HOMOLOGOUS STRUCTURES

Everyone’s genitals are made up of the same tissues and structures [1]

=

Regardless of what genitals we are born with, we all have the same tissues and structures, just arranged differently.

So, the head of the penis is analogous to the glans clitoris. The penile shaft and the clitoral body are analogous — both are made up of erectile tissue.

Image from: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1264803112/the-clitoris-and-penis-anatomy

Here, you can see the internal structure of both the clitoris and the penis. The bulbs of the clitoris are split because of the location of the urethra and the vaginal canal.

Another difference is how much erectile tissue is external to the body, and the difference in size.

But overall, the main important thing to notice is their similarities.

The similarities in these structures come into play with genital surgery, as the labia are used to create the scrotum, the erectile tissue is used to create or can be integrated into the penis.

This information can also be helpful in reframing how we think about genitals. There are people who have what we would normally refer to as a clitoris, but they call it a penis, because it is.

There is no right or wrong language when talking about people’s preferences — whatever people prefer is correct. And these homologous structures help show that there are more similarities than differences between genitals.

REFERENCES

  1. Blasdel, G. (2021, July). Transmasculine Genital Surgery in the 21st Century. Philadelphia Transgender Wellness Conference 2021, Philadelphia, PA, United States.