To give myself the courage.
Char wrote…
I was born intersexed. I grow my facial hair out to give myself the courage to one day change that “F” to an “M.”
What’s your experience?
Posted by julian on March 8th, 2010 at 08:00 am
Category: your voice 10 comments »
March 8th, 2010 at 9:28 am |
I wish F and M were not legal statuses, but if they must be, then there should also be an I. Just sayin’.
[Reply]
March 8th, 2010 at 10:55 am |
I am 52 now and don’t think much about it anymore. I wanted a sex change at 17, but poor family, no money. Now, screw it. My features are fine. I would be a freakish looking man. I will die as I look. It will forever be the worst thing in my life though. I wish I had not been born.
[Reply]
March 9th, 2010 at 4:30 am |
Ohh.. gentle((Hugs)) if you would like them Diane.
F and M should totally not be legal statuses. It causes all kinds of trouble.
[Reply]
March 9th, 2010 at 8:56 am |
I have no intention of getting a ‘sex change.’ I just want the other letter on my papers. I would rather be a man with breasts and a period, than a woman with facial hair, is all I’m saying.
Also… totally cool they posted that. XD
[Reply]
March 11th, 2010 at 2:29 pm |
I hope you succeed. :) I was born a female, but I don’t want a full sex change. I just want to be a woman without breasts.
[Reply]
March 11th, 2010 at 9:25 pm |
Actually, a lot of intersexed people would really rail against a legal status “I.” Many intersexed people consider themselves to be “normal” biological males or females, that just happen to have a medical condition. Other individuals may identify their sex as just generally “intersexed” or identify with their particular condition. Their are tons of ways to identify what sex you are when intersexed is involved, just like their are gender. Having only three options for sex is just as silly as having only three options for gender…there’s WAY more than three of each! :) It is just for these reasons tha some (well-meaning) organizations have tried putting an “I” box to check on some of their forms, and were told that this can actually insult people, as well.
I am an intersexed individual myself (as well as a genderqueer and a pansexual – woot!), and write a blog on intersexed. There’s not a lot of awareness about it out there, and media influences and cultural perceptions about it are really messed up. If you’d like to learn more, click on my name and check it out!
[Reply]
March 13th, 2010 at 12:24 am |
Hey, to the OP: Rock on! I have a friend who was born intersex, assigned male, and transitioned female after many years and is now very happy! You can do it :-) I read in the comments that you don’t want to do physical transition but I understand it takes a lot of courage to gender transition in any way because society’s so restrictive about these things.
To Claudia: I likes your blog :-)
[Reply]
March 13th, 2010 at 8:24 pm |
Aw, thanks very much, musingvirtual! That makes me so incredibly happy to hear. :) Thank you for checking it out!
[Reply]
March 19th, 2010 at 1:19 am |
It’s not about courage to transition- I have no intention of ever transitioning. In the past it was something I felt forced to do, just to make other people comfortable. But other people aren’t living my life, and have no say in it.
I resent people who seem to think that the majority of the intersex community is a certain way. Intersex or not, do not claim to speak for the majority. We’re all marginalized, and this is a place to celebrate who we are, not make huge, generalized statements and advertise our own interests.
[Reply]
March 19th, 2010 at 1:25 am |
Also, adding an “I” or an “E” to forms is something everyone should be able to choose to use.
It isn’t about whether someone is intersex or not, it’s about having the freedom to be who you are, and not feeding into the binary system of oppression.
[Reply]