We want to root intersex people in their
legacy.
Regardless of their income or location.
That's why we at SLIM are raising funds to build a digital museum and archive in 2026.
Read more about the project below, or see cool perks for
donors! ➡️
"I know of intersex people that have passed, but it's not
good that now I can't name them when I'm sitting and thinking.
That disturbs my soul..."
—
Interview with an intersex activist in her 20s
Hermaphrodites Fight!, or, An Intersex Resistance Timeline honors the 30th anniversary of our intersex movement's ongoing fight to end state-sanctioned medical violence by offering continuity to future generations.
What's been tried before? Who are our elders? What patterns might guide us, or might we need to break away from?
If you're like many young intersex people, you might not know how to look for answers to these questions. You might not know others in your city, others who are acting in resistance against narrow ideas about sex, or any others at all. You might hold an identity based on lived experience, but need deeper rooting.
Delivered as a free, public, digital museum hosted by SLIM, this project will showcase how intersex people in the United States began challenging the state-supported “medical best practice” of pediatric genitoplasty, tracking the fight’s evolution from 1996-2026 by synthesizing new writing, gathering community-sourced images and videos, and conducting oral interviews with artists, scholars, and agitators.
See the features we've begun building:
We hope to pursue depth in both content and approach, including disagreements about tactics and ideas, seeking out items of resistance that are less well documented, and/or that emphasize contributions by our Black, Indigenous, disabled, queer and/or trans peers.
At its smallest initial scope, the timeline website will launch in October 2026, building off of SLIM's existing website and features like the Intersex Groups Index. The timeline is a collaboration between two established intersex cultural workers, Dr. Sean Saifa Wall, a researcher and healing practitioner, and Hans Lindahl, an author and web developer.
Planned features:
- Writing and context for dozens of events, based on oral interviews and research
- Timeline view, for browsing events chronologically
- Database view, similar to archive websites, for deeper search by tags and topic
- Exhibits, housing curation by movement contributors to frame select events
- Wall of support, an illustrated brick wall with contributors' messages
- Contact, for visitors to submit suggestions, media, or sources for consideration
- Room for new exhibits, "wings," and expansion
Be a part of this effort toward life, activism, and resistance. Donate today!
Thirty years ago, members of Hermaphrodites with Attitude and Transexual Menace protested the American Academy of Pediatrics conference on October 26th, 1996. From that day forward, enshrined by Betsy Driver and Emi Koyama, we would have the beginning of the intersex rights movement in the United States.
Thirty years later, we want to do something to celebrate this protest, especially given the current political climate in the United States: rising authoritarianism that has incited war, stripped reproductive rights, and used intersex trauma to influence legislation contributing to what experts have referred to as a trans genocide.
We hope this project aids in stemming the systemic erasure of intersex lives and experiences. Because intersex communities are dispersed and have historically used the internet to locate each other and collaborate, this project builds on that history while documenting progress fascism seeks to eradicate.
embroidery work shared by one of the first interviewees for
the project
Perks
Highlights
See all activity4Financials
Transparency is cool! We are determined to bring this Intersex Resistance Timeline to life.
The true cost to build this project, taking up 100% of our organizational resources from April through October 2026, is approximately $54,525:
And here's what goes into that, our biggest cost being labor:
Labor on website development, graphics, project management, and writing (Hans at 20 hrs/wk) | $21,019.20 |
Labor on research, project management, and outreach (Saifa at 20 hrs/wk) | $22,404.80 |
Illustration contract | $3,000 |
Hosting and tech services | $800 |
Honoraria for interviewees | $1,000 |
Honoraria for writers or video makers | $1,250 |
Padding (just in case!) at 3% | $1,484.22 |
Fiscal sponsor fees at 7% of all above | $3,567.07 |
Total | $54,525.29 |
To make an even number, that's a fundraiser goal of $55,000.
Reach Goals
In addition to this fundraiser, we will continue to seek grants and other opportunities.
If we are able to raise a total of $55,000 from all sources, that will cover full expenses through the end of October, while maintaining the organization's existing runway.
If we are able to raise a reach goal of $100,000 or more, we can not only finish the timeline project as proposed, but supplement activist knowledge with archival research and further opportunities for dissemination throughout 2027.
If, from all sources, we reach our goal of $55,000, we can:
- Complete a media outreach plan to spread this history to journals, news, advocacy, and affinity publications
- Offer stipends to more contributors, putting out a paid call for additional exhibit writers
- Respond faster to inquiries and submissions on timeline items and documentation
If, from all sources, we reach $100,000, we can:
- Expand the scope of the resource toward archival work in 2027, e.g. travel to collect and publish material from the Kinsey Institute and other sources
- Explore partnerships with LGBTQ archives, sex education, and medical humanities groups to disseminate knowledge in-person
- Keep SLIM's doors open another year as a resource for strategy and capacity building, planning beyond 2027
What if we don't reach the goal?
- We're committed to using any existing reserves on hand to cover labor as long as we can.
- If we're not able to meet our goal of $55k by fall, we will have to scale back labor to work at a slower pace. That most likely means that the project won't launch for October 2026. Depending on how much we are able to raise, we may work at quarter time or less. If we see that we are not close to our goal by August, we will update everyone with a new estimate for the project's schedule.
SLIM's Organizational Finances
- End of 2024: SLIM started with operational funds left over from the Intersex Justice Project: close to $70,000, which established our web presence, landscape analysis, paid a part-time living wage to two staff, and funded events with Spanish language accessibility.
- 2025: With the incoming Trump administration, foundations shifted their priorities, smaller funding projects closed their doors, and we witnessed wholesale attacks on anything considered “woke,” “progressive,” or in support of diversity, equity and inclusion. Despite that huge setback, we managed to raise close to $40,000 from grants and small donations. People believed in us!
- 2026: However, with all of the love and support, we still have had to reduce working hours from 20 hours per week to 10 hours per week. At this rate, we have runway for part-time labor through July 2026. If we can't reach labor costs by that time, we'll reduce our scale and/or volunteer to make sure the timeline is launched. We've always gotten it done!
FAQ
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