Susannah Temko

Society is slowly starting to move beyond the idea of gender and sexuality as being rigid binary constructs. However, sex, being male or female, is still viewed as binary system, which erases the existence and reality of intersex people and the complexity of sex. Susannah Temko is determined to increase the positive visibility of the intersex community and dispel myths and misinformation about intersex people Through her own lived experience, she challenges members of the medical community and those that feel they have the right to make life-altering choices for intersex children, before they’re even aware of their own identity. Susannah encourages us all to challenge the most basic assumptions we’ve historically been taught about sex, and how they impact all of our lives.

For intersex people -- those born with sex characteristics outside the traditional definitions of female and male -- the stakes to appear "normal" are high. Drawing on her personal experience, Susannah Temko reveals the shame, prejudice and harm faced by the intersex community, as they're forced to conform to a binary understanding of sex that ultimately hinders their health and well-being. She calls on us all to discard outdated notions of biological sex and accept the complexity within humanity.