Page 3 of 6
Re: what does Eunuch mean to you as an identity term?
Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 9:04 am
by nullorchis (imported)
The "Free Dictionary" defines eunuch as: 2. A man or boy whose testes are nonfunctioning or have been removed.
Although it is common and ordinary to think of a eunuch only as a physically castrated man, as long as the testes are not producing testosterone a man is a eunuch. A man with non-functioning balls might be taking supplemental hormones, and might be able to perform sexually, but by the definition, such a man is a eunuch (or should that be "an eunuch", since "an" is usually suppose to precede a word that starts with a vowel?).
Even though not surgically castrated (yet) I have no natural T and have all the same conditions as one who has been physically castrated. I have no sexual desires or abilities . Like a few others, I do take a low dose of HRT to avoid some of the negative consequences that came from having no T, but not enough T to suffer from the negative consequences of T.
Do I think of myself as a eunuch. ? Yes.
Do i think of myself as a male, a man ? Yes. It is in my DNA. I never had the desire to dress as or be a female.
For me, inwardly, being a eunuch is a positive identity as this is how I have NEEDED to be since puberty.
Do I tell people I am a eunuch. ? No.
Nor do I tell people I have had my tonsils or wisdom teeth removed.
Body parts, for one reason or another, sometimes need to be removed due to actual or potential negative consequences.
In my case, I have always known I NEEDED to become eunuch due to the negative consequences of not being eunuch.
But once I finally achieved what I needed, why tell? It is irrelevant, private, none of anyone's business.
To enjoy being a eunuch with minimum distraction, I find I NEED to keep my voluntary transition to being a eunuch my personal secret. Society just has this mind set that a eunuch is something other than a man regardless what it was that caused him to become a eunuch. But, any man who voluntarily became a eunuch, well, that is just too much for society to handle and such knowledge and society's reaction will seriously interfere with my ability to function within the society that I choose to live in. A few people might understand, but more than likely enough people will disapprove strongly enough that it would have a negative impact on my life.
Perhaps some day, for necessary medical reasons, I will at long last be surgically castrated. Then, I would have no qualms about anyone finding out my status as a eunuch. Take it or leave it. In some cases towards some people I might even flaunt it. But until a medical surgical castration happens, I am a (balls attached) eunuch by my own choice, my own hands, and this knowledge needs to reside only within my brain, or be completely anonymous to the world, as via the EA.
Re: what does Eunuch mean to you as an identity term?
Posted: Wed Aug 21, 2013 7:31 am
by devi (imported)
nullorchis (imported) wrote: Mon Aug 19, 2013 9:04 am
The "Free Dictionary" defines eunuch as: 2. A man or boy whose testes are nonfunctioning or have been removed.
Although it is common and ordinary to think of a eunuch only as a physically castrated man, as long as the testes are not producing testosterone a man is a eunuch. A man with non-functioning balls might be taking supplemental hormones, and might be able to perform sexually, but by the definition, such a man is a eunuch (or should that be "an eunuch", since "an" is usually suppose to precede a word that starts with a vowel?).
Even though not surgically castrated (yet) I have no natural T and have all the same conditions as one who has been physically castrated. I have no sexual desires or abilities . Like a few others, I do take a low dose of HRT to avoid some of the negative consequences that came from having no T, but not enough T to suffer from the negative consequences of T.
Do I think of myself as a eunuch. ? Yes.
Do i think of myself as a male, a man ? Yes. It is in my DNA. I never had the desire to dress as or be a female.
For me, inwardly, being a eunuch is a positive identity as this is how I have NEEDED to be since puberty.
Do I tell people I am a eunuch. ? No.
Nor do I tell people I have had my tonsils or wisdom teeth removed.
Body parts, for one reason or another, sometimes need to be removed due to actual or potential negative consequences.
In my case, I have always known I NEEDED to become eunuch due to the negative consequences of not being eunuch.
But once I finally achieved what I needed, why tell? It is irrelevant, private, none of anyone's business.
To enjoy being a eunuch with minimum distraction, I find I NEED to keep my voluntary transition to being a eunuch my personal secret. Society just has this mind set that a eunuch is something other than a man regardless what it was that caused him to become a eunuch. But, any man who voluntarily became a eunuch, well, that is just too much for society to handle and such knowledge and society's reaction will seriously interfere with my ability to function within the society that I choose to live in. A few people might understand, but more than likely enough people will disapprove strongly enough that it would have a negative impact on my life.
Perhaps some day, for necessary medical reasons, I will at long last be surgically castrated. Then, I would have no qualms about anyone finding out my status as a eunuch. Take it or leave it. In some cases towards some people I might even flaunt it. But until a medical surgical castration happens, I am a (balls attached) eunuch by my own choice, my own hands, and this knowledge needs to reside only within my brain, or be completely anonymous to the world, as via the EA.
From forensic standpoint, I'd say the definition for a eunuch should be a genetic male whose testes are non-functioning or have been removed. From a binary gender viewpoint there would be many persons whose skeleton would be identified as male though they may have lived out all of their lives as a female from the outset. This has probably happened all throughout the history of mankind. Every so often when you peruse the archaeology magazines there sometimes is some reference to the skeletal remains of a male identified as so by the pelvic bone (but not the jaw giving them a young countenance) that would otherwise be identified as a female through their attire and belongings that they had been buried with. Usually they are puzzled by this coming from the cultural background that they come from.
Re: what does Eunuch mean to you as an identity term?
