Artigenda
Intersex Day Awareness Day
When: Annually, October 26.
Intersex Awareness Day is an annual day that takes place on October 26 and is a day to draw attention to intersex persons worldwide. The day, together with Intersex Solidarity Day (November 8), belongs to Intersex Day.
2003
The origins of this day date back to 2003. That was when there was the first talk of a day of its own for intersex people. A day that was to be dedicated to awareness and solidarity. This awareness was needed because the outside world did not understand intersex. The arrival of the internet in the late 1990s allowed people from all over the world to connect and discuss problems they were facing. Only that what they were up against was limited to their group. Most of the world’s population did not know about the problems intersex people faced.
Not much changed
Unfortunately, in the years that followed, not much has changed on some issues. Still, intersex people are not understood. Much of the world does not understand what it is like to live a life that does not fit within the ‘boxes’ that are ‘standard’. The world is familiar with non-binary persons, transgender persons and other gender identities that deviate from what is considered ‘standard.’ When you consider that even the acceptance of these individuals is sometimes abysmal, you have to consider that -when it comes to acceptance of intersex persons- it is sometimes just as bad. Sometimes even worse. Think, for example, of forced medical procedures one has to undergo. Prejudices one makes or decisions one makes based on what one thinks one sees or wants to see.
Not "weird" or "strange"
Intersex persons aren’t “weird” or “strange.” Yet, that’s not what some people think. Because of these ridiculous thoughts, people treat them accordingly. This doesn’t only lead to misunderstanding. It also leads to discrimination, hate and violence. That’s why a day such as today focusses on these topics. Even after all the promises made by world leaders, governments and government agencies. It is still not what it should be. The day when it is, you may consider it a day of celebration. As long as this is not the case, you may consider this day as much needed.
Fourteen Days of Intersex
The Intersex Awareness Day marks the beginning of the Fourteen Days of Intersex. This is the period between October 26 and November 8.
Why October 26?
The choice of October 26 is explicable. On that day in 1996, a demonstration took place outside the convention centre where the American Academy for Pediatrics (AAP) was holding a congress. The Intersex Society of North America, together with the then organisation Transexual Menace, held a protest demonstration to draw attention to the rights of intersex people. They would later state that it was not a demonstration, but was received from the AAP side in a very unfriendly manner, making it a protest after all. For instance, Riki Wilchins was to make a speech on behalf of the two organisations, which ultimately did not even go ahead. In that speech, Wilchins was to address the adverse effects on intersex persons of forced surgeries.
At the cradle of the day of remembrance we know today were Betsy Driver and Emy Koyama in 2003. In 2015, both Intersex Solidarity Day, also known as Intersex Day of Remembrance (Intersex Day of Remembrance) were merged into one website under the name Intersex Day. More information is available on this website.
