Curtis Hinkle
Founder of the Organisation Internationale des Intersexué-e-s
Curtis founded OII originally for people who are French-speaking in North America. OII was soon joined by other independently minded people from countries where English was not the official first language, whom Curtis let establish their own sections with their own languages. This has now come to include people in English-speaking countries outside the USA as well. Curtis has written articles in English as well as French; despite being mainly involved with the section based in Canada, we are pleased to locate one of his English writings in this section.
Offices and activities in The National Organization for Women (NOW):
Lesbian Coordinator for several years. During my time as lesbian coordinator, I collaborated with the other members in South Carolina for the approval of a resolution in favour of the rights of both transgender and transsexual persons. The National Organization for Woman for the State of South Carolina approved this resolution, the first state to deal with transgender and transsexual issues. It was approved at the national level.
For two years, I was the Coordinator-elect of SC NOW. During that time, I proposed a resolution condemning intersex genital mutilation. South Carolina, once again, was the first state to deal with questions concerning intersex. A lawyer, Candy Kern-Fuller, helped me enormously, and the resolution was approved by NOW in South Carolina . Then, I spoke personally with Patricia Ireland who was the President of the National Organization. After our conversation, she promised me to introduce the same resolution to the Board of Directors of the organization, which she did. One of the more beautiful moments of my life was the day of the approval of this resolution at the national level of the organization.
I was also Coordinator of NOW for the state of the South Carolina .
The press release on NOW's resolution:
A brief autobiography:
I spent a large part of my childhood in a French-speaking region of the United States, Louisiana. I received a scholarship to study in France and received a licence of linguistics at the University of Montpellier. I worked as a reference librarian during more than 20 years, while working as a freelance translator also. I work at present as a translator
I met my partner, Jeannie Kay, more than 30 years ago. She had 4 children from a previous marriage. I brought up one of the girls and one of our granddaughters - one of the greatest joys of my life.
I was the first intersex person to make a complaint to the EEOC, a federal agency in the US because of discrimination on by my employer and the agency accepted my complaint under the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act.) After finding out that I had no protection against sexual harassment or discrimination because my sex was “indeterminate” and only males and females were protected according to the investigators from the EEOC, I became an intersex activist. I maintain that I have no disability and feel that rather than having my charge accepted as such, it should have been accepted for what it was, sexual discrimination and harassment.
My main goal is that as many intersex voices as possible , regardless of identity, country or language be heard.
