Kitty Anderson (activist)
{{short description|Icelandic intersex activist}}
{{Use mdy dates|date = January 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Kitty Anderson
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| nationality = Icelandic
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| occupation = Community activist
| known_for = Intersex activist, co-chair of OII Europe
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Kitty Anderson is an Icelandic intersex activist. She is a co-chair of European intersex organization OII Europe, a co-founder of Intersex Iceland, and chairman of the board of the Icelandic Human Rights Centre.{{Cite web|url = http://www.humanrights.is/en/about-us/board-and-partners | title = Board and Partners | website = Icelandic Human Rights Centre | accessdate = 2018-11-23}} She has been described as a "leading voice of the intersex movement in Europe."
Background
Kitty Anderson was born with androgen insensitivity. She found out when she was 13, but only found out she was born with internal testes when she was aged 22.{{Cite web |url=https://www.interfaceproject.org/kitty-anderson/ |title=Kitty Anderson – Reykjavík, Iceland |website=Interface Project |date=October 2017| accessdate = 2018-11-22}}{{Cite web |author=Amnesty International |title=Understanding the 'i' in LGBTI |accessdate=2018-11-22 |date=October 25, 2016 |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2016/10/intersex-awareness-day/}} Anderson has reported that her "mother was told to lie" to her until she was aged 13.{{Cite web |url=https://grapevine.is/news/2018/02/19/iceland-violates-human-rights-by-performing-surgery-on-intersex-children/ |title=Iceland Violates Human Rights By Performing Surgery On Intersex Children |first=Alice |last=Demurtas |website=The Reykjavik Grapevine |date=February 19, 2018 |accessdate=2018-11-23}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.visir.is/g/2015705239975 |title=Við vorum einar í heiminum |first=Kristjana |last=Björg Guðbrandsdóttir |website=Visir |date=May 23, 2015 |accessdate=2018-11-23}}
Activism
Anderson co-founded Intersex Iceland in 2014,{{Cite web |url=https://interactadvocates.org/aic-guest-blog-kitty-anderson-intersex-iceland/ |title=AIC Guest Blog Kitty Anderson, Intersex Iceland |website=Interact Advocates for Intersex Youth |date=October 27, 2014 |accessdate=2018-11-23}} and currently serves as its chairperson. She is co-chair and spokesperson{{cite web |url=http://cherna.gora.me/government/idaho-2015-montenegros-government-contributes-significantly-to-holding-of-14th-roundtable-of-european-governmental-lgbt-focal-points-network/ |title=IDAHO 2015: Montenegro's government contributes significantly to holding of 14th Roundtable of European Governmental LGBT Focal Points Network |author= |date=May 12, 2015 |website= |publisher=Government of Montenegro |access-date=2015-07-02 |quote= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150703184249/http://cherna.gora.me/government/idaho-2015-montenegros-government-contributes-significantly-to-holding-of-14th-roundtable-of-european-governmental-lgbt-focal-points-network/ |archive-date=July 3, 2015 |url-status=dead }} of OII Europe and chairperson of the board of the Icelandic Human Rights Centre. She has also served on the board of Samtökin '78, Iceland's national queer organization, and the national Ministry of Welfare Queer Committee from 2014 to 2016. Anderson has spoken against secrecy and shame associated with intersex:
{{blockquote|When I found out I was 13 and I completely freaked out. There can be a lot of secrecy and stigma related to being intersex and it was something that had been kept from me. But when my cousin – who is also intersex – was born a couple of years later, my family didn’t keep it a secret and it was a healing process for all of us }}
She also campaigns against intersex medical interventions.{{Cite web |url=https://oiieurope.org/video-frontline-dispatches-intersex-children-and-medical-sex-assignment-whose-right-to-choose/ |title=[VIDEO] Frontline Dispatches: Intersex Children And Medical Sex Assignment – Whose Right To Choose? |website=OII Europe |date=June 10, 2016 |accessdate=2018-11-23}}{{Cite web |url=https://hinsegindagar.is/en/puppets-controlled-by-the-system/ |title=Puppets controlled by the system |website=Reykjavik Pride |date=July 16, 2015 |accessdate=2018-11-23}} In an interview with NIKK, Anderson has stated that "surgeries will continue until we get a law that prohibits them".{{Cite web |url=https://www.nikk.no/en/news/bodies-obviously-undesirable/ |title=Some bodies are obviously undesirable |website=NIKK |date=October 4, 2016 |accessdate=2018-11-23 |archive-date=November 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181124001231/https://www.nikk.no/en/news/bodies-obviously-undesirable/ |url-status=dead }}
Anderson has presented to the Council of Europe Committee on Bioethics,{{Cite web |url=https://www.coe.int/en/web/sogi/-/bioethics-committee-discusses-the-human-rights-of-intersex-and-transgender-children-and-young-people?desktop=true |title=Bioethics committee discussed the human rights of intersex and transgender children and young people |website=Council of Europe |date=June 1, 2016 |accessdate=2018-11-23}} and speaks at a range of conferences,{{Cite web |url=https://www.ilga-europe.org/conference/nicosia-2016/speakers |title=Speakers – Nicosia 2016 |website=ILGA-Europe |accessdate=2018-11-23 |archive-date=November 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181124003631/https://www.ilga-europe.org/conference/nicosia-2016/speakers |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web |url=http://www.intersex-conference.at/english/Programme/ |title=Intersex Conference Vienna 2017 |accessdate=2018-11-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190314124000/http://www.intersex-conference.at/english/Programme/ |archive-date=March 14, 2019 |url-status=dead }} media,{{Cite web |url=https://www.mbl.is/frettir/innlent/2018/02/16/tharf_ad_tryggja_mannrettindi_intersex_folks/ |title=Þarf að tryggja mannréttindi intersex fólks |website=mbl.is |date=February 16, 2018 |accessdate=2018-11-23}}{{Citation |title=Intersex Education |work=GCN |first=Chris |last=O'Donnell |pages=100–103 |date=June 2018}}{{Cite web |url=http://cyprus-mail.com/2016/11/11/a-different-biology/ |title=A different biology |website=Cyprus Mail |date=November 11, 2016 |accessdate=2018-11-23}} and human rights institutions across Scandinavia and Europe.{{Cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/portugal-lgbt-lawmaking/portugal-approves-law-to-boost-transgender-rights-protect-intersex-infants-idUSL1N1RQ0ZP |title=Portugal approves law to boost transgender rights, protect intersex infants |website=Reuters |first=Kieran |last=Guilbert |date=April 14, 2018 |accessdate=2018-11-23}}
In 2015, Anderson campaigned to change terminology in the biology curriculum in Icelandic schools, and dictionaries, after finding out that the word intersex was being translated into Icelandic as "freak".{{Cite web |url=http://gayiceland.is/2015/not-teaching-prejudice/ |title=We Should Not Be Teaching Prejudice in Our Schools |first=Halla |last=Þórlaug Óskarsdóttir |website=Gay Iceland |date=August 10, 2015 |accessdate=2018-11-23}}{{Cite web |url=https://oiiuk.org/1463/we-should-not-be-teaching-prejudice/ |title=We Should Not Be Teaching Prejudice |first=Leslie |last=J |website=OII-UK |date=October 8, 2015 | accessdate=2018-11-23}} The publisher of the school text later apologized.{{Cite web |url=http://gayiceland.is/2015/publisher-apologises-poor-translation/ |title=Publisher Apologizes for Poor Translation |first=Roald |last=Eyvindsson |website=Gay Iceland |date=August 10, 2015}}
References
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Category:Intersex rights activists