As announced here on our old website www.oii-usa.org, the Intersex Campaign for Equality (IC4E) is no longer the United States affiliate of the Organisation Intersex International (OII), known as OII-USA. The change comes as our founding director Hida Viloria resigns today from he/r position as Chair of OII, after six fruitful years.

We are excited about our new focus on arts, education and action, and invite you to subscribe to stay updated on our exciting new projects, such as our podcast, Intersex Gets Legit. Episode 1 features Sara Kelly Keenan, the amazing intersex activist who has been a world recognized pioneer in third gender legislation as California’s first non-binary citizen, the first American recipient of an intersex birth certificate, and a driving force in California’s becoming the second U.S. state to offer third gender recognition, via the passage of SB 179 on October 9, 2017.

Please see Viloria’s resignation announcement below.

“It has been an honor to work with OII, as Human Rights Spokesperson (2010-2011) and as Chairperson/President elect since April 2011, and to witness all the progress that’s been made.

I am particularly proud of my work lobbying on behalf of South African track star Caster Semenya, and all intersex women athletes‘ right to compete as women without being subjected to medically unnecessary hormone therapy and other medically unnecessary procedures aimed at regulating their gender, at the International Olympic Committe’s October 2010 meeting in Switzerland; and initiating the global intersex advocacy community’s relationship with the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN OHCHR), in 2012. The relationship has been an ongoing, continually expanding, and immensely fruitful one. 

However, my life has changed in the years since I joined OII, beautifully, but in a way which limits my time. With a partner and son, and my career demands increasing with many new projects in the loop–which all, I’m happy to say, continue to spread intersex visibility and equality–I can no longer fully attend to everything I wish I could fully. I believe it’s better to focus on those I do well and love doing, which is writing and creating art/media which promotes love and equality. :)
 
Also, OII is an international network, and in certain nations, working in coalition with LGBTQ people may directly threaten intersex people’s lives. I recognize that OII-USA working in increasing coalition with the LGBTQ community here in the United States runs the risk of associating other OII affiliates with LGBTQ activism, regardless of their work. 

Out of concern for the challenges this may pose to affiliates in countries where LGBTQIA inclusion is dangerous, and my previously mentioned time constraints, I am resigning as OII Chair. The Intersex Campaign for Equality (IC4E), originally OII-USA, the United States affiliate of OII, is hereafter an independent American intersex organization. Our oii-usa.org site will remain up for a time and redirect to the new IC4E site, and our OIIUSA Facebook page will be changed soon to reflect the change.
 
I am proud of my OII colleagues around the world for all the fantastic work they are doing, and wish them all continued success in advocating for intersex human rights, and happiness in their lives!
 
With love and solidarity,
Hida Viloria