From ILGA EUROPE:

Today, ILGA-Europe joins intersex organisations around the world to mark the Intersex Awareness Day.

ILGA-Europe believes that this day is a great opportunity for the raising of awareness on intersex issues, generate greater understanding and call for the elaboration of human rights in respect to intersex people.

The foundation of all discrimination suffered by intersex people lies in the fact that our society is based on a legal and cultural binary sex model. This system negates the existence of intersex people. Within it, intersex bodies are ‘normalised’ through cosmetic surgical and medical interventions in order for them to be aligned to one or the other legally recognised sexes.

Across Europe, babies who are born intersex, or those children who are identified as intersex later in their lives, are routinely ‘normalised’ without prior personal and informed consent through intrusive and unnecessary surgeries and medical interventions which often have adverse long term effects on their psychological, sexual and physical wellbeing.

ILGA-Europe commends the European Commission for publishing a report that expressly coves the human rights situation of intersex people earlier this year, and calls on European Institutions and national governments to review the practices that intersex people are subjected to in their respective jurisdiction and take the necessary actions for the full respect of their human rights.

Brussels
26 October 2012