October 26 is International #IntersexAwarenessDay, a day to encourage dialogue and raise awareness about the lived experience of intersex people.

Intersex people in Canada continue to be made invisible societally and face undue harm within medical institutions and Canada’s justice system. This includes Canada’s ongoing practice of non-consensual “sex normalizing surgeries,” which we refer to as genital mutilation.

What is intersex?

The term intersex refers to a person whose chromosomal, hormonal or anatomical sex characteristics fall outside the conventional classifications of male or female.