Transition identification and what does "hermaphrodite" mean to you?

Hermaphrodite is definitely considered an offensive and out of date term. It has a history of being used against intersex people in ways that stigmatize them. It's kind of like saying calling someone retarded. In the past, it was the medically accepted way to refer to people with various developmental disorders. Now, it's considered very rude because it's been historically used in hurtful and stigmatizing ways.

Since you're not intersex, I don't think it would be appropriate for you to call yourself a hermaphrodite, since it's a word that's specifically used against intersex people.

Mostly, I hear people who want both sets of genitals call themselves bigender. Bigender generally means both male and female, so that might work for you.

Intersex describes people who were born with intersex conditions. It's not just "claimed" by people born with intersex conditions. That's the literal definition of the word.
This is not the same as trans men and trans women calling themselves male and female because trans men are men and trans women are women. A trans man was not born as a woman. He was born as a man who had body parts that most men don't have. He may be physically female (although many trans men don't like to use that word to describe their bodies), but he is not a woman. The opposite goes for trans women. A person who changes their body so it isn't distinctly male or female (arguably, all trans people who transition in any way are no longer distinctly male or female physically, but most don't choose to describe their bodies in that way) isn't intersex because they simply don't fit the definition of the word intersex.

 

AS darkcomesoon said, hermaphrodite is a term used to insult intersex people. I would avoid using it as an identifier, as many people might think you are using the term to mock others, even though that's not your intent.
Bigender sounds like the closest to what you describe. If you feel both gender simultaneously then that would be the go-to term. If there is a shift between genders you might look more into genderfluid.

 

O.K. Just to play the Devil's Advocate here - I have no dog in this fight and I am admittedly largely ignorant about many Gender Identity issues. But the term 'hermaphrodite' is an historical term and seems, to me, to have a certain eloquence. I can certainly understand if people consider it outdated, but why would it be "offensive?"

Just asking.

 

I meant bigender as a physical term. In certain subsections of the trans community, bigender is frequently used to mean desiring (or post-transition, having) both sets of sex characteristics. Some people might need that explained to them, but it would be an accurate term for you if you chose to use it.

Queer should not be used nearly as indiscriminately as it is. People have forgotten that just because many people in liberal spaces choose to reclaim it doesn't mean you can use it for others without their permission or as an umbrella term for the entire community.

There isn't a lot of agreement in the LGBT community because we aren't a hive mind. We are individuals with differing opinions.
How would you feel if straight cis people walked around calling themselves queer? Personally, I would be insulted to watch people who have never been targeted by that slur using it as if it were no big deal. In fact, I watch straight people use that slur almost every day, and it's very unpleasant, even if they are using in "positive" ways.
Or how about straight girls who call themselves girlfags because they like gay men? Faggot is a slur. They have no right to be using it.
Hermaphrodite is similar, even if you don't understand why the word is considered so offensive. Intersex people watching non-intersex people toss around the word hermaphrodite as if it were no big deal is almost certainly hurtful in the way it is for me to watch straight people pretend that queer isn't still a slur.

 

It's usually safe to assume that you shouldn't refer to a person as any term that is a noun not an adjective that comes before person or people. It is objectifying and makes them sound like a different species or something. Plus of course it has negative historical connotations. And forgive me if I'm wrong, but a majority of intersex people identify as a man or a woman (of course there are also trans and non binary intersex people) and intersex is not a gender. It sounds to me like you are bigender and you want your genitals to match your gender(s). That doesn't make you a "hermaphrodite" and I don't think it would even if you had surgery. That doesn't mean you can't identify with intersex people in a way though.

 

I'm joust going to leave this link here . It is quite a fascinating read about the topic .

Hormones.gr

---------- Post added 24th Jan 2017 at 03:28 PM ----------

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