The 'I' in LGBTI (a Kenyan view of intersex)

[princealbertofb]

This is a good programme about being Intersex in Kenya, where this kind of visibility is not very easy.
Some brave people out there.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08ljx91

[deephiance]

If sexuality pertains the gender and gender attraction and intersex seems to be the lack of gender/gender identity IE NOT A SEXUALITY, should it be under the the same umbrella as Gay, Lesbian, Bi and Transgender?

[InbetweenDreams]

Skimming it, this all pertains to gender roles it seems... In other words while someone may be sexually attracted to the same sex they might not adhere to the gender roles/identity to that of their biological sex... That's fine...In the olden days girls who were more masculine were called "tom boys" I remember it being said but wasn't a big deal.

I'm afraid that we're now in a world that is trying to get away from labels but we're now creating new ones....and if you're wrong you're a bigoted asshole who just doesn't understand. I understand what it is like being gay, it isn't all what it is cracked up to be and I'm sure most of us would just rather be able to flip a switch...It is not easy being gay, not easy finding partners and hetero couples have more than their share of their issues and it is the same if not worse for LGBTQ...I whatever...

The next thing that bothers me about this whole mess is that we're expecting everyone to "understand me," walk in my shoes. My thoughts, yeah we've got a long way to go in society but we're truly fucking blessed with all that is going on in the rest of the world....and no not saying that to undermine LGBTQ rights or say we've got it good enough, that's not what I'm saying. These people who get all up in arms because "how dare you assume my gender!" really is a sham and it is doing no good if you ask me. Be who you want to be because you were blessed (religiously or not) to be born into a world where you can...some people just want something to eat today and not have a fucking bomb fall on their neighborhood...

[Emiliano]

I did actually listen to it, and found it interesting. Thanks for sharing.

It didn't seem to be saying that intersex is a lack of gender identity in this program, but that it should be acknowledged as something separate than just male or female, recognized as something that happens, and should be treated with more respect than as an abomination worthy of infanticide.

And it wasn't so much about gender roles, it was about children who are born with identifiers of both sexes. How they have been treated, their place in society, and the acceptance they hope to gain. Not in the "how dare you call me by the wrong gender" kind of way, but in the understand that not everyone fits into male or female - either because of their gender identity, or because of their body and their sex organs, and that they are still humans who are deserving of being treated as such.



I mean it is an interesting thing to think about - why gender and sexuality are often linked together. How the T's and the I's got so associated with the G's and the L's.

[deephiance]

I wasn't questioning the validity of 'intersex', I was questioning that validity of intersex as a SEXUALITY. to me intersex is in itself a GENDER INDENTITY either because of the lack of gender identification or the identification of neither one nor the other or the identity of BOTH.

It doesn't belong with the GLBT umbrella was the thought that I was prompting, not the validity of intersex if that is what label people want to put on themself.

I am not one for labels and I don't identify as gay...I just like blokes and society has been ever so thoughtful to bestow a nice little niche label on me.

I am also not one for political correctness.

Transgender I do understand is a sexuality, albiet a very very confusing one, I just don't understand intersex being a sexuality.

I also don't understand the Q...I mean doesn't that just mean gay or lesbian?

People are people, as long as you don't act like a cunt, then why do you need a label?

[deephiance]

Oh! and Dreamer, please stop using the F word...I find it offensive.

[Emiliano]

I wasn't questioning the validity of 'intersex', I was questioning that validity of intersex as a SEXUALITY. to me intersex is in itself a GENDER INDENTITY either because of the lack of gender identification or the identification of neither one nor the other or the identity of BOTH.

It doesn't belong with the GLBT umbrella was the thought that I was prompting, not the validity of intersex if that is what label people want to put on themself.

I am not one for labels and I don't identify as gay...I just like blokes and society has been ever so thoughtful to bestow a nice little niche label on me.

I am also not one for political correctness.

Transgender I do understand is a sexuality, albiet a very very confusing one, I just don't understand intersex being a sexuality.

I also don't understand the Q...I mean doesn't that just mean gay or lesbian?

People are people, as long as you don't act like a cunt, then why do you need a label?

I wasn't trying to question what you or inbetweendreams was saying, just trying to clarify what the radio thing was about. You both have interesting points though in what you did bring up.

I agree that intersex isn't a sexuality, and it wasn't presented as one in the radio program either. I never thought of transgender being a sexuality either, that always seemed to me like it was about gender identity. How do you take it to relate to sexuality?

And again, that sexual and gender identities are grouped together so often, it's interesting to me how and why that's come about.

It's always been explained to me the q is queer, which in itself is some umbrella for people that don't fit or don't want to be labeled by certain other terms.

I personally don't care about how other people label or don't label themselves. What I think is important though, is that people are given that option to self identify. Self identification is all about empowerment in my mind. I don't consider it being PC, but if a person says they identify as a male or they are queer, not gay, or say the word hermaphrodite offends them, then I'm going to try to be aware of the words I'm using around them and about them. That's just basic respect. It's one thing to make a mistake or an assumption, but to intentionally do it is just to be a dick.

[deephiance]

I wasn't trying to question what you or inbetweendreams

I wasn't implying that, I just didn't know how else to start the reply

I agree that intersex isn't a sexuality, and it wasn't presented as one in the radio program either. I never thought of transgender being a sexuality either, that always seemed to me like it was about gender identity. How do you take it to relate to sexuality?

While trans IS about gender identity, sexuality is also finely intertwined within. You were born with male genitals, as an example, identify as female so immediately the question of sexuality is going to come in to play.

[Emiliano]

I wasn't implying that, I just didn't know how else to start the reply



While trans IS about gender identity, sexuality is also finely intertwined within. You were born with male genitals, as an example, identify as female so immediately the question of sexuality is going to come in to play.

Couldn't that also apply to people who are born with both sex organs?

[deephiance]

Couldn't that also apply to people who are born with both sex organs?

yes it could