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V-Day Endorses ISNA's Mission to End Violence Against Intersex People

01/21/2002

V-Day Endorses ISNA's Mission to End Violence Against Intersex
People; Urges local V-Day Productions to Raise Awareness about
Intersex Lives

Contact:
Emi Koyama, Intersex Society of North America
[email protected] (preferred) or 503-288-3191(voicemail)

Susan Swan, V-Day
press at vday dot org or 212-445-3288

V-Day's resolution in support of ISNA's work can be read here.

January 18, 2002

V-Day, the global movement to stop violence against women and girls, announced today its support for the mission of Intersex Society of
North America (ISNA) to end shame, secrecy and unwanted genital surgeries on intersex children, or children born with atypical reproductive or sexual anatomies. Currently, the standard protocol
for treating intersex children involves irreversible and risky surgical interventions to make their genitals appear more "normal," but there is a growing movement among intersex people, allies, and medical professionals to replace these often harmful procedures with
social and psychological interventions.

"We applaud V-Day for taking a stand against unnecessary and unconsentual genital cuttings that are ritually practiced in Western societies, just as they have stood against unnecessary ritualistic genital cuttings in other cultures," said Emi Koyama, the Program Assistant for ISNA. "I have always respected the work of V-Day on behalf of women and girls, and I am glad to know that V-Day has not left out women and girls born with intersex conditions."

As part of its commitment to stop violence against intersex people, V-Day is urging participants of its College Campaign and Worldwide
Campaign to raise the awareness about intersex experiences by distributing information about intersex, showing a documentary film, or hosting an intersex speaker during this year's V-Day activities along with the performances of Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues" (materials about intersex are available from ISNA). V-Day is also encouraging the more than 500 benefit productions of the play to consider contributing a portion of their proceeds to Intersex Society of North America.

About Intersex Society of North America:

Founded in 1993 by Cheryl Chase, Intersex Society of North America is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to ending shame, secrecy and unwanted genital surgeries on intersex children. For more information about intersex or ISNA, please visit http://www.isna.org/

on the web.
About V-Day:

V-Day is a global movement that helps anti-violence organizations throughout the world continue and expand their core work on the ground, while drawing public attention to the larger fight to stop worldwide violence (including rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation (FGM), sexual slavery) against women and girls.

V-Day is also a day (on or around Valentine's Day in February), for which annual theatrical and artistic events are produced around the world to transform consciousness, raise money, and revitalize the spirit of existing anti-violence organizations. Each year, V-Day promotes a series of innovative productions, events and initiatives that are identified collectively as V-Day and the year (i.e. V-Day 2001, V-Day 2002, V-Day 2003...).

V-Day, a non-profit corporation, distributes funds to grassroots national, and international organizations and programs that work to stop violence against women and girls. In just five years, V-Day has raised over $7 million and was recently named one of Worth Magazine's "100 Best Charities". www.vday.org