Posted: Thu Aug 22, 2013 3:48 am
by unencumbered (imported)
Being a eunuch, for me, means having to be constantly cognizant of my condition and being proactive to maintain a healthy lifestyle. That includes always eating a healthy, low-carb diet, taking vitamins and minerals daily, having a good exercise regime, seeing the doctor regularly for checkups and using a low dose of testosterone. My desire is to never experience the negative effects of castration that can easily afflict castrates who do not take heed of their medical situation.
Re: what does Eunuch mean to you as an identity term?
Posted: Thu Aug 22, 2013 6:14 am
by nullorchis (imported)
I propose that the term Eunuch should be modified from a noun to become an adverb that is used to modify the adjectives of physical male or physical female.
There is no good reason, other than historical conventional use of the word, for eunuch to only refer to just the loss of testosterone production in the male.
It can easily also refer to the loss of natural sex organ hormone production in either the male or female.
My opinion, but then all the dictionaries would need to be changed.
We talk frequently of the consequences of men losing testosterone production (regardless of the cause).
Any female who experiences a bilateral oophorectomy or even menopause is going to experience a lot of side effects.
The side effects normally associated with menopause occur after bilateral ovary removal. These include the inability to have children, cessation of menses, hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, sleeplessness, fatigue and anxiety. Ovary removal can also affect sexuality by decreasing sex drive.
Women who've undergone ovary removal are seven times more likely to develop heart disease. This risk is greater than that found in women who have gone through natural menopause. Oophorectomy also results in a drop in testosterone production. Decreases in testosterone and estrogen cause an increased risk of osteoporosis and osteoporosis-related bone fractures.
Women who have their ovaries removed before menopause and don't take hormone replacement until age 50 have an increased risk of developing cognitive problems, dementia and Parkinsonism, according to a study reported in "Neurology" in 2007. Women under age 45 at the time of ovary removal have a mortality risk over one and a half times that of women who have their ovaries. Estrogen therapy can help alleviate the increased medical risks from ovary removal. There seems to be no increase in medical side effects if oophorectomy is performed after a woman undergoes natural menopause.
Read more:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/35884 ... z2cbrmWY26
Re: what does Eunuch mean to you as an identity term?
Posted: Sat Aug 24, 2013 7:38 am
by devi (imported)
And then there are those women who are born with what physicians describe as internal testes that had never even begun to mature at all. It was known in ancient times that there were in fact people born as eunuchs and others from adolescence.
Re: what does Eunuch mean to you as an identity term?
Posted: Sat Aug 24, 2013 10:13 am
by nullorchis (imported)
Wikipedia indicates that "castrated" while normally used to refer to a man who has had testes removed,
that term is also used to refer to a female who has had ovaries removed.
I am just proposing that Eunuch (capital "E), be used to refer to a male or female who has been castrated.
And that the term eunuch (little 'e'), be used to refer to any person who still retains male and or female testes / ovaries, but for whatever reason their body does not manufacture male and/or female sexual hormones.
In my case, I would be an eunuch (little 'e') as my testes have not been removed, but they do not produce testosterone.
Whereas once I finally get castrated, then I would be an Eunuch, (capital 'E')
Re: what does Eunuch mean to you as an identity term?
Posted: Sun Aug 25, 2013 7:35 pm
by feedback (imported)
I guess I am a little 'e' also. Still have some very small testicles I would like removed but have been on hormone replacement of varying levels for over 10 years. I am a eunuch because even though I present as a man, mentally I don't think like a man or feel like one any more. I don't feel female but I don't relate to people the same or differentiate between the sexes as before. As for telling people, I don't think it is any of there business and in my world would not be accepted well even though it was caused by a medical problem, Not even my wife will acknowledge the fact I am a eunuch but say I am a man with a medical problem and she thinks maybe a mental one to.
Re: what does Eunuch mean to you as an identity term?
Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2013 5:23 am
by Rooster17 (imported)
feedback (imported) wrote: Sun Aug 25, 2013 7:35 pm
I guess I am a little 'e' also. Still have some very small testicles I would like removed but have been on hormone replacement of varying levels for over 10 years. I am a eunuch because even though I present as a man, mentally I don't think like a man or feel like one any more. I don't feel female but I don't relate to people the same or differentiate between the sexes as before. As for telling people, I don't think it is any of there business and in my world would not be accepted well even though it was caused by a medical problem, Not even my wife will acknowledge the fact I am a eunuch but say I am a man with a medical problem and she thinks maybe a mental one to.
a eunuch to me is a man who has been surgically castrated with or without his conse
Re: what does Eunuch mean to you as an identity term?
Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2013 10:59 am
by devi (imported)
Rooster17 (imported) wrote: Mon Aug 26, 2013 5:23 am
a eunuch to me is a man who has been surgically castrated with or without his conse
This would obviously be the narrowest, stereotypical, and most sensationalistic interpretation which is all too often put forth on television plus the tabloid and mainstream presses which simply does not require much thought or interpretation from their audience.
Re: what does Eunuch mean to you as an identity term?
Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2013 2:50 pm
by Rooster17 (imported)
devi (imported) wrote: Mon Aug 26, 2013 10:59 am
This would obviously be the narrowest, stereotypical, and most sensationalistic interpretation which is all too often put forth on television plus the tabloid and mainstream presses which simply does not require much thought or interpretation from their audience.
actually the question is what do you consider to be a eunuch. i answered honestly and really dont need someone who doesnt agree to make comments. you have your own opinion and if you really want others to see it, post it!!!