Eunuch historically referred to humans identified as male at birth who have had testicles removed or destroyed.
In modern gender discourse it may refer to an individual who is assigned male at birth and wishes to eliminate masculine physical features, genitals, or genital functioning. This is achieved through radical reduction of the hormone testosterone.
This modern definition includes both those whose testicles have been physically removed or rendered nonfunctional, and those whose testicles have been rendered nonfunctional by chemical means (without removal of the testes).
It is important to note that the gender of detesticulated people is unrelated to their testicular status. There are cisgender detesticulated men, trans women, and non-binary people. Eunuch today may refer to gender with a physical affirmation, or may also be encountered as an identity used by some detesticulated cisgender men taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT), in respect of historic usage and community heritage.
