Intersex Day of Remembrance

Intersex Day of Remembrance, also known as Intersex Solidarity Day, is an internationally observed awareness day designed to highlight the challenges and discrimination faced by intersex individuals. It occurs annually on November 8th, coinciding with the birthday of Herculine Barbin, a 19th-century French intersex person whose memoirs brought to light the difficulties intersex people face due to societal norms and medical practices.

Background

Intersex individuals are born with physical sex characteristics that do not fit typical definitions of male or female. This can include variations in chromosomes, gonads, sex hormones, or genitals that do not allow an individual to be distinctly identified as male or female. Intersex traits are diverse, and the experiences and identities of intersex people vary widely.

The Intersex Day of Remembrance was established to honor the memory of Herculine Barbin and to support the rights of intersex people. Barbin's life story, rediscovered and published by Michel Foucault in "Herculine Barbin: Being the Recently Discovered Memoirs of a Nineteenth-century French Hermaphrodite", sheds light on the historical treatment of intersex people and the often traumatic impact of medical and legal interventions aimed at forcing them into a binary sex framework.

Purpose

The day aims to:

• Raise awareness about intersex issues and the challenges intersex individuals face.
• Promote human rights and bodily autonomy for intersex people.
• Encourage solidarity within the LGBTQ+ community and with allies.
• Advocate for the end of discrimination and harmful medical practices on intersex infants and children.

Activities

Activities on Intersex Day of Remembrance vary globally and include:

• Educational events and workshops.
• Social media campaigns.
• Public demonstrations and marches.
• Artistic and cultural expressions of intersex experiences.
• Lighting of landmarks in purple and yellow, the colors associated with the intersex flag.

Significance

This day serves as a critical reminder of the need for inclusivity, respect, and rights for all individuals, regardless of their sex characteristics. It challenges societal norms and medical practices that seek to erase intersex variations, advocating for a world that recognizes and celebrates bodily diversity.

See Also

• Intersex rights
• Intersex medical interventions
• Gender identity
• LGBTQ+ rights