Intersex groups in the Global South often encounter significant disparities in funding, access to community initiatives, and opportunities for policy advocacy compared to those in the Global North.
Our bodies serve as our initial encounter with the world, a fundamental aspect not exclusive to intersex individuals. They are the very conditions for our existence and agency, offering us the opportunity to engage and enact change. However, for intersex individuals, our bodies often represent a profound struggle, an impossibility in navigating our existence in this world. This underscores the inseparability of discussing intersex bodies and engaging in intersex politics.
For GATE, fostering alliances among intersex bodies in the Global South is imperative. Data indicates that intersex groups in regions such as the Global South and East face significant challenges in obtaining funding, accessing community-building initiatives, and participating in regional and global advocacy efforts. Despite these obstacles, intersex individuals have persevered through activism, carving out a space for survival and resistance within the confines of our bodies and territories. In recent years, intersex resilience and resistance have gained momentum, challenging a world that often subjects intersex persons to mutilation from birth. These struggles, once hidden, have now become public issues, catalyzing an activist movement that unites diverse agents. Intersex communities have forged a complex network of alliances aimed at preserving lives and safeguarding bodily integrity. This task necessitates the cultivation of robust alliances, increasingly emphasized in this quest to ensure survival and bodily autonomy.
In response to these disparities, GATE’s webinar series has been launched with the specific aim of creating a supportive environment for intersex movements and activists from the Global South to convene and engage in discussions surrounding sex variations and intersex issues at the regional level. Facilitated by GATE, these webinars delve into the evolution of intersex-led movements across the Global South. Participants are selected to ensure a diverse representation based on regional backgrounds, fostering dialogue among various stakeholders about their unique experiences and ongoing projects related to intersex concerns.
As part of the series, each panelist contributed a comprehensive five-page article focusing on the topic under discussion. These articles were then compiled into publications, providing valuable insights into the perspectives and endeavors of intersex individuals in the Global South.
