Intersex Terminology Masterpost
Since we don’t have many terms, I decided to gather all the ones I had the energy for and compile them. Click the links to read more (pride flags too) and feel free to add on!
General Terms
- Intersex (Adj.) - A term to describe those who were born with a sex variation that led to having sex characteristics that aren’t traditionally male or female. Abbreviation is IS. Noun form is Intersexuality. Read more here.
- Dyadic (Adj.) - A term meaning “of two” utilized by intersex people to describe people who are not IS. Noun form is Dyad(s). Other terms are perisex (likely not coined by IS people), endosex, and juxtasex (both coined by IS people). There is no consensus on what to call non-intersex people, but I prefer dyadic (although some believe it reinforces the sex binary).
- Variation - A term used to refer to the cause of someone’s intersexuality. It is to be used instead of condition/disorder/etc. There are 3 main types of IS variations - Chromosomal, Hormonal, and Gonadal. There are some variations listed on LGBTA Wikia, the main source for this masterpost.
- DSD - An abbreviation meaning either “difference of sexual development” or “disorder of sexual development.” The latter should not be used, and Variation is to be used over DSD. (Link contains list of Variations)
- Intersexism / Inter(sex)phobia - The discrimination, prejudice, dislike, and hatred of and towards IS people.
- Dyadism - [TW] The belief that being Dyadic is normal, correct, the default, etc., and that IS people are unnatural, wrong, diseased/deformed, insignificant, etc. Can also be called Perisexism, Endosexism, or Juxtasexism.
Assignment Related [TW]
- Sex Assignment - Different from gender assignment, sex assignment is the process by which a person’s “biological sex” is determined. Everyone is assigned a sex and gender at birth, and for intersex people, sex assignment can be complicated and traumatic (see; IGM and Forced/Coerced HRT).
- AXAB - Assigned “X” At Birth. For IS people who did not have a sex assigned to them at birth. A similar term is UAB.
- AIAB - Assigned Intersex At Birth. For IS people whose intersexuality was recognized at birth. May be used in place of/alongside “AXAB.”
- IAFAB / IAMAB - “Intersex Assigned Female At Birth” and “Intersex Assigned Male At Birth.”
- CAFAB / CAMAB - “Coercively Assigned Female At Birth” and “Coercively Assigned Male At Birth.” These terms are not intersex exclusive, [TW] but in the IS community are sometimes used to describe people who underwent IGM or other medical methods of assignment.
- IGM - [TW] Infant/Intersex Genital Mutilation. Used by IS people in reference to the surgical procedures used to alter intersex people’s genitalia/remove internal organs in order to assign or reassign our sex and/or gender.
- Forced/Coerced HRT - [TW] Forced/Coerced “Hormone Replacement Treatment” is an experience that probably deserves its own name independent of HRT, however is called this due to lack of terminology. It refers to the hormones given w/o proper consent to IS people in order to make us appear dyadic. It also may be given as a result of IGM impairing or destroying organs responsible for the production of certain hormones.
Gender Identity
- Intergender - A gender that is in some form linked to being intersex. Also known as Integender or Mera (Hydragea/Idra).
- Inter-Aligned - A gender alignment for nonbinary IS people whose gender is aligned with being IS instead of or alongside being masc-aligned or fem-aligned.
- Duogender - A gender that is a combination of male and female as a result one’s intersexuality. It can be considered a specific inte®gender. A similar term is Trans-Intersexual.
- Ipsogender - A gender modality for IS people who identify as the gender they were assigned, and may or may not identify with being cisgender due to their experiences with intersexuality, dydaism, and/or cissexism. Coined by an IS sociologist! A similar term is Advenagender.
- Ultergender - A gender modality for IS people who do not identify as the gender they were assigned, and due to their intersexuality may or may not identify with being transgender.
- Transmascfem / Transfemmasc - A gender modality for people who are both transfeminine and transmasculine as a result of being UAB, AXAB, or intersex.
- Exparfem - A gender modality for IS people who relate to transfemininity despite being AFAB. Coined by @/integender.
- Exparmasc - A gender modality for IS people who relate to transmasculinity despite being AMAB. Coined by @/integender
Transition Related
- XTF - A term for IS people who are transitioning femininely, regardless of whether they’re cis, trans, etc. Also can be used by transfeminine or exparfem IS people opposed to MTF.
- XTM - A term for IS people who are transitioning masculinely, regardless of whether they’re cis, trans, etc. Also can be used by transmasculine or exparmasc IS people opposed to FTM.
Culturally Exclusive Terms
- Ay’lonit - A term from Jewish culture for AFAB individuals “who [have] not shown signs of typical female puberty” - “presumed infertile” and have masculine sex characteristics (Source). Historically a term to refer to intersex people, but in modern times is used by both trans and intersex Jews.
- Saris - A term from Jewish culture for AMAB individuals “who has not shown signs of typical sexual maturity; a eunuch.” There are two types: Saris Chama and Saris Adam. (Source). Historically a term to refer to intersex people, but in modern times is used by both trans and intersex Jews.
