The International Intersex Forum will go virtual, the organising committee has announced.

The global gathering of intersex changemakers will shift all its events online, allowing for a larger participation of human rights defenders from across the world, and to overcome the intersecting hurdles posed by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the health disparities present in the intersex community.

“We are aware that many of the activists who would be willing to attend an in-person event may be immunocompromised, or at greater risk of severe health complications,” the organising committee said. “After careful consideration, we agreed that moving away from an on-site event would be the most viable solution for a large part of our community for the time being.”

The future of the International Intersex Forum

Originally scheduled to take place in Long Beach, California, United States from 9 to 12 May 2022, the event had already been downsized to prioritise the health, safety, and well-being of all scholars and participants.

The organising committee is already at work to shift the in-person event to an online gathering - which will take place either in the second semester of 2022 or in early 2023.

“Moving to a virtual space will allow us to host a larger event and ensure the presence of intersex scholars and activists from all regions of the world,” the committee said. “After the important advances that we have witnessed over the past few years, we know how eager our community is to finally come together and discuss ways forward for our global movement. This year’s International Intersex Forum could be the largest of our history so far, and we look forward to welcoming a diversity of voices from our global population.”

Details on how to participate to the virtual event will be made public over the coming weeks. For further information on the decision and upcoming activities, we invite activists to write to [email protected].