Intersex Asia is an autonomous regional network of intersex-led organizations and individuals from Asian countries that work to support, educate and advocate for the rights and lives of intersex individuals and raise awareness on human rights violations and discrimination faced by intersex communities.
Intersex Asia was established when 12 intersex people representing organizations and communities from Hong Kong (China), India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam came together to attend the first Asian Intersex Forum which took place in February 2018 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Vision
Intersex Asia envisions
- A world where the beauty of intersex people is celebrated, and where intersex persons are able to love themselves and grow together as a community.
- A society that the integrity of a diverse Asian intersex community is ensured and protected.
- A space for an expandable list of diverse identities for intersex people in Asia.
- A region that the human rights of intersex people are upheld and protected by national and regional law, legislation, and policies and international human rights instruments.
Mission
- To work towards the promotion and protection of human rights of intersex people in Asia; and
- To ensure that the rights to life, bodily integrity, physical autonomy and self-determination of intersex individuals are promoted and protected everywhere; and
- To be a representative voice and a source of empowerment and support for Asian intersex people and communities, advocating legislative reform in Asia.
Values
Knowing that many in the intersex community have been abandoned by their families and communities and that there is no recognition and very little awareness about intersex people, Intersex Asia strives to uphold the following values:
- LOVE– IA builts on the base of love.
- DIVERSITY– IA creates safe spaces for all aspects of external and internal diversity for the Intersex Asian community.
- FAMILY– IA, as a family itself, forms and nurtures a culture of caring for one another and our work, as well as supporting family rights for intersex people.
- UNITY– IA unites intersex individuals as a community and works to protect and promote the human rights of the intersex community.
- RESPECT– IA members respect ourselves, each other and the work of the organization and work to bring respect to the experience of intersex individuals in different parts of Asia.
- UNDERSTANDING– IA learns from each other and raises awareness on the diverse Asian intersex history, social, religious, cultural, and political contexts.
Working Principles
Intersex Asia’s network is committed to working within Asian diversity to uphold non-discrimination, justice, and empowerment. We respect the human rights of every human being, regardless of their sex characteristics. Our work highlights equality, inclusivity, and accountability in order to build a transparent, holistic, and sustainable intersex movement in the regions of Asia.