Intersex Awareness Day

Intersex Awareness Day is observed every year on October 26 to raise awareness of intersex people and the human rights violations many face, especially non-consensual surgeries performed on intersex infants to make their bodies conform to binary sex norms. The date marks the first public demonstration by intersex people in the United States: on October 26, 1996, members of the Intersex Society of North America and their allies protested outside the American Academy of Pediatrics annual conference in Boston. A companion observance, Intersex Day of Remembrance on November 8, honors intersex people harmed by these practices. Communities worldwide now mark the day with education, storytelling, and advocacy for bodily autonomy.