The H Word
3 years ago
(Note: You are free to share this journal, as is published below, anywhere you like. This is meant to start a constructive discussion on this issue and be a tool for anyone who identifies as I do. Please credit me so people know the source. If you edit my words, please mention that what you're posting has been changed from the original. This journal has been formatted so that the text below is under the 2k character count max on Discord so it's easy to share on there too.)
The H Word
Out of respect for people who may read this and feel hurt by the "H word," I am going to write it as h'rm for this post.
In my writing and the art on my page, I only use the H word to describe characters that fit the biological meaning of the word: an individual with both sets of genitalia. In real life, I never use the h'rm to describe anyone unless they already identify that way. I am one such person, I identify as a trans h'rm.
With the aid of the two therapists I've had in the last decade, I've identified that the source of my dysphoria is that my physical body does not match my h'rm gender identity. Finding other h'rms online saved my life and being able to identify as one was like exhaling after holding my breath for over twenty years. I haven't felt as depressed, alone, or anxious since I became part of a community that identifies the same way I do.
I like that using the H word immediately brings to people's minds how I want to be seen without the need for further explanation or discourse. I have Asperger's and being trans already takes up so many spoons that efficient communication is something I cherish.
But I am saddened that a word that gives me joy and identity often puts a wall between me and the larger trans community due to its derogatory usages.
Altersex is an awesome new term and has lots of potential, but it is also far less specific and I don't feel it truly represents me or my characters.
Many established artists get around using words like h'rm by simply not tagging a character's gender and letting the image speak for itself. All the art I create is written, so there is no quick way for people to ascertain what's in it without tags.
Using h'rm correctly, only to describe characters and individuals that want to be referred to that way is my way of helping to reclaim it. I educate people who misuse it and try to lead by example.
Thank you for your time,
-Ezzie
The H Word
Out of respect for people who may read this and feel hurt by the "H word," I am going to write it as h'rm for this post.
In my writing and the art on my page, I only use the H word to describe characters that fit the biological meaning of the word: an individual with both sets of genitalia. In real life, I never use the h'rm to describe anyone unless they already identify that way. I am one such person, I identify as a trans h'rm.
With the aid of the two therapists I've had in the last decade, I've identified that the source of my dysphoria is that my physical body does not match my h'rm gender identity. Finding other h'rms online saved my life and being able to identify as one was like exhaling after holding my breath for over twenty years. I haven't felt as depressed, alone, or anxious since I became part of a community that identifies the same way I do.
I like that using the H word immediately brings to people's minds how I want to be seen without the need for further explanation or discourse. I have Asperger's and being trans already takes up so many spoons that efficient communication is something I cherish.
But I am saddened that a word that gives me joy and identity often puts a wall between me and the larger trans community due to its derogatory usages.
Altersex is an awesome new term and has lots of potential, but it is also far less specific and I don't feel it truly represents me or my characters.
Many established artists get around using words like h'rm by simply not tagging a character's gender and letting the image speak for itself. All the art I create is written, so there is no quick way for people to ascertain what's in it without tags.
Using h'rm correctly, only to describe characters and individuals that want to be referred to that way is my way of helping to reclaim it. I educate people who misuse it and try to lead by example.
Thank you for your time,
-Ezzie
That said, I appreciate people haven't come down on me for using the term to identify myself and luckily, I've not encountered a situation where its usage makes someone else uncomfortable. The closest I came is when FA got rid of the gender selection for intersex only and that was rectified when those of us who appreciate the term came together. Even places like e621 have removed it at least in an untranslated state. It still generates results when using it to search.
It is admittedly a hard shift to get use to in a day when we try and be more sensitive. Dickgirl and cuntboy are met with more animosity now and I've seen and have grown up with people that identified themselves that way. So after my brush with FA and the use of hermaphrodite I can share a worry about my identity of choice being phased out for a more potentially divergent term. Even trap use to be an identity for some people I grew up with.
It goes to show how terms can evolve in a negative way when people use or brandish it like a whip with scorn and disdain rather than accepting that people are different, with different views, likes and walks of life. As a fellow hermaphrodite, I'm glad you use the term and treasure it the way I do, than with the persecution and hatred I hear it has manifested lately.
aside from it potentially causing a complete collapse of meaning depending where people try to take it, but there is also the objective reality of things. Some animals are hermaphrodites, pure, simple, scientific truth. Clown Fish are hermaphrodites, so are Parrot fish.Like I am fine with people having their pronouns, but language is used to describe things, and if you suddenly say that some number of words can't be used, either A offer a replacement, or B understand that words are neutral and are used simply to convey abstract ideas of things.
