"I Am" Intersex: Global Voices for Intersex Justice

“I Am” Intersex: Global Voices for Intersex Justice identifies human rights violations experienced by intersex people, including intersex genital mutilation and other harmful medical practices, abandonment, infanticide, bullying, lack of access to health care, lack of legal recognition, and exclusion of intersex women from participation in sports. The report draws on interviews with 15 intersex activists in 11 countries in four global regions to highlight movement priorities, strengthening, and the urgent need for protective legislation and financial support.

Despite vibrant contributions to their communities across millennia, intersex people today are in a fight for recognition, bodily autonomy, and, sometimes, for their very lives. They confront pervasive violence and discrimination, sometimes just moments after they are born. Ending violence in the form of medically unnecessary and nonconsensual surgeries, including intersex genital mutilation, is a top priority for the movement. Other priorities include combatting discrimination in schools, fighting for access to intersex-affirming healthcare, and full participation in the workforce, sports, and society. 

Intersex people worldwide are increasingly speaking out and fighting back. The report aims to convey how this dynamic global movement is growing and how others can act in solidarity with its goals. It highlights the movement’s priorities and challenges, calling for increased intersectional allyship, rights-based policymaking on intersex issues, and funding for the entire global movement.