The Ultimate Unbinary Sex Breakdown
[PT: The Ultimate Unbinary Sex Breakdown. End PT]
Sex is not binary, and your sex is not made up of one thing. It is comprised of multiple facets that physically exist in your body.
Physical sex is comprised of four main factors:
genitalia, gonads, hormones, and secondary sex characteristics.
Typical genitalia mainly consist of the penis, vulva, and uterus. Transgenital individuals are capable of surgically obtaining a penis or a vulva (transpenile and transvulvar). It is not currently possible to surgically obtain a functional uterus or cervix.
Intersex traits that involve genitalia include:
- Ambiguous genitalia (such as bifid scrotum, fused labia, pseudophallus, penis & vulva combo, and penis & vagina combo),
- The agenital spectrum,
- Clitoromegaly,
- Epispadias & hypospadias,
- Diphallia,
- Macrogenital,
- Penoscrotal transposition.
Typical gonads mainly consist of the ovaries which produce oocytes (eggs), and testes which produce sperm.
It is not currently possible to surgically obtain functioning ovaries or testes. Functioning gonads are always endogenous.
Intersex traits that involve gonads include:
- Gonadal agenesis & gonadal dysgenesis,
- Hypergonadism,
- Müllerian agenesis,
- Ovotesticular syndrome,
- PMDS,
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (POCS),
- Polyorchidism,
- Uterus didelphys.
The gonads are also responsible for the production of sex hormones in the body. Ovaries produce estrogen and small amounts of androgen, and testicles produce androgen and lesser amounts of estrogen. Having dysfunctional gonads or a lack of gonads can result in significantly low estrogen and testosterone levels, which can lead to medical issues. HRT is often recommended in these cases.
The main sex hormone groups are estrogen and androgen.
The estrogen group consists of estrone, estradiol, and estriol.
The androgen group consists of testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, androstenedione, and androstenediol.
Transhormonal individuals can easily change their bodys' sex hormone dominance with HRT.
Certain intersex conditions may affect the way sex hormones are produced or processed in the body. These include:
- Aromatase excess syndrome & aromatase deficiency,
- Androgen insensitivity syndrome & estrogen insensitivity syndrome,
- Hyperandrogenism & hyperestrogenism,
- Cytochrome PORD,
- Familial male-limited precocious puberty (FMPP),
- 5α-Reductase 2 deficiency (5αR2D),
- Leydig cell hypoplasia.
Hormones are the messengers of the body. Sex hormones are responsible for allowing the gonads to function, promoting genital function, and the development of secondary sex characteristics.
Secondary Sex (Deutosex) Characteristics
[PT: Secondary Sex (Deutosex) Characteristics. End PT]
Secondary sex characteristics are purely influenced by sex hormones and vary in appearance for everyone. They can mainly be categorized by the chest, facial hair, body hair, body fat distribution, and voice pitch. Changing ones secondary sex characteristics (transsecondary) is typically achieved with HRT or surgery.
Estrodominant individuals that have not previously been testodominant typically have breasts, vellus hairs that cover the face and body, significant body hair on the pubic area and armpits, body fat distribution to the hip area, a relatively high-pitched voice, and softer facial features.
Testodominant individuals that have not previously been estrodominant typically have a flat chest, thick and long hairs that cover the face and body, body fat distribution to the abdomen, a relatively low-pitched voice, and more chiseled facial features.
Going from testodominant to estrodominant will typically result in the growth of breasts, some possible thinning of facial and body hair, fat distribution to the hips, and softness of facial features. The voice does not change.
Going from estrodominant to testodominant will typically result in the growth of facial and body hair, fat distribution to the abdomen, deepening of the voice, and more chiseled facial features. The breasts are not affected.
To remove the breasts, a mastectomy (top surgery) is necessary.
To make the voice high-pitched, voice training can help form a behavioral high-pitched voice, or one can undergo vocal surgery.
I have made some flags that represent different combinations of sex characteristics. Please bear in mind that I am perisex and I don't feel that it is my place to create flags for individual intersex traits, so I will be representing the broad umbrella of intersex traits with the color yellow. If intersex individuals want to expand on my flags, I more than welcome them to do so.
These are just some of the possible flags that can exist.
The top left color represents genitalia. The top right color represents gonads. The middle stripe represents hormonal dominance. The vertical stripes on the bottom represent facial hair, body hair, fat distribution, voice pitch
Listing every secondary sex characteristic would make these flag titles way too long, so I've organized them into single letters. Here's the key in order of how each characteristic is listed:
Facial hair (Beardine): B (Green)
No facial hair (Sheardine): S (Red)
Thick body hair (Hirsutine): H (Green)
Vellus body hair (Vellusine): V (Red)
Abdomen fat distribution (Abdofine): A (Blue)
Hip fat distribution (Coxafine): C (Yellow)
High-pitched voice (Soprine): S (Light blue)
Low-pitched voice: (Baritine): B (Dark blue)
Breasts (Mammine): M (White)
Flat chest (Pectine): P (Brown)
Vulva-Ovaries-Estro-SVCSM,
Penis-Testicles-Testo-BHABP
Penis-Testicles-Estro-SVCSM,
Vulva-Ovaries-Testo-BHABP
Intersex-Interhormonal-Peachdine-Furlutine-Bodifine-Tenorine-Hypammine,
Agenital-Agonadal-Ahormonal-Peachdine-Furlutine-Bodifine-Tenorine-Hypammine,
