#intersex positivity

[intersexfairy]

having breasts does not make you a woman. having a vagina, vulva, or ovaries does not make you a woman. having XX chromosomes or an estrogen-dominant body does not make you a woman. having a period or the capability to have children does not make you a woman.

having or not having these things can affirm your identity and make you feel more like yourself, for sure. but the point is your body does not decide who you are - you do. you are in control of your own gender, your own identity. you are you no matter the body you inhabit. and i hope that if you dont feel it now, someday your body feels truly like home.

💜 this post includes intersex people. don't forget your intersex peers! 💜

[neuroticboyfriend]

it's okay if your body isn't like others'. there's nothing wrong with you, or your body. you're not broken or insignificant. not all bodies are the same, and that's okay. that's good. you're part of nature's variance - and just look how beautiful nature is.

[hussyknee]

Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani’s Kitab al-Aghani records the lives of a number of individuals including one named Tuways who lived during the last years of Muhammad and the reigns of the early Muslim dynasties. Tuways was mukhannathun: those who were born as men, but who presented as female. They are described by al-Isfahani as wearing bangles, decorating their hands with henna, and wearing feminine clothing. One mukhannathun, Hit, was even in the household of the Prophet Muhammad. Tuways earned a reputation as a musician, performing for clients and even for Muslim rulers. When Yahya ibn al-Hakam was appointed as governor, Tuways joined in the celebration wearing ostentatious garb and cosmetics. When asked by the governor if he were Muslim Tuways affirmed his belief, proclaiming the declaration of faith and saying that he observes the fast of Ramadan and the five daily prayers. In other words, al-Isfahani, who recorded the life of a number of mukhannathun like Tuways, saw no contradiction between his gender expression and his Muslimness. From al-Isfahani we read of al-Dalal, ibn Surayj, and al-Gharid—all mukhannathun—who lived rich lives in early Muslim societies. Notably absent from al-Isfahani’s records is any state-sanctioned persecution. Instead, the mukhannathun are an accepted part of society.

...

Far from isolated cases, across Islamic history—from North Africa to South Asia—we see widespread acceptance of gender nonconforming and queer individuals. - Later in the Ottoman Empire, there were the köçek who were men who wore women’s clothing and performed at festivals. Formally trained in dance and percussion instruments, the köçek were an important part of social functions. A similar practice was found in Egypt. The khawal were male dancers who presented as female, wearing dresses, make up, and henna. Like their Ottoman counterparts, they performed at social events.

- In South Asia, the hijra were and are third-sex individuals. The term is used for intersex people as well as transgender women. Hijra are attested to among the earliest Muslim societies of South Asia where, according to Nalini Iyer, they were often guardians of the household and even held office as advisors.

- In Iraq, the mustarjil are born female, but present as men. In Wilfred Thesiger’s The Marsh Arabs the guide, Amara explains, “A mustarjil is born a woman. She cannot help that; but she has the heart of a man, so she lives like a man.” When asked if the mustarjil are accepted, Amara replies “Certainly. We eat with her and she may sit in the mudhif.” Amara goes on to describe how mustarjil have sex with women.

...

Historian Indira Gesink analyzed 41 medical and juristic sources between the 8th and 18th centuries and discovered that the discourse of a “binary sex” was an anachronistic projection backwards. Gesink points out in one of the earliest lexicography by the 8th century al-Khalil ibn Ahmad that he suggests addressing a male-presenting intersex person as ya khunathu and a female-presenting intersex person as ya khanathi while addressing an effeminate man as ya khunathatu. This suggests a clear recognition of a spectrum of sex and gender expression and a desire to address someone respectfully based on how they presented.

