Glossary
Hermie
Hermie is a dated and often offensive slang term derived from hermaphrodite that was used for intersex people, who are accurately described as intersex.
Hermie is a colloquial shortening of hermaphrodite, an outdated term once applied to people born with sex characteristics that do not fit typical definitions of male or female. Like the word it comes from, hermie is considered stigmatizing and dehumanizing by intersex people and advocates. It reduces a person's body to a slur, with the same inaccurate implication that someone can be both fully male and fully female. Some intersex individuals have chosen to reclaim the word for themselves, but it should not be used by others. The accurate, respectful term for people is intersex.
Learn more: glaad.org/reference/intersex
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