Betsy
10-06-04, 09:44 PM
*and dammit, and soon as I hit send, realized I forgot Peter's appearance in the Sacramento Bee. Sorry Peter :embaresse
San Francisco Action Event to kick off Intersex Awareness Day activities, Call For Papers, and General Bodies Like Ours Announcements
*****************************************************
Contact:
Betsy Driver
Bodies Like Ours Executive Director
mailto:betsydriver@<hidden>
www.bodieslikeours.org
610-258-7466 phone
610-258-6631 fax
*****************************************************
October 5, 2004
While it has been a slow summer in terms of news from Bodies Like Ours, Fall 2004 is starting to shape up as historic in the intersex advocacy movement. There are several events and developments to share with you.
Intersex Awareness Day
Intersex Awareness Day events are getting finalized in many cities throughout the US and internationally. The first ever (and soon to be annual) Intersex Awareness Day will take place on October 26, 2004. Most activities are planned for the 26th but other events are planned for the days around the 26th.
Already, there has been a successful event in San Francisco with the screening of “I Exist: Mani’s Story” last weekend. “I Exist…” is an award winning documentary featuring New Zealand Intersex Activist Mani Bruce. Mani came all the way from New Zealand for this special event! Congratulations to the many people who made this event a success.
Other events are planned for Intersex Awareness Day throughout the month. If you don’t see your city listed, it’s not too late to put something together. There are lots of ideas listed at http://www.intersex-awareness-day.org . Some events planned thus far range from low-key like house parties with video screenings, to very public events such as panels at LGBT Centers, and speakers at universities. We’ll send out a full listing of events as the day approaches. If you are not on the listserv set up specifically for IAD, please consider signing up today at the main planning website. If you are planning an event, there is lots of information at the site you can print out at the planning site as well. Also, there is a boilerplate press release that you can use to announce your event at http://www.bodieslikeours.org/dostuff.html
San Francisco Action Alert
Intersex Initiative is coordinating an event in San Francisco for Monday, October 11, 2004. A large group of intersex advocates and allies are planning to gather at the Moscone Center that morning to hand out flyers to medical professionals attending the 2004 meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics. You can read the news release for this event at http://www.bodieslikeours.org/upcomingevents/upcomingevents.htm If you are in the bay area and can attend this important gathering, please try to make it. Everything you need to know is on the release. It’s important that we have a large number of people there to show the medical community that it isn’t only a few people who are concerned about the way intersex people are treated in the medical arena; this is a good opportunity to make a very public statement about intersex. Bodies Like Ours has already heard from many who plan to be there and we hope to see you there as well. You can find out lots more about what is planned for October 11 at the website of Intersex Initiative http://www.intersexinitiative.org Please contact them directly for further information.
News Coverage and Recent Events
By now you have probably read the NY Times article published September 19, 2004 about surgery decisions and the impact the intersex movement is having on changing the course of medical history. We continue to get good feedback about it. If you didn’t get a chance to read it, you can find it at http://www.bodieslikeours.org/recent_news/news_splash.htm It is encouraging to see attitudes finally begin to change when it comes to bodies that don’t fall into the narrow slot that much of society defines as standard male or female. Lisa Greene, one of the parents interviewed wrote recently that her daughter’s physician read the article and thought it was wonderful. With the courage of parents like Lisa as a guidepost, hopefully more parents of children with an intersex condition will recognize that cosmetic genital surgery for their intersexed child is not always a necessity.
The NY Times article is only the most recent news coverage that Bodies Like Ours has received. Earlier this year Time Magazine interviewed Bodies Like Ours board member Elijah Hobbs, and Bodies Like Ours community forum member(and frequent participatant) Julanne Tutty. The online news outlet Slate.com linked to Bodies Like Ours, the Bergen Record quoted Betsy Driver in an article, another online news source, The Cheers profiled Betsy, and several articles on planetout.com also quoted Betsy for articles recently.
In addition, Betsy Driver also spoke before thousands at the NYC Pride Festival in June, Jersey City Pride (in front of a huge crowd that stretched for a few blocks) in August, and Connecticut Pride in September. In addition, Betsy presented by invitation at the Women in Medicine conference last summer in Provincetown, MA. All these events are in addition to several other conferences and university level classes.
Just last weekend, Bodies Like Ours ally Caitlin Childs presented at the annual Southern Comfort conference and wrote that she is working at lining up other events in the Atlanta area.
This list is in no way inclusive of everything we have been involved with recently (and apologies if we left anyone off)
If your organization or campus would like a speaker to address intersex issues, please let us know!
