Word of the Gay: "Hermaphroditus Verus"

"Hermaphroditus Verus" is a medical term for intersex people possessing both male and female gonads.

Diversity Lesson 101: GenderQueer/Intergender

We have talked extensively on the blog about how society has constructed a gender binary system of male and female, we are each expected to fit the roles of our biological sex. For the majority of people this is a non-issue and they conform well or closely to their aligned role. Some people who are intersexual do not have a clear biological sex, they are to some degree male and female internally, externally or both, and this can pose a dilemna for how they self-identify with regards to gender identity. The other group of people are transgender, they are biologically male or female but their identity does not match their body parts and so they seek to bring harmony between their mind and body through either living as or having elective surgery/hormones to bring their mind/body closer to their gender identity.

This brings us to the subject of Genderqueer AKA Third Gendered/Intergender, which has been gaining steam as a movement but also as an alternative label for self-identification. These are individuals who don't want to self-identify as male or female. Some identify more with one gender than the other but live a line of blurred gender. For example a muscular biological male who is athletic but feels comfortable putting make up on, would be an example of someone who is blurring the gender roles, or a womyn who seeks to wear a dress yet also take testosterone to develop more masculine features.

Individuals who self-identify as gender queer may consider themselves to be both male and female, androgynous, being neither male or female, or falling completely outside of the gender binary spectrum. Queer is a broad terminology that encompasses different identities and thus genderqueer can be a range of different gender identities in which people experience.

How do I deal with someone who is Genderqueer?
Please never presuppose someones gender if you are uncertain, it is better to ask how they feel comfortable with you referring to them as opposed to you putting a label on them. It can be a simple question of asking name and what pronouns they feel comfortable with.

Genderqueer Pronouns
Some genderqueer people may feel more comfortable being referred to by a more prominent gender role they seek such as he/his/him, or she/her, hers. Others however may prefer a gender neutral terminology such as "ze", "per", "zir", "sie" and "hir", "zhe", "hir", "zes" or singular "they" instead of her/his. Other individuals feel comfortable alternating between the masculine/feminine pronouns. There is not one clear cut answer since genderqueers as a group comprise of several gender identities and each person has their own unique variation.

What is their sexual orientation?
This is a common question. First, its important to note that sexual orientation and gender identity are completely seperate. You can be a butch female and be heterosexual, or an adrogynous bisexual. The way we express our gender is seperate from our sexual orientation, ex: take Ru Paul a famous drag queen who self-identifies as heterosexual. Intergender people may be straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer, or asexual. Some genderqueer people prefer to see themselves as pansexuals which means they are open to all genders sexually. Thus someone who is pansexual would have no problem being in a relationship with someone who is male, female, genderqueer, or transgender.

Thank you for your openness on gender variant people and please seek to spread knowledge and love on the subject matter and on other issues of importance to the broader Queer community.

Below are some helpful links on/for the Genderqueer community:
http://www.genderqueerrevolution.com/

http://unitedgenders.org/

http://androgyne.0catch.com/

http://www.t-vox.org/index.php?title=Main_Page

Some YouTube videos on the subject:

Transgender - What Does it Mean?

The following is a great video explaining what it means to be transgender and covering many terms related to the gender-variant community. Great resource, for trans people and allies.

Please copy the html code at the bottom and post to myspace or your site/blog and beyond so we can educate people about trans-folk.
<object width="400" height="330"><param name="movie" value="http://www.videojug.com/player?type=interview&id=ec835c2c-64e3-5a2e-1e9e-ff0008ca4cbe"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"/><embed src="http://www.videojug.com/player?type=interview&id=ec835c2c-64e3-5a2e-1e9e-ff0008ca4cbe" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="400" height="330"/></embed></object><br/><a href="http://www.videojug.com">VideoJug</a>: <a href="http://www.videojug.com/interview/transgender-what-does-it-mean">Transgender: What Does It Mean?</a>

Mapping Gender Neutral/Unisex Restrooms

Transgender, Genderqueer, and Intersexual folks often face difficult decisions when it comes to something as simple as going to the restroom. They face the reality of being attacked, discriminated against, arrested, or feeling very uncomfortable when choosing a bathroom that is specified for a specific gender.

Now, thanks to the Safe2Pee Resource, gender variant people can find gender neutral/unisex bathrooms around the world. You can also add any bathrooms to the database that would be suitable.

"The goal of the project is to create a resource where people who do not feel comfortable with traditional public restrooms can find safe alternatives, and to support advocacy and research to further the cause of gender free, inclusive bathrooms."

Celebrate Intersex Awareness Day!

