OKAY realtalk for a second, it may be a long thread.

Let me talk about being intersex. First off, i AM intersex.

Ok, so, intersex =/= trans. I've seen people using the terms interchangeably, and please don't. While intersex people may be trans, not all of us are!

Intersex people are born with sex variations that don't fit the typical male or female binary. It is a large spectrum. Some of us are almost completely (physically) male or female, and some in between. Some of us are trans, some of us are cis, and some, like me, are nonbinary.

Using intersex to means trans pretty much erases us, and while some intersex people may not care, i'm sure I'm not the only one that does care.

Second point: intersex =/= hermaphrodite. There are no known real hermaphrodite humans. There ARE true hermaphrodite animals.

"Herm" is seen as a slur by many people. I don't see it as one (please keep reading) IF it isn't aimed at a person, and used in the actual real meaning- IE earthworms.

This brings me to a fandom specific issue- a certain website has added the term intersex in its gender choices

I'm not sure if it replaced "herm" or not, but oh boy did it make things worse. I do not want people to see a character with a vulva, giant tits and an oversized dong as "intersex". Because it isn't. I avoid anything using that term now because of it.

The change was done due to

A lot of people stating "herm" was a slur- frankly I would rather those characters be labeled "herm" than intersex.

Intersex is not a disease, it's obviously not contagious nor is it brought on by the devil. It just happens. Like having ginger hair or blue eyes.

Again, it's a huge spectrum. Some individuals may know they're intersexed due to ohysical traits. Some may be intersex without ever knowing about it. Some intersex people have (sometimes severe) traits that are linked with being intersexed. Some don't.

I have some health issues from being intersex. I went through surgery as a baby to "fix" certain parts of myself. This aspect of being intersex is horrible, and can lead to individuals thinking they're broken, or a freak.

I did. I didn't think anyone would ever be able to love-

Me as I didn't fit in the perfectly binary sex boxes that society push on us. Fortunately I did find someone who accepts me as I am.

So yeah. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them! If you're gonna be rude or crude, please keep it to yourself.

(Also sorry for any typos- I'm on mobile!)