New Everyone Is Gay Post: What's Intersex Awareness Day, and How Do I Celebrate?

Check it out, lovely intersex allies!

<3, C

It's Intersex Awareness Day! Here's What You Can Do to Celebrate/Raise Awareness!

Tell someone it's IAD today!

Share an intersex-related article, brochure, or video on social media (Facebook, Twitter, tumblr, blogs, etc.)

Check out if there's any events near you on the Intersex Day hub & attend!

Participate in the IAD twitterstorm tonight (check @Pidgejen on twitter to find out when your time zone's particpating! Aaaaaaaaand, support the twitterstorm even further by letting Thunderclap post several automatic messages raising awareness about the twitterstorm via your Twitter, tumblr, and/or Facebook account. Signal booooooost, do it!

Thanks so much for celebrating & raising awareness with us!

<3, C

Intersex People Must be Consulted on Intersex Research

Morgan Carpenter, of OII-Australia published a piece in the Star Observer Australia, stating that intersex people are often not consulted by researchers studying intersex, and that consultation is necessary.  

Carpenter argues that without input from intersex people, the result of such studies are too-often conclusions that reinforce the long-standing view that intersex people do not have bodies that represent natural variation in how human bodies look and function - and which is simply most often ignored, in favor of the male-female sex binary - but instead, as having medical conditions that need to be "fixed" or serve as evidence to otherwise discriminate against intersex people (e.g., intersex women with high testosterone levels excluded from competing in Olympic sport).  

He also makes the important point that while many Australian orgs have added the "I" to the the LGBTI acronym, little work is actually being done on intersex issues by these orgs.  In the US, I have noted that few orgs have added the "I" at all in recent years, despite intersex issues gaining higher profile - and even despite working directly with intersex people on intersex work.  Orgs, please add the "I" and include work on intersex issues -in collaboration with intersex people - if you are serious about intersex human rights.

Check out the great piece here:  http://www.starobserver.com.au/opinion/intersex-related-research-must-have-direct-input-from-intersex-community/141997

Looking for An Intersex Awareness Event Near You? Check Out "Intersex Day" Online Hub!

Find out if there's any Intersex Awareness Day (Oct 26th) or Intersex Day of Solidarity (Nov 8th) near you by using the "Intersex Day" online hub, created by intersex activist, Morgan Carpenter!

Thanks for this great resource, Morgan!

IAD 2015 Twitterstorm: Tell Your #IntersexStories on Oct 26th!

Hello, everyone! Intersex Awareness Day (IAD) is nearly here, on Oct 26th. If there aren't any IAD events taking place near you, you can still raise awareness about intersex people and the human rights we're so in need of and deserve by participating in the #IntersexStories Twitterstorm on Oct 26th!

Check out the event and share images to promote & participate in the #IntersexStories Twitterstorm, organized by intersex activist Pidgeon Pagonis here! Find out when your city/time zone is tweeting and join in and/or re-tweet!

Looking forward to this! <3

NYC 6th Annual Intersex Awareness Day Event: "InterSEX," at Please NYC, on Oct 25th at 6:30pm

There's a ton of variation in what human bodies look like, and they rarely come in two flavors. Perhaps you've met a fantastic person who happens to be intersex, and you're smitten! Or maybe you're interested in learning more about how the "I" fits into that whole LGBTQIAGNC acronym.

Either way, you've got some questions: What does it mean to be intersex? What does intersex have to do with bodies, and what are intersex activists fighting for? How can you best have a healthy, consensual relationship with your intersex partner?

Join me at Please to talk intersex 101, body positivity for ALL bodies, consent, and how to be a good intersex ally at Please, in Park Slope on Oct 25th at 6:30pm. With Q&A to follow - see you there!

First Person PBS Episode, "Growing Up Intersex" Released Today!

Hi, everyone! I’m honored to have been interviewed for PBS’s webseries, “First Person,” which explores all aspects of LGBTQIA identity and activism. In the newest ep released today, "Growing Up Intersex," I talk about being an intersex person, being medicalized as a kid, how I became involved in intersex activism, and how adding the "I" in LGBTQIA is really important.

Check out "Growing Up Intersex" here!

<3

New Everyone Is Gay Post!: Where Are All the Intersex People At?

Hi, everyone! A new post, hot and fresh, is up at Everyone is Gay! Many intersex people have had a hard time trying to find other intersex people - either online or in real life. This post provide some ways you can meet other intersex people, virtually and/or in person, so that you can share experiences, give advice, make friendships, and build community.

I mention in the piece that when I met an intersex person for the first time, it literally changed my life. The impact of knowing there are other, real-life, breathing, living intersex humans out there cannot be underestimated. I wasn't alone, and I had proof in the form of a smiling person looking right at me. Community is so important. At a time in history when many intersex people aren't out, though, it's harder to find others like yourself. But with the advent of access to the internet, finding other intersex people is much easier than it used to be.

I hope you enjoy! <3

On Intersex Medicalization and Coming Out: Janik Bastien-Charlebois

This piece is simply amazing. Thank you, Janik, for sharing your personal history of medicalization, learning what it means to be intersex, and coming to proudly embrace an intersex identity. Check it out now, in the Montreal Gazette!

#LetDuteeRun: Now She Will!

Dutee Chand, Indian sprinter, has been granted the right to compete in the Olympics by the Olympic governing committee, the IAAF. This is huge news!

Congrats, Dutee! You can read about the decision here, from the New York Times.