"A rose by any other name, is still a rose"
People who are introduced to their inner identity through words like, "herm" don't know the larger context of its use until they're more established in that identity. There's a lot of people starting to identify as f*ta right now and that word is starting to return hits similar to h*rm. Without following twitter and other social media discourse, people exploring their gender expression have no idea these terms make some people upset. And they're searching for more of it using those terms.
Trying to protect those who have figured themselves out more can easily sideline porn artists and people who have just started exploring a new facet their identity.
This is another line of thought I realized by talking to people who have figured out they were trans herms by reading my writing.
HUNGRY
To be frank, I don't think it's derogatory, at all, merely a statement of fact.
... I've done some research on this and have come to believe that the only reason it currently is considered to be such is because of two things. The first, and least important issue, is because some, by which I mean a very small but vocal minority, of people who identify like we do didn't want to be called that because it would make them feel "less unique" to be under the same banner as others.
However I've come to conclude the bigger reason is actually religious in nature. Much like the scorn some religions place on homosexuality, a lot of religeous sects consider hermaphroditism to be an affront to their religion, often equating it to signs of demonic influence and witchcraft. It's also one of the main reasons why on the very, very small chance that someone is born that way doctors will often immediately assign the newborn to one of the "normal" genders and, sometimes without consulting the parents about it, might even perform surgery on the infant to "correct" the "defect."
These kids, and ones that were just born male or female, are then raised thinking that being a hermaphrodite is some sin possibly even worse then being gay, and when they realize that they identify that way seek to distance them selves from the hermaphrodite label do to their upbringing.
Although in this case it's one I personally disagree on since, much like Ezzie, it's a term I identify with as well, but it feels very rude to ignore their reasoning and act like it isn't valid reasoning and leave it out of a list of "these are the only reasons someone would dislike this term". Their thoughts are still valid here.
This might be one reason for altersex gaining popularity, as a term that doesn't have those strong connotations and can therefore be used to describe non-female-presenting people and characters.
While 'herm' does tend to imply more feminine-presenting in practice (because fem-herm never gained traction as the logical reciprocal of male-herm), I specifically use shi/hir for my character to reinforce that shi does not look, behave, or identify as explicitly female - if that was the case, I'd use she/her.
The ambiguity of neutral pronouns also never seemed to fit, since they/them is commonly used by genderfluid or agender individuals. Shi/hir are the only pronouns I know of that implicitly describe 'both sets', so that's what I became comfortable using.
That said, I love "shi" and "hir" to this day. I might have a character in a story insist that hir pronouns are expressed that way in writing because she feels good about it. <3
I'm of a similar stance, in that I prefer using 'herm' for myself, because to me it does imply a sort of mythical, idealized state of dual-gendered being, and that's what I aspire to.
Altersex isn't something I've heard with any real frequency. Intersex, while technically applicable, sounds too clinical for me, and is also pretty vague. The most disheartening attempt I've seen, though, is trying to replace hermaphrodite with gynomorph and andromorph (as e621 is attempting to do).
They end up making things much muddier, rather than clearer, since it breaks down the distinction between groups (male-presenting with a vagina would be considered andromorph, with or without penis; and in practice, gynomorph is applied to anyone with breasts, regardless of how otherwise ambiguous their physiology is).
Both terms are skewed one way or the other, and they leave a gap in the middle, which is where I'm most drawn - strongly male-and-female presenting, with an androgynous build and mannerisms. It's a middleground that, ironically, doesn't fall under such umbrella terms, and if nothing else, I feel 'hermaphrodite' still has a role in representing that.
I don't want to offend anyone either, but it makes me sad that what I think of as the ideal intersection of the sexes is seen as derogatory. I can only hope that, much like the term 'homosexual', it will go from something that was once considered an insult, to something that is embraced as just another way of being.
In the furrydom, I always present myself as a herm. It's just *me*
Damn, this is extremely relatable. Discovering the Salmacian subreddit/discord and subsequently (finally) joining the furry community has made a huge difference in my mental health. I've repressed and denied myself from identifying as maleherm for far too long.
There are A LOT of furries in the trans community, but there's no guarantee that whomever I talk to will be one. I start off with salmacian so I can explain my dysphoria without them getting distracted by my use of "herm."
Male herms are awesome and I want to have more in my stories. Hoping to have more show up over time in my stories. I did do a long-running series about a male herm called "Core's Opportunity" that was really fun to write.