Irene Kuzemko
Irene Kuzemko | |
|---|---|
| Ірина Куземко | |
| Born | 1993 Lviv, Ukraine |
| Occupation(s) | Executive board member of OII Europe, co-founder of Intersex Russia |
| Known for | Intersex human rights activist |
| Website | www |
Irene Kuzemko (Ukrainian: Ірина Куземко; Russian: Ирина Куземко), also transcribed from Ukrainian and Russian as Irina Kuzemko, is a Russian-Ukrainian[1][2] intersex woman and intersex human rights activist. She co-founded Intersex Russia in 2017,[3] is a youth member of interACT, and an executive board member of OII Europe.[4][5] She have started her human rights advocacy as a member of Association of the Russian Speaking Intersex.[6]
Early life
Kuzemko was born in 1993 in Lviv, Ukraine[2] with mixed gonadal dysgenesis and assigned female at birth.[7] She was unaware of any difference in her body until puberty when her body failed to menstruate or grow breasts, and she was unaware of this possibility.[7][8] Kuzemko was sent to Moscow aged 15 for medical treatment.[9] She describes being left in the corridor while discussions about her body took place without her being present,[9] experiences of shame, alienation and suicidality,[9][10] and her father telling her she had "something wrong with [her] ovaries".[7] She underwent surgery, awaking with her hands and legs tied down.[9] Kuzemko first experienced menstruation at age 17.[7]
She has described how she found out she was intersex when watching a BuzzFeed video about people with intersex variations, when she was aged 22.[9][1] Kuzemko describes this moment as like "winning the jackpot" because she learned that other people with similar experiences existed.[7] She states that knowing the truth about her body was liberating and helped her become confident.[9]
Kuzemko requested her medical records and found out that she had XY chromosomes, and had been subjected to removal of an internal testis and fallopian tube without her knowledge.[1]
Activism
Kuzemko campaigns for bodily autonomy, and an end to secrecy and unnecessary medicalization,[1] describing how medical intervention is still promoted by the Russian Ministry of Health.[11] She have expressed concern about linking intersex and LGBT rights at a time of violence against LGBT people in Russia,[12] and states:
I’m proud to be intersex, I’m not ashamed of it, and I don’t regret it. Intersex is not a medical problem, it is a human rights problem[12]
She co-founded Intersex Russia in 2017[3] and is a youth member of interACT and an executive board member of OII Europe.[4] She speaks internationally[5][13] and contributes to work developing resources,[14][15][16] and promoting sexual and reproductive rights.[17]
Selected bibliography
- OII Europe (November 2019). #MyIntersexStory (PDF). Dan Christian Ghattas, Ins A Kromminga, Irene Kuzemko, Kitty Anderson, Audrey Aegerter (eds.).
- Kuzemko, Irene (December 20, 2017). "Do I regret being born intersex?". Intersex Day. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
References
- ^ a b c d Strudwick, Patrick (January 17, 2019). "The Government Has Admitted It Doesn't Know How Many Intersex Children Are Being Operated On". BuzzFeed. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ a b ""Я интерсекс, и это нормально"" (in Russian). 27 December 2017. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
- ^ a b "О Нас | Intersex Russia | Интерсекс Россия". intersexrussia (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-03-21.
- ^ a b OII Europe. "Board & Staff". Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ a b University of Huddersfield (2017). Intersex Social Sciences: Conference 2018 - University of Huddersfield. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ Редакция (2017-12-27). ""Я интерсекс, и это нормально"". Такие Дела (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-11-25.
- ^ a b c d e Ignatieva, Daria (November 2019). "Crippling Surgery and Doctors' Ignorance: How Do Intersex People Live?". SpidCenter. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ Stuff (2021). "Confessions: The day I discovered I was intersex". Stuff. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f Strudwick, Patrick (December 29, 2018). "This Woman Only Discovered She Was Intersex After Watching A Viral Video About It". BuzzFeed. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ Meyers, Maggie J (2019). ""Tragic and Glorious Pages": The Evolution of Intersex Rights in Russia and Reframing Law and Tradition to Advance Reform". Duke Journal of Gender Law & Policy. 26: 109–135.
- ^ Kuzemko, Irene (December 20, 2017). "Do I regret being born intersex?". Intersex Day. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ a b Vecchietti, Valentino (August 28, 2018). "Our bodies, our rights". New Internationalist. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ Fedorova, Anastasia (July 30, 2020). "This proposed bill is a leap backwards for trans rights in Russia". i-D. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ Lindahl, Hans (October 19, 2020). "What I Wish I Knew Before Coming Out as Intersex". interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ Irene Kuzemko (filming and editing) (January 5, 2019). My Intersex Story. Copenhagen: OII Europe. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ Lum, Steph (2019). "YOUth&I Issue 1" (PDF). Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ United Nations Population Fund (2020). International Technical and Programmatic Guidance on Out-of-School Comprehensive Sexuality Education. New York: United Nations Population Fund. ISBN 978-0-89714-045-4.