After almost three years of waiting, Céu Albuquerque from Pernambuco was recognized as intersex on her birth certificate.
The legal process began in July 2021 and concluded with the issuance of the corrected document last Thursday (7). The journalist and activist is the first person in the country to achieve official recognition of intersex status, according to the Brazilian Intersex Association (Abrai).
Céu has congenital adrenal hyperplasia, a genetic condition that affects the production of cortisol and influences sexual development and the formation of the external genital organs.
At birth, Céu had ambiguous genitalia and underwent sexual reassignment surgery, considered by the intersex community to be a form of mutilation.
From the test, Céu was registered as female. The decision for the surgical procedure and registration with female sex were based on a karyotype exam, which evaluates the person's chromosome structure.
However, the journalist has been fighting for ten years for the recognition of intersex people, who do not fit into traditional sex patterns divided between male and female. This situation is caused by several variations, such as atypical chromosomes, ambiguous genitals and non-standard hormone production.
“When I was born in 1991, I spent six months without birth registration, waiting for the karyotype test to come out so they could see what gender prevalence my body had, I see this as the first human rights violation I suffered”, says Céu.
According to Abrai, people in this situation are often stigmatized and discriminated against. Among the violations, the association highlights the lack of access to documents and unnecessary medical interventions.
The rectification of the registry is, for the activist, an achievement for the entire intersex community.
“The outcome of this process was highly anticipated, not only as a personal achievement, but also as a significant milestone for the entire intersex community in general. Often, a collective achievement is the result of an individual struggle, and this battle was fought through me, with the hope of a better future for these children”, added the journalist.
Source: CNN Brasil
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