Altersex

Altersex: a catch-all term consisting of alter, meant here as "different" or "another possibility," and sex, referring to physiological primary and secondary sex characteristics. Altersex is meant to be used largely, but not exclusively, for fictional characters, describing body plans that are not found naturally in homo sapiens, or, in the case of real individuals using this as an identifier, those who have a mental body plan/view of their "true" self that has a body that fits under altersex. Altersex can also refer to -possible- sexes that are neither perisex nor intersex, in the cases of those who go through HRT or sexual reassignment surgery of some sort, since those people definitely shouldn't use intersex.


**slurs and discussion of specific sex characteristics below**
This term was coined by and for trans and intersex individuals for these purposes:

To address the use of "intersex" when describing people and characters who are not actually intersex, but are not perisex either. This means that either their actual body or their desired body does not conform to either binary sex standard in some way, but is not this way due to any variation of intersex. This can be due to sexual transitioning, being of a fictional/impossible sex, being able to shapeshift to change sex characteristics, or having an "alien" sex that is not found in humans but may be found elsewhere, such as a species that has different sexes from our own.

To allow for a nonsexualized, nonslur term for fictional or transitioned sexes, as opposed to describing them as things like "h*rm", "c*ntboy", "d*ckgirl", "f*ta" and the like, as is currently popularized. This is very important, as both of these issues as they currently stand are transphobic and anti-intersex, to say the very least.

Altersex does not imply any specific sex characteristics, just as intersex does not; this allows for privacy of the altersex person and avoids reducing individuals to their genitalia. Hopefully, this will greatly reduce fetishization of intersex and trans people in art and fiction, as well as provide a helpful, neutral descriptor for characters and individuals who are altersex.

For clarification, altersex is any sex that is not perisex or any variation of intersex. A character with Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome would be intersex, not altersex. Altersex individuals/characters are not the way they are due to any variation of intersex! Some altersex individuals/characters may resemble such sex states to some degree, but they are different. Those who have undergone hormonal therapy or surgical procedures that affect their sex characteristics, as well as those with dysphoria of this nature or an internal identity that resembles this would also be altersex. Altersex can describe both a physical body or an internal sex identity, or both! As some cannot get surgery/hormones or have an internal idea of their sex that is not physically possible, these people should still be respected as altersex to reflect their true nature as they see themselves.

This is not a kink term and should not be used as such!


Coined by a farorenightclaw
Designed by