October 26 is Intersex Awareness Day. This group is part of those groups that have always been invisible by society; and even by the LGBTIQ + collective itself, because until recently it did not have them among its acronyms. How did this movement come about? Intersex Awareness Day commemorates the first public demonstration of intersex […]
October 26 is Intersex Awareness Day. This group is part of those groups that have always been invisible by society; and even by the LGBTIQ + collective itself, because until recently it did not have them among its acronyms.
It was created by Morgan Carpenter, who is co-chair, along with Tony Briffa, of Oii Australia (International Intersexual Organization of Australia).
Morgan wrote about the flag they created in 2013: An Intersex Flag
“The circle is intact and unadorned, symbolizes totality and integrity, and our potential. We are still fighting for body autonomy and genital integrity, and this symbolizes the right to be who and how we want to be. ”
How did this movement come about?
Intersex Awareness Day commemorates the first public demonstration of intersex people in North America, on October 26, 1996, in Boston, where the American Academy of Pediatrics held its annual conference.
Intersex activists Morgan Holmes and Max Beck participated for the (now disappeared) Intersex Society of North America, along with transsexual allies such as Riki Wilchins.
Beck and Holmes intended to give a talk, “about the long-term results and challenge their still prevailing opinion that cosmetic surgery to” repair “intersex genitalia was the best method of action for these people,” but they were, however, treated with hostility and escorted out of the conference by security guards.
All this caused that the group only manifested itself later, with a sign that said “Hermaphrodites With Attitude”.
About intersexuality
Intersex people form a diverse population with many different types of bodies, sexual characteristics, sexual assignments, genders, identities, life experiences and terminology.
What they share in common is the experience of being born with sexual characteristics (such as chromosomes, gonads or hormones) that differ from the medical norms for female or male bodies.
Intersexuality is a matter of body diversity. Therefore, it is a group that has always been framed in contexts of violence, stigmatization and suffering from harmful practices because these bodies are seen as different as they are not normative for society as a whole.
A picture is worth a thousand words
To understand a little more the situation that intersex people go through, we recommend you watch the video below about testimonials from people who tell their experiences, fears and stigmas.
From Axel Hotels we celebrate Intersex Awareness Day and serve as a speaker for this group and for many others who need to amplify their messages, their feelings and their ideas.