The mayor of Manilva, Mario Jiménez, and the Equality and Diversity councillor, Laura Salazar, have raised the flag representing Intersex Awareness Day at the Town Hall. The day aims to raise awareness of the reality faced by intersex people and to promote respect for human diversity.
With this gesture, the Town Hall reaffirms its commitment to inclusion, equal rights and the fight against prejudice, according to a message shared through its official channels.
What does it mean to be an intersex person?
Being intersex is a biological reality affecting some people who are born with sex characteristics, such as chromosomes, hormones, genitals or reproductive organs, that do not fit entirely within the usual medical definitions of male or female.
These characteristics may be apparent at birth or during puberty, or may be discovered later through medical tests. There are various intersex variations and they are not all the same. In some cases they are visible from birth, while in others they go undetected for years.
It is important to distinguish being intersex from sexual orientation and gender identity. Being intersex does not determine who a person falls in love with, nor does it necessarily mean that they identify with a gender other than man or woman. It is a matter of biological sex characteristics.
A day to promote understanding and respect
Intersex Awareness Day seeks to help the public become better informed about this reality and to reduce the misinformation, stigma and discrimination that can still affect intersex people and their families.
In some cases, variations in sex characteristics have led to medical interventions in childhood that were not always urgent from a health point of view. For this reason, part of the demands of intersex groups centres on respect for personal autonomy, access to appropriate information and the chance to take part in decisions about their own bodies.
Raising the flag at Manilva Town Hall forms part of this aim of raising visibility and awareness. The initiative seeks to highlight the importance of everyone being able to live with dignity and be treated with respect, regardless of their biological characteristics.
The Town Hall accompanied the gesture with a message in support of an inclusive municipality, free from prejudice and respectful of diversity.
