Intersex Awareness Week

Intersex Awareness Week is one of the four educational weeks the LGBT Resource Center plans annually, scheduled to take place February 27th - March 2nd, 2012. If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Michelle Didero at msdidero@ucdavis.edu.

Schedule of Events:

Monday, February 27
Intersex 101
Time: 5- 6 p.m.
Location: Multi-Purpose Room (Student Community Center)
A basic introduction to the history and importance of intersex issues, we’ll be answering frequently asked questions regarding the intersex community. No background... knowledge necessary- everyone is welcome!

Tuesday, February 28
Safe Zone, Conference Room
Time: 5-8 p.m.
Safe Zone is a three-hour training designed to raise awareness and discuss ways to make the spaces we live and work in more welcoming and safe for LGBTQI people. After completing the training, you have the option of receiving a sign to designate your space as a Safe Zone. To sign up, email Leanne Soter: lrsoter@ucdavis.edu or call the LGBT Resource Center at (530) 752-2452.

Wednesday, February 29
Feature Film XXY
Time: 7-9 p.m.
Location: Multi-Purpose Room
Alex is a 15-year-old intersex person from Buenos Aires whose parents decided not to have her operated on at birth in order for her to choose her own gender.

Thursday, March 1
Celebrate Your Body
Time: 12 p.m.
Location: Meeting Room E
Intersex people may not always find it easy to celebrate their bodies. Intersex individuals are those whose bodies have a mix of body characteristics traditionally considered “male” or “female.” Clinicians attempt to “fix” intersex bodies through a variety of medical procedures that individuals often cannot give consent to, but our bodies are beautiful and healthy as they naturally are - we don't need fixing. Join intersex activist Claudia Astorino in exploring what intersex is, why intersex bodies should be celebrated, and why the widespread practice of "fixing" intersex bodies must be stopped. These issues will be explored through discussion follwed up by Q&A. Come join us to learn, explore, and CELEBRATE!

Keynote: Claudia Astorino
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Multi-Purpose Room
Claudia Astorino is an intersex activist living in NYC. She is the Associate Director of the USA chapter of Organization Intersex International (OII) - the world's largest global advocacy group for intersex individuals. She also writes the blog Full-Frontal Activism: Intersex and Awesome and is the co-coordinator of the annual Intersex Awareness Day events in NYC. Claudia has raised awareness speaking at New York University, Bluestockings Activist Center (NYC), and Wooden Shoe Books (Philadelphia). Join Claudia in exploring what intersex is, why the widespread practice of "fixing" intersex bodies must be stopped, and how to be a good intersex ally. These issues will be explored through discussion with Q&A, followed by a series of performance monologues that link Claudia's personal experiences to intersex issues broadly. Come join us to learn, explore, and share!

Friday, March 2
Film Fest!
Time: All day
Location: LGBT Resource Center
Come enjoy a day of movies, short films, and documentaries centered on intersex identity! Drop in, relax, grab a snack and watch some great clips!

Crafternoon
Time: 3:30-5 p.m.
Location: LGBT Resource Center (Student Community Center)
Join us for our weekly crafting session! Materials provide, and no prior experience or skill required!

Closed Session
Time: 5-6 p.m.
Location: Meeting Room B
A safe space for intersex-identified people to have discussion and find support.

Queer Mic Night
Time: 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Location: LGBT Resource Center
Come on over for a fun, free, and casual night. Feel free to come share your talents or just appreciate others in a safe space. Queer Open Mic Night is not your average Mic Night, anything goes; Singing, dancing, poetry, even juggling! All identities welcomed, all skill levels encouraged.

Ongoing events:
Art Projects at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Resource Center

Book Displays at the
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Resource Center
and the Women’s Research and Resource Center
Check out a table of books from the LGBTRC’s extensive library, as well as other resources related to the intersex community!

Also going on campus…
Celebrate Your Body Week!
Visit abide.ucdavis.edu/bodyweek.html for more information

Click on the image below to enlarge, or scroll down for last year's event listing.

Intersex conditions can include, but are not limited to: 5-alpha reductase deficiency, Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS), Aphallia, Clitoromegally (large clitoris), Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH), gonadal dysgenesis (partial & complete), hypospadias, Klinefelter Syndrome, micropenis, mosaicism involving “sex” chromosomes, MRKH (Mullerian agenesis; vaginal agenesis; cong...enital absence of vagina), ovo-testes (formerly called “true hermaphroditism”), Partial Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (PAIS), penile raphe, Progestin Induced Virilization, Swyer Syndrome, Turner Syndrome