Tuesday 08-11-2016 - 15:33

Today, Tuesday 8 November, marks Intersex Solidarity Day, a day in which we stand in solidarity and support of intersex individuals across the world.

Although intersex individuals make up approximately 1.7% of the population (http://intersexday.org/en/unfe-intersex-awareness-2016/), around the same number as those with red hair, intersex identities are often marginalised and erased, not least by the medical profession. Every day, intersex babies and children are subjected to repeated genital ‘normalising’ surgeries, and are assigned a gender based upon measures such as penis or clitoral length. Many intersex individuals who have gone through these surgeries do not identify with the gender their doctors decided that they were, and so experience high rates of mental illness and discrimination.

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is currently running a campaign (https://www.unfe.org/intersex-awareness) to challenge governments across the world to ban these surgeries, saying “because their bodies don’t comply with typical definitions of male or female, intersex children and adults are frequently subjected to forced sterilisation and irreversible surgery, and suffer discrimination in schools, workplaces and other settings” (UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein). The UN has also condemned involuntary and non-urgent procedures as “inhumane treatment”, falling under the prohibition of torture as well as violating the “integrity of the person”. Malta is currently the only country within Europe which has actively outlawed these unnecessary surgical interventions, and has implemented legal protection for intersex individuals (https://oiieurope.org/oii-europe-applauds-maltas-gender-id…/).

UKIA have provided an overview report, which can be accessed via document provided: https://livenorthumbriaac-my.sharepoint.com/personal/w15040378_northumbria_ac_uk/_layouts/15/guestaccess.aspx?guestaccesstoken=EdNIdAsAu1eFIo2%2fwltcvM7yCZ%2bhLVbN7Rj0rcNSbLw%3d&docid=1f3b21a8dfb124efe89f23c68b65f9627&rev=1

As Community Officer of Durham Students’ Union, I would like to publically offer my support for the on-going campaign to amend the Equality Act (2010), to ensure intersex people are provided with legal protections against discrimination, which are currently denied to them. I stand in solidarity with all intersex individuals who are facing violations of their autonomy and identities, and condemn these practices which contribute to the societal assumption of sex and gender as binary. Humans are beautifully diverse and we must learn to celebrate this diversity instead of stigmatising it and attempting to erase it.

I send my thanks to the fantastic Durham Feminist Societies, LGBT+ Association, Students with Disabilities Association, and many other Durham student groups who are showing their support and love today.

There is nothing ‘abnormal’ about intersex bodies, there is nothing that should be seen as a reason to feel shame, there is nothing which justifies the intrusive and oppressive modification of bodies to fit a binary societal image of what sex and gender are. All intersex individuals are perfect, just as they are.

There are several intersex rights organisations operating within the UK, including:

+OII UK
Facebook: http://oiiuk.org
Website: http://oiiuk.org

+Intersex UK (Twitter: @Intersexuk)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/intersexuk/?fref=ts
Website: http://www.intersexuk.org

+UKIA:
Website: http://www.ukia.co.uk

These organisations provide essential work and services in helping develop a more intersex inclusive society including through education, campaigning, and support for intersex people within the UK. Please do contact any of these, or the Students’ Union, or the Durham LGBT+ Association if you have any concerns or would like to talk.

Yours in solidarity,

Jo Gower

Durham SU Community Officer