Tolerance of gender ambiguity and non-conformity in Islamic cultures went hand-in-hand with broader acceptance of homoeroticism. Texts like Ali ibn Nasir al-Katib’s Jawami al-Ladhdha, Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani’s Kitab al-Aghani, and the Tunisian, Ahmad al-Tifashi’s Nuz’ha al-‘Albab attest to the widespread acceptance of same-sex desire as natural. Homoeroticism is a common element in much of Persian and Arabic poetry where youthful males are often the object of desire. From Abu Nuwas to Rumi, from ibn Ammar to Amir Khusraw, some of the Islamic world’s greatest poets were composing verses for their male lovers. Queer love was openly vaunted by poets. One, Ibn Nasr, immortalizes the love between two Arab lesbians Hind al Nu’man and al-Zarqa by writing:

“Oh Hind, you are truer to your word than men. Oh, the differences between your loyalty and theirs.”

...

Acceptance of same-sex desire and gender non-conformity was the hallmark of Islamic societies to such a degree that European travelers consistently remarked derisively on it. In the 19th century, Edward Lane wrote of the khawal: “They are Muslims and natives of Egypt. As they personate women, their dances are exactly of the same description as those of the ghawazee; and are, in like manner, accompanied by the sound of castanets.”

A similarly scandalized CS Sonnini writes of Muslim homoerotic culture:

“The inconceivable appetite which dishonored the Greeks and the Persians of antiquity, constitute the delight, or to use a juster term, the infamy of the Egyptians. It is not for women that their ditties are composed: it is not on them that tender caresses are lavished; far different objects inflame them.”

In his travels in the 19th century, James Silk Buckingham encounters an Afghan dervish shedding tears for parting with his male lover. The dervish, Ismael, is astonished to find how rare same-sex love was in Europe. Buckingham reports the deep love between Ismael and his lover quoting, “though they were still two bodies, they became one soul.”

...

Today, vocal Muslim critics of LGBTQ+ rights often accuse gay and queer people of imposing a “Western” concept or forcing Islam to adjust to “Western values” failing to grasp the irony of the claim: the shift in the 19th and 20th century was precisely an alignment with colonial values over older Islamic ones, all of which led to legal criminalization. In fact, the common feature among nations with anti-LGBTQ+ legislation isn’t Islam, but rather colonial law.

Don't talk to me I'm weeping. I'm not Muslim, but the grief of colonization runs in the blood of every Global South person. Dicovering these is like finding our lost treasures among plundered ruins.

Queer folk have always, always been here; we have always been inextricable, shining golden threads in the tapestry of human history. To erase and condemn us is to continue using the scalpel of colonizers in the mutilation and betrayal of our own heritage.

[intersex-support]

(Described in alt text)

A great way to celebrate intersex people during pride is to put up some of these beautiful (free!) posters to advocate for ending intersex surgery. Wheatpaste them around your city, put them up in your workplace and school, pass them out at pride events--the sky is the limit! Intersex people deserve to be celebrated during pride and we deserve allies who are willing to fight for our rights. It’s especially crucial this year, with so many bills being passed targeting intersex youth. 

[uncanny-tranny]

Intersex people and the bodies they inhabit are WORTHY

They are AMAZING

They are BEAUTIFUL

Intersex is holy. Intersex is awe-inspiring. Intersex is worthy. Intersex is worthy. Intersex is worthy.

[tortiefrancis]

dear intersex people,

you don't have to be open about your type of or specific variation. you don't have to explain your identity. you don't have tell people about your body or its inner workings. if all you want to say is that you're intersex, that's okay.

[cerberusxt]

Intersex Pride Sister of Battle!

With the enby sister of Battle, the intersex Pride is probably one with the most contrast possible (yellow and purple are basically opposite on the color wheel).

Working with only two colors is kinda challenging to make sure everytjing is lisible and contrast nicely, but it's fun.

Anyway, here are all the other angles!

Hope you like them!

[genderqueer-dream]

I hope the intersex person reading this has a great night tonight and gets to eat their favourite food soon!!

[meowtismz]

LEAVE INTERSEX PEOPLE ALONE.

we can and WILL identify as ANY identity.