Thank you to everyone who worked on the #LetDuteeRun campaign and helping to right discrimination against women with high testosterone levels in professional sports! <3

New Everyone Is Gay Post!: Being an Active Intersex Ally

Hey, everyone! I answered a question on Everyone Is Gay, on how intersex allies can get more involved in intersex activism - what do you need to know, and how do you go about doing it? Check out my post for some great ways to get started!

<3

Marriage and Intersex Identity: Exploring This Relationship Post-Marriage Equality in the US

Hi, everyone! My colleague - sociologist and intersex scholar, Georgiann Davis - wrote a piece for Chronicle magazine exploring how marriage has traditionally been used as a means to validate intersex peoples’ gender identity, whether assigned or as one authentically identifies, and if/how marriage equality complicates this relationship. I think it's smart and great, and really worth reading. Check it out!

United Nations Report Advocates for Intersex Peoples' Bodily Autonomy

A new UN report advocates for intersex human rights, stating that the medical "treatments" performed on intersex people without our consent must end. You can read about this report here, in a blog post from OII-Australia (with a link to download the report as a Word document at the bottom).

Thank you for recognizing our rights to bodily autonomy and need for protections, UN.



UPDATE: Check out intersex activist Marianne Mollmann's discussion of the new UN report in the Huffington Post!

New Autostraddle Piece: "When Intersex Meets Lesbian"

Hey, everyone! I wrote a piece for Autostraddle what it's like to be both an intersex person and a lesbian, and where there's overlaps & differences in identity, experiences, and stereotyping by others. This is my most personal piece to date, and I'm really proud of it. I hope you enjoy reading it even a little bit as much as I loved writing it.

It's so satisfying when thoughts and feelings you've been having for years are finally articulated in a way that's ordered, makes sense, not just in an incoherent, un-tangle-able jumble. Writing this piece was that for me. It feels so good.

XOXY

New Post for Everyone Is Gay: Adding the "I" in LGBTQIA

Hi, everyone! There's a new post up on Everyone Is Gay, where I discussing “adding the I” in LGBTQIA and being intersex-inclusive in queer spaces. Here ya go!

You can also always check out previous questions I've answered on intersex issues at Everyone Is Gay on my Second Opinion Panel page.

Malta Makes History: First Country to Protect Bodily Integrity for Intersex and Trans* People

So overwhelmed, in the best possible way. I was really not sure that I would live to see any country pass legal protections concerning bodily integrity that was intersex-inclusive. But Malta has done it!

Congratulations, Malta, for supporting those who need this support. Thank you for valuing intersex people and our bodies as they naturally are. <333

"'Curing Intersex Is Damaging and Common": Great Piece by OII-Australia Member, Morgan Carpenter

"It’s ok to be intersex. The diversity of our bodies and identities are good things. We add to the richness of human existence. As the parent in The Feed’s interview said about us, “Let them enjoy their bodies, celebrate that difference”."

Well-said, Morgan! Check it out the whole piece here.

ABC Nightline Segment on Intersex Issues: Activist Sean Saifa Wall is Simply Amazing.

Hi, everyone! Check out this ABC Nightline segement with intersex activist Sean Saifa Wall - it's incredible.

In the video, Wall meets the doctor who performed genital surgery on him without his consent as a child. I was especially impressed by Wall's response to the doctor’s defensiveness - he shows only compassion and empathy. Wall did intersex people and activists proud in this piece.

One thing to note is that the commonly-quoted statistic that 1 in 2000 children are born intersex may substantially underestimate the number of kids born intersex, as Cary Gabriel Costello indicates in his excellent blog, The Intersex Roadshow. (It's not suprising that ABC quotes this statistic though, as many news outlets still do.)

I want to see more videos like this in the future. Until then, watch and share widely.

<33333

New Article for RH Reality Check: On Fetal Screening for Intersex Traits

Intersex activists like Cary Gabriel Costello on The Intersex Roadshow have raised awareness about the troubling implications of screening for intersex traits in utero. I added my perspective on this important issue via a new piece for the blog, RH Reality Check. You can check it out here.

New Everyone Is Gay Post: What Are the Correct Pronouns for IntersexPeople? (A: Lots!)

Hi there, everyone! In this Everyone Is Gay post, I discuss how there isn't just one set of pronouns that intersex people use. We're a diverse bunch - like any other group of people - and we identify and refer to ourselves using various sets of pronouns. If you're unsure how someone identifies, intersex or not, it's not rude to ask what pronouns one uses. Many folks will appreciate your asking!

You can check out the post here!

Additionally, if you like the work I'm doing with EIG, you can donate via PayPal to support this work. I'm a non-paid volunteer and it's work I love to do; that being said, a little financial support can make it easier to devote more time and effort to this work. If my EIG posts have been helpful to you at all, consider donating - thanks! You can donate here.

Till next time!

Hey There, I'm a New Core Second Opinions Panelist for Everyone Is Gay!

I'm thrilled to announce I'm a new Core Second Opinions panelist for Everyone Is Gay! I'll now be answering more questions about intersex issues, about one every two months. I might even answer the occasional question about other queer issues! (Any of ya'll readers know how much I like to talk about being gay, genderqueer, the whole rainbowy shebang.)

Check out Everyone Is Gay here, and look for even more EIG intersex inclusion now in 2015!

New Everyone Is Gay Post: Can Intersex People Have Families? (A: Heck Yes!)

Hey, everyone! Was pleased to answer a question on Everyone Is Gay, where the poster asked if intersex people can have families of their own someday. We absolutely can <3

Enjoy!