There is so much about our bodies that school didn’t teach us.
The way we are taught about our bodies in school is so…. clinical. Shameful. Not to mention, sometimes factually incorrect. For example, did you know that only 18% of people have reported to be able to experience orgasm from vaginal penetration alone? Or that there are likely more than 10,000 nerve endings in the tip of the clitoris alone – that’s more than double the number of those in a penis! Or that, because they’re homologous organs, the clitoris can elongate like a penis when taking testosterone? That’s far more interesting than “the penis goes into the vagina” isn’t it?
What does intersex mean?
This is an important part of anatomy and biology. Did you know that some people can be born with physical attributes that don’t belong to either typical male or female anatomy? About 1 in 40 people have innate sex characteristics that don’t fit neatly into the typical expectations of female or male bodies. These are called intersex variations and it’s just a natural variation of being a human. But unfortunately, society does not talk much about intersex bodies and that can create risks and experiences of stigma, discrimination and harm for intersex people. To find out more or to seek support we recommend Intersex Human Rights Australia. Our bodies are varied and capable of so many cool and wonderful things, so much more than we’re taught in school. Let’s talk more and get comfortable with our bodies.
