Hungry Beast episode 17 - Intersex

Intersex is something most of us havent heard about, but its as common as 1 in 100 people. Its the word for a person born with anatomy thats both male and female what used to be known as a hermaphrodite. (This word is considered offensive by most intersex people and isnt used anymore please see below).

We all know about the many shades of grey between male and female when it comes to personality, looks, or the way a person feels, but these gradations exist in our bodies too. There are hundreds of different intersex variations, from the more obvious to the very subtle.

Hungry Beast spoke to two intersex Australians about their experiences.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• abc1
• 'abc
• tv'
• intersex
• hermaphrodite
• 'ali
• russell'
• 'hungry
• beast'
• glbt
• sexuality
• gender
• 'caster
• semenya'

[Flutterbyg1rl]

@ZoeBrain: I dont know why you say that you will never look pretty. I think you look lovely. Actually, belay that, I do understand why; and believe me, even those of us who haven't had your challenges still struggle with thinking we will never look pretty.

[millertas]

I hate statistics that say a condition is extremely rare. To the person who has the condition it is 100%. People are all different and deserve to be treated as individuals. Generalisations are just that, generalisations. It is the differences amoungst us that make us strong.

[sleepysonic]

mmm. We are all individuals, we are all different. I hope people do not make jokes about it, genetics are genetics, they can't be changed.

You two seem like lovely caring people. At the end of the day that is all that matters.

[ZoeBrain]

@jenhow69

My external genitalia was masculinised. I have what may be a hysterectomy scar, various bits of "anmalous tissue" were removed from my abdomen when I was 20, along with my gallbladder.

The records have been lost as to what exactly was taken out, but it could have only been scraps of tissue anyway.

My gender identity has always been female (I picked the name Zoe at age 10), but until 2005 I was essentially asexual.

It's all in my blog. Google my name to find it.

[murrymurrymurrymurry]

it retracted ok wtf?

[jenhow69]

Hi Zoe, Can i just ask you a question if no-one else already has. With becoming female did you tend to become female in every other way i.e did your feelings change about your sexuality as well. I mean I can imagine it would considering your hormonal changes but was just wondering - also were you born with female anatomy? - I dont think the clip made it clear unless i missed it - like a womb or female genitalia? Thanks am very interested :)

[luke666808g]

it's weird because there's a cartoon just like this called simone, which is on another planet, and all people on this planet are female up till the age of 17 when they decide what sex they want to be, it didn't seem realistic until watching this video.

[garylevington]

So Natalie is both a realist and a dreamer?

[ZoeBrain]

@ozzirt

Someone has to. I'm a very private person, but .. my situation couldn't exactly be hidden. Too many eye-witnesses to it happening. So I tried to make a virtue of necessity.

Natalie didn't have to. She's the brave one.

Hopefully now people are aware of the issue, I can now slink back into relative personal obscurity, and as normal a life as is possible under the circumstances.

It's a bit like being a Cylon. "We walk amongst you". :-)

[ZoeBrain]

@sugarplumapathy

"Hermaphrodite" as a general term for Intersex is deprecated. It's inaccurate. Insulting too.

Now there are a few, a very few, IS people who are Hermaphrodites in a technical sense: that is, they have both ovarian and testicular tissue. Appearance can vary. I'm not saying anything's *completely* impossible, but it's really very unlikely that someone has "both sets". Some with CAH have a clitoris so large that it's capable of penetrative sex though, plus a vagina. Most don't.