Intersex Day of Remembrance Date in the current year: November 8, 2024

Sex characteristics of intersex people to not allow to distinctly identify them as male or female. Herculine Barbin was a French intersex person who lived in the 19th century. She was raised as a female, but was later reassigned as male after an affair with a woman and physical examination. In modern terms, she had male pseudohermaphroditism. Herculine changed her name to Abel and left for Paris where he wrote his memoirs. Barbin committed suicide at age 30.

Intersex Day of Remembrance was created to raise awareness of intersex and highlight the challenges faced by intersex people. One of the most important issues is non-consensual interventions to modify the sex anatomy. As of 2015, Malta is the only country that has outlawed them.

While Intersex Day of Remembrance is celebrated more in Europe, Intersex Awareness Day (October 26) is primary marked in English-speaking countries, particularly in North America. In some countries, two weeks between the two events are marked as “14 days of intersex”.