- Androgynos - A term from Jewish culture for a person possessing both male and female sex characteristics. (Source). Historically a term to refer to intersex people, but in modern times is used by both trans and intersex Jews.
- Tumtum - A term from Jewish culture for “a person of indeterminate gender; one whose genitals are obscured or not clearly male or female.” (Source). Historically a term to refer to intersex people, but in modern times is used by both trans and intersex Jews.
- Kathoey - A term used by people in Thailand who in English may be described as transfeminine, effeminate gay men, or intersex.
Please correct anything on here if needed! Especially the culturally exclusive terms (although please do so with appropriate sources).
Also, don’t just like, reblog too! I didnt know about a few of these terms and it’s so important for us to gather all the words about ourselevs we can.
Hello! I uploaded a collection of subtle pride flag designs onto my Threadless shop, so LGBT can express themselves and their pride without worrying about being outed. (Each design also has a cryptic name to further protect closeted LGBT.)
These can be printed on shirts, hoodies, socks, face masks, stickers, buttons, phone cases, bags, notebooks and much more!
Additionally, 100% of profits go towards an organization/charity of the buyer’s choice.
Currently donating to organizations supporting: hunger relief, Black Lives Matter, Native American rights, LGBT+ rights, and COVID-19 relief
As well as those giving crises aid to: Chile, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, the Philippines, Poland, Turkey, and Yemen
SHOP LINK: artforaltruism.threadless.com
(Also linked in my bio and on my blog because Tumblr won’t let me link it directly!)
I meant to make this post like a week ago but better late then never I guess! So here’s the Do’s and Don’ts for intersex representation.
Do:
1) Have the intersex character be human. This feels like a kind of weird thing to point out, but seriously, almost all the “intersex” representation that we have is of nonhuman, alien, magical creatures who are magically a third sex that doesn’t even exist in humans. This gets really tiring and othering after a while just cause like. Only ever seeing yourself represented as nonhuman starts to make you feel like your intersex condition makes you less then human! So just. please stay away from calling nonhuman/alien creatures intersex.
2) Research an actual intersex condition and give your character an intersex condition that exists in real life. https://www.intersexequality.com/intersex-variations-list/ This link is not a complete list, but it’s a start. Actually look up a real condition, see what the symptoms are, and create a character that could actually exist in real life.
3) Use the term intersex when referring to intersex characters! This seems like it should be obvious, but so much of the representation I see just either only refers to the intersex character as having their specific condition and never mentioning the word intersex, or by just describing their genitals or body in an invasive way and never mentioning the word intersex! Just use the word intersex to describe intersex characters. It’s not that hard.
4) Recognize that being intersex is not the same thing as being trans. Many intersex people are trans, but being intersex doesn’t mean that you’re inherently trans. Intersex people often have a complicated relationship with gender, but they can still identify as cis, or any gender identity.
5) Have an intersex character who’s entire identity isn’t just being intersex. Being intersex is a large part of of a lot of intersex people’s lives, and that absolutely should be represented, but if your character’s only character trait is that they’re intersex that. isn’t good. I would love to see intersex characters who are just existing and doing normal things and they’re also intersex.
Don’t:
1) Describe your intersex character’s genitals in a weird fetishizing way. You really really don’t need to describe the character’s genitals at all in the vast majority of situations, so just Please Don’t because you’re going to do it wrong.
2) Treat the medical community like they’re experts on intersex issues. The intersex community and intersex activists have very different beliefs and goals then then medical community, and in fact a lot of intersex activism is against the medical community, especially to do with nonconsensual surgery.
3) Exploit intersex trauma. Pretty much every intersex person I know has trauma surrounded with the fact that they’re intersex, and many, many intersex people have faced medical abuse. I’m not saying that you should exclude these types of things from intersex stories, because this is a big part of intersex people’s lives and stories, but think critically about the way you include these sort of things and why you’re including them. Also, I’m not sure if I trust perisex/dyadic people to write stories about intersex people who had surgery performed on them at birth, or on the topic of intersex surgery in general, so maybe avoid writing stories where the main focus is intersex surgery, because I don’t think you’ll get that right.
4) Use slurs to describe intersex characters. Seeing the h-slur thrown casually around hurts a lot of intersex people, and there’s really no reason for it to be included unless the intersex character is reclaiming it, but again, that’s not a viewpoint I feel comfortable with dyadic/perisex authors writing.
5) Make being intersex seen as only a tragedy. Finding out that you’re intersex can be scary and stressful, but the only intersex stories out there seem to be ones focused on how sad and awful the intersex character’s life is going to be now. I would love to see intersex characters who have intersex pride, who are involved with the intersex community, who do activism, who have people that care about them and a happy ending! Only ever seeing people like you represented as a tragedy with no happy future is tough, and I really would just love to see one intersex story where the intersex character isn’t completely miserable all the time.
