Looking for housemate in Scotch Plains, NJ

[yesthattom]

As many of you know, I share a house with 2 other people. One is moving out, and we're looking to fill the vacancy. The house is very modern, clean, and a short walk to the train station (NJTransit, Raritan Valley Line). We're GLBTI-friendly, poly-friendly, but not psychodrama-friendly. It's 2nd floor bedroom with shared used of a large first-floor. The house is large with 2 1/2 baths, back yard with deck off kitchen. Laundry room is in the basement area. Combined rent and utilities is about $600/month. Must be clean and professional. Interested? Contact me.

And before you ask... yes, this is a the house of free ice cream.

Comments

[celticdragonfly.livejournal.com]

Sigh. Once again the country mouse is confused... just when I thought I had the most common liberal acronymns figured out. (Gods help anybody who thinks they'll get to know more of what I'm like by reading my friends list!)

GLBTI? What's the I?

[yesthattom.livejournal.com]

"I" is intersexed, which used to be called hermaphradite. My goal is to run out of letters by the year 2010.

[celticdragonfly.livejournal.com]

>My goal is to run out of letters by the year 2010.

Okay, so the whole 'confuse Laura' thing IS on purpse. I'm oddly relieved.

I had thought that was covered under the T part. But possibly that's "like, SOOO 2002" or me. Or something like that.

[jss]

Well, T is for trans{gendered|sexual}, which is different and can involve gender reassignment through, e.g., surgical means (FTM or MTF). Intersexed (formerly hermaphrodite) is having both sets of genitalia (e.g., both a penis and a vagina); it's fairly rare in adults (in the US especially) since most studies I've seen involve "correction" (usually by removal of the penis and testes) shortly after birth.

[yesthattom.livejournal.com]

That's so five minutes ago. :-)

Have you seen "Josie And The Pussycats"? While the movie was generally not great, it did a great parody of how fast trends come and go.

[polydad.livejournal.com]

Hi, Tom --

I'm checking out the commute angle, but I might be interested. Don't have your contact data here, though. Call me tomorrow? 732-249-4034.

best,

Joel

[roosterbear.livejournal.com]

And before you ask... yes, this is a the house of free ice cream.

*sigh* If only you lived (a lot) closer, and had room for two. Damn.

[celticdragonfly.livejournal.com]

Have you seen "Josie And The Pussycats"?

Um, no. I don't get out to see movies very often. Small kids, dontcha know. (Once it was 5 years, but these days I've managed a couple of movies a year.)

The whole song and dance

[arfur]

Pure hermaphrodism is very rare. Most intersexed people are somewhere else along the anatomical continuum that runs between the accepted poles of male and female anatomy. There are a number of particular syndromes (many corresponding to chromosomal structure other than XY, like X and XXY) as well as more general gestational and endocrine conditions, that the "intersexed" label applies to.

Most intersexed infants are "assigned" into a gender (usually female, because "it's easier to dig a hole than build a pole"). Their parents are often misinformed or pressured into making the decision to have surgery done, and to hide the information from the child. This can easily lead to hurt and recrimination when that information is discovered.

Many intersexed individuals have reduced sexual sensation and ability due to surgery, when they would have had, in many cases, increased sexual ability without surgery. One of the main goals of the organized intersex community is to change medical practice of automatically performing destructive surgery on all infants. In modern Western society, it still makes sense to assign a gender to a kid, but many people also believe that the child should be allowed to choose their sexual identity at an appropriate age.

More information at http://www.isna.org/ - the Intersex Society of North America. A very good book on the subject is written by Anne Fausto-Sterling (professor at Brown who I admire very much): Sexing the Body, New York: Basic Books, 2000. Her partner Paula Caplan ain't bad (in an intellectual way, folks) either.

that is to say...

[arfur]

it's fairly rare in adults (in the US especially) since most studies I've seen involve "correction" (usually by removal of the penis and testes) shortly after birth.

While true hermaphrodism may in rare cases "survive" until adulthood, the intersex community consists mostly of people who have been assigned a sex at birth, and have to deal with the emotional and physical aftermath of that surgical "correction".

[selenite.livejournal.com]

My goal is to run out of letters by the year 2010.

I've been hoping we can all treat each other as human beings and not have to use the letters at all.

[yesthattom.livejournal.com]

I'm labelling you "not a team player". --Dilbert

[selenite.livejournal.com]

I think we're obviously on different teams.

[yesthattom.livejournal.com]

Actually, we're closer than you think. I just feel that we have to use labels a little more before we can get to the point where they become unneeded.