Call for Papers/Abstracts
Bodies Like Ours recently sent a call for papers for an exciting legal symposium about intersex planned for February, 2005 in New York City. The symposium is being hosted by the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and the proceeds will be published in a special issue of the Cardozo Women’s Law Journal. The response thus far has been incredible and we hope that you will consider being a part of it. If you missed the announcement, please visit http://www.bodieslikeours.org/clwj.html. The deadline for submitting abstracts is October 25, 2004. We are also in the process of setting up a dedicated website for this event and will let you know when it is done.
Bodies Like Ours was asked to forward a call for submissions for an intersexed focus symposium being planned for the 2005 American Psychological Association to be meeting to be held in Washington, DC next spring. Please note that Bodies Like Ours is not involved in this symposium and we are forwarding it only as a courtesy to our friends who are members of the section planning this event. Contact information is included in the call. You can find out the details at http://www.bodieslikeours.org/dostuff.html (scroll down towards the bottom of the page to the call for submissions). This is an important milestone for the APA and we are pleased to see attention to the mental health needs of those with intersex becoming a focus.
Other Upcoming Events
Bodies Like Ours will be at Creating Change 2004, being held this year in St. Louis in early November. Along with workshops, an intersex caucus is planned. Please let us know if you are planning to attend Creating Change. We have a some more information on the Bodies Like Ours website at http://www.bodieslikeours.org/upcomingevents/upcomingevents.htm You can find information about other happenings there as well.
San Francisco Human Rights Commission
Peter Trinkl, a board member of Bodies Like Ours is involved in the writing of the final recommendations for the San Francisco Human Rights Commission and is keeping us apprised of the status of things there. Once the recommendations are made public, we will send them along.
Speaking of San Francisco, we heard that the board of supervisors there took up a resolution recognizing Intersex Awareness Day. When we get more information, we will let you know. If you are interested in having your city government do the same, you can get a sample resolution at http://www.intersex-awareness-day.org
Bodies Like Ours Brochures
In the past, Bodies Like Ours has used handouts that were professionally printed and needed to be mailed to organizations interested in having some in their information racks or at events. Because of the growing demand we have experienced from organizations wanting information, we decided to move to a PDF version that can be downloaded and printed locally. There is a version now online as a PDF that you can download. Print on both sides of your paper and fold into thirds. The current version is primarily for an LGBT audience but and also be multi-purpose. We will have more general audience versions posted soon. Find them at http://www.bodieslikeours.org/dostuff.html If you are unable to print them at home or at your organization, please let us know and we’ll send some out to you.
Please Help
All of these exciting events tend to keep us busy, but they also need your help to help make them successful. Without your assistance, most of this outreach and these events would not be possible. Your financial assistance is a key part of helping us erase shame and secrecy through community, peer support, and education; Bodies Like Ours depends almost entirely on donors like yourself in order to accomplish our goals and work. Please consider making a gift today. It’s easy and safe to donate right now through our secure server at http://www.bodieslikeours.org/Support_Our_Efforts/donate.html. Without your support, we wouldn’t be able to accomplish nearly as much as we do. If you are unable to donate financially, please let us know what you can do so we can find a way for you to be involved.
If you prefer, our mailing address is:
Bodies Like Ours
PO Box 1732
Easton, PA 18044
Bodies Like Ours is a 501(c)(3) organization and your donation may be tax-deductible. Consult your tax advisor for complete information.
As we get closer to Intersex Awareness Day and we move through autumn, things will get busy here at Bodies Like Ours so watch your mailbox for more updates soon. A full rundown of IAD events will be sent as events get near.
*****************************************************
Bodies Like Ours needs your generous support financial contributions to help fix a very broken part of our world. Please consider making a donation today at http://www.bodieslikeours.org/Support_Our_Efforts/donate.html We are dependent on you for helping us do our work.
Founded in 2002, Bodies Like Ours provides peer support and information for people born with intersex conditions. Our mission includes elimination of the shame and secrecy of intersex births through education, awareness, and community. Bodies Like Ours is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization incorporated in NJ and based in Easton, PA.
To learn more about Bodies Like Ours, please visit our website at http://www.bodieslikeours.org
*****************************************************
To unsubscribe from the Bodies Like Ours mailing list, simply send a blank email to mailto:bodieslikeours-unsubscribe@<hidden> or visit our subscription management area at http://www.bodieslikeours.org/cgi-bin/lists/email.php
To change your email address, http://www.bodieslikeours.org/cgi-bin/lists/email.php
For general information about Bodies Like Ours, please write to mailto:info@<hidden> or call us at 610-258-7466.
