Kimberly Zieselman on the intersex healthcare gap
Kimberly Zieselman, executive director of interACT, writes at Stat News about the need for informed, accessible, affirmative healthcare.
… just because we want doctors to delay unnecessary surgery on children doesn’t mean we don’t want more specialized intersex care. On the contrary, we’re desperate for it…
I urge health care providers to reach out to intersex advocacy and support groups. We’re always looking for intersex-aware referrals. And I ask medical and public health educators to advocate for better inclusion in the curriculum — intersex deserves more than just a paragraph or two in a textbook. Even better, bring intersex people to your medical or public health schools so students can learn from us firsthand.
Above all, acknowledge the trust gap and the reasons it exists — that’s the first step toward making sure we’re not afraid to seek the care we need and deserve.
Kimberly Zieselman has also been interviewed by Wiktor Dynarski of Open Society Foundations:
Read the accompanying article on the Open Society Foundations site