...there's a new term you can use along with "herm" that is gaining momentum: "dualsex." The more we use it, the more useful it will become.

Why I Want You to Keep Using "Herm"

by Zmeydros

Intersex = being born with a body that doesn't fit typical binary notions of male or female bodies. Intersex individuals don't have both sets of parts in a fully-functional capacity. That's the harmful stereotype they're trying to avoid.

Herm or Dualsex = having both sets of parts in a fully-functional capacity.

Note: I mention FA mainly in this post, but I've seen the same problems elsewhere and this post is relevant to all herms and individuals who have, or create art of, herm characters.

After FA kicked "herm" out of the official genders, most herm characters are getting mislabeled as "intersex." Trying to force language change tends to blow shit up and this is no exception. Everything's getting thrown in the "intersex" bin, including trans characters who are not intersex. There's a bit of cold irony this time, however, because the few angry individuals from outside the community that pressured FA to delegitimize "herm" also wanted to make sure herm characters wouldn't be confused with "intersex" characters. It promotes a harmful stereotype about intersex people and it makes it very difficult to find characters who actually have both parts.

Since last July (2025), the situation on FA has gotten so bad that I've had to question how I tag my stories. The list of genders no longer includes "herm," and though people can type it in, I've seen a 70% decrease in the use of it site-wide. Convenience matters far more than people like to admit and I create mainly written art, so tags are essential to people finding what I make.

Is "herm" a slur?

I'm intersex and also a trans girl. The hormone situation in my mother's womb was unstable and when I went through puberty, I got curves that caused people to call me ma'am from behind (something that helped a lot when I started transitioning). I do not have both sets of parts and my genitals look normal, but I have extreme dysphoria about not having both sets of parts. I've been identifying as a trans herm for five years and writing herm content for over a decade. It helps me survive the pain of not being in the right body and connects me with people who have similar feelings.

I don't speak for all intersex, or trans, people (and neither do individuals who pressured FA to take "herm" off of the official genders list.) As a trans intersex person, I am not harmed by the term "herm" when it is used correctly and I prefer people keep using "herm" so that there's less confusion and everyone can find what they're looking for.

With all this in mind, I want you to consider the fact that there is currently no other tag from our own fandom that the average furry knows that reliably brings up characters with both sets of parts. Simply switching to "intersex" erases an entire identity/bodytype by making it a lot harder to find. Doug Winger, Locosaltinc, and so many other artists that are no longer with us, cannot change the tags, or text, on their posts. If we want an alternative term for characters with both sets of genitals, it's going to have to cohabit space with "herm" until people learn to associate the two.

To other herms out there, and people who create, or have, herm characters:

Y'all bring joy to my life and help me feel part of a larger herm community. Please use "herm" correctly to make your herm characters easy to find. Bonus: use "dualsex" alongside "herm" so that someday people who'd prefer not to have to use "herm" have an alternative. Recently, I saw a piece of art with a herm holding a herm pride flag and I cried. I don't want to spend the rest of my life begging to be seen as a legitimate part of the queer furry community. I want to have pride in who I am and stand up for the other herms out there. 

I feel like I've taken so many steps back while trying to give others room that I've started to fall off the stage. Instead of becoming harder and harder to find, let's join hands and be seen. Let's have herm pride instead of herm erasure.

If you're curious about "dualsex," here's a little bit about it:

It has support from both intersex individuals and herms and was developed in a discussion between those two communities. ("Herm" also has support from both, but "Dualsex" is newer and has less angry people, who don't care about deeply injuring an entire community who bears them no ill will, trying to shut it down.)

All herm characters in the fandom are fantasy creatures. Using a scientific term to describe their dual wielding nature isn't really needed. Dualsex is simple, descriptive, and has great pun potential. It's not perfect, but it's a good tag/identifier that requires little explanation and pulls up the art we want to see. Dualsex isn't just a cool term that should go in your tags alongside "herm," it's an insurance policy that if FA, or anywhere else, ever bans the use of "herm," we won't be erased.

Thanks for reading this. It means a lot to me, my closest trans herm lovers, and all the other herm critters out there who are feeling so brow beaten that they aren't speaking up about these issues. Please share this journal to anyone and everyone who might have an interest in it. The louder we are, the harder it will be for us to be bulldozed by angry people who are putting word usage above community, self-determination, and understanding. As queer and/or furry critters, we're all in this together.