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Overview
After Mani Bruce Mitchell (MNZM) attended the first international conference run by the Intersex Society of North America in 1996, they began laying the foundations for the Intersex Society of New Zealand (Aotearoa). The society was officially launched in 1997 and became Intersex Trust Aotearoa New Zealand (ITANZ) in 1998. This was the organisation's first sign, and features the colour yellow which has long been regarded as an intersex colour, and is neutral in terms of gender.
Mani has devoted much of their adult life to raising awareness about intersex and gender variance. They are considered to be one of the first people in New Zealand to publicly come out as intersex. They have contributed to initiatives to include intersex conditions in the fields of mental health, sexual health and medicine, and have helped many people on their own journeys.
In the Queen’s Birthday Honours of 2021, Mani is believed to have been one of the first intersex, non-binary New Zealanders to be made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit. They were awarded the honour for services to intersex advocacy and education.
Background
This achievement was in stark contrast to Mani’s first years. At birth (10 March 1952) they were assigned male and named Bruce Mitchell. But invasive surgery before their first birthday meant they were reassigned as female and named Margaret. They suffered further non-consensual surgeries at eight years old. Doctors advised Mani’s parents to keep their child’s intersex condition a secret. In their 40s, Mani explored their childhood trauma of misgendering and surgeries, and emerged as an intersex person.