How to write intersexuality

Want to write an intersex character and don't know the DOs & DON'Ts? You're in the right place!

[intersex-writing-tips]

I lost my motivation to run a your-fav-is blog, so I'll be rebranding it into an intersex writing advice & representation sharing account

I'll still share canonical intersex characters, but no more headcanons.

[status-quo-hater]

Dear fiction writers there is no such thing as an "intersex species", please stop telling me that your alien species is intersex rep.

That's not what intersex means. If your reasoning for a character being intersex is "they're a [insert species that has different sex characteristics from humans]", just stop.

If "all of them are intersex" then they aren't intersex. They just have different sex traits/reproductive organization from humans. If thats how they typically look, thats just what being perisex (non-intersex) looks like for that species. Intersex refers to an individual with sex characteristics atypical for their species.

This also goes for third sexes. That's not atypical if it's a commonly observed cluster of traits recognized as "a sex", that means that'd just be another form of being perisex (for that species). Intersex essentially means 'other' or 'neither', the point of the word is that we don't fit into the boxes provided for most of the population, not that we're a rare and magical third box.

Additionally shapeshifters (usually) also come off as bad rep for the same reason. If your character is intersex because they're a shapeshifter, they're not intersex. You don't become intersex, you're born that way. I don't like when characters have their bodies altered later in life and are called intersex for those modifications. And the idea that a character is becoming intersex by transforming their body just reinforces the idea that there is a certain type of way an intersex body looks, and that intersex is something you can 'become' via bodily alterations. We can look like anything. Sometimes our variations are only visible through chromosome or hormone testing. And often we have our bodies changed against our will to make our intersexuality less obvious. If you can become intersex via body alterations, does that mean medical abuse removes our intersexuality?

Yes, you can have a non-human character be intersex‐ if that individual has variant sex characteristics by the standards of their species.

Yes, you can write a species with bigenitalia (both parts)- just don't call them intersex or hermaphrodites (that is a slur). Some better terms are cosexed, monoecious, gonosimulites, dualsex

Yes, you can write shapeshifters as intersex- as long as you understand what intersex means and apply the actual definition of the word to the context of your story.

[intersex-writing-tips]

Hello! I'm a fanfic writer wanting to re-make a series that involves a character that I plan on making intersex (non-classic CAH specifically). She's a Japanese teenager who likes athletics, fashion, and media production. Obviously I'm doing my own research, but I was wondering if you had any advice for writing her?

I also have another concern in that I want to make her bigender, as in her canon source, she wants to be both a "tomboy" and "real girl" but worries about being degendered more if she presents herself as both. However, I obviously don't want to play into tropes that intersex people are "biologically nonbinary" or that her intersex-ness is the cause of her gender identity. Do you have any advice for avoiding these pitfalls besides making it obvious that she was experiencing "signs" of being trans before she realized she was intersex? Or should I avoid giving her such an identity all together?

Sorry, realized that was a bit longer than I meant! ty for reading this far, whether or not you reply!

As for the first half of your question, you seem to actually have this sorted out! My variation is not NCCAH so I don't have any personal experience to share if that is what you're looking for.

As for your second question, it is not necessarily bad representation to make an intersex character bigender or nonbinary, including if the character holds this identity due to their intersexuality affecting the development of their gender identity. Plenty of real intersex people actually feel this way, it's why labels such as intergender exist. The thing you want to avoid is conflating intersexuality and nonbinary gender identities as the same thing.

[meerawrites]

They are correct and should say it louder.

Source: (x)

[alwmiits]

[entropic-sanguinary-kinship]

Picture with very obvious intersex imagery:

Perisex people: LOOK AT HOW NONBINARY THEY ARE!!! SO COOL! PROPER REPRESENTATION!!!

Me, a transneutral intersex person: *proceeds to go vomit*

[entropic-sanguinary-kinship]

Reasons why the fandom spaces are widely unsafe for intersex people alongside disabled people: This obvious intersex imagery being seen as NONBINARY. That is literally the intersex flag used in this official art and fandom spaces are saying it's for him being NONBINARY. Have NONE of you ever given a shit about intersex symbolism and such? Does every intersex person have to be nonbinary to be intersex to you? Intersex people come in many forms and this shit is tiring.

(Side note: please don't find the OP from my screenshot just to harass. I cropped it out just in case the OP didn't notice that kind of symbolism.)

[entropic-sanguinary-kinship]

Since I'm here. I'm linking some things that should be helpful learning about the Japanese Intersex history.

Intersex Asia History

"The Law Undermines Dignity" Article (Mostly about trans people in Japan but includes information relevant)

A Japanese LGBTI site's blurb about Intersex people

Intersex people exist in Japan and have unique experiences compared to me, a USAmerican. Please notice how you behave about cultures you are not from personally. If you are a local Japanese person or live in Japan, please consider looking into these things. If you are not from Japan, please read up on these things and look to firsthand accounts from intersex Japanese people.

[entropic-sanguinary-kinship]

Thank you to @status-quo-hater for this tag because I can give context to some of the character in source with this.

[ID: A screenshot of a tag that reads "#the heterochromia also invokes imagery of chimarism which is an intersex variation." End of ID]

He canonically sees ghosts and ghosts comment that his blood smells GOOD to them. Which is a common trope used for intersex characters that have problems with hormones that make bugs bite for blood a lot because of the chemosenses TELLING THE BUGS the person smells good and is nutritional.

Also the character's parents canonically hid his true name and sent him away because of the potential for possession. Which is a common trope AGAIN with intersex people being placed as "perfect vessels" for spirits.

I could go on and on about his very visibly intersex behavior!

[hiiragi7]

Not my usual content, but I made something I wanted to share...

[status-quo-hater]

Intersex people only

Rate your general anger level with just everything, like the world on general

10 - PISSED

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1 - having a dandy time :)

Voting ended onAug 21, 2024

[status-quo-hater]

now perisex people do the same

10 - PISSED

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1 - having a dandy time :)

Voting ended onAug 21, 2024

Reblog! Sample size!

[cringelordofchaos]

wake up babe new headcanon just dropped

[intersex-writing-tips]

[headcannon]

Chef Jerome McElroy is an intersex transmasc butch nonbinary lesbian with PCOS who uses he/him pronouns

[intersex-writing-tips]

[headcannon]

Yentl Cartman from South Park Post Covid is an Intersex AFAB transfem woman with swyer syndrome who uses she/her pronouns

[intersex-writing-tips]

This has not been explicitly confirmed as canon but a very popular theory

Ms.Censordoll from Moral Orel is an intersex woman who uses she/her pronouns. She's way younger than she looks.

In the episode Alone, it's revealed that her reproductive organs had been removed by her mother at birth which gave her a superiority complex and obsession with eggs to cope with her trauma. She repeated expresses resentment to her mother for the surgery and is upset it happened when she had no way to consent. The reason or intention for the said surgery is never stated.

Because of this many fans believe that she is intersex and her reproductive organs were chosen to be removed.

[intersex-writing-tips]

albedo from genshin impact please?

[intersex-writing-tips]

castoria from fate grand order is intersex

[intersex-writing-tips]

the everlasting dragon/stone dragon from dark souls is (canonically) intersex!

!!!

[intersex-writing-tips]

Going to queue up all the rest of the submissions tomorrow, sorry for making this blog and then immediately dying (depression), it's not going to be abandoned!

[intersex-writing-tips]

@ask-shade-newsies is intersex!

first oc submission!