Happy Intersex Awareness Day!

This is a guest blog by a community member. Please email hello@seattlepride.org if you would like to submit a Guest Blog post!

My name is Ori and I am 14 and in 9th grade. I identify as intersex, trans and non binary. My pronouns are they/them.

Intersex awareness day for me means a day to celebrate being intersex but it was founded as a day to commemorate the first public intersex protest held in 1996. It was founded by US intersex activists Emi Koyama and Betsy Driver. Since I do activism anytime of the year when things arise my mom has said we can take this day to celebrate thanks to all of the hard work so many activists have done (including me!). She usually has a little pride gift for me and we almost always see an intersex friend, except for when pandemic life stops us.

So to me it’s a day to rejoice being intersex for every intersex person on this planet – and even intersex animals. It’s a day for people to celebrate or somehow honor every intersex person that didn’t get a choice in their autonomy and to take this day to educate someone around them so we can make sure more intersex people do get a choice in their autonomy. This intersex awareness day feels extra special because recently intersex activist Alicia Roth Weigel’s efforts are paying off and the Austin Texas City council voted to condemn non- consensual and medically unnecessary surgeries on intersex children. We also have had two hospitals say they would stop surgeries in other states. It may sound small but amidst all the bills coming that attack trans and intersex kids and adults every small win feels so massive, especially in Texas!

Lastly, I would like everyone reading this to know that if you’re not intersex this should be a day where you take a moment to educate at least one friend or relative. If you have an intersex friend or family member, maybe do something special or reach out, it really helps us to be seen.

Anyway, I appreciate anyone who’s read all of this and now I am gonna go try to convince my mom to get me a black kitten for intersex awareness day. I want to name it Binx and if it could be intersex that would be the best!

Resources

• 26 Ways Allies Can Support Intersex Awareness Day on 10/26 – interACT

• interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth

• Interface Project: Communicating the lived experiences of intersex people

• Intersex Campaign for Equality - Promoting human rights and equality for all intersex people through art, education and action.

• Intersex Justice Project: Worling to end invasive surgeries on intersex youth by empowering people of color as change-makers.

• OII Intersex Network

• The Intersex Day Project