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Intersex Awareness Day 2020

This page hosts essays from the Intersex Awareness Day 2020 collection, on themes of Intersex Health and Resilience. 

interACT works to prevent and reduce the harm that so many intersex people face so young. We know the pain of unwanted medical interventions. And, what happens if and after that harm has already been done?

How might intersex adults regain more of a sense of control in their lives? What language do we use to find support and feel more at home with ourselves? And what kind of a future do we want to see?

We’re exploring these questions with a series of personal essays by our intersex youth, allies, and community members. Look for a new piece each Monday leading up to Intersex Awareness Day (IAD) 2020, which falls on October 26th.

  • Headshots of 9 doctors doing work for intersex people. The 9 are arranged on a grid with an intersex flag in the corner.

9 Doctors Changing the Face of Healthcare for Intersex People

October 25th, 2020|

We’re grateful for the MDs working every day for intersex bodily autonomy. Here’s 9 who give us hope. By Hans Lindahl     Too many members of intersex communities are survivors of medical harm. Many endure the effects of infant genital surgeries that changed their lives before they were old enough to speak. Some intersex

  • Illustration on themes of coming out as intersex, having boundaries in advocacy. Image shows a person, numbly smiling and staring off into the distance, surrounded by hands making thumbs up gestures. The background is intersex flag colors.

Coming Out as Intersex: What I Wish I Had Known

October 18th, 2020|

How do you set boundaries when it can feel like changing the world requires laying yourself bare? When coming out as intersex and going public in the media with my own story as a teen, I didn’t know what I didn’t know. Fellow intersex advocates share the tips and boundaries they wish they’d had. By

  • Is MRKH intersex? Illustration shows a person with medium-length hair in a baggy sweater reaching for floating puzzle pieces in the nearby air. The person also has puzzle piece shapes cut out from their body.

Is MRKH Intersex? Ask a Different Question Instead

October 4th, 2020|

Are people with MRKH—with mostly typical sex anatomy but born without a uterus and/or parts of the vagina—considered intersex? To get anywhere, we need to be asking completely different questions. By Maddie Rose     As a teen newly navigating dating and sexuality, I received news that turned my world upside-down: a diagnosis of Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser

  • Illustration on intersex and eating disorders - a person huddles in a bubble underwater with eyes closed, arms hugging themselves. Seaweed grabs and encloses the bubble.

When Will My Body Be Mine? On Intersex Surgery and Eating Disorders

September 30th, 2020|

Infant genital surgery made me feel like my body wasn’t mine. An eating disorder felt like a way to reclaim control. Here’s how I found my way out. By Marissa Adams Be aware: this personal essay covers infant genital surgery, medical trauma, and inpatient programs for anorexia. People with eating disorders learn to restrict

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