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Today, Intersex Initiative launches "End Genital Mutilation in the U.S. and Abroad," a new website designed to inform campus V-DAY 2004 organizers about intersex issues and urge them to help end the intersex genital mutilation. V-DAY is a "global movement working to end the violence against women and girls," including the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM), and has since 2001 taken the position against intersex genital mutilation in Western societies as well.
Below is the "appeal" email sent to several feminist/queer academic email lists. Please forward it to your local campus V-DAY 2004 organizers (to find your local V-DAY production, click here).
#####
Every Day, Five Children
in the U.S. Have Their
Healthy Genitals Mutilated.
End Genital Mutilation in the U.S. and Abroad!
The notion "genital mutilation" evokes the image of the traditional,
ritualistic cutting of young women's bodies in Africa, but its equally
ritualistic high-tech version is widely practiced in the U.S. and
other Western countries in relative secrecy. Since 1950s, children
born with intersex conditions, or physiological anomalies of the
reproductive and sexual organs, have been "treated" with "normalizing"
surgeries that many survivors say are damaging to their sexual and
emotional well-being. Today it is estimated that five children undergo
these invasive and irreversible surgeries every day in the U.S.--or
about 2,000 children in a year.
In January 2002, V-DAY's national office released a joint press
release along with Intersex Society of North America (ISNA) that
clarified its position about intersex genital mutilation. Not only did
V-DAY publicly endorse ISNA's mission to end shame, secrecy and
unwanted genital surgeries on children born with intersex conditions,
it also urged "participants of its College Campaign and Worldwide
Campaign to raise the awareness about intersex experiences" and to
"consider contributing a portion of their proceeds to help end the
intersex genital mutilation.
So, join the movement to end genital mutilation here and abroad--help
us spread the word about intersex genital mutilation through your
campus V-DAY events! Visit the URL below to find out more about
intersex movement and how your campus V-DAY can help:
Or, see V-DAY's press release:
http://www.vday.org/contents/vday/press/alertsandpressrel/vdayendorsesisna
Posted by Emi on Dec 1, 2003