THE UNIQUE GENDER

When you come across the word 'intersex' what crosses your mind? I remember telling a friend about my dream of becoming an Intersex person's activist, and she gave me a clueless look, since she could not comprehend what I meant. By the time I was done explaining myself, I realized that very few citizens are aware of the existence of these unique gender that lives amongst us.
The minute you come across a man who behaves and dresses like a woman or vice versa, a good number of people will conclude that he/she is a homosexual, which may not exactly be the case.
I'd like to distinguish these four terminologies to you; homosexuality , transgender, non- binary & intersex; hoping by the end of the definitions you'll have understood their meaning.
Homosexuality: refers to the state of being sexually and romantically attracted to persons of the same gender (it's what we call gay in layman's language).
Transgender: refers to people that have a gender identity that differs from their sex assigned at birth. I translated it as a situation where a man is trapped in a woman's body or vice versa.
Non-binary: is a spectrum of gender identities that are not exclusively masculine or feminine. Non- binary people may identify as having two or more genders, moving between genders or having a fluctuating gender identity. (It's more of a person having both masculine and feminine hormones). A very good example of a non-binary person is the talented R&B artist, Sam Smith.

My main focus is on the Intersex people, and here is the definition: Intersex; it refers to someone who doesn’t fit the typical definition of male or female, as they may have variations in their chromosomes, gonads, sex hormones or genitals.
Sometimes Intersex persons traits are visible at birth, while in others they are not apparent until puberty arrives.
Intersex people undergo stigmatization from the society as well as their families, most of whom are unfamiliar with their condition and relate it with a curse and or taboo. I got the chance to interact and interview some of them about how they have been coping with there state, and here are some of their shared experiences:

Simon: (aged 30) "When my mother gave birth to me and discovered my identity,her family chased her away. A few years later she passed on, leaving me behind as an orphan. I discovered I was an intersex when I entered highschool and started having my menses, despite me having some male body parts. Having no specific identity of either being male or female, has not been as easy journey especially when it comes to acquiring documents like the National Identity card."

Kwamboka: "Being an intersex comes with a lot of challenges, one of them being facing discrimination from the community, as well as in learning institutions. I can painfully recall being a victim of mob justice due to my condition. They accused me of being gay since they were unable to outline my exact gender of either being male or female. Luckily, my life was saved by a good Samaritan who took good care of me and also educated me."

Mama Ndu'ngu (a parent to an intersex child) : "I was happily married and later on got pregnant, but things became sour when I gave birth to an intersex child. My ex-husband divorced me, claiming that our child was a curse and could not be allowed to share the same roof with him."

Fortunately in the year 2016, Nominated Senator Isaac Mwaura, asked the parliament to pass a law recognizing the third gender, in order to end discrimination. He also pushed for allocation of funds to facilitate gender alignment surgery and awareness campaign. Their inclusion into the 2019 census was a great achievement, owing to the stigma they face in their societies. An adjustment was made by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics(KNBS) after Intersex Person's Society of Kenya(IPSK) recommended the inclusion of intersex option in the gender category.
I was deeply touched when I got to interact with this unique gender that faces alot of stigmatization due to their condition. They inspired me to take the responsibility of creating public awareness about their existence,as well as fighting for the rights of the Intersex community. When we stand strong and give them the love and support that they need, I believe the world at large will be a better place for them to live in.

photo of Semenya,an intersex athlete in South Africa
courtesy of google

You can contact the IPSK group via twitter @Intersex_kenya

email: intersexsocietyofkenya@gmail.com
Tel: +254 723 886 233
Incase of any queries, find me on:
twitter: @sham_kamara
Facebook: @sham_kamara
Whatsapp: +254 791 085 926.
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