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Below is a list of tips and guidelines that we should keep in mind as allies when speaking about intersex issues. I felt that it would be useful to have these guidelines so that we can avoid some of the common mistakes people make when we try to speak about issues that do not directly impact us.
| 1. | Remember to center the voices and experiences of intersex people in your discussions of intersex issues. |
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| 2. | You are not an expert on intersex experiences and you should not pretend to be one. There is nothing wrong with saying that you do not know the answer to a question. |
| 3. | When speaking or writing about intersex, it is important to portray intersex people as complete human beings, and not to reduce them to their medical conditions. |
| 4. | Be honest about who you are and why you are involved in intersex activism. This includes thinking and talking about how intersex informs your own life and the society you live in. |
| 5. | Speak responsibly and cautiously. Your speech might be the first exposure to the topic of intersex that members of the audience have had. |
| 6. | Stay on topic as much as possible. So many people conflate the experiences of LGBT people that you will most likely have to field many questions regarding gender and sexuality. It is important to remind yourself that you are speaking on intersex, and to keep the discussion on topic. For example, even though I have a fairly solid grip on gender theory and thoroughly enjoy talking about it, a speech on intersex is neither the time nor the place to do so. |
| 7. | I am continually learning how to become a better ally. A large part of being a good ally is being open to criticism and guidance from intersex people. |
| 8. | Always give your audience resources for further learning. |
| 9. | Do not use intersex to forward your own political agenda. Being an ally requires you to focus on the issues most important to the people you are supporting, not the issues most interesting to you. Stopping the medical abuse of intersex people is the primary mission of intersex activism, and one should not lose sight of this while speaking about intersex. |
| 10. | Do not assume that there are no intersex people in the room just because nobody has come out as such. Do not ask hypothetical questions that take for granted that none of the people in the room is intersex or that none of them has a family member or friend who is. |
This document was originally developed for the Speaker's Bureau training.