Intersex People of Color for Justice statement
Intersex People of Color for Justice have issued a powerful statement for Intersex Awareness Day, 2017:
As this year is coming to a close, the intersex people of color movement has seen triumph and setback. M.C., a young Black intersex child whose genitals were mutilated by the state of South Carolina while in foster care, received a court victory when his case settled out of court for $440,000. Although the sum is a pittance for the trauma that this young person has endured and what he will face in the future, this is the first time that the state has recognized the sovereign rights of an intersex child, let alone a Black intersex child. M.C.’s bravery allows us as intersex people of color to assert ourselves and claim our rightful places in the movement for bodily sovereignty. Thank you M.C.
Although not a person of color, we also recognize Scout Schultz, a white nonbinary intersex person who was murdered by Georgia Tech police. Scout Schultz was a passionate leader who advocated for those who were marginalized because they knew that no one is inherently free until the most vulnerable among us are able to live in peace and dignity. Their willingness to speak on social justice issues in the deep South provides an example to white intersex people that in order for our movement to be successful, we must be willing to work not just as allies but as co-strugglers across social justice, movements…