#tw igm

Over 90% of parents of visibly intersex children opt for cosmetic surgery on their infants.

The ones that don't experience medical violence then, likely experience it as a teenager.

I didn't.

I am very rare in that I did not experience medical violence.

Why? Because I learned what intersexuality was as a young age, and I actively fought against what doctors wanted to do to me. All the way down to legal research on what medical care minors can be forced into. I remember walking into that doctor's appointment with the state law written down that proved that if I did not consent they could not do surgery.

Something that’s always really sad to see when I talk about intersex activism is the clear grief, misogyny, and internalized intersexism a lot of people jump to when I bring up PCOS.

PCOS, especially if you have hyperandrogenism, is an intersex variation. It can cause “male” body and facial hair, infertility, “bottom growth” during puberty, having a deeper voice, and countless other intersex traits. The World Health Organization estimates anywhere from 6-13% of women have PCOS worldwide, and over 70% of them are undiagnosed. Mainly people are put on hormones or birth control to “help,” all without being told they’re intersex. It’s merely a thing to fix, and that if they take a pill or injection they’ll look like a “real woman.”

I bring this up, and the first thing someone always says is usually along the lines of “well I’m not half man!” We have created a binary system that is so violently determined to put people in two bullshit boxes that the immediate response isn’t “maybe I’m something beyond, maybe there is more to this,” but to fight tooth and nail for the system that brought them so much suffering to begin with. 

And that person has gone through so much pain and dysphoria their entire life because of this beyond the other symptoms of PCOS. Everywhere you go, you see picture perfect women with no hair, flat stomachs, soft voices. In porn, you never see anyone with genitals that are like yours–you’re ashamed, you might not even tell your doctor you look different or go to check. You have to shave daily to cope with facing other’s bigotry or your own gender dysphoria, either with how you personally identify or what has just been imposed on you by society, what you think is “wrong.”

I see influencers sell the “PCOS diet.” I see intersex people give themselves eating disorders because not eating food will surely “fix it” as they desperately try to get into the box they simply can’t fit into. Thousands of dollars spent on treatments to hack one’s inherent biology. Dealing with the nightmare that is birth control in an attempt to look smooth and perfect and everything that justifies the “F” on their birth certificate.

And then at the end of some posts about PCOS positivity, you’ll see things like “don’t worry, you’re still a woman despite X!” You are Sisyphus pushing a rock up a mountain. You are not a woman in spite of something, you are not a man because of something. You are human and you are complex and you are you.

Any form of hormone replacement therapy or sex-change surgery is illegal unless the participant is intersex. Intersex genital mutilation is legal and even encouraged.

A (thankfully-unenforced law) is that any homosexual relations, even if consensual, are punished by death.

Crossdressing is illegal and extremely frowned down upon.

Then I see people on social medias calling transgender men “theyfabs” and “transandrobros” for daring to speak up.

Then I see entirely new binaries being made to justify oppression olympics (looking at you, TMA/TME)

Then I see some of the most rancid and pointless discourse, coming from people who live in nations where being out as transgender, as gay, as intersex or as any marginalised identity is encouraged.

From people who don’t have to suppress themselves to stay alive.

From people who don’t have to face some of the worst queerphobia each day and keep a smile throughout.

From people who have allies for family, for people who have so much support.

we are erased in legislation and society broadly but we are also victims of an extermination campaign.

our invisibility doesn't come from people just failing to recognize us it comes from the fact that we are mutilated at birth and if we are not mutilated at birth we are mutilated at puberty. people without variations that can be changed by surgery are put on hormones against their will. it is rare to find an intersex person who hasn't experienced medical violence!

so many intersex people don't even know that they, themselves are intersex! some people have their intersex variation hidden from them, being outright lied to by parents and doctors about their own body. other people are never given the word intersex, they are told they have a DSD (disorder of sexual development), that they have a medical problem. almost no intersex person is told that they are intersex by a doctor.

Doctors have lied to parents saying the baby has heart issues just to preform IGM instead. Doctors have preformed IGM without asking the parents. Doctors have coerced parents. Parents have decided IGM entirely based on not wanting a "freak" kid. Doctors & parents will use instruments on children to "widen" their vagina. Doctors will "stimulate" children's genitals for "medical" purposes. Doctors will rape their intersex patients. They will treat them like circus freaks. Doctors & parents will force kids through HRT & never explain to them why their kids' body is different. Just tell them it needs fixing. Parents will find out their kid went through the "wrong puberty" & change their socially imposed gender theyre being raised as.

Adults should not be allowed to control minor's basic health, like eating meals when hungry, stopping eating when full, drinking when thirsty, using the restroom, etc.

Adults should not be allowed to deny minors healthcare. This includes mental health. This includes letting trans & gender diverse minors have access to their desired puberty.

Adults should not be allowed to force/coerce intersex minors into having unwanted HRT, genital mutilation, reproductive mutilation, breast mutilation, etc.

Adults should not be allowed to force/coerce minors with bodily differences (ie; polydactyl, craniofacial differences, etc) to have unnecessary medical procedures to "fix" it.

Adults should not be allowed to mutilate minors' genitals for the sake of "cultural practices" and puritanism.

Adults should not be allowed to isolate minors from society.

Adults should not be allowed to deny education to minors when a topic makes them "uncomfortable." This includes teaching minors about queerness, sexism, race & racism, disabilities & ableism, paraphilias & paramisia, sex, reproduction, etc, etc.

Minors. Are. Not. Property.

Chasing Ouroboros

The Ouroboros is a symbol of eternity and completeness, but also of repeated change.

The Chasing Ouroboros has had its tail cut off and is eternally bleeding, chasing forever after its lost completeness.

This flag may represent those, who have suffered igm and have been permanently changed by that experience/trauma and may suffer from chronical issues due to it.

Physical Change may also no longer be possible for these individuals (e.g. especially botched mutilations preventing reconstructive measures).

The flag design is only for intersex people who have suffered from igm.

The symbol is for anyone who has suffered bodily mutilation.