Today is Intersex Awareness Day, and the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice is proud to uplift and honor our intersex grantee partners around the globe. After years of disruption due to COVID-19, the intersex community is ready to regroup, synchronize strategies, and strengthen locally and globally. 

What’s Intersex Bodily Autonomy? 

Intersex is an umbrella term most often describing when someone’s reproductive or sexual anatomy that at birth does not fit into binary definitions of male or female. In most hospitals, bodies are evaluated at birth and assigned male or female. When people with intersex bodies do not conform to this male-female sex binary, they are subjected to nonconsensual, permanent surgeries due to medical and social pressure. This often means multiple surgeries throughout childhood and lasting effects on socialization and self-image. The Astraea Foundation believes that intersex people deserve bodily autonomy and should have the right to decide what is best for their bodies. 

The State of Intersex Funding 

Unfortunately, funding for intersex activism is still not a priority in most LGBTQI+ philanthropy spaces. According to Funders for LGBTQ Issues and Global Philanthropy Project, LGBTQI+ organizing receives only 0.5% of global funding, and out of that less than 1% goes to intersex causes. Currently most intersex organizations run entirely on a volunteer basis, and about one in five lack any operating budget. 

Supporting Global Intersex Activism 

Through the Intersex Human Rights Fund (IHRF), the Astraea Foundation supports activists and groups in navigating new threats, obtaining resources, and working for legislative and social progress for intersex people. As a unique, intersex-led initiative, the IHRF is focused on supporting unregistered and underfunded groups with flexible funding and multi-year core support. We are proud to be the first and sometimes only funder for intersex-led organizing around the world, providing grants which typically range from $5,000 to $20,000 USD. By giving activists the financial flexibility they need, we sustain their work in the long term, creating lasting change. 

Uplifting Intersex Communities 

The IHRF currently supports over 60 organizations at the front lines of the intersex movement. We know how vital it is to uplift intersex communities tackling vital issues like bodily autonomy and respect for bodily diversity. People with intersex variations face invisibility, stigma, discrimination, and violence. As anti-rights opposition groups gain momentum around the world, intersex activists are focusing on building narrative power around bodily autonomy to shift the discourse and advocate for a world where intersex people can live authentically and with dignity.  

Let’s drive intersex organizing forward and let intersex bodies be!