Why we should stop using “afab/amab”.
This pride month, i’m really hoping to see an upswing in intersex support, conversation, and inclusion. Despite being right there in the acronym, right next to ace/aro/agender and queer , there are plenty of people who are LGBTQA+ who don’t even know what intersex means, let alone having an understanding of the community. It’s frankly ridiculous that this conversation needs to even be had—intersex people have existed long before recorded history begins, and yet most queer people couldn’t describe our flag, or a basic definition of our identities. It’s a severe injustice, and i speak for much of the community when i say we are sick and tired of it. Going to pride only to be excluded from our own communities, the people who claim to be out family, all out of ignorance.
But there are so, so many ways to educate yourself and be an advocate for the intersex community. One of the first ones is changing your language to be inclusive of all backgrounds , both intersex and not.
Why should we stop using AGAB in conversations about gender?
-Assigned sex at birth tells you NOTHING about somebody’s hormones, sex characteristics, or identity.
-There is almost no scenario in which using “afab” or “amab” cannot be replaced with a better, more accurate term.
-Agab is a term that us very important to intersex conversations. By using it in non-applicable situations, it takes away the original meaning.
-Most of the times, when an agab term is used, it is not used correctly. Don’t use the terminology if you don’t know what it means
-Often, conversations about physical sex and gender are jumbled, and many people don’t have a true understanding of the separation of the two when it come to identities. The use of AGAB—Assigned Gender At Birth—in conversations about physical sex is further reductive and erasing.
Examples of language replacement, for those who want to transition out of using this incorrect language.
(all examples used from real scenarios i’ve seen this term used. not necessarily reflections of genuine opinions or truths.)
“They experience hate for being gender nonconforming, since they are an AMAB non-binary person.”
—Wrong! You don’t know what this person’s gender was assigned at birth. Just because they have a beard, or male or masculine genitalia, does NOT mean they were assigned male at birth
“They experience hate for being gender nonconforming, since they are non-binary but have masculine physical/sex characteristics.”
—Correct! Instead of jumping for broad language, say what you truly mean. In this scenario, if you are specifically talking about physical masculine characteristics, just say so. AGAB ≠ sex characteristics.
“She is transfeminine, so she is AMAB.”
—Wrong! Transfeminine does not mean transitioning from male to female, and vice versa with transmasculine. They are intended to be largely synonymous with MTF&FTM, without reference to birth sex. Since these terms do not imply birth sex, it should not be assumed. You don’t know where they started, and so assuming can be inaccurate and harmful. *
*(This section has been edited for clarity. A bad wording choice was made in my part, and so it conveyed some incorrect information.)
Instead of assuming their sex, just assume that everybody knows their own identity better than you do—which is true. There are situations in which someone can be assigned both female and a woman at birth, and also be trans feminine. For example, I was born female, but due to being intersex, went through a masculinizing puberty. I then transitioned back into femininity through an incredibly similar process to that or trans women who were born male. Therefor, I am transfeminine.
3. Consider whether, in a conversation, you mean to talk about assigned sex or gender at birth. Assigned sex is what someone was declared to physically be at birth. Assigned gender (at birth) is the gender they are raised and outwardly identified as by others, usually in accordance with assigned sex. If you’re talking about physical transition, you mean assigned sex at birth.
AGAB is a fundamentally incorrect term. “AGAB” means assigned Gender at birth. However, the two AGABS usually referenced are “male” and “female”, which, when talking about being assigned at birth, are sexes, not genders.
Work your language to be inclusive. If the internet can collectively find ways around saying “die” / “suicide” / “death ” / etc, you can cut two simple, incorrect terms out of your vocabulary.
Include intersex people. We’re in the acronym. We’ve always been here. It’s everyone’s job as a queer community.
