hermaphrodite question, help me find…?
Mar.18, 2011 in
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can’t find a website with both pictures and information on hermaphrodites. I am writing a book where the main character is a hermaphrodite and how am I supposed to know the background story if I can’t find a good website. Please, no porn (that’s all I am finding). I’ve googled it but all that comes up is porn and snail/slug pictures. I’ve tried wikipedia but it shows no pictures and gives barley information. Can anyone help? I just need a website with at least a picture diagram, and a lot of information
thanks for the advice. that makes sense.
Tags: background, background story, barley, book, character, hermaphrodite, Hermaphrodites, information, porn, question, Slug, snail, story, website, wikipedia, writing a book
March 18th, 2011 at 11:34 am
Well, you should know that it is impossible for humans to be hermaphrodites. You’re thinking of intersex. Try Googling that instead.
Good luck on your book!
http://www.fathermag.com/206/intersex/
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001669.htm < -Lots of info.
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March 18th, 2011 at 9:34 pm
Try looking up intersexed. Seems more like objectifying with your description.
http://www.fathermag.com/206/intersex/
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001669.htm < -Lots of info.
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March 19th, 2011 at 9:33 am
That’s because humans aren’t hermaphrodites. There are varying shades of intersex conditions. Hermaphrodites have complete male and female genitalia, but none of the human intersex conditions produce that, so there are no human hermaphrodites.
Hermaphrodite is a VERY derogatory term for an intersex person.
If you wikipedia intersex, I’m sure you’ll find what you’re looking for.
http://www.fathermag.com/206/intersex/
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001669.htm < -Lots of info.
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March 19th, 2011 at 10:33 pm
Boy have you a lot to learn.
A hermaphroditic organism is one that has a complete set of both sex organs. Only animals such as snails and worms can be hermaphrodites. Humans are NOT born with both sets of sex organs, that is a common MYTH. There are people who are born some mixture of male and female tissues though and they are more correctly identified as “Intersex(ed)”. There are dozens of intersex conditions. They range from not visible to ambiguous. For example a woman with AIS (androgen insensitivity syndrome) looks completely female. Her AIS may not be discovered until puberty when she fails to menstruate. The reason is she has no female organs (uterus and ovaries) is because she is chromosomally XY. However, her body is insensitive to the effects of testosterone (hence the name AIS) and the estrogen in her body makes her develop that way. It should be noted that everyone has both estrogen and testosterone in their bodies.
Another important thing to keep in mind is although their bodies may be intersexed these people are NOT a third gender. The vast majority, like everyone else, have firm gender identities. Meaning they have a strong sense of themselves as males or females. AIS women for example strongly identify as female.
Seeing as there are dozens of intersex conditions you have to decide which one you are writing about first. And if you are smart you will interview a bunch of intersex people. Don’t make things up from your imagination like that guy who wrote Middlesex. A good point of contact for you might be:
http://www.intersexualite.org:80/usa.html
edit: Avoid Dr Alice Dreger. She’s attempting to re-pathologize intersex people. As a result she is not very popular with the community.
http://www.fathermag.com/206/intersex/
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001669.htm < -Lots of info.
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March 20th, 2011 at 11:33 am
The reason you keep getting Snails /Slugs is they along with some types of fish and plants life are hermaphrodites.
The following is the Websters online dictionaries definition of Hermaphrodite…
Hermaphrodite Her*maph”ro*dite, n. [L. .
hermaphrodite.] (Biol.)
An individual which has the attributes of both male and
female, or which unites in itself the two sexes; an animal or
plant having the parts of generation of both sexes, as when a
flower contains both the stamens and pistil within the same
calyx, or on the same receptacle. In some cases reproduction
may take place without the union of the distinct individuals.
In the animal kingdom true hermaphrodites are found only
among the invertebrates. See Illust. in Appendix, under
Helminths.
Hermaphrodite Her*maph”ro*dite, a.
Including, or being of, both sexes; as, an hermaphrodite
animal or flower.
As the definition gives humans can not be hermaphrodites, only invertebrates are hermaphrodite.
T-Girl
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March 21st, 2011 at 2:36 am
Hey :-} as others have said, there isn’t any such thing as a human hermaphrodite, since it’s impossible for humans to be born with both a penis and a vagina. Intersex is the word for people with ambiguous genitalia, google “intersex” or google “intersex genitalia” and you will see for yourself.
Also, do you want your story to be real world accurate? There is an artist on Deviantart I love, here’s the link.
http://magic-8-ball.deviantart.com/
She frequently features characters that are not physically seen in real life, for an example, a man with a vagina is one of her characters (although there are transsexual female to male transmen who are men with vaginas, no one is born like that). You could do something like that, invent your own gender bending fictional gender for your fictional stories. But that would be an artistic choice, I wouldn’t advise it if you where trying to write more of a realistic piece.
T-Girl
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March 21st, 2011 at 7:34 pm
A hermaphrodite is an organism having both male and female reproductive organs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermaphodite
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