Intersex Awareness Day 2022

Oct 26 is the anniversary of the 1996 demonstration by intersex people in the US.

This demonstration was denouncing non-consensual infant genital surgeries & demanding the medical industry take notice.

Intersex is the ‘I’ in LGBTQIA+

Not all intersex folks identify as intersex. Intersex folks can hold any gender identity or sexual orientation

Up to 2% of the population is intersex

Do not use the term hermaphrodite

It is an out-dated term that has been used to pathologize intersex bodies

As with anyone else, it is inappropriate to ask about someone’s genitals!

Intersex differences can include variations in chromosomes, genes, external genitalia, internal reproductive organs, hormones, or secondary characteristics (like body hair)

As you can see, there is a great deal of variety in how gender is determined

The two categories of male & female do not cover all of human diversity

Historically, doctors were taught to determine the sex of an intersex child based on the length of their p-nis /

cl-toris.

So, a child was categorized as male if this body part was longer than an inch.

Doctors often recommend surgery to make intersex children’s genitals appear more traditionally male or female.

These surgeries are NOT medically necessary, they’re strictly cosmetic.

These surgeries are painful & done on very young bodies without their consent.

This is a human rights violation & can lead to trauma & misalignment of their bodies with their identity.

There’s a movement fighting for intersex rights to self-identify & not have surgeries before they can possibly consent

More information on legislation in your state can be found at interACTadvocates.org

To learn more about intersex rights check out Amnesty International, interACTadvocates & Intersex Society of North America

On Instagram you can follow:

@IntersexJusticeProject

@GenderFenderBender

@inerACT