Intersex Asia in ILGA Asia Conference 2022 — Visibility and Voice for the Future We Demand

With the theme “Our Trials, Our Triumphs, And the Future We Demand”, the 9th ILGA Asia Conference in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (28 Nov – 2 Dec 2022)  recalls the community’s victories and losses for the past years ever since the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath. Despite facing difficulties amidst the intersectional struggles of the LGBTQI+ community in the region, our successes merit commemoration and they need to be remembered as an inspiration for the movement’s future that we aspire to.

The Intersex Asia team participated in the conference representing the voice of the wider Asian intersex community.  Those in attendance were IA’s Research and UN Advocacy Officer Prashant Singh, Board Member Esan Regmi of Campaign for Change Nepal (CFC Nepal), Co-Chair Jeff Cagandahan of Intersex Philippines, and Chair & Executive Director Hiker Chiu of OII-Chinese. They were joined by two more intersex participants: Charm Peralta Ison from the Philippines and Amek Adlian from Indonesia.

Together, the group convened for the intersex pre-conference, facilitated by Hiker Chiu, and adopted the Intersex Resolution for this year’s conference. The resolution looked back on its roots, starting with the inception of the Asian intersex movement back in 2015 during a previous edition of the ILGA Asia Conference, and reflected on its journey since then. 

With the revisit of the Asian Intersex Statement during the Third Asian Intersex Forum last October 2022 in Bangkok, Thailand, the intersex resolution affirms its stance on its demands on promoting and protecting human rights of intersex people, guaranteeing their rights to life, bodily integrity, physical autonomy and self-determination, and stopping the stigma and discrimination against the intersex community in Asia.

The following are the calls of the Intersex Resolution for the members, donors, and stakeholders of ILGA Asia:

• Continue supporting the Public Statement of the Asian Intersex Movement as a sign of solidarity and commitment towards intersex human rights in Asia.

• Collaborate with intersex organizations in a meaningful way and provide the space for intersex individuals and intersex-led organizations to articulate their position. We hope that these partnerships are carried out with a spirit of collaboration and not in a tokenistic manner.

• Help intersex activists and organizations spread awareness of intersex rights with the full range of stakeholders.  

• Support intersex activists and organizations in the struggle for movement-building and visibility by sharing knowledge and resources to build their capacity and organization development. It is also critical to strengthen the existing intersex-led organizations so they can grow sustainably. 

• Involve intersex individuals and intersex-led organizations in any grassroots or policy interventions by ILGA Asia. 

• Assist intersex individuals and intersex-led organizations in making use of opportunities in the field of research, advocacy, and capacity-building. 

• Undertake intersex-focused initiatives and ensure that grassroots-based activists and organizations are given the space to shape the discourse on intersex.

• Ensure meaningful participation of intersex member organizations of ILGA Asia to join and organize the intersex pre-conference in the ILGA Asia Regional Conference for adequate representation of the intersex community.  

On the first day of the conference, Intersex Asia hosted a panel discussion titled “Legal Gender Recognition of Intersex People in Asia: Challenges and Way Forward”. The panel consisted of Hiker Chiu, Esan Regmi, and Jeff Cagandahan as speakers, with Prashant Singh as the panel moderator. 

The panelists highlighted the need to recognize the unique challenges faced by the Asian intersex community with regard to legal gender recognition when it comes to birth registration, identity documents, and census processes. The speakers also stressed the importance of including intersex people in the law and policy-making procedures. The session gave an opportunity for the wider LGBTQ+ community to learn directly from intersex activists in Asia.

Aside from the breakout session on intersex issues, IA’s Executive Director Hiker Chiu was part of the panel discussion “Identifying strategies for LGBTQI organization engagements on ADB safeguards policy review for SOGIESC inclusion”. They were joined by Manisha Dhakal of the Blue Diamond Society from Nepal, Olam Rasaphonh of CHIAs from Laos, and Ramil Andag of APCOM from Thailand.

During the conference, the team also had the opportunity of meeting Jessica Stern, who currently serves as the U.S. Special Envoy on LGBTQI+ Rights. The Intersex Asia team shared the situation of intersex rights in the Asian region with her and discussed opportunities where the U.S. State Department could support Asian intersex activists.  

Intersex Asia’s participation in the conference concluded with Hiker Chiu being part of the Chairing Pool for the selection of the new board members of ILGA Asia. After the extensive election, IA’s very own founding board member Esan Regmi, Executive Director of CFC Nepal, was elected as the new Intersex Representative and Co-Chair of the ILGA Asia Executive Board 2022-2024.

Intersex Asia is truly grateful for the continuous support and close partnership of the full members, staff, donors, and stakeholders of ILGA Asia for this opportunity of visibility and dialogues for the Asian intersex movement.