This is just kind of a basic overview of things to keep in mind while writing intersex characters, and honestly my biggest advice would be to research and read stuff written by intersex people! And after you’ve written something, get an intersex sensitivity reader to give input.
I’m only one intersex person and I don’t have all the answers, so other intersex people please feel free to add on or disagree.
But intersex people aren’t trans, correct?
Some intersex folk do transition depending on how they identify. Others do not and are “ok” with being AFAB or AMAB. You need to ask each person to be honest.
Anyone who is intersex like to expand more on this topic to help anon out?
Intersex people are not inherently transgender/nonbinary. There are many intersex trans people as well as intersex cis people. But it is important to note that the intersex person who identifies as cis still has a very different gender experience than a dyadic cis person. The same goes for intersex transgender people - an amab intersex person may be transmasculine, and an afab intersex person may be transfeminine. These are simply due to factors that are unique to being intersex, such as incomplete or removed reproductive anatomy, hormonal makeup, external genitalia, et cetera. On top of that, intersex people may attempt to “reclaim” their bodies if they suffered unnecessary medical interventions that changed the scope of their body’s sex makeup.
It does depend on the person for their individual story and experience. If you were to ask, you should try “How does being transgender/nonbinary intersect with your experience as an intersex person?”. Some intersex people have a lot of trauma around being intersex, though, so you should be mindful of that before you ask.
Seamless repeating background of my pride planets! Use with credit; don’t delete my caption <3
Redbubble - Society6
Organizations:
America:
InterACT- Advocates for Intersex youth (https://interactadvocates.org/)
Intersex Campaign for Equality: https://www.intersexequality.com/
Intersex Justice Project: http://www.intersexjusticeproject.org/
http://www.intersexinitiative.org/
https://www.intersexrecognition.org/
International:
Organization Intersex International: http://oiiinternational.com/
Map of intersex organizations: https://www.intersexionsproject.eu/en/intersex-map/
South America:
Organización Internacional Intersexual - Hispanoparlante: https://www.facebook.com/OIIhispano
Brujula Intersexual: https://brujulaintersexual.org/
Africa:
Intersex South Africa: http://www.intersex.org.za/about-us/
Transgender and Intersex Africa: https://www.facebook.com/Transgender-and-intersex-Africa-195694323776480/
SIPD Uganda: http://sipduganda.org/
Europe:
Organization Intersex International Europe: https://oiieurope.org/
Intersex Russia: https://www.intersexrussia.org/intersex-in-russia
Intersex UK: https://twitter.com/intersexuk?lang=en
Zwischengeschlecht (Switzerland Intersex Organization): http://zwischengeschlecht.org/
Belgium: https://www.genrespluriels.be/?lang=fr
Iceland: https://intersex.samtokin78.is/
OII Italy: http://oii-italia.org/
Italy: https://www.intersexioni.it/
OII Germany: https://oiigermany.org/
OII Austria: https://vimoe.at/
Asia:
Organization Intersex International Chinese: http://www.oii.tw/
Organization Intersex International Phillipines: https://www.facebook.com/IntersexPhilippines/
Intersex Asia:https://www.facebook.com/IntersexAsia/
Australia and New Zealand:
Intersex Human Rights Australia: https://ihra.org.au/
Intersex Awareness New Zealand: http://www.ianz.org.nz/
This is such an important article to read I can’t even begin to express it.
Lesbian communities need to start thinking about how intersex lesbians fit into everything. Lesbian communities need to start thinking and being inclusive of intersex experiences with gender - let alone nonbinary and genderqueer experiences that tie into lesbianism. You are encouraged to share this.
On the blog actuallyintersex, which is moderated entirely by trans identified intersex people (myself included), we have constantly called out the trans community for blatantly disregarding our humanity.
One of the main issues we have is that dyadic trans folks constantly use intersex people as leverage for their defenses on gender. This would happen so often that we now rarely make posts discussing it, just because we are so exhausted by this conversation.
“The dyadic trans people who participate in throwing intersex people in the line of fire may think they are doing us a favor by just mentioning a statistic, but they fail to shine any humanity upon us.”
陰陽人 (Traditional) / 阴阳人 (Simplified) / Yīnyáng Rén (Pinyin)
Yinyang Ren is typically described as a slur directed towards intersex people in the Chinese community. However, the Organization Intersex International Chinese (OII-Chinese) has reclaimed this, as well as many others of our [intersex] community. the OII-Chinese site states:
“Yin and Yang are people whose physical gender cannot be clearly classified as male or female… Yin and Yang people do not mean people who deliberately choose to change their physiological characteristics.” [Source]
Flags made for @chrysonian, who helped with the design and also wrote the text above!
The yellow is to represent that of the intersex flag, as it is directed towards intersex people.
The red ring is also a homage to the intersex flag, and the red represents the blood of our people who have died for us and it also represents our tradition.
Yin and Yang mean we are both opposing and complementing. We are “male” and “female”; We are light and dark. We are a part of tradition, and nothing can erase us. We are important and interconnected with history.
