Crystal and all,<br><br>One thing that you can do
to help is support organizations you believe in that
advocate for the intersexed. I am the farthest thing from
a political activist, but for me it is ISNA and the
Hypospadias Association of America, who operate a forum on
Yahoo Clubs. Eventually the goal of HAA is to become a
tax-exempt organization and gain wider visibility outside
the cyber world. Yes, Crystal, education is the only
way to battle this, and short of billboards and TV
commercials, affecting one person at a time remains the only
real method. No one is an island, and all of us affect
and are affected by those we meet and spend our time
with. We put a human face on intersexuality. We bring
it home to people that never had to ask themselves
the kinds of questions we did, never had reason to
think people like us are out there. The number one
category of reaction I hear when people "find out" about
me, is "I've never heard of that before". <br><br>I
find people supportive and genuinely caring when they
learn about this, and that is because these are people
who I meant something to before they were told. Most
of the scars I bear over this are in some way
self-inflicted from back in the days when I thought I didn't
need anyone, and in turn made myself unavailable to
anyone who needed me. <br><br>In order to raise people's
consciousness, you have to be there to engage them, and too many
of us try to hide from the world feeling ashamed and
guilty rather than walking out into the sun and being
honest about who and what we are, mainly to ourselves.
It's scary and risky, but it can also be liberating
and rewarding.<br><br>Yes, there is bigotry and
idiocy out there, and I fear that will never be in short
supply, so if you are waiting for that to change, it is
your time that's a'wasting. I choose not to allow that
to control the quality of my life. I grew up in a
poverty pit in the middle of nowhere, and I think all of
you know how hard it is to be different in a small
town, where there is no anonymity possible. I never
looked back when I left, and refused to take that place,
and some of its attitudes with me.<br><br><br>Take
Care All,<br><br><br>Doug