Bodies Like Ours Mission Statement

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Mission Statement of Bodies Like Ours

Bodies Like Ours seeks to positively change the way we think about ourselves and the way society and the medical community view us.

We believe that through awareness, education, and peer support, our goals of eliminating isolation, shame and secrecy experienced by people born with bodies like ours will be reached.

An essential part of this mission is working towards ending non-consensual genital surgeries on infants and children without a voice in their self-determination.

Since the 1950's, babies born with external genitalia that were outside of society's expectations have been routinely surgically altered. The purpose of these procedures have been to "normalize" our exterior appearance. From the time we are young children, the shame and secrecy behind these surgeries has impacted our lives in many ways.

Bodies Like Ours is a result of surviving. We are a small group of people who have spent time reflecting upon growing up different, and have discovered the lack of resources available to others with bodies like ours. We are the people, the men and women, the girls and boys, and the many others who are just like you, and just like your children.

The causes of ambiguous genitalia are many; we do not differentiate among them.

We come in many shapes and sizes, from all walks, from all over the world.

Our goals include:

The elimination of the shame and secrecy associated with atypical genitalia through peer support and acceptance,
The elimination of early genital surgery unless medically necessary,
Awareness of the issues that people born with atypical genitals face as the result of societal and medical misperceptions.

We do this through:

Education
Outreach
Peer support

Part of this mission is the creation of a safe space, and community for people to discover their uniqueness while promoting openess and honesty.

It is our ultimate goal to see early genital surgeries come to an end; and to see the adoption of a patient-centered protocol by medical providers world-wide.

It is our belief that this will happen when the shame, secrecy, and isolation thathas plagued people with bodies like ours is overcome.

There are a vast number of resources available today that address non-consensual early genital surgeries; Bodies Like Ours hopes to nurture the human and soulful aspect of what it means to be born with genitals that don't fit what society considers normal.

Whether you were born with, have a child, or know someone with atypical genitals, we hope that this site and our external programs will answer your questions and concerns.

We will strive to make sure you know you are not alone in your experiences.

Meet Board of Directors of Bodies Like Ours.

Read more about our programs.

To meet the people who truly make Bodies Like Ours a unique and diverse community, please visit our Community Forums