Understanding Intersex: Creating Space for Intersex Bodies, Lives, and Human Rights
Workshop Description
Intersex individuals have historically been rendered as socially and medically disordered, which has resulted in a body suspended in taboo and myth. This workshop explores the emergence of the intersex treatment model in the mid-twentieth century and the effects that medicalization has on lived experience. We will also be exploring how these systems violate the human rights of intersex people. Through critical analysis and personal narratives, we will illuminate the lived realities of intersex folk at the intersection of society, gender, and medicine.
Conference Track
Family
Primary Contact
Amanda Saenz, InterACT
Workshop Presenters
Amanda Saenz, InterACT
Presenter Bio
Amanda Saenz is a queer non-binary intersex person living in Seattle, Washington, where they work as an intersex activist and educator. Since joining interACT as a member in 2013, they have had the opportunity to speak multiple times at the University of Washington, Seattle University, and Seattle Central Community College. By raising awareness through intersectional education, they hope to not only end unnecessary surgeries on intersex infants but also create a safe and welcoming world for all intersex and gender-nonconforming people. Amanda currently serves on the board of AIS/DSD, the world’s largest support group in the United States for intersex folk.