's kind of bald and super teeny tiny. she is 4 weeks old. she's also intersex with ambiguous genitalia. the vets have never seen anything like her before. everybody say happy pride month breezy 🏳️‍🌈

[interactyouth]

my 4 week old kitten Breezy from Real Life was confirmed intersex today by the vet and she has ambiguous genitalia! she's also kind of bald and tiny

Breezy from Real Life is intersex, and she has ambiguous genitalia! ... she's also kind of bald and tiny for whatever reason. Hope she recovers from being Bald and Tiny soon!

[interactyouth]

Today, ASAN commemorates the 26th anniversary of the Olmstead Decision!Olmstead v. L.C. was a landmark Supreme Court case about disabled people’s right to live in the community. For more information on Olmstead, check out our Easy Read factsheet on Community Living: https://autisticadvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Community-Living-Fact-Sheet-ER.pdf

[interactyouth]

klinefelter syndrome [XXY chromosomes] flag

[pt: klinefelter syndrome [XXY chromosomes] flag]

klinefelter syndrome is the most common known sex chromosome variation in human beings. most people with klinefelter syndrome are never diagnosed due to its variance in presentation and its typically mild effects on health. its main signs are symptoms associated with low androgens (azoospermia, reduced penile and testicle size, sparse body hair), intellectual disability, and above average height.

blue was chosen for its association with klinefelter syndrome awareness. a rainbow circle was chosen from the autism infinity symbol due to klinefelter's common overlap with autism and intellectual disability. a paw with the colors of a common calico cat was chosen due to male calicos commonly having klinefelter syndrome, three toes was chosen due to klinefelter having 3 sex chromosomes, and it was intentionally made to look like a little guy. :)

an alternative was included with an XXY overlapping symbol in case someone doesnt like the calico symbolism.

[interactyouth]

mayer-rokitansky-küster-hauser syndrome [MRKH/müllerian agenesis] flag

[pt: mayer-rokitansky-küster-hauser syndrome [MRKH/müllerian agenesis] flag]

MRKH is a congenital variation which results in the underdevelopment or absence of the uterus and/or vagina. typically someone with MRKH's ovaries are fully developed and functional, but may be in an atypical place in the abdomen. MRKH can also be associated with kidney, bone, and hearing atypicalities.

the basis of bismuth was chosen for MRKH due to MRKH's variation in cause (which is often unclear or unknown) and presentation (many cases look very different).

yellow was chosen for community and connection. purple was chosen for contentedness, with blue being chosen for wholeness. green was chosen for MRKH's common association with plants (flowers in particular) and growth.

[interactyouth]

ovotestes/ovotestis pride flag

[pt: ovotestes/ovotestis pride flag]

"ovotestes" is used to describe a gonad which has both ovarian and testicular tissue in any formation. the majority of ovotestes cases are found in XX individuals, but can come about in any chromosomal makeup. ovotestes can also be used to describe someone with one teste and one ovary, or in polygonadism for someone who has two ovaries/testes and one or more other testes/ovaries.

based on the intersex pride flag, with blue to represent wholeness and yellow to represent genderlessness (as ovotestes can occur in anyone). left pattern has free-floating circles to similar to follicles on an ovary, and the right is solid similar to a teste.

[interactyouth]

Stevonnie from Steven Universe is canonically intersex, non-binary, and uses they/them pronouns!

[interactyouth]

mixed gonadal dysgenesis flag

[pt: mixed gonadal dysgenesis flag]

mixed gonadal dysgenesis (MGD) is a subset of partial gonadal dysgenesis (PGD), which is having one fully developed gonad with a streak, missing, or underdeveloped gonad. MGD is set apart from PGD due to it including chromosomal mosaicism including the Y chromosome. the most commonly known and documented type of MGD is XO/XY mosaicism, but it also includes PGD with a karyotype of XX/XXY, XX/XY, XO/XX/XXY, etc.

gray was chosen from the general cancer awareness ribbon to represent gonadoblastoma, though gonadoblastoma is not very commonly malignant and is not present in all cases of MGD (30+% risk). light blue was chosen to represent wholeness. yellow was chosen from the turners syndrome pride flag due to the common overlap. purple was chosen from the intersex pride flag.

the center symbol has a "mosaic" of the disability pride flag colors, the circle was pulled from the intersex pride flag, and the center orientation is meant to show a mix of X and Y.

