Intersex Awareness Day
Intersex Awareness Day is celebrated annually on October 26th.
Intersex Awareness Day is marked on October 26 because October 26, 1996, was the date of the first public demonstration by intersex people in the United States. Learn More Here.
Intersex is a word that classifies a broad group of people who were born with sex traits that do not fit the typical binary understanding of sex. According to Intersex Canada, these differences can be found in a variety of traits such as chromosomes, hormones, genitalia, or reproductive organs of an intersex person. These variations are natural and something people are born with, even if they discover their differences later on in life. There are over 40 known variations of intersex traits.
Intersex and the 2SLGBTQIA+ Community
Intersex people are a welcome part of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. They can face discrimination based on their gender presentation or perceived assigned gender and often also experience medical discrimination due to a lack of knowledge around intersex identities.
Some intersex people may identify as trans, but not all do. Trans people do not identify with their sex assigned at birth. Intersex people have biological, physical, chromosomal, or hormonal differences that disqualify them from the binary classification of sex (male or female). Some intersex people will identify as their sex assigned at birth, and others may identify as solely intersex without attaching a binary sex to their person.
Resources
Intersex Canada is a great resource for understanding intersex identities and answering questions.
InterACT has youth advocacy programs and resource topics on a varitey of issues facing intersex people.
You can read Egale's litterature review on Intersex Human Rights in Canada
There is a Discord server hosted by Intersex Canada for intersex people to connect on. (Please be aware when connecting with people on the internet and never share personal or contact information with people you do not know)
Interconnect has a variety of resources for adults and youth to connect, learn, and receive support as intersex people.
