First off, thank you for your support on the surgery issue.  It's very important to know that we are making a difference.

I think however, maybe my post was misunderstood or not clear.  I feel strongly that if someone believes in something and feels strongly about it, the best thing is to work to change it. If there are issues with the term intersex, the energies spent griping about it are better used to change it.  If anyone has has issue with the term, then by all means focus the energy where it can be changed:  with the medical community, with parents, and with patients.  It can be done.  I see the changes slowly evolving on the surgery issues.  We have all seen in our lifetime in regards to the words used to describe people of other races, or with other developmental issues.

If you don't like the term, work on changing it to a more acceptable one.  Fact is, currently the medical profession almost universally uses intersex.  So, until an alternative is offered (and I am wide open to alternatives here), I continue to call myself an intersex activist.  I can't use CAH activist, because the surgery issues affect many others beyond CAH and it would be too secular.  When I first became active in the issue, and indeed first starting learning about my own medical history,  I too, was shocked and dismayed by the term.  But once I learned more about why the term is used and the alternative (herm, or pseudo-herm) I came to accept it, because there is not yet an alternative offered. 

By questioning Mr. Carlton about his distaste for the word, I am looking for that alternative.  Simply stating without fact or reason, and using misguided notions about the medical definition of the word,  is not a good argument for change.

It would be no different than me posting that surgery is bad, hurtful and shameful without explaining why that is so or without giving you what I see as the the facts.  I think you know my point on that so I will refrain from expounding further on it :-)

FYI, here is the Merck Manual entry explaining intersex:

Notice, they still use the herm term.  Also take note of the last paragraph (remember my original post that set this firestorm off?).  The IRL if you want it is http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual_home/sec23/254.htm  You need to scroll about 2/3's down the page for the relevant section:

 

Intersex States

An intersex state occurs when a child is born with genitals that aren't obviously male or female (ambiguous genitals).

A child born with genitals that aren't clearly male or female may have normal or abnormal internal reproductive organs (gonads). True hermaphrodites have both ovarian and testicular tissue and both male and female internal reproductive organs, but this condition is rare. Most children with ambiguous genitals are pseudohermaphrodites--that is, they have ambiguous external genital organs but either ovarian or testicular tissue (not both).

A female pseudohermaphrodite is a genetically normal female (with two X chromosomes) who is born with genitals that resemble a small penis. The internal reproductive organs, however, are female. Female pseudohermaphroditism is caused by exposure to high levels of male hormones before birth. Usually, the fetus has enlarged adrenal glands (adrenogenital syndrome) that overproduce male hormones, or an enzyme may be missing, so that male hormones can't be converted to female hormones as they normally are. Sometimes, male hormones have entered the placenta from the mother's blood; for example, the mother may have been given progesterone to prevent a miscarriage, or she may have had a hormone-producing tumor.

A male pseudohermaphrodite is a genetically normal male (with one X and one Y chromosome) who is born without a penis or with a very small one. His body fails to produce sufficient male hormones or resists the hormones it does produce (androgen resistance syndrome).

Correctly identifying the child's sex is very important and must be done quickly. Otherwise, bonding by the parents to the child may be made more difficult and the child may develop a gender identity disorder. (see page 418 in Chapter 87, Sexuality and Psychosexual Disorders) Surgery to correct the ambiguous genitals can be performed later, usually close to puberty.

Given the choice the medical community gives us, I'll settle on intersex for now. But I remain open to suggestion.  If you're going to work for change, the above citation would be a very good start.

Here is a website that defines intersex in a very non-threatening manner:

http://www.intersexsupport.org/intersex_defined.htm

And here's another from one of those self-help medical websites:

http://www.ahealthyme.com/topic/topic100587024

Stay safe

Betsy