Intersex Awareness Day was founded in 1998 and takes place on the 26. of Oktober every year. This day is supposed to raise awareness for the Inter* sex community, and shed light on their struggles, discrimination and everyday issues. It is derived from the latin prefix “inter” which means “in between”.

Intersex is a term to describe every person with biological assets (chromosomal, gonodal, hormonal, anatomical) that have more than only male or female significance. in some cases, intersexual assets might be visible at birth, in other cases theyre not visible until puberty. some hormonal or chromosomal variations might not be visible at all.

Equal rights for all?

In ZDF Magazin Royale, Jan Böhmermann settled accounts with trans* hostility and gave trans* people a voice. This is primarily about the right of free development for all, which is engrained in the German Basic Law (cf. Art. 2 GG). For the free development of identity, however, trans* persons still have to fight hard, because according to the currently valid “Transsexuellengesetz” they still have to undergo strongly degrading and discriminating procedures to adapt their civil status to their gender identity. As soon as next year, the 40 year old “Transsexuellengesetz” will be replaced by the new self-determination law. Some politicians and TERFS (trans excluding radical feminsits) want to prevent this by all means and thus deny trans* persons their own gender identity and restrict their free development.

” being trans is not fashion – but trans-hostility is”

He particularly takes aim at Alice Schwarzer, editor-in-chief of the magazine Emma, who calls trans* existence a “fashion”-statement. Böhmermann also presents AfD politician Beatrice von Storch and her trans-hostile propaganda-which downright denies the existence of trans people-in his show and explains what is really behind it. The satirist provides insights into the structures and power influences behind trans* hostile actors and campaigns. These are often entire networks and influential personalities. They include, for example, two oligarchs who work together with the Russian president and have invested around 188 million dollars in European anti-gender or anti-trans* campaigns up to 2018, or the American “Alliance Defending Freedom” (ADF), which has so far invested 23 million dollars in trans* hostile campaigns and commercials. Here, typical trans* hostile arguments are often used.

“Violence against women usually doesn’t happen in the women’s locker room, it happens at home”

In his show, Böhmermann debunks the typical arguments against trans* people and addresses the self-determination law that was passed. Thus, he argues against the “intrusion of trans* women into women’s shelters” and the “exploitation of the women’s quota” by addressing the violence against women that mostly takes place in one’s own home and not in the public locker room. Against the exploitation of the women’s quota by trans* women, the satirist argues that people would have it much easier with the “men’s quota” anyway, so for what reason should one change the personal status? The presenter also debunks the often-used argument of biological sex by showing that there are more than just two biological sexes.

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Trans* hostility is an everyday evil of our society, which is not only strongly discriminatory and wants to deny people their identity, but also violates the Basic Law. Everyone should be able to live out their own identity at any time and in any place without restriction and without fear of negative consequences and violence. If you would like to help your trans* colleagues to live a discrimination-free everyday life also at the workplace, we recommend our free HOW TO guide on the topic of trans* and transition at the workplace.

BUNDESVERBAND TRANS*

“The Bundesverband Trans* (BVT) sees itself as a federation of individuals, groups, associations, federations and initiatives at regional, state and national level whose common endeavor is the commitment to gender diversity and self-determination and the commitment to human rights in terms of respect, recognition, equality, social participation and health of trans persons or persons not located in the binary gender system.”

DEUTSCHE GESELLSCHAFT FÜR TRANSIDENTITÄT UND INTERSEXUALITÄT E.V.

“The dgti has set itself the goal of promoting the acceptance of transidents within society and counteracting their stigmatization. It should advise and support those affected and interested, if this is desired. An essential aspect of the work should be the (re-)integration of affected persons into the work process, in order to counteract the danger of social decline, which is still associated with social change today. It advocates more openness to one’s own identity and takes into account the diversity of human existence.”

TRANSMANN E.V.

“Nationwide, volunteer-based, non-profit association for all woman-to-male (FzM/FtM) trans* and inter* people.”

TRANSINTERQUEER E.V.

“TrIQ is a social center and a politically, culturally and in the research field active association, which stands up for trans, intersex and queer living people in Berlin and beyond.”

TRANS*INTER*BERATUNGSSTELLE

“The project of the Münchner Aids-Hilfe e.V. is equally there for trans* and inter* people as well as their relatives and friends.”

TGEU

“TGEU is a membership-based organization that was founded in 2005. Since then, TGEU has steadily grown and established itself as a legitimate voice for the trans* community in Europe and Central Asia, with 157 member organizations in 47 different countries.”

