Chair Pocan Leads Letter to the Department Of Health And Human Services in Support of Advancing Health Equity for Intersex Individuals

WASHINGTON, DC – Representative Mark Pocan (D-WI), Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, led a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services in response to their request for information on promising practices for advancing health equity for intersex individuals. The letter expresses strong support for the Administration's plan to publish a report on this topic and recommends specific areas the report should focus on in order to further health equity for intersex people.

In the letter, Members of Congress state:

"As members of the U.S. House of Representatives, we strongly support the Administration's efforts to publish a report on "Promising Practices for Advancing Health Equity for Intersex Individuals." Intersex people—those born with variations in their physical sex characteristics—are a substantial and important part of the U.S. population and of the LGBTQI+ population, but for too long their needs have gone unaddressed due to silence, stigma, and lack of education. Given the many challenges intersex populations face—including the frequency of forced, harmful surgeries on intersex children, as well as other forms of discrimination and gaps in care and supports—this report will be an important step forward in ensuring health equity for this vulnerable population."

Read the full text of the letter here.

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Founded in 2008, the mission of the Congressional Equality Caucus is to promote equality for all, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sex characteristics, including intersex traits. The Caucus is strongly committed to achieving the full enjoyment of human rights for LGBTQI+ people in the U.S. and around the world.