Thank you for mentioning the “I” during this terrible time of grief.

I want to give words of gratitude, during this challenging time of grief, that has hit our country, and especially the state of Florida, where I live. This is a very, very difficult time for all of us. The loss profound, and horrific.

I want to personally thank all of you who have participated, or went to a VIGIL for the PULSE Orlando shootings. This is such a difficult time, and yet so many unite to show this world that love will conquer all. That love wins, and evil will always lose.

The heaviness in my heart and soul, that hate can be so out of control, and so destructive. This has profoundly touched my husband, and three kids in ways that we never knew could happen. To choose to not live in fear, but to move forward, with pride and with my Gender/INTERSEX activist work. To move forward as a proud family, who appears a minority group.

I want to give a sincere, thank you, for any of you who remember that us intersex people are not invisible during this time of grief. That the “I”, should no longer stand for invisible.

When you mentioned the “I”, in your talk, or in your grief, that it showed great respect for one more marginalized group. When I stood at the vigil, and you mentioned intersex, I did not feel erased. I guarantee there were others who thank you too. The acronyms grow: LGBTQIA+; and all of us need to be mentioned during this time of grief. Intersex is as common as redheads. This tragedy has touched us intersex people too. There was no doubt an intersex victim at the PULSE nightclub that night. I also mention that many straight allies were harmed at that night club too.

When one is born intersex, we are born as a sexual minority. One that experiences some of the most horrendous human rights violations known to human kind right now: The forced surgical assignment of gender, forced sterility, the loss of genital sensation, having one’s life taken by psychiatry, and abortion even. All this due to phobias: Homophobia, Transphobia, Queerphobia, and of course Intersexphobia. As an innocent baby or child we can be harmed horrendously.

Once again, thank you for not making the “I” not stand for invisible.

May this entire world learn how to love one another better. Much strength going out to the survivors of PULSE.