HOME | DD

Description
My entry for the #ShowYourPride competition on Fur Affinity. Not sure if the rules permit more than one character, but here goes.

I decided to compile the three aspects of my being and show them all holding up a singular flag made from each individual one sewn together. Allow me to explain.

On the right is Giovanni - he represents my emotional self. He is compassionate, determined, and always wants to help those that need it, even if it means putting himself in harm's way. He is carrying probably the most easily recognisable flag, the rainbow flag. He is homoromantic, which means he has romantic preferences for people of the same sex or gender, for him that would be male partners. He prefers intimate connections with male partners.

On the left if Gideon - he represents my mental self. He is analytical and brilliant, but sometimes lets his accomplishments get the better of him, fuelling something of an ego. He is holding up the asexual flag. That means that whilst he does experience arousal or physical interest, he doesn't desire sex. Gideon has tried sex before, but he doesn't seek it out, nor does he feel he needs to. He prefers intellectual connections with others, rather than physically intimate relationships.

But who's that in the centre? Well, that's me. I cannot draw human faces, so this is the best I could pull together. That is my physical self. You may not be familiar with the flag I am holding, but to explain it I'll have to give you a shotgun biology lesson.

There is a physical trait that some times occurs in nature known as intersex. What that means is that through anomalies, like genetic mutation, the body develops sexual characteristics that are contrasting or ambiguous to the sex of the person. For instance, one in 13,000 people have "androgen insensitivity syndrome" or one in 130,000 having "partial androgen insensitivity syndrome" - which means whilst the person is genetically male (XY), a mutation means their genitals develop differently or not at all.

Whilst intersex does have its own flag (a purple ring on a yellow background), this is a flag for "Altersex". This describes a person who aspires to their physical form to identify as a form that is either rare or not found in nature, including aspiring to physical androgyny or artificial intersex. The term of altersex is used as courtesy to intersex individuals, due to their physiology being found in nature, whereas an altersex individual wishes to alter themselves. I know this may sound confusing, I'm still trying to wrap my head around it, but I do have a link to a psychologist's page who explains it better - anunnakiray.com/2017/01/21/int…

But back to my picture, I physically feel like the form I have doesn't match how I feel or think - Giovanni is intersex, and Gideon, well, he can just change himself with his branch of science. I only identify as male to an extent, feeling like what body I have matches only to a point and doesn't feel like me, but I don't identify fully as female either. If I could have the physiology I wanted, it would be of contrasting characteristics, like Giovanni and Gideon are for my psyche - one being empathetic, the other analytical, both strong in their own ways, but flawed in others. Thus, I would like to call myself Altersex, because one day I would like to change what I am into a form that better fits me - where I can be both masculine and feminine physically.

The altersex flag was borrowed from www.deviantart.com/pride-flags… and all necessary credits can be found there.

Description
My entry for the #ShowYourPride competition on Fur Affinity. Not sure if the rules permit more than one character, but here goes.

I decided to compile the three aspects of my being and show them all holding up a singular flag made from each individual one sewn together. Allow me to explain.

On the right is Giovanni - he represents my emotional self. He is compassionate, determined, and always wants to help those that need it, even if it means putting himself in harm's way. He is carrying probably the most easily recognisable flag, the rainbow flag. He is homoromantic, which means he has romantic preferences for people of the same sex or gender, for him that would be male partners. He prefers intimate connections with male partners.

On the left if Gideon - he represents my mental self. He is analytical and brilliant, but sometimes lets his accomplishments get the better of him, fuelling something of an ego. He is holding up the asexual flag. That means that whilst he does experience arousal or physical interest, he doesn't desire sex. Gideon has tried sex before, but he doesn't seek it out, nor does he feel he needs to. He prefers intellectual connections with others, rather than physically intimate relationships.

But who's that in the centre? Well, that's me. I cannot draw human faces, so this is the best I could pull together. That is my physical self. You may not be familiar with the flag I am holding, but to explain it I'll have to give you a shotgun biology lesson.

There is a physical trait that some times occurs in nature known as intersex. What that means is that through anomalies, like genetic mutation, the body develops sexual characteristics that are contrasting or ambiguous to the sex of the person. For instance, one in 13,000 people have "androgen insensitivity syndrome" or one in 130,000 having "partial androgen insensitivity syndrome" - which means whilst the person is genetically male (XY), a mutation means their genitals develop differently or not at all.

Whilst intersex does have its own flag (a purple ring on a yellow background), this is a flag for "Altersex". This describes a person who aspires to their physical form to identify as a form that is either rare or not found in nature, including aspiring to physical androgyny or artificial intersex. The term of altersex is used as courtesy to intersex individuals, due to their physiology being found in nature, whereas an altersex individual wishes to alter themselves. I know this may sound confusing, I'm still trying to wrap my head around it, but I do have a link to a psychologist's page who explains it better - anunnakiray.com/2017/01/21/int…

But back to my picture, I physically feel like the form I have doesn't match how I feel or think - Giovanni is intersex, and Gideon, well, he can just change himself with his branch of science. I only identify as male to an extent, feeling like what body I have matches only to a point and doesn't feel like me, but I don't identify fully as female either. If I could have the physiology I wanted, it would be of contrasting characteristics, like Giovanni and Gideon are for my psyche - one being empathetic, the other analytical, both strong in their own ways, but flawed in others. Thus, I would like to call myself Altersex, because one day I would like to change what I am into a form that better fits me - where I can be both masculine and feminine physically.

The altersex flag was borrowed from www.deviantart.com/pride-flags… and all necessary credits can be found there.