Intersex Terminology Masterpost

Intersex Terminology Masterpost

This post updates regularly, so please check the notes before reading or reblogging to find the most recent version. Click the links to read more (pride flags too) and feel free to add on! All terms are intersex exclusive unless otherwise stated.

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 Intersexness (the word I personally use is Intersexuality). Read more here.

Dyadic (Adj.) - A term meaning “of two” used by intersex people to describe those who are not IS. Noun form is Dyad(s). 

Perisex (Adj.) - A term whose prefix means “around,” “near,” used and coined intersex people to describe those who are not IS.

Endosex (Adj) - A term whose prefix means “within” used and coined by intersex people to describe those who are not IS.

Juxtasex (Adj) - A term whose prefix means “close to” used and coined by intersex people to describe those who are not IS.

Variation - A term used to refer to the cause of someone’s intersexuality. It is generally to be used instead of condition/disorder/etc. Variations can involve chromosomal, hormonal, and/or gonadal differences. 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 generally 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.” For IS people regardless of when their intersexuality was recognized.

CAFAB / CAMAB - “Coercively Assigned Female At Birth” and “Coercively Assigned Male At Birth.” These terms are not intersex exclusive and are generally used to underline the fact that gender assignment is nonconsensual. [TW] In the IS community these may be used to describe people who underwent IGM or other medical methods of assignment.

FAFAB / FAMAB - “Forcibly Assigned Female At Birth” and “Forcibly Assigned Male At Birth.” Used similarly to CAMAB / CAMAB in the intersex community.

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 Identities

Intergender - A gender that is in some form linked to being intersex. Also known as Integender or Mera.  A similar identity is Amalgagender.

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.

Amalgagender - A gender that is affected by or mixed into one’s intersex identity. A specific inte®gender.

Duogender - A gender that is a combination of male and female as a result one’s intersexuality. A specific inte®gender. 

Interandrogyne - A form of Androgyne that is connected or influenced by one’s intersexuality. A specific inte®gender. Similar to Duogender and not to be confused with Interandrogynous. [Coined by me]

Divisigender - A gender that is distinct and wholly separate from male and female experienced as a result of one’s intersexuality. A specific inte®gender. 

Neutroix - A gender that feels completely neutral, especially related to one’s intersexuality. Similar to Neutrois, but for intersex people only. A specific inte®gender.

Ingender - A form of Agender that is experienced as a result of one’s intersexuality. Also known as Vacagender or Intergenderless. A specific inte®gender.

Rebis - A gender that transcends the false idea of gender and sex as binaries. Not to be confused with Resbis. A specific inte®gender. 

Resbis - A term to describe an intersex person who feels regularly conflicted by and is trying to reconcile with their gender identity, or who feels they have in the past struggled with their gender identity, but who has now reached a state of harmony with their gender. Not to be confused with Rebis.

Trans-Intersexual - A term for IS people who feel as if they’re both biological sexes and do not fit into the categories of “male or female.” These people fit the categories of both intersex and transgender people. Not to be confused with Transgender-Intersex.

Gender Modalities

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. May be abbreviated as “ipso.”

Ipsofeminine - A gender modality for Ipsogender people who are of a feminine gender identity or transitioning femininely. May be abbreviated as “ipsofem.” [Coined by me]

Ipsomasculine - A gender modality for Ipsogender people who are of a masculine gender identity or transitioning masculinely. May be abbreviated as “ipsomasc.” [Coined by me]

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. May be abbreviated as “ulter.”

Ulterfeminine - A gender modality for Ultergender people who are of a feminine gender identity or transitioning femininely. May be abbreviated as “ulterfem.” [Coined by me​]

Ultermasculine -  A gender modality for Ultergender people who are of a masculine gender identity or transitioning masculinely. May be abbreviated as “ultermasc.”

Ulterneutral - A gender modality for Ultergender people who are of a neutral/both masc and fem gender identity or transitioning neutrally.

Transmascfem / Transfemmasc - A gender modality for people who are both transfeminine and transmasculine as a result of being UAB, AXAB, or intersex. May also be written as “Transmascfeminine” or “Transfemmasculine.” 

Exparfeminine - A gender modality for IS people who relate to transfemininity despite not being AMAB. May be abbreviated as “exparfem.“

Exparmasculine - A gender modality for IS people who relate to transmasculinity despite not being AFAB. May be abbreviated as “exparmasc.”

Transgender-Intersex - A term for an IS person whose gender identity does not match the one decided on by their doctors and/or parents at birth, and identifies as transgender and intersex at the same time. Not all intersex people who are identify as trans-intersex, however. More commonly said abbreviated as “trans-intersex.”