Alan L. Hart (*1880 †1962)

Alan L. Hart was a trans* man who was not only the first person in the U.S. to receive a total hysterectomy, but Alan was also a writer, researcher, and physician who saved the lives of several thousand tuberculosis patients through modern x-ray diagnoses.

Dora (Dorchen) Richter (*1891 †unknown)

Dora “Dorchen” Richter is a historically important trans* woman. She was the first known person in Germany to undergo complete gender reassignment between 1922 and 1931. Dorchen worked as a domestic servant alongside several other trans* people for Magnus Hirschfeld, the director of the Berlin Institute for Sexual Sciences, until it was attacked and destroyed by a Nazi mob in 1933. It is unclear, however, whether Dora was murdered in this attack or died at the hands of Nazis over the next few years, as there were no further records of her from that day on.

Lucy Hicks Anderson (*1886 †1954)

Lucy Hicks Anderson was a true trans* pioneer of her time. Even as a young child, she told her parents that she preferred to be a girl and be called Lucy. Lucy married two men in her life and fought for legal effectiveness of her marriage, as she was assigned to the male gender at birth. This made her a very early campaigner for marriage for all as well as for the rights of trans* people.

Willmer “Little Axe” Broadnax (*1916 †1992)

Willmer Broadnax, one of the first recorded POC trans* men in the U.S., is also an exciting trans* personality, although hardly anyone knew him until his death. It was only after he was stabbed to death by his partner in an argument that an autopsy revealed he was a trans* man. Willmer was not an unknown person in his lifetime; he was a nationally famous and popular gospel singer, known by his nickname “Little Axe.”

Toni Simon (*1887 †1979)

Today, we would call Toni Simon a German pioneer of non-binary life. On the occasion of Toni’s seventieth birthday in 1956, a collage of Toni’s various phases of life was created, which was then also sent as a postcard. In it Toni can be seen in different gender roles at a time, especially at the beginning Toni was mostly in male military uniforms and suits. As Toni grew older, Toni chose increasingly fancy dresses. Doing so, Toni wanted to break the rules of binarity and proved that gender binaries can be broken.

Bundesverband trans*

“The Bundesverband Trans* (BVT) sees itself as a federation of individuals, groups, associations, federations and initiatives at regional, state and national level whose common endeavor is the commitment to gender diversity and self-determination and the commitment to human rights in terms of respect, recognition, equality, social participation and health of trans persons or persons not located in the binary gender system.”

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Transidentität und Intersexualität e.V.

“The dgti has set itself the goal of promoting the acceptance of transidents within society and counteracting their stigmatization. It should advise and support those affected and interested, if this is desired. An essential aspect of the work should be the (re-)integration of affected persons into the work process, in order to counteract the danger of social decline, which is still associated with social change today. It advocates more openness to one’s own identity and takes into account the diversity of human existence.”

Transmann e.V.

“Nationwide, volunteer-based, non-profit association for all woman-to-male (FzM/FtM) trans* and inter* people.”

TransInterQueer e.V.

“TrIQ is a social center and a politically, culturally and in the research field active association, which stands up for trans, intersex and queer living people in Berlin and beyond.”

Trans*Inter*Beratungsstelle

“The project of the Münchner Aids-Hilfe e.V. is equally there for trans* and inter* people as well as their relatives and friends.”

TGEU

“TGEU is a membership-based organization that was founded in 2005. Since then, TGEU has steadily grown and established itself as a legitimate voice for the trans* community in Europe and Central Asia, with 157 member organizations in 47 different countries.”

BIG IMPACT INITIATIVE AWARD:
more* von OTTO

Immer noch traut sich nur ein Bruchteil der trans* Personen am Arbeitsplatz ein Coming Out zu, da sie Angst vor Diskriminierung der Mitarbeitenden haben und befürchten müssen, negative Konsequenzen zu erleiden. MORE* hat sich diese Thematik zu Herzen genommen und außerordentliches Engagement gezeigt: Für ein respektvolles, diskriminierungsfreies Miteinander und vor allem für die Normalisierung des Umgangs mit trans*Personen sowie die Sensibilisierung für das Thema trans* und Geschlecht im Allgemeinen.

Nicht zuletzt durch die Entwicklung des Transidentity-Guides konnte das Netzwerk erzielen, dass die Thematik einiges an medialer Aufmerksamkeit auf sich zog. Es folgten auch weitere Unternehmen, die einen eigenen Transidentity-Guide erstellen (werden). Dies war auch möglich, da MORE* den Guide für alle zugänglich, kostenfrei zum Download bereitgestellt hat.

