*Strides Cuntily*

"Sometimes we have to look at things that aren't cute and make us uncomfortable."

"Because I don't really understand it."

"Because it has nothing to do with me."

"Because it just feels unpleasant."

Mizuki for Trans Pride 💙💗🤍💗💙

I drew this for pride this year!! I also got into PJSK and I couldn't think of a more fitting character (,,>ヮ<,,) Mizuki and the rest of N25 are my favourites so far~

how I balance my humors

this post contains:

1 clown!

1 jester!

*when i say rpf i mean real living people. i WILL draw ships from the terror and such

sometimes i draw quickly sometimes it takes me ages so i'd say anything from 2 days to a month is a good estimation for how long it'll take (it probably won't take a month. that's me overestimating for my peace of mind)

if you're not sure whether i'll draw something just ask!

Panel One: What is Intersex?

Is it part of the LGBT acronym? Is it people with both male and female parts? It it when people have sex internationally?

Intersex people are born with any combination of sex characteristics that do not fit the “typical” idea of a male or female body. This could include variations in hormones, internal anatomy, genitals, and chromosomes.

0.05% to 1.70% of the population is born with an intersex trait. The upper number makes being born intersex as common as being born a redhead!¹ (Drawing of two people’s head)

Intersex = hermaphrodite? The word hermaphrodite is outdated and is usually considered offensive. (Though some intersex groups have reclaimed it.)

Hermaphrodite usually means having complete reproductive organs of two sexes, and even if some intersex people are born with ambiguous genitalia, very few have both ovarian and testicular tissue.

(Drawing of a purple snail.) True hermaphrodism is only common in invertebrates. There are 65,000 species in the animal kingdom that function as true hermaphrodites!²

Inter…sex or gender? *

*Two very different things! (Drawing of two pages sew together. Page one reads, “Sex centers around a person’s anatomy”. Page two reads, “Gender is a social role and identity.” Next to the sewing needle reads, “But society tends to tie the two together!”)

(Drawing of a heart that reads, “Sexuality is who you are attracted to.)

The word sex and gender are often (incorrectly) used interchangeably. Being intersex affects the sex characteristics a person is born with. Intersex people can identify with any gender and sexual orientation.

Panel Two: What can intersex look like?

(Text next to a pink-themed person) My intersex variation is Gonadal Dysgenesis. I found out at the age of 15 when I still hadn’t gotten a period. I have XY chromosomes and I have to take estrogen to help my bone health because I was born without ovaries.

(Text next to a red-themed person) My intersex variation is Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH). I found out at birth. CAH is one of a few intersex variations with additional medical considerations, because it affects the body’s ability to produce stress hormones. I take testosterone and I identify as transgender.

(Text next to a blue-themed person) My intersex variation is Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (CAIS). That means my body developed in a way that “typically” female, but I was born with XY chromosomes and internal testes instead of ovaries. My body is insensitive to testosterone, so it converts it to estrogen instead.

(Text next to a purple-themed person) My intersex variation is Partial Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (PAIS). That means I only partially responded to testosterone in the womb. (Because of this, people with PAIS may have ambiguous sex at birth.) My parents found out I had PAIS when I was born. I have XY chromosomes and I identify as transgender.

Doctors often encourage surgical removal for female-identified instersex people who have internal testes. However, this is NOT medically necessary and has more to do with society’s view on sex and gender. Removing hormone producing organs make a person reliant on the medical industry for external hormones! Similar to other LGBT groups, intersex people struggle for bodily autonomy. We may have to fight against surgeries we don’t want.

Panel Three: Why intersex awareness?

(Drawing of a calendar on page October 26) Intersex Awareness Day is October 26th! It honors the anniversary of the first public intersex outside of a Boston conference held by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 1996³.

We celebrate this day so that every intersex child can be free to make their own choices.“Intersex rights are human rights.” Kimberly Zieselman, Executive Director, InterACT

Still today, in America and abroad, intersex children are subject to nonconsensual and medically unnecessary genital surgeries. The United Nations has condemned these harmful procedures, but we still have a long way to go⁴.We’re fighting for bodily autonomy, recognition, and demedicalization. For many, intersex is an identity. We’re the “I” in LGBTQIA” intersex, not invisible.

(Two flags, one has purple, white, blue, pink,  white, and purple stripes. The second flag is yellow with a purple circle.)

There are two intersex flag to choose from, (left) created in 2009 by Natalie Phox, and (right) created in 2013 by OII Australia⁵.

Resources

You’re not alone! There are a lot of use out there.

AISDSD Support Group / aisdsd.org

InterAct Youth / interactyouth.org

The Interface Project / interfaceproject.org

Pidgeon on Everyday Feminism / everydayfeminism.com/?s=pidgeon

Intersexperiences YouTube / youtube.com/user/Emilord

OII Intersex Network / oiiinternational.com

This infographic was created by InterAct Youth Art by member Hann Lindahl - hannlindahl.tumblr.com

How Common is Intersex? An Explanation of the Stats. OII USA, Hilda Viloria: http://oii-usa.org/2563/how-common-is-intersex-in-humans/

Jarne P, Auld JR. “Animals mix it up too: the distribution of self-fertilization amount hermaphroditic animals”

The 14 Days of Intersex, OII Australia, Gina Wilson: http://starobserver.com/au/opinion/the-14-days-of-intersex/64300

 Should We ‘Fix’ Intersex Children? The Atlantic: theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/07/should-we-fix-intersex-children/373536

The setting that prevents your work being used to train AI models is turned off by default! I had no idea about this until now! Artists, go to your settings, click “visibility”, and turn on this setting! Protect your work!

Go to your blog (you have to do this for each individual blog) and the visibility tab

It's this last option here