Intersex Solidarity Day - 11/08/09

November 8th is Intersex Solidarity Day. In honor of the day please make the commitment to educate yourself about intersexuality and to promote intersex activism to others.

I'd also like to encourage this post to be about what it means to stand in solidarity with the intersex community, whether you are intersex or not, what we can do to be advocates and allies?

Other topics for possible discussion as suggested by the official Intersex Solidarity Day are The life of Herculine Barbin, intersex "normalization" treatments without consent, the violence of the binary sex and gender system, the sexism implicit within the binary construct of sex and gender.

Please sign the Solidarity with the Intersex Community Petition

Word of the Gay: "Progestin-Induced Virilisation"

"Progestin-induced virilisation" is the creation of male hormones in the womb as a result of the pregnant mother taking the drug progestin. The internal and external genitalia of the child is female, but the intersex child will develop male secondary characteristics.

Web Spotlight: Students for Genital Integrity

Students for Genital Integrity (SGI) is group committed to ending the practice of forced genital cutting; a human rights abuse perpetuated on children by adults. This abuse is often done in order to conform the body to a particular society's concepts of aesthetics and normality. The group is opposed to Female Genital Cutting (FGC), "Sexual reassignment surgery" on Intersex children (IGC), Male Genital Cutting (MGC)and Routine episiotomy.

"I'm 80% Girl, 20% Boy" - Intersex Documentary

One of our readers kindly emailed to let me know they were doing a documentary on an intersex person named Adele.

Maxx Ginnane (Director) emailed me with this:
"I am now making a full length film about intersex, including the stories of what is happening to the babies born visibly intersex and gender variant children as they grow up and approach puberty. There's currently still a debate in the medical community about how these young people should be treated. I'm seeking the input of doctors, parents, and of course, other intersex people in this project. If you would like to get in touch, my address is palya@hotmail.com"

Below is a clip of the film and a little bit of info about the documentary:

When Adele was born they couldn't tell if she was a girl or a boy. A series of childhood genital operations 'corrected' her into a boy but as she grew up it became apparent a mistake had been made. Now at 29 Adele is trying to transition into a woman, only to find she belongs somewhere in between. 1 in 2000 babies are born like Adele and she asks if it isn't time to make room in our society for more than two genders.