Oct 26th marks the 5th annual celebrate intersexual awareness day! Today is the (inter)national day of grass-roots action to end shame, secrecy and unwanted genital cosmetic surgeries on intersex children.

What is intersex?
Intersex refers to a series of medical conditions in which a child's genetic sex (chromosomes) and phenotypic sex (genital appearance) do not match, or are somehow different from the "standard" male or female. About one in 2,000 babies are born visibly intersexed, while some others are detected later. The current medical protocol calls for the surgical "reconstruction" of these different but healthy bodies to make them "normal," but this practice has become increasingly controversial as adults who went through the treatment report being physically, emotionally, and sexually harmed by such procedures.

Beside stopping cosmetic genital surgeries, what are intersex activists working toward?
Surgery is just part of a larger pattern of how intersex children are treated; it is also important to stop shame, secrecy and isolation that are socially and medically imposed on children born with intersex conditions under the theory that the child is better off it they didn't hear anything about it. Therefore, it's not enough to simply stop the surgery; we need to replace it with social and psychological support as well as open and honest communication.

What's so significant about October 26?
On October 26, 1996, intersex activists from Intersex Society of North America (carrying the sign "Hermaphrodites With Attitude") and our allies from Transexual Menace held the first public intersex demonstration in Boston, where American Academy of Pediatrics was holding its annual conference. The action generated a lot of press coverage, and made it difficult for the medical community to continue to neglect our growing movement. That said, events related to Intersex Awareness Day can take place throughout October and does not necessarily have to be on the 26th.

Ideas for Action:

Pamphlets for organizing intersex awareness day.

Click here to print out some articles to leaflet on intersexuality

Get some friends together and rally/demonstrate in front of a hospital or medical school demanding an end to genital mutilation!

Show a film or invite a guest speaker to speak about IS issues.

Please click the link for more info on Intersex Awareness Day.

Intersex People - The Missing Vagina Monologue

The Vagina Monologues is a hugely successful account of women's lives and advocates for gender equality. Eve Ensler the creator of the play went on to found V-Day an organization committed to ending violence against women.

The organization has made a tremendous impact on women's lives including lesbian and trans-women but has failed to accurately include Intersex people in their accounts.

Please politely contact V-Day and ask them to include Intersex people in their awareness campaigns. In addition please tell them that childhood genital mutilation of intersex babies is wrong and must be considered an unethical and violent choice by the medical establishment.

Contact V-Day!

In the meantime check out this clip from Gendervision.

Frequently Asked Questions About Intersex Activism

"What is intersex?

Technically, intersex is defined as "congenital anomaly of the reproductive and sexual system." Intersex people are born with external genitalia, internal reproductive organs, and/or endocrine system that are different from most other people. There is no single "intersex body"; it encompasses a wide variety of conditions that do not have anything in common except that they are deemed "abnormal" by the society. What makes intersex people similar is their experiences of medicalization, not biology. Intersex is not an identity. While some intersex people do reclaim it as part of their identity, it is not a freely chosen category of gender--it can only be reclaimed. Most intersex people identify as men or women, just like everybody else. Intersex conditions are also referred to as "disorders of sex development" (DSD) in some medical literature.

What do intersex activists want?

We are working to replace the current model of intersex treatment based on concealment with a patient-centered alternative. We are not saying that intersex babies are better off left alone; we want there to be social and psychological support for both the parents and intersex children so that they can deal with social difficulties resulting from being different than others. In the long-term, we hope to remove those social barriers through education and raising awareness. See Alice Dreger's chart contrasting the two paradigms.

Are intersex conditions harmful?

In general, intersex conditions do not cause the person to feel sick or in pain. However, some intersex conditions are associated with serious health issues, which need to be treated medically. Surgically "correcting" the appearance of intersex genitals will not change these underlying medical needs.

How common are intersex conditions?

No one knows exactly how many children are born with intersex conditions because of the secrecy and deception surrounding it, and also because there is no concrete boundaries to the definition of "intersex." It is nonetheless estimated that about one in 2,000 children, or five children per day in the United States, are born visibly intersex, prompting early intervention.

Can't they just do a test to find out babies' true sex?

Medicine cannot determine the baby's "true sex." For example, chromosomes do not necessarily dictate one's gender identity, as it is obvious from the fact that most people born with androgen insensitivity syndrome live as women despite their XY chromosomes. In other words: science can measure how large a clitoris is, but cannot conclude how large or small it needs to be. That is a social determination.

How do we know the correct gender of a child with an intersex condition?

