Zimbabwe's intersex community reaches out-of-court settlement with government over rights

Zimbabwe's intersex community has withdrawn a lawsuit filed last year against the High Court after reaching an out-of-court settlement with the government to protect their rights, their legal representative announced Monday.

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The parties have reached an out-of-court agreement that they are currently implementing. Unfortunately, I cannot reveal the details to ensure the integrity of the process.

"The parties have reached an out-of-court agreement that they are currently implementing. Unfortunately, I cannot reveal the details to ensure the integrity of the process," stated Jeremiah Bamu to EFE, describing the terms as "confidential." He added, "For now, I can only say that both parties have reached common ground that benefits both sides," noting that they are working on executing the agreed-upon milestones with their clients.

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For now, I can only say that both parties have reached common ground that benefits both sides.

According to legal sources consulted by EFE, the state agreed to consider some aspects of the community's demands, but "some documents still need to be drafted for the agreement to satisfy both parties." The intersex community in Zimbabwe had filed the lawsuit in September, seeking legal recognition for a third sex marker on official documents and its inclusion as a distinct category in national legislation.

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Our case seeks to ensure that we have laws that protect us and that birth certificates and other civil documents recognize us as intersex, without forcing us to be men or women.

The group requested that the new marker be identified by the letter 'I' for intersex on birth certificates, passports, and identity cards. They also sought a prohibition on non-consensual and non-essential medical interventions on intersex minors. The community reported that for generations, hospitals in the African nation have performed corrective surgeries on individuals with ambiguous genitalia to assign them a male or female category, a practice that has caused lifelong identity conflicts for those affected.

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We ask the government of Zimbabwe to recognize us so that we can enjoy our human rights like any other citizen. At this moment, we feel like second-class citizens because we cannot fully exercise our rights.