While advocacy groups say that bringing intersex people to the table is a start, interACT argued in a statement posted to its website that at least two intersex people with backgrounds in intersex human rights advocacy should participate in the dialogue. Hans Lindahl, the organizations communications director, also wants to see institutions like Lurie commit to reparations for generations of adults who have been irreparably harmed by these surgeries; that includes working to provide them with free or low-cost care that meets their particular needs.

The massive amount of focus is on infants, which I think clouds the issue for people, Lindahl told BuzzFeed LGBTQ. There's a population of decades worth of damaged intersex adults who have nowhere to go. Theres no adult intersex care specialty. Endocrinology or hormone doctors who can offer us knowledge and safety are truly rare. It often feels like theres nothing. Were left out to dry completely."

While activists say the ultimate goal is to encourage all medical centers to take proactive, comprehensive steps in support of their intersex patients, resources to staff a large-scale advocacy effort remain limited. Organizations like Intersex Justice Project and interACT are extremely small and predominantly volunteer-led, and Pagonis said the majority of donations that their group takes in go toward art supplies. To help fill that gap, Intersex Justice Project has provided toolkits, how-to guides, and even YouTube tutorials for activists who wish to start their own campaigns. That callout has led to protests in cities like London and Berlin in recent years.

Wall believes that empowering the next generation of intersex activists is critical for the movement to continue and hopes the recent victory against Lurie proves to them that change is possible. During a recent trip to the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC, he was inspired by an exhibit on the Black Panther Party, the revolutionary political group that, like the Intersex Justice Project, was founded by just two people: Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton.

They inspired a generation of young Black people and really pushed an idea, an ethos, and a cultural stance of Black liberation, Wall said. Their movement defined a generation. I think this is a lesson that we should never doubt the power of a few people making a difference.

The rest is here:
Activists Got A Chicago Childrens Hospital To End Intersex Surgeries. For Them, It's Just The Beginning. - BuzzFeed

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