Irene Kuzemko

Irene Kuzemko (Ukrainian: Ірина Куземко; Russian: Ирина Куземко), also transcribed from Ukrainian and Russian as Irina Kuzemko, is a prominent 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]

Irene Kuzemko
Ірина Куземко
Born1993
Lviv, Ukraine
Occupation(s)Executive board member of OII Europe, co-founder of Intersex Russia
Known forIntersex human rights activist
Websitewww.irinakuzemko.com

Early life

Kuzemko was born in 1993 in Lviv, Ukraine[2] with mixed gonadal dysgenesis and assigned female at birth.[6] 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.[6][7] Kuzemko was sent to Moscow aged 15 for medical treatment.[8] She describes being left in the corridor while discussions about her body took place without her being present,[8] experiences of shame, alienation and suicidality,[8][9] and her father telling her she had "something wrong with [her] ovaries".[6] She underwent surgery, awaking with her hands and legs tied down.[8] Kuzemko first experienced menstruation at age 17.[6]

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.[8][1] Kuzemko describes this moment as like "winning the jackpot" because she learned that other people with similar experiences existed.[6] She states that knowing the truth about her body was liberating and helped her become confident.[8]

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.[10] She have expressed concern about linking intersex and LGBT rights at a time of violence against LGBT people in Russia,[11] 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[11]

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][12] and contributes to work developing resources,[13][14][15] and promoting sexual and reproductive rights.[16]

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
  1. 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.
  2. ""Я интерсекс, и это нормально"" (in Russian). 27 December 2017. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
  3. "О Нас | Intersex Russia | Интерсекс Россия". intersexrussia (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-03-21.
  4. OII Europe. "Board & Staff". Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  5. University of Huddersfield (2017). Intersex Social Sciences: Conference 2018 - University of Huddersfield. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  6. Ignatieva, Daria (November 2019). "Crippling Surgery and Doctors' Ignorance: How Do Intersex People Live?". SpidCenter. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  7. Stuff (2021). "Confessions: The day I discovered I was intersex". Stuff. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  8. Strudwick, Patrick (December 29, 2018). "This Woman Only Discovered She Was Intersex After Watching A Viral Video About It". BuzzFeed. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  9. 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.
  10. Kuzemko, Irene (December 20, 2017). "Do I regret being born intersex?". Intersex Day. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  11. Vecchietti, Valentino (August 28, 2018). "Our bodies, our rights". New Internationalist. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  12. Fedorova, Anastasia (July 30, 2020). "This proposed bill is a leap backwards for trans rights in Russia". i-D. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  13. Lindahl, Hans (October 19, 2020). "What I Wish I Knew Before Coming Out as Intersex". interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  14. Irene Kuzemko (filming and editing) (January 5, 2019). My Intersex Story. Copenhagen: OII Europe. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  15. Lum, Steph (2019). "YOUth&I Issue 1" (PDF). Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  16. 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.
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