Te 26 o Whiringa-ā-nuku / 26th of October was Intersex Awareness Day!
What's Intersex Awareness Day?
"Intersex Awareness Day is an international day of action, celebration and solidarity for intersex human rights globally. Held on the 26th of October, Intersex Awareness Day marks the anniversary of the first public demonstration by intersex people in the US in 1996." - Intersex Aotearoa
Even though Intersex Awareness Day for 2024 has passed already, any day is a good day to learn about being intersex, what issues the intersex community faces, and how you can support intersex people!
What does intersex mean?
"Intersex is an umbrella term used to describe a wide range of natural body variations, or 'variations in sex characteristics’ (VSC). There are up to 40 different VSC! Intersex people have always existed, but there is now more awareness about the diversity of human bodies and identity. Intersex traits may be visible at birth; or only discovered at puberty. Sometimes variations become apparent later in life. Some variations may not be physically apparent at all. Those born with "typical" sex characteristics are known as endosex." - Intersex Aotearoa
Why is Intersex Awareness Day important?
Intersex people continue to face discrimination, to be denied bodily autonomy, and to be forced to undergo medically unnecessary surgeries, amongst other issues. Intersex Aotearoa lists some of the wants of people with intersex variations as:
The right to bodily autonomy; the right to choose what happens to our bodies and why.
An end to socially motivated and medically unnecessary surgeries and discrimination in Aotearoa's healthcare systems.
A medical model that seeks to learn from us, those with lived experience.
Love & support for both ourselves & our whānau.
Communities that understand & value diversity.
Safe, informed & inclusive schools.
An addressing of the harms that have occurred to intersex bodies by a lack of social awareness and medical interventions.
Individuals get to choose the language and terms that best fit, and for those terms to be respected.
How does being intersex fit into sex and gender?
Intersex is a term that describes whether an individual's innate sex characteristics are "typical" or not. Intersex people, like endosex people, are assigned a sex at birth: male or female. However, a person with intersex variations will have or develop sex characteristics that differ from those that are considered "typical" of the sex they were assigned.
An intersex person may be cisgender or transgender, depending on whether their gender identity aligns with the sex they were assigned or not, and regardless of what sex characteristics they have. Gender is self-identified.
To clarify, here are some definitions of some of these terms (provided by Gender Minorities Aotearoa):
Sex: A socially constructed system for assignment and classification of people,
typically as male or female...Sex assigned at birth = based on genitals at birth.
Sex characteristics: [contemporary meaning] 'primary and secondary sex characteristics' e.g. genitalia, reproductive organs, chromosomes, sex hormones, distribution of hair, fat and muscle.
Gender: Refers to a person's recognition of themself as male, female, or something
else.
Transgender: A person whose gender is different from the sex they were assigned at birth.
Cisgender: A person who identifies with the gender assigned to them at birth.
Where can I learn more?
Visit Intersex Aotearoa. They're an Aotearoa-based intersex-led non-profit organisation who provide advocacy and support and have loads of information and resources!