Gender Expression

Inter-expressive - A term to describe an IS person (who may or may not be intergender) feels that their gender expression is deeply influenced by or intrinsically linked to their intersex variation.

Intermasculine - An Inter-expressive person whose gender expression is masculine. May be abbreivated as “intermasc.”

Interfeminine - An Inter-expressive person whose gender expression is feminine. May be abbreviated as “interfem” or “interfemme.”

Interandrogynous - An Inter-expressive person whose gender expression is androgynous. May be abbreviated as “interangi.”

Interambigous - An Inter-expressive person whose gender expression is ambiguous. May be abbreviated as “interambi.”

Interxenine - An Inter-expressive person whose gender expression is xenine. May be abbreviated as “interxene.”

Interoutherine - An Inter-expressive person whose gender expression is outherine. May be abbreviated as “interouther.”

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.

XTX - A term for IS people who are transitioning towards gender neutrality, both masculinity & femininity, back to their “natural” bodies, or a variety of other manners, whether they’re cis, trans, etc.

Note on transition related language: An IS person may create longer this-to-that acronyms to describe their personal experience, which may refer past nonconsensual hormone “treatments.” An example of this is someone saying they’re XTFTMTX (Intersex to female to male to neutral / their natural body).

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 or intersex women.

Please correct anything on here if needed! Especially the culturally exclusive terms (although please do so with appropriate sources).

Don’t just like, reblog if you can! Don’t forget to check the notes to find the most recent version!

the “softboy” aesthetic isn’t inherently infantilizing, the infantilization comes from how other people treat those who use the aesthetic or apply it to people who don’t. It’s okay to not like the softboy aesthetic, it’s okay to feel uncomfortable with using it, it’s okay to remind people not to apply the term to people (especially trans people) without confirmation that they’re comfortable with it

however, the fact that Every Single Time someone complains about the term it’s “uwu softboi ittle wittle babies that are okay with infantilizing themselves” is actually, infantilizing people who use the softboy aesthetic because you don’t like it. the constant mocking and othering of the term has made it actively uncomfortable for me to use it, which is rather Unfortunate considering I was drawn to the term because it helped me feel confident in presenting the way that I wanted to while easing my social dysphoria. it’s comforting to me, a 5′3 gnc trans masc person, to be told that I’m Allowed to not be traditionally masculine. it’s comforting for my dysphoria to embrace my presentation as not undercutting my identity. it’s then, of course, Very Uncomfortable for people to constantly pick at the term and the people who used it. 

what it comes down to is treating people like they’re infantile because they happen to be feminine, which is particularly gross in trans spaces. I absolutely understand that trans men deserve the space to be unapologetically masculine, everyone Deserves to present and be treated in a way that they feel comfortable, but I Really wish the expression of this didn’t come at the expense of people who aren’t. 

💖Barbie, eat your heart out.💖

Dude you know the question you asked what do conservatives get out of supernatural? So yesterday I found out that a friend of mine from high school who is a 22yo white cishet right-leaning Roman Catholic dude who is currently serving in the military watched all 15 seasons of supernatural. Apparently he liked the guns and the fighting and he also felt like Sam and Deans’ relationship with each other and with their father reflected a lot of his own experiences growing up with 5 brothers and a military father who was gone more often than not. When he started watching, his fav character was Sam but by the end, that had shifted to Dean although he disliked the fact that Dean was, and this is a direct quote, “such a whore.” I asked him if he liked the ending and he said that it was okay, that Dean’s death was “bullshit” but that the brothers got to enter heaven together and that’s what was most important. I additionally asked him what he thought of Castiel and he said that he thought his character was boring and he disliked it when the show tried to make Cas the center of episodes. He had absolutely no memory of what happened in 15x18 and had to look up the synopsis again to remember that Cas died. **********ADDITIONAL FACTS ABOUT MY FRIEND THAT MAKE ALL OF THIS ABSOLUTELY HYSTERICAL: we met through ballet, one of his other favorite shows is Hannibal, he is an absolutely lethal jujitsu fighter, he has no idea what tumblr is, he works on motorcycles and vintage cars for fun which his dad taught him how to do, and when he was 18, after his gf at the time cheated on him, he decided to give up on women and he dated a gay friend of his for 3 months. Apparently he figured out pretty quickly that he was “definitely straight” but he kept dating/having sex with his friend/boyfriend until they both moved away because “he was a genuinely good dude” and he “didn’t have to catch so it was fine.” Yes he did suck dick. I asked

HELLO????????

Jim Holland Green Room.1955