Advocates For Informed Choice

Programs: Interacts law & policy program aims to protect children born with intersex traits by promoting policy changes in medical practice, legislation, regulation, and the courts both in the u. S. And beyond. Here is a sampling of what we've helped bring about in in 2017:human rights watch report: one of interacts many exciting projects came to fruition in summer 2017 with the release of i want to be like nature made me. Interact began working with human rights watch (hrw) in order to investigate human rights violations against intersex people at the hands of the medical community. The results were released in july via a ground-breaking report documenting the experiences of intersex people, their families, and their physicians. The report represents a significant step toward addressing concerns of there being limited data in favor of deferring medically unnecessary surgeries. It has already had a huge impact on the intersex community as medical associations across the country are questioning their practices. The response from physicians who promote surgery on intersex infants has shifted from strident to defensivetheyre starting to see that the end of nonconsensual surgeries is near. Advocating across the u. S. And beyond: in 2017, interact staff and youth members educated state level authorities in 12 u. S. States and directly influenced policies of at least five of the nations most influential medical associations. We also presented to hundreds of healthcare providers across the country, including the societies for pediatric urology, harvard medical school, duke, and the north american society for pediatric and adolescent gynecology. We presented at multiple medical conferences, including those held by the societies for pediatric urology and the american academy of pediatrics. Nevadas sb-408: interact board members, staff, and youth members all testified at the assembly and senate hearings for nevadas sb-408, a bill urging the delay of medically unnecessary, non-consensual genital surgeries on intersex children. The bill passed one house hearing and was shot down at its second, though it sets an important precedent as the first intersex-affirming legislative effort to pass any state-level legislative committee. International human rights: interacts participation is increasingly global. The executive director traveled to geneva to participate as an intersex expert in the finalization of the new yogyakarta principles plus ten an important international human rights legal document that aims to protect people from discrimination on the the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and sex characteristics. There was also engagement with the global intersex community at the 4th annual international intersex forum in amsterdam. Board members and staff joined human rights watch researchers at the i-dsd meeting in copenhagen to educate international medical practitioners on the harms of early intersex surgeries. Better together: supporting our transgender friends all the way to the supreme court: interact filed an amicus brief to the supreme court of the united states in support of gavin grimms case in which a transgender student was denied access to the appropriate bathroom facility based solely on his being transgender. Our brief was the first of its kind, raising up the voices and testimonies of intersex youth in solidarity with our transgender friends. We were proud to support the aclu in this important effort, and although the case ultimately was not heard by the supreme court, the lower courts relied on our briefs in their determination at the court of appeals level.

interact youthinteract youth is our intersex youth advocacy group, providing young intersex peers with connection, leadership skills, and a platform to raise their voices. This is the heart and soul of our mission to honor intersex bodily integrity and autonomy in decision-making. The increased visibility of the intersex community has led to an influx of interact youth members and an increase of requests for youth projects, speakers, and consultants. Interact youth began as a tumblr blog six years years ago. Weve grown from just a handful of anonymous contributors to over 50 youth advocates in north america and beyond. Our program needed to change to accommodate our increased visibility. In july 2017, we hosted our largest intersex youth program development retreat yet, with 14 youth in attendance. Interact youth advocates hosted a standing-room only panel at the creating change conference in philadelphia, pennsylvania. Interacts youth coordinator presented in washington, d. C. On a panel about stigma, alongside interacts current and former members of interacts board and staff. Youth members represented intersex issues on a commission on the status of women panel in new york city. One youth member was named a glaad campus ambassador and a hrc youth ambassador. Youth members also put together an incredible set of graphics that were disseminated for intersex awareness day, and also spoke at rutgers robert wood johnson medical school for gender and sexuality awareness week.

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