[interactyouth]

sex chromosome mosaicism flag

[pt: sex chromosome mosaicism flag]

chromosomal mosaicism is a phenomenon which describes someone who has more than one makeup in the number or orientation of their chromosomes for any given pair. sex chromosomal mosaicism only affects the 23rd pair in humans. the most common types of sex chromosome mosaicism that we know of are XO/XX, XXY/XY, and XX/XY, but many different combinations are possible.

the flags background was chosen from the intersex flag. the inner circle is made of a "mosaic" of colors from common stains used to create karyotypes, primarily giemsa dye, which is primarily indigo, blue, and purple, with hints of magenta.

[interactyouth]

Flags for types of intersex variations

I made some pride flags for different types of intersex variations 💜 Bright versions on the right, sensory friendlier versions on the left.

Environmentally intersex: having an intersex variation caused by prenatal conditions, such as in utero exposure to diethylstilbestrol or synthetic progestins.

The flag features a placenta. The placenta icon used is by onclang and is CC BY 3.0. As such, I'm releasing this flag as CC-BY-4.0. 💜

Genetically intersex: having an intersex variation with any genetic basis! Examples include 46,XX with SRY and CAH.

The flag uses this symbol by Koson Rattanaphan and is CC BY 3.0. As such, I'm releasing this flag as CC-BY-4.0. 💜 Chromosomally intersex: having an intersex variation caused by having different sex chromosomes than 46,XX or 46,XY! Examples include Trisomy XXY and Monosomy X.

The flag depicts anaphase (the stage in mitosis when chromosomes move to opposite sides of the about-to-divide cell). If a chromosome winds up on the "wrong" side nondisjunction happens, which causes chromosome aneuploidies. Based on this CC-BY-SA 4.0 image from WC. As such, this flag is also CC-BY-SA 4.0. 💜

Genitally intersex: being intersex and having any sort of genital variation! Examples include ambiguous genitalia, hypospadias, micropenis, labial fusion, and vaginal atresia.

The icon in the middle is based on the first diagram in this infographic on human genital development. It depicts the genital tubercule before any sexual differentiation. I chose the colours so that it would look like a combination of the 🍑 and 🍆 emojis, which made me happy 😅. This one is public domain. 💜

Pelvically intersex: being intersex and having any sort of variations of the internal sex organs! Examples include gonadal variations like ovotestes and gonadal dysgenesis, and ductal variations like Müllerian agenesis and PMDS.

The icon in the middle is based on the first diagram in this infographic about sexual differentiation, depicting both the Wolffian and Müllerian ducts with the the gonads, before any sexual differentiation happens. It's based on a CC-BY-3.0 image by Teixeira, Rueda & Pru, so this flag is also CC-BY-3.0. 💜

Hormonally intersex: being intersex and having any sort of hormonal variation. This is a new variant on the flag I made earlier this year, putting it in the ring to be like the other flags here. It is public domain.

💜 Square versions for avatars & SVG versions available here. Thank you to @scifimagpie and @goingrampant for feedback on prototypes!

Tagging @intersexflags @varsex-pride @radiomogai @liom-archive for archival! 💜

[interactyouth]

My dear lgbt+ kids, 

Just a quick note for Pride month, since it invariably always wakes up the „But what about…“ crowd: 

Awareness months for other things already exist. 

„Why do gays and transgenders get a whole month and US veterans don’t get anything?“ They actually get two months. National Military Appreciation Month is May, while National Veterans and Military Families Month is November.

