“consistency Is Key” Doesn’t Apply To Many Disabled People.

Hello! I'm going to be running some lessons on queer stuff in my highschools Queer Student Union, and I plan on doing one or two days dedicated to us intersex people. What core concepts do you think i should I teach someone who has never even heard of intersex people before?

Oh excellent! I have a lot of recommendations, so this is going to be a long one.

What is intersex, and what it isn't - We are people whose natural sex characteristics fall outside of what is typically male or female. Here is a list of intersex conditions/variations you can use as examples.

Being intersex is not the same as being transgender or nonbinary, and is a separate category from gender identity; you do not transition into being intersex. Intersex is not a third sex, but rather an 'other' category, for those whose natural development does not fit typical ideas of male or female bodies.

Not all intersex people identify as LGBTQIA+, which should be respected, just as it should be respected that intersexuality is a valid and included reason someone can consider themselves part of the community. Intersex people are included in pride.

We are not disordered for our intersex traits, intersexuality is a natural occurrence in any population with males and females. Some intersex variations do come with associated health conditions, but it is not the intersex part of the variation that is the health condition, and not everyone with intersex traits has health complications. I would recommend this page We are More Than a Disorder, and this statement on DSD terminology from InterACT, one of the most prominent intersex advocacy groups.

It is not in our best interest to forcefully sort us into the male & female sex binary. Intersex people can be any gender and may consider their sex to be male or female (this may or may not be in addition to being intersex. Many of us consider ourselves to be intersex males or intersex females, and some of us consider ourselves to just be intersex) It is wrong to say phrases such as 'all intersex people are male or female', or 'intersex variations are sex specific'. Sorting us into this binary comes with the caveat that we are 'wrong' males or 'wrong' females, rather than normal, fully formed, intersex human beings. This is the basis of the oppression we face.

Be sure to note that no intersex people, including those with genital variations, have both reproductive organs, we are not H-words (good time to add that this word is outdated/derogatory and I considered a slur). A hermaphrodite can only come from a hermaphroditic species, such as snails and worms. The use of the term hermaphrodite itself should be discouraged, even in context of animals. A term like monoecious is much better. The term hermaphrodite and pseudohermaphrodite used to be medical terms for us, and was commonly used in the early days of intersex activism, such as here. An intersex person may reclaim this word, but it is inappropriate and wrong to refer to an intersex person this way.

Intersex variations are not rare. We make up over 2% of the population (there is no accurate statistic because of a number of factors, intersex variations are extremely underreported, or erased from medical records). We are a widely invisible group who has been purposely erased with medical violence for decades. We are considered "rare" because of 'corrective' and 'normalizing' treatments. Intersex healthcare as it currently stands is more concerned with making us 'look normal' rather than making sure we are healthy. I would recommend reading @dabwax's paper Medicalizing Sex: The Erasure of Sexual Diversity, and this TED Talk by Georgiann Davis. include what you will from that in your lesson. Don't skimp out on the medical erasure part, it is very very very important for anyone learning about intersex people to be aware of just how far behind our movement for bodily autonomy is.

These medical interventions are not a thing of the past, and happen in all of the grey shaded countries on this map. Not only do they happen, they are often considered proper medical protocol.

I hope this is helpful! Good luck!

If any others want to add on, please feel free!

🌊 aisha, fairy of waves!! ✨

one day i'll draw their wings...not today though LOL i love love love literally all of aisha's transformations but believix as a whole has a really special place in my heart 💕 which winx should i do next?? :0

i have such beef with ethical and eco-friendly companies. WHERE IS THE COLOUR 😭😭 why does being eco mean it all has to be beige???? make it fun please i beg i dont want to be beige.

fellow LSN disabled people, this is coming from a place of much compassion and love. i hear you when you say you’re jealous of MSN/HSN people’s support. how you wish you could have such support. mental health is complicated and it’s hard to see through emotions and trauma.

but i really need you to understand that our higher support needs disabled friends aren’t inherently privileged for having said support. while it may be that if you had that same support your QOL would improve, they most likely need the support you’re jealous of to literally survive.

the point i really want to make here is there is a difference between support for QOL and support to SURVIVE. people die without these supports. that is not a privileged position to be in.

you’re allowed to be upset and angry that you don’t have the life you want and deserve, but please focus those feelings on society and governments. because they are the ones that created a world in which it is so hard for us to exist.

we need to be friends to each other, not throwing around misdirected anger and blame. please take time to listen to MSN/HSN disabled people and learn about their experiences, there are so many people out there begging to be heard.

'People are panicking about AI tools the same way they did when the calculator was invented, stop worrying' cannot stress enough the calculator did not forcibly pervade every aspect of our lives, has such a low error rate it's a statistical anomaly when it does happen, isn't built on mass plagiarism, and does not obliterate the fucking environment when you use it. Be so fucking serious right now

maddening that the media refuses to call nazi salutes what they are. HOW ARE WE HERE RIGHT NOW. fucks sake.

Since the Finalists have been announced I suppose it’s time for me to post my submission!

Imagine my shock and surprise finding out I made it to THE FINALS!!!! Winx club truly means so much to me and I wouldn’t be the artist I am today without it! If you told kid me that the Winx team liked our art enough to pick us in top 25 I wouldn’t believe you haha!

Thank you Winx Club. This has really been like a dream come true! 💕

People: the normal amount of pain is zero

Me, chronically ill: sounds sketchy but okay

you forgot the one that says “everything”

disabled people!!!

what are some illnesses/disabilities that youve never seen representation for and would love to see?

let me know in replies reblogs asks messages whatever suits you :3