Intersex Action

A new page has popped up on Facebook and Twitter, Intersex Action. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IntersexAction/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/intersexaction?s=21

I like the idea of a weekly action item to create support and community for intersex folks. Here’s a list of questions the page founder has answered.

Been seeing a some of the same questions come up, and I understand that the way I’ve presented Intersex Action so far is a little ambiguous. So here’s my attempt to clear some stuff up.

Not a lot of content yet is there?

Not yet. Intersex Action went from an idea in a conversation to a Facebook page in under an hour. So there really hasn’t been any opportunity to establish anything yet. Which makes the overwhelming support this has got in the last 24 hours absolutely incredible!

So what’s the plan?

Every Monday at 12pm AEST I will post an “Action”. An Action is intended to be a ten minute commitment that you have the entire week to complete. I’m trying to keep my mind open to what actions might be, but the general idea is to have a positive impact on the intersex rights movement. It might involve improving your knowledge as an ally, sharing information with your community, supporting intersex-led organisations, or direct action when it is needed.

And what’s the goal?

An end to unconsented and coerced medical intervention, preferably through legislative protections. While there are plenty of other goals the movement has, this has been a key priority since the very start of the movement. A more detailed list of advocacy goals can be found at darlington.org.au/statement/. But that’s getting ahead of ourselves for now, there’ll be plenty of actions around it.

Do I have to do everything?

You don’t have to do anything. But the assumption is that you followed a page called Intersex Action because you feel like you have something to contribute. Part of the reason this page exists is that it’s very difficult to bring allies on board when the activism and knowledge exists at a fairly high level. So the idea is while advocates do the heavy lifting, you’re doing something small to support us.

Part of this capacity building is learning more about intersex in an incremental capacity. So if all you have a chance to do is keep up with the learning actions. That’s plenty. 🙂

Who are you?

I’m Cody Smith. A well established intersex advocate based in Australia on Ngunnawal / Ngambri country. I work as an Intersex Project Worker for A Gender Agenda, and volunteer with Intersex Peer Support Australia as ACT Regional Liaision and Secretary. I have also been a part of the Darlington Consortium since the first retreat, proud to have contributed to Youth & I, and spoken at conferences like Health In Difference and Better Together. I was born with intersex variation and have experiences of unconsented medical intervention. So a lot of this work is very close to my heart.

I should also take time to note that this project is my own and is not endorsed or affiliated with any of the above listed organisations. I’ll be sure to disclose any connections with these organisations if an Action supports them.

So this is an Australian page?

To start off with sure. It’s best I stick to what I know, and I like to think I understand what best practice looks like in Australia and how it’s supported here. But one of the most incredible things I’ve got to experience is interacting with the global intersex movement. If this page reaches a certain size, I’d love to bring more advocates into the mix to talk about the global movement.

One action a week doesn’t seem like a lot?

It’s not supposed to be. My vision for this at the moment is a thousand people who are willing to do one small thing a week, with the collective action making it big when it counts. I also want to limit my own commitment to this project to ensure that it remains sustainable.

That said, I have some ideas to expand the scope of the project if there is an opportunity to. Perhaps one larger action a month. A community content slot during the week. A spotlight for advocates and community members. Opportunities for streams and conversations. There will also probably be times where we need to respond to something more immediately, so once in a blue moon I anticipate emergency actions as well.

But for now I’ll see you once a week every Monday.

So this is about having a personal army?

I promise I will never use this project to dogpile or attack anyone. I want this space to be built on a foundation of kindness and support. I want to welcome people into the fold and have them feel safe to stumble or ask awkward questions. When I call for an Action I want it to amplify the work that’s already being done. If I fail to live up to this, call me out.

I want to contribute to the Intersex Action project!

Please do! You can share the page, try and get other people on board with Actions, report back to this community with your successes and challenges. I’m not really looking for people to help me run the page right now. But if that ever changes, you’ll know.

No, what I mean is I’m intersex and it’d be great if you could boost my work!

Fantastic! Drop me an email at intersexaction@mangojester.com and if it’s in the scope of the project. I’m happy to see what I can do.