From the I to the we : the development of an intersex political subjectivity

Since the 1950s, intersex children have been subjected to medical treatments to make their bodies fit into the medical definitions of male or female bodies. These treatments were practiced without giving the parents or child complete information. They did not know they were intersex, and most grew up without representation. In this paper, I use the theoretical frameworks of political subjectification, epistemic injustice and subalternity to understand the situation of intersex individuals in Europe. I apply the two latter to Tarragoni's (2014) political subjectification theory. I address how intersex individuals became political subjects by exposing the different layers that make it difficult for them to express themselves. EThe data used for this paper comes from semi-structured interviews conducted with intersex activists in Belgium, Germany or who (have) engage(d) transnationally. Some data also come from participant observation in different intersex events, protests or work meetings in Belgium and Germany. I conclude by highlighting how the medicalization of intersex people led to a situation of almost hermeneutical death, making it challenging for them to become political subjects.