October 26 is Intersex Awareness Day. Intersex people have always existed, but it wasn’t until the mid 20th century that U.S. medical practitioners began paying a particular kind of attention to our natural sex differences. Since the 1950s, intersex people have been the targets of nonconsensual medical interventionsin attempts to fit our bodies into a false sex binary. The first time intersex people took a stance and demonstrated publicly against our medicalization was on October 26, 1996 in Boston. We celebrate that act of courage annually on Intersex Awareness Day, and on every other day of the year.

Intersex and LGBTQ+ people share many commonalities, and many intersex people also identify as LGBTQ+. As an intersex and queer person, I have faith that my communities will show up in solidarity for each other in the fight for our human rights and legal protections. Here are seven things to know about intersex people, intersex history, and Intersex Awareness Day — including how you can support our movement as an ally.

1. Intersex Awareness Day is a protest.

The day was established in 2003 by U.S. intersex activists Emi Koyama and Betsy Driver to commemorate the first public intersex demonstration in 1996. That demonstration was an act of bravery.