I have joked in recent years that October is the "month of Amy" as it starts off with my birthday and ends with my remission day. My remission day is when I had my last chemo and I was set free from cancer treatment. But then I got married in October. But also October hold Intersex Awareness Day, which is the 26th! So many reasons why this is my favorite month and to celebrate- besides pumpkin spiced lattes!!No, I didn't get any presents today or anything special for being born intersexed (the day isn't over yet!) But I would like to talk a little about why this day is so important. We as intersexed people have a voice. Many of us are afraid to use it. Our voices have been stifled since we were born and our parents and those who love us very much were afraid of how society would view their babies that were born differently. Things have started to get better, but there is still stigma and many intersexed people still feel like they cannot be themselves and compartmentalize how open they are with friends, family, and others in their lives.
Our community is also trying to increase advocacy with medical issues so we can have more control over our bodies. One big example is people born with variations of sexual anatomy should be able to choose what they want to be and not have it assigned to them. Another issue is having medical staff willing to work and try different hormone options.
The last reason why a day such as today is important is that many people don't know we are out there or even think twice about us. We are a secret part of the population that you can hear in statistics or in theory, but many people have never put a name or a face to it. We are out here. We exist, and there are quite a few of us. We have rights. We continue to grow more stronger and more confident each day.
