#intersex is beautiful

[butchbarbieagainstterfs]

it shows how little terfs and other transphobes care about intersex people when we cannot even refer to ourselves as intersex without a) them insisting on saying we are people with dsds and saying or implying that being intersex doesn’t actually exist or b) needing to know our entire medical history to decide if we are intersex enough in their dyadic opinion

[astrangerthatlovesyou]

In response to my post about intersexuality, I got asked a fantastic question, and I wanted to answer it here because it’s a really complicated topic. Tw: I will be using the H slur in a medical context.

The question: “Do you like the name change? Having “disorder” describe intersectionality sounds weird, since it’s how people are born, so the word “disordered” just doesn’t seem like the most respectable and humanizing fit/label for me?/gen/neu”

So I actually have thought a lot about this. Firstly, I don’t believe that “Disorders of Sex Development” is a good umbrella term for Intersex. The word “disorder” suggests that all intersex conditions are inherently harmful and this just isn’t true. (However, I do think we often forget that there are intersex people that did/do have a medically harmful intersex condition and they’re still valid.)

The alternate “Differences in Sex Development” is a bit better and more accurate to the broad range of intersex conditions.

To get to the crux of the question: how do I feel about the name change? I don’t personally like it. I believe that it’s already been harmful to the intersex community, however I actually do have a few reasons that I believe it may also be beneficial. For example:

A medical diagnosis that is associated with the LGBTQIANP+ community could absolutely endanger some individuals. Queerphobic parents are less likely to respond in the best interests of their child if they’re focused on making them not queer.

It removes some of the rampant anti-LGBT vitriol and legislation from babies’ bodies by disconnecting the medical language from the queer community/ using a word that doesn’t threaten the binary.

While little information is available on exactly why the name was changed, ostensibly it was not championed by intersex individuals. I think unfortunately it has further pushed the sociopolitical perception of intersexuality more towards exclusively true hermaphrodism. This is not an accurate definition, nor has it ever been, and it serves to minimize the public perception of the frequency of bodies not fitting in the created binary. True hermaphrodism makes up a VERY small percentage of the intersex population (which may include anywhere from 1 in 50 people, to 1 in 20 people).

I have already seen the term DSD used to harm intersex individuals. For example non-intersex “intersex activists” harassing an intersex person publicly because they “claim to be intersex, but they actually have a DSD.” I don’t doubt that part of the reason the name was changed was to erase intersex voices, and I think that’s already shown itself to be an effect. There’s a reason I cited three sources to simply support that DSD means intersex in my last post. I’ve seen plenty of people get harassed over saying that something classified as a DSD is an intersex condition (though always by non-intersex people, in my experience.)

Another reason that I think this name change has done so much harm to the community is that the usage of the term intersex has changed in a lot of literature that still does include it. “Intersex” has become a replacement for “hermaphrodite” in even pro-lgbtq writing. (Though again, I have never seen this language from an intersex person.) The term “hermaphrodite” has been increasingly regarded as a slur. Since no effective medical replacement has been popularized, those with a poor understanding of intersexuality have widely replaced the term with “intersex” in their vernacular. From a medical perspective this is wildly misleading.

Because of this, coupled with the fact that now, most young intersex individuals have never heard the term intersex used for them, we have swathes of intersex people afraid to speak up about their experiences. This is especially harmful because finding a community is lifesaving.

In conclusion: the term DSD is only acceptable if it means “Differences of Sex Development.” Even then, it should only be used when necessary in the medical field. If we as a community are to accept DSD into our language, then it is imperative that we also change the language of our activism to specifically address it as an alternative term for intersex. There is no reason that intersex as a social identity and label should change.

@flip-flopping-frede (thank you for this question!)

[taurnil]

Will never forget when I called a TERF out for their hypocrisy and how they were damaging the intersex community, then had my page harassed with anonymous asks calling me interphobic!

(They were all 100% from the same TERF as it all mysteriously stopped when I blocked their IP address.)

They claimed I, an intersex person, was interphobic because I called them out on how their transphobia affects my community.

To my intersex community, you are beautiful ❤️❤️ You deserve to be heard and respected. You are valid and perfect as you are. Ignore all the stupids! (Some of whom will do anything to make themselves the victims!)

[phoen1xr0se]

Source: Sundae Kids

[kloe9]

Am soo horny 😩🥹

[secretlumi]

Woman enough for you 🤪🏳️‍⚧️

[nyxxx6]

Sexy right? 🖤😋🥵❤️‍🔥

[sexypennymay]

Can I sit one your face darling ❤️🥰

Trans lovers reblog ❤️

[justdavina]

Very sexy transgender girl wearing a HOT yellow mini skirt very shear top and bra! Very nice!

[elsa-singular]

Hello Daddy 😋🏳️‍⚧️

[kloe9]

Slay? ♥️

[secretlumi]

kinda Cheeky 🤭

[ohlivvyo1]

Wanna Smooch ?😘

[nyxxx6]

can we play together and Ill give you head- I MEAN heals haha 🫣

[frostralia]

To anybody who needed to hear this today 🩷

[uncanny-tranny]

I just have to say that it's so weird reading how transphobes think of trans bodies as mutilated and gross when they never would have thought my body pre-transition was worthy. The "argument" of mutilated beauty that transphobes have tossed around is just a fear mongering tactic, because they don't tend to actually love or appreciate and see value in bodies that don't "neatly" fit into male and female, with no overlap and no nuances.