| Source | Year | Position |
|---|---|---|
| SumOfUs | 2016 | Avoid |
| DC Fiscal Policy Institute | 2017 | Avoid |
| interACT Advocates for Intersex Youth | 2017 | Avoid |
| American Psychological Association | 2023 | Avoid |
| Diversity Style Guide | 2023 | Avoid |
| Movement Strategy Center | 2024 | Avoid |
| NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists | 2025 | Avoid |
“gender-bender … he-she … hermaphrodite … homosexual … it … lifestyle choice … mankind … non-straight”
SumOfUs places "hermaphrodite" on its list of words to avoid, grouped with other terms: "he-she," "it," "homosexual": that label people in ways the guide treats as dehumanizing or pathologizing.
“Avoid … Hermaphrodite … Instead … Intersex”
DCFPI's avoid/instead table pairs "hermaphrodite" with "intersex" as the recommended replacement, alongside other LGBTQ+ terms it asks writers to retire.
“Avoid: “Hermaphrodite” This term is outdated, medically inaccurate, and is considered derogatory.”
interACT, an intersex-led advocacy organization, names "hermaphrodite" as a term to avoid because it is medically inaccurate and treated as derogatory by the intersex community, and pairs the entry with guidance to let people share their own stories rather than make assumptions.
“TERM TO AVOID … SUGGESTED ALTERNATIVE … hermaphrodite … intersex”
The APA's inclusive language guide lists "hermaphrodite" in its term-to-avoid column with "intersex" as the suggested alternative.
“Avoid the outdated and derogatory term "hermaphrodite." While some people can have an intersex condition and also identify as transgender, the two are separate and should not be conflated.”
Within its "intersex" glossary entry, the Diversity Style Guide directs writers away from "hermaphrodite" as outdated and derogatory, and separately cautions against conflating an intersex condition with being transgender.
“Avoid This … Use This Instead … Hermaphrodite … Intersex”
The Movement Strategy Center glossary lists "hermaphrodite" in its avoid column and offers "intersex" as the replacement for transformative movement work.
“hermaphrodite … Avoid this term. See intersex …”
NLGJA's stylebook gives "hermaphrodite" a one-line entry directing writers to avoid it and use "intersex." Its companion "intersex" entry adds that "hermaphrodite" should be used only when someone identifies with it, and then explained as their preference.
The corpus is unanimous: every source treats “hermaphrodite” as a term to avoid, with “intersex” as the replacement. Seven guides reach the same recommendation: equity stylebooks (SumOfUs, DCFPI, Movement Strategy Center), a professional psychological association (APA), an identity-journalism reference (Diversity Style Guide), an LGBTQ+ journalists’ stylebook (NLGJA), and an intersex-led advocacy organization (interACT). interACT, writing from inside the community, gives the reason most plainly: the term is medically inaccurate and considered derogatory. The journalism and equity guides arrive at the same avoid-and-replace pairing.
The sources differ in degree, not direction. Most list the term flatly in an avoid/instead table or words-to-avoid list. NLGJA carries the one documented exception: its “intersex” entry allows “hermaphrodite” when a specific person identifies with it, and then asks writers to explain that it is that person’s preference. That is the same self-identification carve-out the commons applies elsewhere. Several sources also add a second caution that travels with this term: do not conflate being intersex with being transgender or nonbinary (DSG, NLGJA). The two get collapsed in coverage often, though the identities share nothing that would justify it.
The position has held steady over time. The 2016 SumOfUs guide already grouped “hermaphrodite” with terms that label people as disordered, and the 2017 (DCFPI, interACT), 2023 (APA, DSG), 2024 (MSC), and 2025 (NLGJA) sources carry it forward without softening. Over the same period “intersex” rose as the umbrella term of choice, and interACT notes a parallel move away from clinical “disorders of sex development” language. This page captures the avoidance rule; the affirmative term lives on the intersex page.
See the structured audience notes above: journalists and editors should use “intersex” and reserve “hermaphrodite” only for self-identification with explanation; intersex-serving organizations can lean on interACT’s community-grounded rationale; and campaign communicators should note the unanimous avoid verdict and never conflate intersex with transgender.