Join us in observing Intersex Awareness Day.

Intersex Awareness Day is an internationally observed awareness day of grass-roots action designed to end shame, secrecy and unwanted genital cosmetic surgeries on intersex children. The day also provides an opportunity for reflection and political action.  Between October 26 and November 8, intersex organizations bring attention to the challenges intersex individuals face, culminating in the Intersex Day of Remembrance on the birthday of Herculine Barbin, also sometimes known as Intersex Solidarity Day.  

October 26, 1996 marks the anniversary of the first public demonstration by intersex people in the United States. Members of the now defunct Intersex Society of North America and their allies arrived in Boston, MA at the annual conference of the American Academy of Pediatrics. They demonstrated and shared their pain in a very public way, denouncing nonconsensual intersex surgeries and demanding the medical industry take notice.

The commemoration day itself began in 2003 with the establishment of a central awareness-raising site by Betsy Driver (founder of Bodies Like Ours) and Emi Koyama. A central awareness-raising site was later re-established in 2015 by Morgan Carpenter with Laura Inter of Brújula Intersexual, and support from Open Society Foundations.  Betsy Driver is the first openly intersex elected official in the U.S.

Resources:
https://en.wickipedia.org
https://interactadvocates.org/intersex-awareness-day/
https://intersexday.org/en/betsy-driver-elected-2017/

Contributed by Jean Fowler, Woodinville UU Church, on behalf of the WUUC Welcoming Congregation Team

This year, International Pronouns Day is October 16, 2019 – Why not celebrate?

“International Pronouns Day seeks to make respecting, sharing, and educating about personal pronouns commonplace. Referring to people by the pronouns they determine for themselves is basic to human dignity. Being referred to by the wrong pronouns particularly affects transgender and gender nonconforming people. Together, we can transform society to celebrate people’s multiple, intersecting identities.” https://pronounsday.org

From Wikepedia.org

“International Pronouns Day is an annual event that seeks to make sharing, respecting and educating about personal pronouns commonplace. It takes place each year on the third Wednesday of October. The first observance was held in 2018, and in that year, there were participants from 25 countries in every continent except Antarctica.

“There are a number of different kinds of pronouns in English and in other languages. International Pronouns Day specifically focuses on referring to third person personal pronouns, which are used to describe a person when you are talking about them. Referring to people by the pronouns they determine for themselves is basic to human dignity. Being referred to by the wrong pronouns particularly affects trans and gender nonconforming people.

“Transgender people, especially those whose gender is or is perceived to be outside of the man/woman gender binary, are sometimes harassed and treated with hostility. This is often demonstrated by intentional or repeated use of the wrong pronouns. Anti-transgender violence disproportionately affects transgender women and femmes of color. Using the right pronouns is a critical step in acknowledging the humanity of trans and gender nonconforming people.”

An interesting article on International Pronouns Day can be found at
https://www.ithaca.edu

Contributed by Jean Fowler, Woodinville UU Church, on behalf of the WUUC Welcoming Congregation Team