People of the third floor

Intersex activist about the situation with the rights of intercix people in Russia and abroad

The City Court of the French tour was satisfied with the claim of the 66-year-old plaintiff to recognize his right to “neutral” gender, now in the applicant’s documents in the column “Paul”, Neutre will be indicated instead of “M”. According to approximate estimates, in the world 1.7% of the intercove-human people, in Russia it is 33 thousand newborns per year. The head of the initiative group "Association of Russian-speaking Intersex-Ludies" Alexander Berezkin told RS about community problems.

- What is it at all - intersex, intersexuality?

-Firstly , it is necessary to distinguish between the concepts of intersexuality and intersex. In Russian, the word "sex" is associated with sexual behavior, and not with sex, as in English, so linguistic confusion occurs. It is better to use the word "intersex". Intersexuality is close to bisexuality, homosexuality, this is inaccurate. According to the UN definition, Intersex is a person born with sexual characteristics, including genitals, sex glands and a set of chromosomes, which do not fit into the stereotypical system of perception of the male and female body.

-And if in Russian?

- These are people with congenital biological characteristics that distinguish them from most men and women. Rough intersex can be divided into two categories: people with differences in sexual anatomy, that is, a little more clitoris, a little less penis or the presence of testicles and ovaries at the same time. And an atypical set of chromosomes. Or there is still a syndrome of androgenic insensitivity, when the body does not produce sex hormones corresponding to its chromosomes. For example, with female set of chromosomes of XX, estrogen is not produced, masculinization is obtained and the girl develops as a boy. In general, there are about 30 syndromes.

My body before the course of hormonal therapy was a sort of designer between male and female

I have Cleinfelter syndrome, when there is an additional chromosome of H. Most men have a set of XY chromosomes, in women - XX, and I have XXY. This diagnosis was given to me at 16. There is a special genetic study - a karyotype that determines the set, size and form of chromosomes. My body to the hormonal therapy course was a sort of designer between male and female: female hips, enlarged chest glands, fragile bones, but at the same time high growth. In addition, I have small testicles, they are practically absent. Now I am 31 years old, hormonal therapy was prescribed to me at 17, it lasted 7 years, then I stopped it for 6 years and resumed it six months ago.

- Tell us about your personal experience, what is it - to be an intersex in Russia?

- In people with an atypical set of chromosomes, syndromes are often found only in the puberty. For me, the history of Intersex begins at the age of 16, before that I did not suspect that I had some variations. I had an early sexual experience at the age of 12, there was an element of psychological violence, and I sometimes caught myself thinking that I liked to be a girl. At school, I went through bullying, autistic, physical violence, but this was more likely due to a homosexual orientation than with Intersex.

I hated my body, rejected it, it seemed to me that I was a freak, that such people should not live

And then one day, at the age of 16, our pediatrician asked me to leave the office to inform my mother. I overheard under the door, she said in such an unpleasant tone, they say, you noticed that your boy is some kind of strange, he is developing abnormally. It was a shock for me. I was sent to another doctor, where I was diagnosed. Then I began to pay attention that my body is really some other. I remember the case in line in the store when someone turned from behind: "Girl, you dropped something,-I turn around.-Oh, sorry, guy." Then others began to notice that I was behind in bodily development. In the locker room at the school, they stuck over me, said that my chest is growing, in my first year at the university one guy depicted on the board, how I looked: it was an image of hermaphrodite - wide hips, enlarged chest. For a long time I had the feeling that I was a mistake of nature, and given that I was a believer, it seemed to me that this was a punishment for some of my sins. I hated my body, rejected it, it seemed to me that I was a freak, that such people should not live. It was a difficult period. But after that I began to go to a psychologist, engage in yoga, dancing, learned to take my body.

There was no one to discuss this with. We did not talk about this with my mother, only about treatment and money, because we had to pay for therapy. Up to 18 years, the tests for hormones and biochemical tests are free, and after 18 - for money. The medicines themselves were inexpensive, but it was a Russian drug in ampoules, it had side effects on the liver. And the Dutch medicine in capsules was very expensive for me. I now live in the USA, here I have state insurance, covering my visits to a doctor and treatment, and I buy medicines in a special clinic for LGBT under the program for transgender and intersexes. This costs $ 12 a month, given that the market value of $ 150.

The doctor asked how my sexual life took shape, as with girls, and then my sexual life was more with the boys, I had to hide

In Russia, I was lucky with a doctor, with a geneticist who led me in my native Novokuznetsk. She told me that this disease is not necessary to be ashamed, but you should not tell anyone about it. The doctors helped me, but there was always a problem with heteronormativity: the doctor, for example, asked all the time how I had sexy life, like with girls, and then my sexual life was more with the boys, I had to hide. Once they sent me to the andrologist, so he explained to me how to behave in order to be a man. They even said that if there are problems, Viagra can give. Doctors did not even have a question that I could have a different orientation.

