Trans and Intersexed

[Isadora]

I am beginning to date a person/boy who id's as both trans and intersexed. I have little or no knowledge about intersexed humans. Would someone like to talk about this with me? I guess I should add to this. I can always look up things on line, but if anyone has any experience or insight or can reference somewhere I can go for information, I would appreciated it.

[lipstixgal]

The definition of intersexed means they have both male and female reproductive systems. E.G. ovaries and testes, penis and vagina albeit the penis is probably vestigal I bet but they have both!! Trans is just transexual going from female to male or male to female with the use of hormones and surgery..hope that helps a bit!!

[lipstixgal]

They are also called hermaphrodites too!

[Isadora]

I know what intersexed means. Thank you, though!

[Soon]

Isadora,

I am sure you have come across this website, but I thought I'd post it for all:


The Intersex Society of North America (http://www.isna.org/)




Lipstixgal,


The term hermaphrodite is no longer used and is even considered offensive these days; the society gives the following reason in the FAQ:


******
Is a person who is intersex a hermaphrodite?

No. The mythological term “hermaphrodite” implies that a person is both fully male and fully female. This is a physiologic impossibility.

The words “hermaphrodite” and “pseudo-hermaphrodite” are stigmatizing and misleading words. Unfortunately, some medical personnel still use them to refer to people with certain intersex conditions, because they still subscribe to an outdated nomenclature that uses gonadal anatomy as the basis of sex classification. In a paper titled Changing the Nomenclature/Taxonomy for Intersex: A Scientific and Clinical Rationale, five ISNA-associated experts recommend that all terms based on the root “hermaphrodite” be abandoned because they are scientifically specious and clinically problematic. The terms fail to reflect modern scientific understandings of intersex conditions, confuse clinicians, harm patients, and panic parents. We think it is much better for everyone involved when specific condition names are used in medical research and practice.