*****************************************************
San Francisco Action Event to kick off Intersex Awareness Day activities, Call For Papers, and General Bodies Like Ours Announcements
*****************************************************
Contact:
Betsy Driver
Bodies Like Ours Executive Director
mailto:betsydriver@<hidden>
www.bodieslikeours.org
610-258-7466 phone
610-258-6631 fax
*****************************************************
October 5, 2004
While it has been a slow summer in terms of news from Bodies Like Ours, Fall 2004 is starting to shape up as historic in the intersex advocacy movement. There are several events and developments to share with you.
Intersex Awareness Day
Intersex Awareness Day events are getting finalized in many cities throughout the US and internationally. The first ever (and soon to be annual) Intersex Awareness Day will take place on October 26, 2004. Most activities are planned for the 26th but other events are planned for the days around the 26th.
Already, there has been a successful event in San Francisco with the screening of “I Exist: Mani’s Story” last weekend. “I Exist…” is an award winning documentary featuring New Zealand Intersex Activist Mani Bruce. Mani came all the way from New Zealand for this special event! Congratulations to the many people who made this event a success.
Other events are planned for Intersex Awareness Day throughout the month. If you don’t see your city listed, it’s not too late to put something together. There are lots of ideas listed at http://www.intersex-awareness-day.org . Some events planned thus far range from low-key like house parties with video screenings, to very public events such as panels at LGBT Centers, and speakers at universities. We’ll send out a full listing of events as the day approaches. If you are not on the listserv set up specifically for IAD, please consider signing up today at the main planning website. If you are planning an event, there is lots of information at the site you can print out at the planning site as well. Also, there is a boilerplate press release that you can use to announce your event at http://www.bodieslikeours.org/dostuff.html
San Francisco Action Alert
Intersex Initiative is coordinating an event in San Francisco for Monday, October 11, 2004. A large group of intersex advocates and allies are planning to gather at the Moscone Center that morning to hand out flyers to medical professionals attending the 2004 meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics. You can read the news release for this event at http://www.bodieslikeours.org/upcomingevents/upcomingevents.htm If you are in the bay area and can attend this important gathering, please try to make it. Everything you need to know is on the release. It’s important that we have a large number of people there to show the medical community that it isn’t only a few people who are concerned about the way intersex people are treated in the medical arena; this is a good opportunity to make a very public statement about intersex. Bodies Like Ours has already heard from many who plan to be there and we hope to see you there as well. You can find out lots more about what is planned for October 11 at the website of Intersex Initiative http://www.intersexinitiative.org Please contact them directly for further information.
News Coverage and Recent Events
By now you have probably read the NY Times article published September 19, 2004 about surgery decisions and the impact the intersex movement is having on changing the course of medical history. We continue to get good feedback about it. If you didn’t get a chance to read it, you can find it at http://www.bodieslikeours.org/recent_news/news_splash.htm It is encouraging to see attitudes finally begin to change when it comes to bodies that don’t fall into the narrow slot that much of society defines as standard male or female. Lisa Greene, one of the parents interviewed wrote recently that her daughter’s physician read the article and thought it was wonderful. With the courage of parents like Lisa as a guidepost, hopefully more parents of children with an intersex condition will recognize that cosmetic genital surgery for their intersexed child is not always a necessity.
The NY Times article is only the most recent news coverage that Bodies Like Ours has received. Earlier this year Time Magazine interviewed Bodies Like Ours board member Elijah Hobbs, and Bodies Like Ours community forum member(and frequent participatant) Julanne Tutty. The online news outlet Slate.com linked to Bodies Like Ours, the Bergen Record quoted Betsy Driver in an article, another online news source, The Cheers profiled Betsy, and several articles on planetout.com also quoted Betsy for articles recently.
In addition, Betsy Driver also spoke before thousands at the NYC Pride Festival in June, Jersey City Pride (in front of a huge crowd that stretched for a few blocks) in August, and Connecticut Pride in September. In addition, Betsy presented by invitation at the Women in Medicine conference last summer in Provincetown, MA. All these events are in addition to several other conferences and university level classes.
Just last weekend, Bodies Like Ours ally Caitlin Childs presented at the annual Southern Comfort conference and wrote that she is working at lining up other events in the Atlanta area.
This list is in no way inclusive of everything we have been involved with recently (and apologies if we left anyone off)
If your organization or campus would like a speaker to address intersex issues, please let us know!