-And how does the LGBT community react?

-Maybe due to the fact that this is New York, people are good, positive, they say: "Oh, cool, you have your own personality." Some with whom I had contact, I liked my somewhat non -standard body, attracted this mixture of masculinity and femininity - androgy. And in general, no one pays attention to you here, is not interested in what you have in your pants.

- And in America how - the concept of Intersex is in no way connected with a sexual attraction, right?

-Yes , Intersex can be hetero-, homo-, bi-, asxual, that is, the same set of sexual orientations and gender identities that are also inherent in non-intersex people.

- What is Intersex rights and why fight for them?

- There are three main problems: violation of the right to health and physical inviolability, poor treatment, as well as the right to equality and lack of discrimination.

Considering that the bodies of the intercove-creams differ from the bodies of the majority, already from infancy, children of Intersex are subjected to violence by health workers. The most urgent problem is operations when doctors attribute to children the floor in accordance with their ideas about a typical male and female. That is, a child with female and male primary sexual characteristics is born, the doctor makes a choice for him which floor to leave him, the child grows up and may not agree with this choice, not accept his gender identity. At the same time, operations can be carried out poorly, have a negative impact on mental and sexual development. These operations are done not only in Russia - wherever it is not prohibited by law, as in Malta or in Australia.

Another problem is the quality of medical services, relationships between doctors and patients, the awareness of the intercix children and their parents. On the one hand, there are disputes how much these or other operations are needed before the Intersex-Test of adulthood is reached, and on the other hand, I recently had a case from Kazakhstan, Shereshevsky-Terner Syndrome, when only one chromosome H. This leads to growth disorders, problems with the bone system, and metabolism. So, that person was diagnosed when he was already more than 20 years old, hormonal therapy at this age is not prescribed.

In Russia, Intersex in medical terminology is defined as people with violations of sex formations, they receive a degree of disability. And here we are faced with the problems of protecting human rights with disabilities: discrimination at work, access to social services.

- What is the problem with disabilities? They will give a pension.

-Well, for example, in the age of 18-19 I myself received a disability of the 3rd group, I helped me receive an additional income as a student, I was released from the army, but then when looking for work, I was registered in the center for the protection of the population, and there they noted that I had a pension certificate and disability-it turned out that not all employers were ready to hire such employees. Then I hid my disability. In the United States, Intersex are not considered disabled.

- Why is the count "Neutral Paul" in the documents?

-This is necessary for the intercoves themselves who do not want to attribute themselves to the male or female sex. It is also a good point for the medical community: if you initially understand that when a person grows up, he can decide in this neutral category, children's operations to change the body, bringing it to the male or female standard become optional. The operation is necessary only when it comes to maintaining health.

But it should be noted that this is a subject for a discussion in the Intersex community. Some believe that the allocation of some categories leads to additional stigmatization.

- And if with such a passport, Intersex will come to Saudi Arabia or Iran, but to the same Russia - what will they say to him in passport control?

- This requires international standards. This issue has been discussed in various UN commissions since 2012, as well as in the European parliament, this summer there was a meeting of the European Council, where this topic was raised, so the work is underway.

-What are the services for intercoves in Russia?

- There are many medical genetic clinics, where such children are provided with medical care. I tried to find something regarding psychological support, but to no avail. In some clinics, there is sexual adaptation, but it is not clear whether the parents are informed, and if they are informed, then how.

-What is Intersex-activism in Russia? What do you and other activists do?

-If you find other intersex activists in Russia, I will be glad. (Laughs.) We have a support group, we are only five in different cities. We are engaged in the distribution of information about the intercoves, about their rights, about medical research, which do not pathologize, do not stigmatize the intersex. I have access to information in various institutions, research organizations, and funds in the USA. The second direction is socio-psychological support for intercix-bones, the group has psychologists, sociologists. We have been working since 2013, but in the Russian Internet there are so few sites or forums on this topic that people come out badly on us. We may have 2-3 new contacts per year.

- Where to go?

- You can write to us by mail: arsintersex@yahoo.com

- You worked as a teacher of sociology at the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok. Last year, injuries began to be against you and eventually fired, you emigrated to the United States. Is this somehow connected with intercix activism?

- No. This is due to activities in LGBT organization in Vladivostok, with the fact that I worked as a teacher at that time and, possibly, violated the law on propaganda. I do not really like to discuss the situation, well, it was also Okay, this is in the past.