A brief history of OII and how you can join
by Curtis E. Hinkle, founder of OII
- OII started out as a French speaking organization in Quebec, co-founded by André Fiset from Quebec and me.
- This was necessary because there was absolutely nothing in French on the internet written by intersex people that we could find. We met on an English speaking intersex group - Intersex Androgynous many years ago. He could not participate much in the group because of his rudimentary knowledge of English.
- We started putting up information in French about intersex and giving lectures in French about the topic. Many other people from French speaking countries joined us. However, we did not wish to speak for them and decided that each section of OII would be independent and work within their own countries on a grassroots level without our interference. There have been few problems with this approach except when someone goes directly against the Official Positions or starts personal attacks which are not based on facts. Usually such misunderstandings can be worked out however.
- We developed a No Normalisation Zone policy to make sure that people understood that OII is NOT speaking for all intersex people and that a diversity of ideas and perspectives are to be respected.
- OII has never been a hierarchical organization and can never be one because the membership is international and the issues in different cultures and different countries can not be controlled by a central "Politburo".
- The main purpose of OII is to let intersex people speak for themselves, organize among themselves, form other groups while remaining part of the coalition and having a place in OII's family of activists.
- OII is about intersex people speaking for themselves without the filter of the experts. The site is a very rich resource of writings, art, and political statements written by and about intersex people.
- Each member is the face of OII. OII wants no personality cult to develop with a "leader". OII therefore publishes many things that other members, including me, do not agree with.
- If people want consensus, a hierarchy and non-intersex experts in academia and medical institutions speaking for intersex people, then OII is not the place to be.
To become involved with OII, please join one of our support groups or e-mail lists.
OII welcomes all allies, not just intersex people. It is also important that all members respect OII's policy concerning intersex, medical diagnoses and health information.
I hope this helps explain why OII's site and membership are often difficult for people to understand but so is intersex. Join us. We welcome you to our large, international family.
Kind regards,
Curtis E. Hinkle
Founder, Organisation Intersex International