Call for Papers/Abstracts
Bodies Like Ours recently sent a call for papers for an exciting legal symposium about intersex planned for February, 2005 in New York City. The symposium is being hosted by the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and the proceeds will be published in a special issue of the Cardozo Women’s Law Journal. The response thus far has been incredible and we hope that you will consider being a part of it. If you missed the announcement, please visit http://www.bodieslikeours.org/clwj.html. The deadline for submitting abstracts is October 25, 2004. We are also in the process of setting up a dedicated website for this event and will let you know when it is done.
Bodies Like Ours was asked to forward a call for submissions for an intersexed focus symposium being planned for the 2005 American Psychological Association to be meeting to be held in Washington, DC next spring. Please note that Bodies Like Ours is not involved in this symposium and we are forwarding it only as a courtesy to our friends who are members of the section planning this event. Contact information is included in the call. You can find out the details at http://www.bodieslikeours.org/dostuff.html (scroll down towards the bottom of the page to the call for submissions). This is an important milestone for the APA and we are pleased to see attention to the mental health needs of those with intersex becoming a focus.
Other Upcoming Events
Bodies Like Ours will be at Creating Change 2004, being held this year in St. Louis in early November. Along with workshops, an intersex caucus is planned. Please let us know if you are planning to attend Creating Change. We have a some more information on the Bodies Like Ours website at http://www.bodieslikeours.org/upcomingevents/upcomingevents.htm You can find information about other happenings there as well.
San Francisco Human Rights Commission
Peter Trinkl, a board member of Bodies Like Ours is involved in the writing of the final recommendations for the San Francisco Human Rights Commission and is keeping us apprised of the status of things there. Once the recommendations are made public, we will send them along.
Speaking of San Francisco, we heard that the board of supervisors there took up a resolution recognizing Intersex Awareness Day. When we get more information, we will let you know. If you are interested in having your city government do the same, you can get a sample resolution at http://www.intersex-awareness-day.org
Bodies Like Ours Brochures
In the past, Bodies Like Ours has used handouts that were professionally printed and needed to be mailed to organizations interested in having some in their information racks or at events. Because of the growing demand we have experienced from organizations wanting information, we decided to move to a PDF version that can be downloaded and printed locally. There is a version now online as a PDF that you can download. Print on both sides of your paper and fold into thirds. The current version is primarily for an LGBT audience but and also be multi-purpose. We will have more general audience versions posted soon. Find them at http://www.bodieslikeours.org/dostuff.html If you are unable to print them at home or at your organization, please let us know and we’ll send some out to you.
Please Help
All of these exciting events tend to keep us busy, but they also need your help to help make them successful. Without your assistance, most of this outreach and these events would not be possible. Your financial assistance is a key part of helping us erase shame and secrecy through community, peer support, and education; Bodies Like Ours depends almost entirely on donors like yourself in order to accomplish our goals and work. Please consider making a gift today. It’s easy and safe to donate right now through our secure server at http://www.bodieslikeours.org/Support_Our_Efforts/donate.html. Without your support, we wouldn’t be able to accomplish nearly as much as we do. If you are unable to donate financially, please let us know what you can do so we can find a way for you to be involved.
If you prefer, our mailing address is:
Bodies Like Ours
PO Box 1732
Easton, PA 18044
Bodies Like Ours is a 501(c)(3) organization and your donation may be tax-deductible. Consult your tax advisor for complete information.
As we get closer to Intersex Awareness Day and we move through autumn, things will get busy here at Bodies Like Ours so watch your mailbox for more updates soon. A full rundown of IAD events will be sent as events get near.
*****************************************************
Bodies Like Ours needs your generous support financial contributions to help fix a very broken part of our world. Please consider making a donation today at http://www.bodieslikeours.org/Support_Our_Efforts/donate.html We are dependent on you for helping us do our work.
Founded in 2002, Bodies Like Ours provides peer support and information for people born with intersex conditions. Our mission includes elimination of the shame and secrecy of intersex births through education, awareness, and community. Bodies Like Ours is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization incorporated in NJ and based in Easton, PA.
To learn more about Bodies Like Ours, please visit our website at http://www.bodieslikeours.org
*****************************************************
To unsubscribe from the Bodies Like Ours mailing list, simply send a blank email to mailto:bodieslikeours-unsubscribe@<hidden> or visit our subscription management area at http://www.bodieslikeours.org/cgi-bin/lists/email.php
To change your email address, http://www.bodieslikeours.org/cgi-bin/lists/email.php
For general information about Bodies Like Ours, please write to mailto:info@<hidden> or call us at 610-258-7466.
*****************************************************