• hungryphrog@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    2 days ago

    Hey, by the way “hermaphrodite” is considered a slur, as it has a long history of being associated with horrific abuse of people with genitalia that isn’t considered ‘normal’. So in the future, I’d recommend using the term intersex.

    • degen@midwest.social
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      2 days ago

      This is an odd one, cause it’s also medical I think? Or just scientific like hermaphroditic plants. For sure a person-slur though. Like a person may be hermaphroditic, but at the very least it’s a faux pas to call them a hermaphrodite, if not derogatory outright.

      • hungryphrog@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        1 day ago

        It is used in a medical/scientific context, but most intersex people consider it bad, as it only used to refer to people until fairly recently (19th century I think?). When talking about species that can reproduce by themselves (like slugs or some plants), I’ve heard the word cosexual is preferred.

    • cod@lemmy.worldOP
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      2 days ago

      Good to know, thanks. That’s just what the vet called her, I wasn’t aware there were bad connotations with the term.