27 August 2021 — Report on the Intersex Pre-Conference from the Pan Africa ILGA 5th Regional Conference, South Africa

From 27–31 August 2021, Pan Africa ILGA hosted its 5th Regional LGBTQIA+ Conference. Titled ‘Reclaiming Our Past, Defining Our Future’, the Conference hosted more than 500 delegates and over 100 speakers from across the continent.

The Conference held a variety of Pre-Conferences, including an Intersex Pre-Conference. Our content contributor, Delphine Barigye, who was also the moderator for the Pre-Conference, wrote a report about the summaries from the Intersex Pre-Conference.

Report: The Intersex Pre-Conference at the Virtual Pan Africa ILGA (PAI) Regional Conference, 2021

“Our past is painful to reclaim, but as intersex persons we will definitely define our future.”

These words from a keynote speaker at the Intersex Pre-Conference echoed through the hearts of the attendees, setting the tone for a powerful discussion on intersex resilience in Africa.

The 2021 Pan Africa ILGA (PAI) 5^th Regional Conference, under the theme of “Reclaiming Our Past: Defining Our Future”, held virtually from August 27 to 31, housed the Intersex Pre-Conference on the 27^th. Initially, the Conference was planned to take place in Ghana in 2020, but was rescheduled and held virtually in 2021 due to the COVID 19 pandemic. The Intersex Pre-Conference, organised by the Support Initiative for People with Atypical Sex Development (SIPD), brought together over 20 intersex activists. The panel included renowned intersex advocates Mphatso Sakala, Ronnie Zuze, Sammie MacJessie and Obioma Chukwuike. Their contributions to the discussion revealed not only challenges but also remarkable resilience and innovation in the face of a global crisis.

The vision beyond the African Intersex Movement (AIM)’s inception

Mphatso Sakala from the Intersex Society of Zimbabwe (ISSZ), shared insights of the future of the African Intersex Movement (AIM). AIM was initiated to increase individual and organisational capacity of African intersex activists and organisations, not only to develop regional strategies and address human rights violations of intersex persons in Africa, but to also increase representation of African intersex persons in international forums. Mphatso noted that,

“AIM was started to put in place a strategic framework for organisational response to health and human rights violations faced by intersex people in Africa, develop capacity and structures to support and sustain positive change for intersex people and mobilise support for the movement.

The aim is to achieve contextual change in relation to African intersex movement building. It is ultimately hoped that AIM will provide a working approach for African intersex leaders pursuing similar goals, while addressing negative cultural norms, the livelihood needs of intersex persons and the need to legally recognise the existence of intersex persons across all African countries.”

AIM strategically laid out 5 goals and action points to achieve these aims with a clearly defined vision of:

“An African society that recognises, respects and protects the rights, autonomy and agency of intersex persons.”

Mental health and the intersex journey

Ronnie Zuze, the founder of Intersex Community of Zimbabwe (ICoZ) spoke about intersex people and their mental health. Many intersex persons face mental health challenges due to the unique challenges posed not only by the pressure from society to conform to the binary gender norms, but by identity struggles, non-consensual surgeries, stigma and discrimination in major aspects of life like health, education, employment and sports. Often, these issues are overlooked and yet take a toll on a person’s mental health, eventually leading to anxiety, depression or even trauma. The need to focus on the intersex individuals’ mental health is greater than ever before. The Pre-Conference concluded that efforts should be directed to promoting healing, resilience, and empowerment of individuals to reclaim their past.

Ripple effects of COVID 19 on intersex funding

Sammie MacJessie from the Ivy Foundation in Malawi, the Coordinator of AIM, and Obioma Chukwuike from Intersex Nigeria, the Board Chairperson of AIM, shared insights about the effects of inadequate funding and COVID 19 on intersex organising in Africa, especially in their home countries, Malawi and Nigeria respectively. They shared that the impact of COVID 19 on the intersex community was profound. The panelists spoke about how the pandemic changed their lives and how it put strain on their work with community members, especially in relation to access to healthcare and support services. One panelist highlighted that,

“It is already difficult enough to try and get inclusive and non-discriminatory healthcare as it is in a free world. COVID greatly increased this and many of us were left in a world without essential care.”

The other challenges discussed ranged from disrupted advocacy and awareness campaigns, where vital in-person interactions were no longer possible due social distancing, financial challenges and the difficulty of keeping up with digital transformation. While the shift to digital communication posed challenges, especially in local spaces where intersex individuals hardly even own a smart phone, it opened up a new era where intersex organising would go worldwide.

Learnings from the Pre-Conference

The intersex community is still mainly funded by the same donors who are stretched and not focused on the distinct needs of the intersex community.
The still prevailing lack of awareness about intersex people and their lives has only worsened the effects of the pandemic on intersex persons, including their mental health.
The focus on intersectionality in LGBTIQ+ rights advocacy work has also contributed to the invisibility of intersex people.
The next step for AIM would be to establish a secretariat for better coordination, visibility and representation.

Call to action

Funders need to engage with intersex organisations and support them in the struggle for visibility, increase their capacity and seriously consider mental health as a funding criteria.
National governments have to address the concerns raised by the intersex movement and create adequate solutions in direct collaboration with intersex representatives and organisations.
Human rights organisations need to contribute to building bridges with intersex organisations and build a basis for mutual support and meaningful engagement.
Community leaders should engage in intersex education to dispel misconceptions and stigma surrounding intersex people and their families.
Traditional and religious leaders need to stop harmful cultural practices, such as tradition-led mutilations and killings of intersex people.
National, regional and international human rights institutions have to take intersex issues on board and provide visibility to intersex people and the violations they face.