RISING STAR AWARD:
pride@ergo

Vor allem die Vernetzung vom Netzwerk mit unterschiedlichen Unternehmensebenen, wie Diversity- und Kommunikations-Abteilung sowie die Unterstützung aus dem Vorstand und von der Schirmherrin, haben gezeigt, dass auch ein junges Netzwerk in kurzer Zeit viel erreichen kann und das egal ob intern oder extern.

Die breit gefächerten Aktionen und Verankerung in der Firmenstruktur – vom deutschlandweiten Hissen der LGBT*IQ-Flagge an den Unternehmensstandorten, der Teilnahme mit Truck am CSD Köln bis hin zum firmeninternen Thematisieren von LGBT*IQ-Belangen beim Azubi-Start oder in der Gesprächsarena – waren ausschlaggebend bei der Entscheidung für Pride@ergo.

GLOBAL LEADER NETWORK AWARD:
fujitsu pride

Insbesondere in LGBT*IQ-feindlichen Ländern setzt sich das Netzwerk dafür ein, dass queere Personen auch dort Zugang zum Netzwerk haben – entweder durch die Schaffung eines lokalen Netzwerkzweigs oder auch durch die Möglichkeit von einem anderen Land aus dem Netzwerk beizutreten. Zudem wurden – als erstes japanisches Unternehmen – 2018 die UN-Standards of Conduct zur Bekämpfung der Diskriminierung von Lesben, Schwulen, Bi-, Trans- und intersexuellen Menschen unterzeichnet. Ausschlaggebend bei der Entscheidung für Fujitsu Pride war zudem der Workplace Index sowie das Pride Pledge, mit dem sich Mitarbeiter_innen dazu verpflichten, als Allies oder als LGBT*IQ-Person andere innerhalb und außerhalb des Unternehmens zu unterstützen.

sustainability AWARD:
co-pride von continental

Die Aktionen von Proud Heroes bestechen durch ihre konsequente Ausrichtung an den Bedürfnissen der queeren Mitarbeiter_innen – auf Basis von jährlichen Befragungen. Das Netzwerk versteht es zudem, die umgesetzten Maßnahmen in allen Ebenen und Prozessen des Unternehmens zu verankern und so verbindliche Richtlinien zu schaffen, beispielsweise zu Transitionen, Diskriminierung oder Entsendungen ins Ausland. Damit ebnet es den Weg für langfristigen und nachhaltigen Wandel hin zu LGBT*IQ-Chancengleichheit am Arbeitsplatz.

International Non-binary People’s Day has been held on July 14 since 2012. The date falls exactly between International Women’s Day in March and International Men’s Day in November. The day aims to raise awareness of the realities of life for non-binary people and to make issues visible that non-binary people face worldwide.

The terms non-binary, abinary, and genderqueer describe gender identities used by people who locate themselves outside the binary gender system. This includes, for example, agender, demigender and genderfluid people. Non-binary people can also be trans. However, trans people do not automatically assign themselves to a non-binary gender identity.

The symbolism behind the colors of the Non-binary flag:

• Yellow represents locating outside the binary gender system.
• White represents people who identify with multiple genders.
• Purple represents gender fluidity.
• Black represents people who do not identify with any gender.

Jo Labecka (NO PRONOUNS)
PROUT AT WORK-Foundation, Strategy & Corporate Partners

How do you identify and what does that mean to you?

I identify as genderqueer. For me, gender is a performance and a fluid continuum rather than a rigid, binary construct. Accordingly, I see myself outside of the binary system and feel the concept is artificial.

What are your experiences as a non-binary person?

I see my coming out as genderqueer as a kind of social work. An act that contributes to confronting people with the topic of being non-binary for the first time, so that they can deal with it. It is a process of self-discovery, as I discover new aspects of my identity over time and communicate accordingly to those around me. It is not an easy task because many still have little understanding of this topic. That means to show oneself again and again authentically and thus vulnerable, and thus also to have to come to terms with the fact that some try to deny my identity.

How can non-binary people be supported?

In any case, accept the new name of the non-binary person without expressing preference for the use of the old name. If certain pronoun usage is preferred, strive to follow that. In general, do not deny the existence of the non-binary identity, even if the concept is not comprehensible.

10 Ways To Step Up As An Ally For Non-binary People

Young People Are Taking Control Over Their Gender Identity

Interviews with non-binary Accenture employees (DE)

^{© Lichtbildatelier Eva Speith, Darmstadt}

Philip Heßen
Head of HR Strategy & Transformation bei Merck
Ranked 6th on the TOP 100 OUT EXECUTIVES list 2020