When I see you cry, when you are taught about us, the INVISIBLE “I”

It is huge for me, to break the silence, with Dr. Judi Herring, M.D.,  my speaking partner, and share with you the atrocities faced by intersex people.  Most of us have heard the acronyms,  LGBT, which stand for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender.  My story is about the “I”, that is rarely mentioned, and of course “I” stands for intersex.

I thank you for listening with care, and hearing my story.  I see your tears out in the audience when I talk to you.  I see you squirm in your seat, as you watch Dr. Herring’s TEDx GENDER BOUND, Lessons From The World Between, and you learn about things kept from you, that was never taught to you in this world until now.

My heart goes out to each and every one of you as your world crumbles to your feet and you learn about terrible human rights violations.  When you find out why they needed to hush us into silence, I see you become angry too.   I see your heart break, as you are taught about us, the INVISIBLE.  I was told to stay silent, it makes me cry too.

None of us have to be silent anymore.

As a little boy, they taught me I was a girl and I had to be that girl to be good.  And I became mute.  I now reclaim my birth right.  I am just one of many now, who has given myself voice; and share with you my tragedy and my reclaiming.

There are too many of us who have survived genital mutilations, unwanted sexual assignment surgeries as infants and children, unnecessary castrations, unwanted sterilizations,  hormones forced on us, being sexually exploited as children, psychiatric and psychological damage, suicides, self mutilation, not to mention how society harasses and bullies us.

Yes, it is appalling, overwhelming, and yes, it is really allowed to happen.  And yes, it happens everywhere in this world.

Malta and Chile are the first two countries to outlaw surgery on intersex babies; as a world we have a long ways to go into creating human rights and making this a safe place for intersex infants to be born into.

Now that my blog has been seen in over one hundred countries  I want the world to know that I am breaking the silence for one reason:

I do this work for the children and all the innocent babies born.  To keep such terrible things from happening to  intersex or transgender children.  With our stories out there, maybe these tragedies will keep future tragedies from happening again.  Just maybe, the parent of a newborn intersex child, will be reached, and they will see that we are loveable people, just the way we are born.  Please don’t try to fix us by erasing us.  The “I” does not stand for INVISIBLE.

Please shout from the roof tops for us intersex people.   Let this world know we exist, and that we need our human rights too.

♥

Always remember that A true Ally has

ACTION!

One easy way: If ten people share ten times, then awareness becomes 100 people!  100 people times 10, become 1,000 people… and so on.  Simply SHARE!  

It will reach the parent of an intersex newborn, and their life will be spared.

♥

THANK YOU,

Mx. Anunnaki Ray

~.V.~