Imagine if the U.S. Government finally acknowledged that intersex people exist? Not only would this be critically useful in attaining equality for intersex people, but you can help make it a reality this Giving Tuesday by supporting OII-USA, and our Associate Director Dana Zzyym’s historic lawsuit for recognition of non-binary intersex people!

A recent example of why legal recognition is critical was seen yesterday, when the Dr. Phil Show aired a segment about an intersex 4 y.o.. Dr. Phil showed the world how far acceptance of intersex people has come when he said, to the parents, “You’re being really hard on this child because this is a precious, perfect child here…. This is not something to be ashamed of or have a problem with, it just is what it is.” Thanks Dr. Phil!

Unfortunately, there were some missed opportunities on the segment — which focused on the parents’ confusion over their intersex child’s gender identity — such as the presumption that the child could only grow up to identify as a boy or a girl. Even more troubling was the total lack of discussion, let alone critique, of the fact that the child had been subjected to medically unnecessary, “normalizing” genital surgery, mentioned only in passing at the beginning of the show. We should not find it surprising, however, that leaving intersex traits intact — as the intersex community advocates for (along with the right to legal gender recognition) — would not be considered or portrayed as an option given the perspective that all humans grow up to identify as boys or girls/men or women.

This is exactly why it is so important that the U.S. government acknowledges that intersex people exist. Indeed, some intersex people grow up to identify as intersex, not male or female. However, until our gender is legally acknowledged to exist, the presumption that surgeries which conform us to the male or female binary are positive will remain difficult to dispute. So please help support our efforts for legal gender recognition of intersex adults by making a tax deductible donation to OII-USA today!

Click here to donate.

Thanks in advance! And thanks also to Dr. Georgianne Davis for speaking eloquently, as an openly intersex person, on gender issues and the need for parents to speak with their intersex children openly about their intersex traits.

Click here to donate: https://www.intersexequality.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=2009&action=edit