On Intersex Awareness Day

Today the United States celebrates Intersex Awareness Day, re-affirming our commitment to promoting respect for the human rights of intersex persons around the world. We are dedicated to pursuing an end to violence and discrimination due to sex characteristics and to advancing inclusion, respect, and equality for intersex persons worldwide so they can lead full, healthy lives free from stigma.

Throughout the world, intersex persons are regularly subjected to medically unnecessary, harmful procedures that alter their bodies - often at a young age. Intolerance places intersex persons under enormous scrutiny and disregards their bodily autonomy and dignity. These harmful so-called normalization procedures inflict physical and emotional damage that can last throughout their lives. Intersex persons deserve recognition for the specific ways their lives have been impacted by targeted discrimination and violence, yet their lives should not be defined solely by their sex characteristics.

This year, with the United States' support, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a historic resolution recognizing the human rights violations, stigma, and discrimination faced by intersex persons around the globe and reaffirming the need for all countries to tackle the root causes of these abuses. The United States will continue to seek diplomatic opportunities to advance the human rights of intersex persons and to stand with the activists, organizations, and governments who work daily to champion inclusion and respect for intersex persons. Today and every day, intersex persons deserve to live with dignity, equal protection, and recognition before the law.