A little patience and kindness can go a long way
Especially with giving people some grace if they unintentionally ask an awkward question regarding sensitive topics or discussions. My
family members, friends that I had, and mental health care team have all taken my disclosure about my intersexuality and pansexuality pretty well. Of course some of them did ask me to please explain what that is but my mental health care providers have my yearly physical exams papers so I told my general practitioner about my intersex condition after finding out at 25. My doctor is pretty nice and had a very non judgemental attitude when I explained differences of sex development. She asked me if I went by female forms of address just to make sure she didn’t misgender me. I said yes I identify as a woman but biologically am a ( not politically correct) hermaphrodite. That’s the term people understand. Intersex, differences of sex development , other terms are disorders of sex development I cringe at being called “disordered.” Some intersex people are not so lucky. But the state of Massachusetts department of mental health has many options for genders and sexual orientation so they have to be used to working with gender diverse people. For example genderqueer and genderfluid options. There was no intersex option on the demographic information options so I just put woman down. Man woman transgender woman transgender man were there though. Most people who I told I’m intersex are truly surprised because they never heard of it before. I only got one really bad reaction from some crazy guy a while back. Most people have been fairly understanding and do not think I belong in the men’s facilities if I am anatomically female outside. I couldn’t imagine going to the men’s facilities how uncomfortable that would be for the men and boys around me. Even if I had ovotestes, fallopian tubes mixed with seminferous tubules, and mixed dna ( some cells are xx some xy) part of me is genetically male. And physically I’m female. My testicular tissues and seminiferous tubules were taken out because of cancer. And one ovary tissue was taken out. Now I have one ovary left and fallopian tubes. I still menstruate and ovulate. I could get pregnant as a hermaphrodite with the help of a man but I don’t want to be pregnant ever. I can’t impregnate anyone. That’s why I am an intersex female not intersex male. I’m like 90% female. I have to explain a lot that intersex is not transgender. Yet I have to remember it’s a completely new concept for most people so like other things they haven’t heard of I just need to be patient and kind so long as no one is mocking me or being mean or disrespectful towards me.
family members, friends that I had, and mental health care team have all taken my disclosure about my intersexuality and pansexuality pretty well. Of course some of them did ask me to please explain what that is but my mental health care providers have my yearly physical exams papers so I told my general practitioner about my intersex condition after finding out at 25. My doctor is pretty nice and had a very non judgemental attitude when I explained differences of sex development. She asked me if I went by female forms of address just to make sure she didn’t misgender me. I said yes I identify as a woman but biologically am a ( not politically correct) hermaphrodite. That’s the term people understand. Intersex, differences of sex development , other terms are disorders of sex development I cringe at being called “disordered.” Some intersex people are not so lucky. But the state of Massachusetts department of mental health has many options for genders and sexual orientation so they have to be used to working with gender diverse people. For example genderqueer and genderfluid options. There was no intersex option on the demographic information options so I just put woman down. Man woman transgender woman transgender man were there though. Most people who I told I’m intersex are truly surprised because they never heard of it before. I only got one really bad reaction from some crazy guy a while back. Most people have been fairly understanding and do not think I belong in the men’s facilities if I am anatomically female outside. I couldn’t imagine going to the men’s facilities how uncomfortable that would be for the men and boys around me. Even if I had ovotestes, fallopian tubes mixed with seminferous tubules, and mixed dna ( some cells are xx some xy) part of me is genetically male. And physically I’m female. My testicular tissues and seminiferous tubules were taken out because of cancer. And one ovary tissue was taken out. Now I have one ovary left and fallopian tubes. I still menstruate and ovulate. I could get pregnant as a hermaphrodite with the help of a man but I don’t want to be pregnant ever. I can’t impregnate anyone. That’s why I am an intersex female not intersex male. I’m like 90% female. I have to explain a lot that intersex is not transgender. Yet I have to remember it’s a completely new concept for most people so like other things they haven’t heard of I just need to be patient and kind so long as no one is mocking me or being mean or disrespectful towards me.
31-35, F
