今日吃瓜

Sunday November 8 marks the international Intersex Day of Remembrance, also known as , an important day in the LGBTQIA+ calendar to raise important awareness for the Intersex community.

This week we chatted with Blume, an international musician, content creator and advocate for the intersex community.

Having just returned from a European tour as they prepare to launch a new EP later this year Blume spoke candidly about their experience as an intersex advocate, what it was like growing up in Australia and the importance of awareness for their community.

 

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Blume talks about the importance of intersex awareness

Can you share what it was like to first discover you鈥檙e intersex, and how that shaped your sense of self growing up in Australia?

At first, it felt incredibly isolating. Being intersex was something so unknown, and I was told not to tell anyone. When I confided in a friend at school and they spread it around, it turned into rumours that deeply affected how I saw myself. Growing up in Australia, with so little awareness or community around intersex experiences, I felt like I didn鈥檛 belong anywhere. That lack of understanding and connection really shaped how I related to my identity for a long time.

How did your understanding of being intersex evolve over time and lead you towards advocacy?

Over time, I just came to a place of acceptance. As I grew more confident in who I was, I started sharing my intersex identity with people I met 鈥� because I realised that staying silent wasn鈥檛 helping anyone. I noticed there was still such a lack of awareness, and I kept waiting for someone else to start the conversation online. But no one did. So eventually, I thought, well鈥� maybe that someone should be me.

Was there a specific turning point where you decided to start speaking publicly about being intersex?

It was in 2018 when I 鈥渃ame out鈥� online to my instagram followers. It was during the rise of the non binary community, and the discourse surrounding it. And people were arguing so much online about sex and gender, and I just chimed in with my two cents鈥� 鈥淲ell actually, sex isn鈥檛 so black and white either鈥�

You鈥檝e spoken before about dismissive experiences within the medical system, what do you wish doctors and healthcare professionals better understood about intersex people?

I just wish more doctors and MPs had even a basic understanding of what it means to be intersex. It鈥檚 incredibly frustrating to go to a medical appointment and be met with invasive questions, as if my body is some kind of curiosity. Just because we鈥檙e unique doesn鈥檛 mean people have the right to treat us like an anomaly.

How has that early experience influenced your music or the way you tell stories now?

It鈥檚 funny, for a long time, I didn鈥檛 think my intersex experience had much to do with my music. But the more I鈥檝e reflected, the more I realise that discovering I was intersex shaped the way I see the world, and therefore everything I create. Every song, every artistic choice comes from my inner landscape鈥� from the way those early experiences affected my psyche and my sense of identity. So even though my music isn鈥檛 explicitly about being intersex, it鈥檚 still born from that truth.

What advice would you give to young intersex people (or their families) navigating those same systems today?

One word: community! It鈥檚 so readily available now to find all over the world thanks to social media, and all the online communities and support groups popping up. Find a community for yourself and your loved ones. That鈥檚 the best advice I can give.

Why do you think visibility for intersex people is still such a challenge, even within LGBTQIA+ spaces?

I think visibility is still a challenge because intersex experiences are often misunderstood or completely left out of the conversation. Even within LGBTQIA+ spaces, there鈥檚 still a huge lack of education around what it actually means to be intersex鈥� people tend to see sex and gender as separate issues, when in reality, they鈥檙e deeply connected. There鈥檚 also been a long history of secrecy and shame pushed onto intersex people through the medical system, which has made it harder for many to speak openly. So much of the work now is about unlearning that silence鈥� reclaiming our stories, and helping others realise that intersex people have always existed, and deserve to be seen and included too.

What kind of representation do you wish you鈥檇 seen when you were younger?

I wish I鈥檇 seen more public figures openly talking about being intersex鈥� not sensationalised, just normalised. I completely understand why many people choose to keep it private; it鈥檚 such a personal thing, and no one owes their story to the world. But I think if I鈥檇 seen even one person whose experience reflected mine somewhere in the media, it would鈥檝e made me feel less alone, and more like I belonged in the world as I am.

You were invited on the first-ever Intersex Boat for Amsterdam Pride what was that experience like, and what did it symbolise for you?

It was absolutely incredible鈥� so much fun! Being asked to lead the parade as the first boat felt like such a powerful symbol of how far we鈥檝e come. It was a huge honour and such an accomplishment for our community. I honestly had the best time; the whole experience was so fulfilling and full of love and celebration.

 

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What are your hopes for the intersex community in the future?

That everyone knows what intersex means, and that it鈥檚 just regarded as something completely regular that you don鈥檛 feel shame about.

If you could tell the world one thing about intersex people, what would it be?

We are just like everybody else, only slightly more inter-esting and sex-y ;)

What message do you want readers to take away on Intersex Awareness Day each year?

I want people to understand that being intersex is a natural variation of humanity, not something strange or shameful. Intersex people have always existed, and we deserve to be seen, respected, and celebrated just like anyone else. My hope is that this Intersex Awareness Day inspires more empathy, curiosity, and open conversation. The more we talk about it, the more we create a world where no one has to feel hidden or misunderstood for simply being who they are.

Intersex Awareness Day is celebrated annually on October 26,聽 November 8 marks the annual Intersex Day of Remembrance.

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