S1 E7: Acknowledging and understanding intersex - Ronie Zuze

In conversation with Ronie Zuze

In this extended episode listeners are taken on Ronie Zuze’s (Programme Coordinator for the Intersex Community of Zimbabwe) journey as an intersex person and the misunderstandings and challenges faced. Through their story it becomes clear how decisions taken by family and medical professionals when they were a child, have long lasting consequences. The need for support services and education on intersex is highlighted, as the community is often invisible despite being more common than many realise.

The episode’s second half explores early medical intervention in the lives of those with intersex and why the intersex community advocates for such interventions to be left as late as possible. The importance of choice and informed consent is stressed, because there is a lack of urgency surrounding the medical procedures, and to take cognisance of an individual’s self-identification.

Often misunderstood, is the distinction between intersex and sexual orientation. As Ronie explains, not all intersex people identify as gay, lesbian or transgender. This helps contextualise why the LGBTIQ+ forum is not always the most appropriate space for the fight for the human rights of intersex person, and can lead to the community perceiving their cause to be overlooked. The final part of the conversation debunks several myths surrounding intersex persons.

This conversation was recorded on Friday 1 March 2019.

Music: Inner Peace by Mike Chino https://soundcloud.com/mike-chino Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/0nI6qJeqFcc