1. The original meaning of “assigned”
The words “assigned female at birth” (AFAB) and “assigned male at birth” (AMAB) were coined by the intersex community to describe babies whose bodies did not fit typical male or female patterns and who were given a sex label—sometimes the wrong one—by doctors. “AMAB, AFAB were intersex terms used to recognize the mistakes made in the cases of some intersex people like my own.” – DetransIS source [citation:8a89dae0]. These terms were never meant to describe ordinary boys or girls who later felt uncomfortable with gender roles; they were medical shorthand for a very specific physical situation.
2. How the terms were taken over
Over time, transgender activism began using AFAB/AMAB for everyone, turning a narrow clinical phrase into a broad identity label. “The trans community just appropriated intersex yet again to try to make it make sense. But intersex is a physical thing while trans is purely mental.” – brightescala source [citation:dac4cb58]. By borrowing language that sounds biological, the new usage can give the impression that a mental sense of gender has the same weight as an observable bodily difference, which many detransitioners say is misleading.
3. The harm to intersex advocacy
When the words are used loosely, the real needs of intersex people—bodily autonomy, protection from non-consensual surgery, and accurate medical records—get drowned out. “Trans people have essentially set intersex people back 50 years… Their movement, one that is grounded in biology, is about being able to have autonomy over their medical condition.” – 1997RnR_HoF source [citation:69695f16]. Detransitioned intersex individuals worry that the public now confuses a rare medical variation with a chosen identity, making it harder to fight for specific legal and medical protections.
4. A simpler, freer way to speak
Several detransitioners—intersex and non-intersex alike—now prefer plain language: “I am female” or “I am an intersex female.” “I was the same way… Now I just prefer to say I am an intersex female, or just a female cuz not everyone needs to know I'm intersex.” – SolidElderberry source [citation:6ba8eafc]. Dropping the borrowed terminology can feel like stepping out of a rigid framework and into the freedom to describe one’s body and life without extra labels.
Conclusion
Understanding where AFAB and AMAB came from helps us see that gender discomfort does not require medical language to be real. The path forward is not more specialized terms or procedures, but the courage to live as whole, non-conforming people—free from both oppressive stereotypes and the pressure to rename our bodies.