By Isabella Pozo, 21 years old, editor
September 25, 2023
Intersex Awareness Day began more than 25 years ago, on October 26, 1996 in Boston. That day, several intersex people and their supporters publicly protested the countless non-consensual surgeries performed on intersex babies to make them “normal.” Being intersex doesn’t mean you’re not normal. It means that a person was born with different traits, such as hair or eye color. We do not perform surgeries on babies so that they all have a “normal” eye color. Why would we do the same thing if a baby doesn’t have typical genitals?
What is intersexuality?
Not everyone is born with sex chromosomes or traits that adhere to the binary of male or female. Some people are born with a visible variation in genitalia at birth, while others may lack certain internal sexual organs and may not know it until they are older (sometimes during puberty). And some people may have a variation in sex hormones or chromosomes. The general term for cases like these is intersex.
There are many misconceptions about intersex people. Many people think it is a very rare condition, when in fact about 1.7 percent of the world’s population is intersex. This is very close to the percentage of people in the world with red hair (2 percent), according to interactan organization dedicated to the defense of intersex children.
Because it is important
Even if you are not intersex, it is important to know about Intersex Awareness Day. Maybe you have a friend who is intersex. Maybe someone close to you is afraid to tell you that he is intersex. The goal of Intersex Awareness Day is to make intersex people feel safe and accepted while educating others about what it means to be intersex and what they can do to help. Sometimes the best thing you can do is be open, aware and supportive. Tell your friends about this day and educate them if they don’t know what intersex is. If you are intersex, remember that there is nothing wrong with you or your body.
Want to learn more? Verify interact and your project #4intersex to learn more about the community and what you can do to help and spread the word.