We won't know the child's gender until she or he is old enough to communicate to us. It is recommended that the child be assigned a gender based on our best prediction, and allow her or him to determine for herself or himself once she or he is old enough to do so. Irreversible surgeries on infants should be avoided in order to give them the widest range of choices when they are older. Performing surgeries will not eliminate the possibility that our prediction is wrong.

What is the correct pronoun for intersex people?

Pronouns should not be based on the shape of one's genitalia, but on what the person prefers to be called. For children too young to communicate what her/his preference is, go with the gender assignment parents and doctor agreed on based on their best prediction. Do not call intersex children "it," because it is dehumanizing.

Are there five sexes?

The notion of "five sexes" was popularized by Anne Fausto-Sterling's article "The Five Sexes: Why Male and Female Are Not Enough" published in 1993. In this largely tongue-in-cheek piece, she wrote that three subcategories among "intersex" should be considered as three additional sexes aside from male and female. Unfortunately, the "five sexes" theory does not help people with intersex conditions. In addition to exoticizing and sensationalizing intersex people, the distinction between three additional "sexes"--merm, ferm and herm--are artificial and useless in improving the lives of intersex people. Fausto-Sterling later wrote in Sexing the Body (2000) that she was "no longer advocating" these categories, "even tongue in cheek."

Are intersex people "third gender"?

Many people with intersex conditions identify solidly as a man or as a woman, like many non-intersex people. There are some who identify as a member of an alternative gender, like some non-intersex people. While we support everyone's right to define her or his own identities, we do not believe that people with intersex conditions should be expected to be gender-transgressive just because of their condition.

Is intersex part of "transgender" community?

While some people with intersex conditions also identify as transgender, intersex people as a group have a unique set of needs and priorities beyond those shared with trans people. Too often, these unique needs are made invisible or secondary when "intersex" becomes a subcategory of "transgender." For example, people who discuss about intersex in the context of transgender often stress the risk of assigning a "wrong" gender as an argument against intersex genital mutilation, which overlooks the fact that intersex medical treatment is painful and traumatic whether or not one's gender identity happens to match her or his assigned gender. It is for this reason that we prefer to have "intersex" spelled out explicitly rather than have it "included" in "transgender" umbrella.

What is the difference between "hermaphrodite" and "intersex"?

In biology, "hermaphrodite" means an organism that has both "male" and "female" sets of reproductive organs (like snails and earthworms). In humans, there are no actual "hermaphrodites" in this sense, although doctors have called people with intersex conditions "hermaphrodites" because intersex bodies do not neatly conform to what doctors define as the "normal" male or female bodies. We find the word "hermaphrodite" misleading, mythologizing, and stigmatizing. Although some intersex activists do reclaim and use this term to describe themselves, it is not an appropriate term to refer to intersex people in general. In short, snails are the hermaphrodites; humans are not. Also, please avoid using the word "intersexual" as a noun; we prefer "intersex people" or "people with intersex conditions/experiences."

How can I help intersex movement?

Join us! In addition to volunteering for or making donations to intersex activist groups such as Intersex Initiative, you can help by talking to your friends and family members about the intersex movement. The idea is that the more people are aware about us, the less likely they will accept surgery as the only option when they or someone they know have an intersex baby. Get your community, church or school group together and show documentary films about intersex (available from Intersex Society of North America) or invite us to present.
Where can I read more about intersex movement?

Here are some of the recommended resources:

Books

* "Intersex in the Age of Ethics" ed. by Alice Dreger
* "One of Us: Conjoined Twins and the Future of Normal" by Alice Dreger
* "Sexing the Body" by Anne Fausto-Sterling
* "Lessons from the Intersexed" by Suzanne Kessler
* "As Nature Made Him" by John Colapinto

Films

* "Total Patient Care" (Intersex Society of North America)
* One in 2000 (Ajae Clearway)
* "Yellow for Hermaphrodite: Mani's Story" (Greenstone Pictures)
* "BOTH" (Solaris Films)
* "Is it a Boy or a Girl?" (Discovery Channel)"

Intersexual Resources:

Intersex Society of North America

Organization Intersex International

Intersex Initiative

Intersex Initiative

Intersex Community Forums

H/T to Temenos for the post.

CT Residents: Support HB 5723 for Transgender Equality Without a Teachers Amendment

According to Queers Without Borders:

"Read, Take Action and Forward!

Did you know that transgender individuals in CT can still be fired from their jobs or denied housing simply because of who they are?

A bill now before the CT House of Representatives (HB 5723–An Act Concerning Discrimination) would prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression."

Contact your State Representative today to support this bill.