To spread knowledge about intersex people and their issues/concerns, Intersex Philippines Inc. (IXPI), the pioneering organization for intersex people in the Philippines, held an awareness session in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.
This is the second locality in Luzon that hosted such event in Luzon, with the first being Batangas City, as IXPI continues to go around the country to inform people that:
- intersex people exist,
- their erasure has implications to their being (e.g. unnecessary medical interventions to “normalize” their bodies without their consent),
- intersex people face numerous barriers that are unique to them (e.g. difficulties in accessing lifesaving medications for some of the intersex variations); and
- there are now efforts being done to better the lives of intersex Filipinos (e.g. lodging of the Cagandahan Bill that, when passed, will simplify the process doe intersex people to change their names and gender markers in legal documents).
For Jeff B. Cagandahan, IXPI executive director, a lot of work still needs to be done to make sure intersex people’s lives get better. And spreading the right information “is among the first, and relevant, steps that must be taken.”
The Bulacan event gathered members of the Gender and Development Focal Point System (GFPS), LGBTQIA+ advocates and activists, legislators, health practitioners, and representatives from various government agencies in the province, with the intent to deepen their understanding of intersex realities and so explore concrete ways to integrate intersex concerns into existing programs, projects, and activities.
IXPI partnered with INDIGO Inc., and was supported by Outright International.
