Today October 26 is Intersex Awareness Day
On October 26, 2020, we are celebrating Intersex Awareness Day, a day to raise up the voices of people born with variations in sex characteristics. While being intersex isn’t rare, this population is often invisible due to a lack of awareness and understanding.
Did you know…?
Up to 1.7 percent of babies are born with sex characteristics that don’t fit typical definitions of male and female. That makes being intersex almost as common as being a redhead!
Being Intersex is about someone’s biological sex characteristics. This includes genitals, gonads, hormone levels and chromosome patterns. It is different from sexual orientation or gender identity – an intersex person could be straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual or asexual, and they might be a woman, a man, both or neither.
The repeated surgeries and treatment intersex children are put through in order to “fix” their sex and appearance are often irreversible and can cause permanent infertility and lifelong pain, incontinence, loss of sexual sensation, and mental suffering.
There is typically no medical reason to perform these procedures with so many possible serious negative impacts on children. Carrying these out without consent violates human rights.
Intersex people should be free to decide whether or not they want to undergo such procedures when they are old enough to make an informed decision for themselves.
26 Ways Allies Can Support Intersex Awareness Day
FREE & EQUAL: United Nations for Intersex Awareness
UN Fact Sheet
Sources: InterACT, National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center, United Nations