Monday, July 14, 2008

Word of the Gay: "Hermaphrodite"

The word "Hermaphrodite" is mythological and it describes someone who is both fully male and female. This is a biological impossibility. The correct term for someone who has a combination of both male and female parts is Intersex. The term "Hermaphrodite" and "Pseudo-Hermaphrodite" are offensive and stigmatizing terms. Some IS activists seek to reclaim the word as a source of empowerment much like Queer and Dyke have been reclaimed, however, reclaiming of the word has not been driven by much success thus far.

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