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About Intersex Canada
Who We Are
Representing a diverse community of intersex individuals, parents of intersex children and allies who reside in Canada, Intersex Canada was officially registered as a not-for-profit corporation in April 2021 by board members from across the country.
Previously know as “Androgyny.ca – Canadian Intersex Network”, Intersex Canada has been active since 2015 within social networks.
The goal of Intersex Canada is to create an inclusive platform to connect, educate, raise awareness, and facilitate communication about topics related to the intersex experience for the general public, care providers, educators, our families, and ourselves.
As a volunteer-based group run by intersex individuals and parents of intersex children, we know that biological sex development does not limit itself to the binary categories of “male” and “female” created by our society. This understanding of biological sex helps us advocate for and take a stand against the harm done to intersex people medically, socially, and inter-personally.
By acknowledging the vastness of the intersex experience, we believe that in coming together we can create a space to heal and strengthen our community. In creating this platform, we hope to empower intersex individuals and parents of intersex children to make their own informed decisions with confidence and knowledge. We believe that education, awareness, and communication will help improve and enrich the lives of intersex people and our loved ones, as well as improve the Canadian systems we seek care within.
At Intersex Canada, we are first and foremost informed in our advocacy by the needs of intersex people living in Canada. We understand that living in Canada, we have different rights and protections and histories than other nations do.
Our Approach to Advocacy
To adequately advocate for intersex protections, we believe that we must take an approach that includes not only the physical dimension of health, but also the emotional, spiritual, intellectual, social, occupational, and environmental dimensions. Because of this, we take an approach to intersex health that is much similar to the social model of disability; intersex bodies are not inherently bad, unhealthy, or defective, instead it is the structures we receive care from that need to adjust to be more inclusive of intersex wellbeing.
This approach allows us to connect with intersex people and their families on an interpersonal level, meaning we engage with community members through support networks, events, one-on-one consultation, and more. This is our top priority, since intersex voices are what constitute any actions that we make.
It also allows us to engage respectfully and in partnership with educators, employers, policy makers, physicians, and other organizations and initiatives that hope to focus on intersex health so that awareness of intersex-specific needs is raised.