„I have nothing against the lgbt+ community but if they get a whole month, it’d only be fair if we’d have a month for disabled people too“. Good news, Disability Pride Month already exists: July! 

„Cis women are oppressed too and they don’t get a whole month“. What about Women’s Health Month in May or Women’s History Month in March, for example? 

„People are already aware that gay men exist. What about some awareness for smaller minorities?“ Good idea, what are you doing for Asexual Awareness Week (October), Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week (February), Nonbinary People’s Day (July 14), Intersex Awareness Day (October 26) or Bisexual Awareness Week (September)? (Plus, Pride has never been about gay men only. Saying this shows quite a lack in historical knowledge, actually.) 

There are a lot of causes to support and there’s only twelve months. Our community doesn’t even have a monopoly on June - we share our month with Men’s Health Awareness, Infertility Awareness , PTSD Awareness and Caribbean‑American Heritage Month, for example. 

Let’s be honest here: this isn’t actually about other groups or causes not having their own months. If they genuinely cared about those causes so much, they’d be involved enough in them to be aware of their respective months and dates. Ideally, they’d even be involved enough to do something for those months. 

Because the truth is, Pride Month doesn’t just magically happen, either. It’s not like June rolls around and, boom, there’s Pride. People make it happen. People are involved in the cause. People organize and plan and pay for and promote Pride events. People show up. 

So, when they ask „But what about…“, the real question is: Are they actually doing something for that other cause - or do they only bring it up when it’s a convenient way to disparage Pride? 

With all my love, 

Your Tumblr Dad 

[interactyouth]

In many bills that ban gender-affirming care for trans people, there is what’s called an “intersex exception,” a clause that, judging by the name, suggests it protects care for intersex people.

Instead, these clauses permit nonconsensual surgeries to “normalize” the sex characteristics of intersex babies and children.

This kind of legislation often attempts to penalize doctors providing consensual care to trans teens, while protecting surgeons who operate on intersex infants who cannot consent.

At first glance, bills with “exceptions” suggest that intersex people’s access to medical care isn’t affected.

Instead, these bills protect a kind of intervention we don’t want and can’t consent to, while jeopardizing necessary health care, such as access to hormone replacement therapy for intersex people across the country.

[interactyouth]

In many bills that ban gender-affirming care for trans people, there is what’s called an “intersex exception,” a clause that, judging by the name, suggests it protects care for intersex people.

Instead, these clauses permit nonconsensual surgeries to “normalize” the sex characteristics of intersex babies and children.

This kind of legislation often attempts to penalize doctors providing consensual care to trans teens, while protecting surgeons who operate on intersex infants who cannot consent.

At first glance, bills with “exceptions” suggest that intersex people’s access to medical care isn’t affected.

Instead, these bills protect a kind of intervention we don’t want and can’t consent to, while jeopardizing necessary health care, such as access to hormone replacement therapy for intersex people across the country.

[interactyouth]

[id: art of a wooden trellis with an intersex flag hanging from it. On the trellis is yellow butterfly vine, and there is stalks of prairie blazing Star around the base. /end id]

[interactyouth]

Archival Note: This post and interview were published on November 10th, 2014.

VICE Interview | Inter/Act member Emily Quinn. 

Why is it important to you to be such a visible presence for AIS people?

​"I was told I was the only person like this when I was growing up, and it was very lonely and scary. I wanted to look into the media for somebody to say that they were the same as me. I remember reading about certain celebrities and wanting them so badly to say that they have AIS, just so that I didn’t feel like I was such a freak or a horrible person. So that’s the main reason. I don’t want any kids going through this to feel like that.

I’m in a place where I’m very comfortable with my body, but not a lot of people are, and that’s not a good place to be. But more than that, it’s about all of these surgeries that happen without consent, on babies, on children that are two or three, even on adults. If people become more accepting about it then we will get more doctors who think twice about operating to try and “fix” us, to try and take away the thing that is making someone else uncomfortable. We’re not broken.“

FULL INTERVIEW

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