“Meeting others like me was life-changing”

Intersex people are a group that has long been made invisible, despite making up around 1-2 percent of the population. Because of this, RFSL’s partner organization, Intersex Asia, is now actively working to create meeting spaces where intersex people can come together and meet others with similar experiences.

Through national forums and conferences, Intersex Asia contributes to both creating community and reducing the sense of loneliness among intersex people.

What is intersex?

Intersex is when a person has physical characteristics that don’t fit social norms for what female or male bodies are expected to look like. For example, one might be born with both a penis and a uterus. Or one’s body might not produce or respond to certain hormones when entering puberty. Somewhere between 1-2% of the population is assumed to be intersex, which means it’s about as common as having red hair.

You can’t necessarily determine based on appearances only whether a person is intersex or not. This means some intersex people don’t even know themselves that they have an intersex variation until later in life. There is also still a lot of ignorance and prejudice about intersex, which can make it a taboo topic for certain people. 

– Families react differently. Some are supportive, some are not, and even supportive families might feel the need to keep things secret. This secrecy creates a shared loneliness for both the intersex person and their family, says Hiker Chiu, chair of Intersex Asia.

To reduce loneliness in the group, Intersex Asia organizes national forums and conferences, among other things. There, intersex activists get to meet, and for some, it can be the first time they meet other intersex people.

– Creating safe meeting spaces is so important. It reduces loneliness and helps people build self-acceptance. Meeting others like me was life-changing.

– These gatherings are transformative—they bring people together, creating a sense of belonging. In countries where we’ve organized forums, we’ve seen intersex-led organizations emerge and movements grow stronger, says Prashant Singh, Research and UN Advocacy Officer at Intersex Asia.

Hiker continues: 

– Creating safe meeting spaces is so important. It reduces loneliness and helps people build self-acceptance. Meeting others like me was life-changing.