Kiki is SO tired of be shamed for identify as aphroflux/transfem/transfemmasc.

WE ARE ALLOWED TO RECLAIM THOSE IDENTITIES...

And for fuck sake PERISEX PEOPLE STOP USING SHI/HIR PRONOUNS.

[lilac-set]

Hey shout out to intersex people who don’t identify as trans, but do experience gender dysphoria. Gender can be super complicated, especially given the experience and physiology of being intersex, and that’s super cool actually! We don’t need to fit perfectly into dyadic gender modalities to be valid in our experiences and the labels we choose for ourselves

[intersexfairy]

you literally don't have to tell anyone what you were assigned. that's personal information that you have every right to keep private. you're allowed to not want people to know things. it's perfectly understandable if what you were assigned is sensitive information or something you'd rather people not focus on.

you can just present yourself as you are. you wouldn't be doing anything wrong. it's good to do what makes you happy, comfortable, and safe. if anyone tries to tell you otherwise, they don't have your best interest in mind and you shouldn't listen to them. just be you <3

[flora-tea]

A little something for Intersex Awareness Day! 🙌💛💜

Maned lionesses (& antlered does) have had a special place in my heart since I learned about them as a teen. Their existence brought a sense of comfort and pride <3

[titan-god-helios]

body hair my beloved <3333333333333 i love you hairy armpits i love you chest hair i love you small scraggly beards i love you big bushy beards i love you mustaches of all shapes and sizes i love you leg hair i love you hairy thighs i love you pubic hair i love you hairy tummies i love you hairy forearms i love you hairy arms i love you body hair on anyone and everyone <33333333

(sfw !! i'm a minor)

[intersex-support]

It is October 26th, intersex awareness day! Intersex friends, today is for us. I'd like to share this quote from Sean Saifa Wall:

"By connecting with other intersex people, it literally saved my life, because we had the constant script that we are alone, that we are rare. I think intersex activism, and intersex justice actually lets people know that we are not alone” -Liberating All Bodies: Disability Justice and Intersex Justice in Conversation.

We are not alone. We are valuable, and our intersex identity is worth celebrating. Our community knowledge, care for each other, and solidarity is worth celebrating. Our intersex joy is worth celebrating.

When so many of us experience trauma, violence, and isolation, awareness days can bring all sorts of emotion to us. There is room for all of the messiness--whatever being intersex means to you is important, and you deserve the space to express yourself.

Feel free to add on this post and tell us how you're celebrating intersex awareness day today--whatever that looks like for you.

For anyone who wants to learn more about intersex, check out this post and our resources.

[purinclover]

INTERSEX SELFSHIPPERS I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOUR F/OS LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[the-intersex-experience]

Welcome to a blog dedicated to intersex experiences! this blog currently has one owner. We are bodily a mixed poc, disabled, tfemmasc intersex, system. Some of our collective names are 眞壱 , Maichi or ᎠᏁᎶᏗ. For pronouns liminal/liminals , xe/xem or 🩷/🩷s work.

this blog is safe for all intersex experiences, but especially:

- intersex tfems/tmascs/tfemmascs, intersex poc, intersex traumagen systems, disabled intersex people, and good faith / mspec mono identities.

This blog isn't safe for:

- perisex afab tfems, perisex amab tmascs, perisex tfemmascs, terfs, pro.ship/rad.queer, racists, zionists and other basic dni things.

more information under the cut!

the tags are for organizing posts, that way anyone who may want to just look for experiences similar to their own can do so easier. you can send things in the format of "the intersex experience is", "the poc intersex experience is" etc! but you are free to drop that part if you want to be more serious or vent / rant. please keep in mind all intersexism, harassment or hate will be ignored! and please don't try to force us to change our stances on anything?? we aren't here to fight with strangers.

taken anon emojis: 🪻

other blogs to check out!! @our-transfeminine-experience , @our-transgender-experiences , @our-trans-youth-experience , @our-transneutral-experience , @transfem-experience