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Check out covid19.govt.nz for important updates for Aotearoa, New Zealand.

OurMarch was held in Tāmaki Makaurau on Saturday the 8th of Feb. A community process informed the takeover of these events after robust community consultation. The result of the consultation has meant a rich and vibrant celebration inclusive of all genders, cultural groups and variations in sex characteristics was visible on the day.

Auckland Pride states  "OurMarch champions the kaupapa of OurPride, through liberating and celebrating with Auckland’s rainbow communities. OurMarch is a demonstration of energy, unity, and the rich diversity of our community."

We are proud of our ITANZ trustee and intersex advocate Eliana Rubashkyn for being one of the many community members to promote the event.

Intersex inclusion was clear on the day, with yellow and purple colours mingling beautifully with the rainbow and trans colours also present.  The intersex flag banner led by Mani and Eliana was supported by many wonderful allies and friends.

This year ITANZ and Intersex Youth Aotearoa are creating our own visual campaign for Intersex Awareness Day 2019. Join us in the lead up to this annual event, with these educational images below. These have been made with the help of some amazing friends volunteering their time and skills. A giant thanks to Ted Whitaker for filming us being dorks, Christina Lilley for Design and Cooki Stains for the beats used in our video (soon to come). Each day this week we are launching a new image, each with a special insight supplied by one of our intersex whanau.

The New Zealand Parliament's rainbow select committee room has been refurbished a decade after it was first opened. Proudly displayed among many other flags of note is the intersex flag!

It was first opened in 2008, when then Speaker Hon Margaret Wilson approved the dedication of the room to the nation’s gay, lesbian, and transgender community.

Morgan Carpenter of Intersex Human Rights Australia, wrote the segment below after designing the flag in 2013...

"We struggle a bit with symbols for intersex, and people with intersex variations; many of us don’t see the need for them, while other people seem to like something to identify with.

There is no commonly understood symbol or flag, even within intersex communities. Many attempts have seemed derivative, of a rainbow flag, of gendered pink and blue colours, of transgender symbols, or an infinity symbol used by some bisexual groups. This is one attempt to create something that is not derivative, but yet is firmly grounded in meaning.

The colour yellow has long been regarded as an intersex colour, neither blue nor pink. Purple, too, has been used for the same purpose – including on this site.

The circle is unbroken and unornamented, symbolising wholeness and completeness, and our potentialities. We are still fighting for bodily autonomy and genital integrity, and this symbolises the right to be who and how we want to be.

......This is available freely for use by any intersex person or organisation who wishes to use it, in a human rights affirming community context."

For the latest update to the story, as well as a downloadable image of the intersex flag head to Morgan Carpenters own website here.