San Francisco: Intersex Advocates Plan Action Event at Pediatric Physicians Meeting

[Betsy]

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BODIES LIKE OURS
NEWS RELEASE

Contact:
Emi Koyama
Intersex Initiative
Phone: 971-570-8698
Email:

10/07/2004
For Immediate Release
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Intersex Advocates Plan Action Event at Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics in San Francisco


Intersex activists plan to welcome attendees to the 2004 meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics in San Francisco with a peaceful gathering on Monday, October 11, 2004. The event is planned to coincide with the keynote address being delivered by former First Lady Rosalynn Carter. Activists from several intersex organizations will be passing out informational flyers to medical professionals attending Mrs. Carter’s address.

The action event is being coordinated by the intersex advocacy organization, Intersex Initiative. According to Emi Koyama, director of Intersex Initiative, “This is not a ‘protest’, rather, we see it as an opportunity to directly educate the nation's top pediatric experts about what intersex children really need and how doctors can help end shame, secrecy and isolation that surround the lives of intersex people.” This event will also kick off the first annual Intersex Awareness Day being planned for October 26, 2004 by grassroots activists and allies around the world.

Intersex refers to a series of medical conditions in which a child's genetic sex (chromosomes) and phenotypic sex (genital appearance) do not match, or are somehow different from the "standard" male or female. About one in 2,000 babies are born visibly intersexed, while some others are detected later. The current medical protocol calls for the surgical "reconstruction" of these different but healthy bodies to make them "normal," but this practice has become increasingly controversial as adults who went through the treatment report being physically, emotionally, and sexually harmed by such procedures.

What you need to know:

Who: Intersex people, allies of the intersex movement.
Organized by Intersex Initiative with representatives from other intersex organizations, including Bodies Like Ours.

When: Monday, October 11, 2004.
8:00am-9:30am.

Where: Outside the main entrance to the Moscone Center.
San Francisco, CA

Why: To raise awareness of intersex issues and to encourage physicians to adopt a patient-centered protocol.

For PDFs of handout material, story ideas, or interviews, please contact Emi Koyama at 971-570-8698 or Betsy Driver at Bodies Like Ours at 610-258-7466 or 908-447-6671.

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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) incorporated in NJ and based in Easton, PA.

To learn more about Bodies Like Ours, please visit our website at http://www.bodieslikeours.org For general information about Bodies Like Ours, please write to mailto:info@bodieslikeours.org or call us at 610-258-7466.

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