Mani Bruce Mitchell (born 1953) is an

intersex Intersex people are individuals born with any of several sex characteristics including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical b ...

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

and counsellor from

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by ...

, New Zealand. In 2021, Mitchell was recognised as a Member of the

New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have r ...

Early life

Mitchell was born and raised in the central North Island on a sheep and cattle farm and educated at Taupo-nui-a-Tia College and the

University of Waikato , mottoeng = For The People , established = 1964; years ago , endowment = (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $263.6 million (31 December 2020) , chancellor = Sir Anand Satyanand, GNZM, QSO, KStJ , vice_chancellor = Neil Quigley , cit ...

. Identified as a "hermaphrodite" at birth, Mitchell underwent "non-consensual genital 'feminising' surgeries" as a child, and is also a survivor of sexual abuse.

Career

Since 1996, Mitchell has been actively involved in education on intersex and gender variance issues, lecturing at universities and running workshops around the world, and was also involved in the production of several TV documentaries, a film, and a photography book. Mitchell is a member of the

New Zealand Association of Counsellors The New Zealand Association of Counsellors (NZAC) ( mi, Te Ropu Kaiwhiriwhiri o Aotearoa) is the national professional association that acts for and with counsellors to monitor and improve the service they provide. Their aim is to promote coun ...

World Professional Association for Transgender Health The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), formerly the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association (HBIGDA), is a professional organization devoted to the understanding and treatment of gender identity and ...

and the

International Transactional Analysis Association Transactional Analysis (TA) is a psychoanalytic theory and method of therapy wherein social interactions (or “transactions”) are analyzed to determine the ego state of the communicator (whether parent-like, childlike, or adult-like) as a b ...

. Mitchell is the Executive Director of

Intersex Trust Aotearoa New Zealand Intersex Aotearoa is a nonprofit organisation based in New Zealand, and is a national advocacy and peer support organisation for intersex people. The organisation was founded in 1996 by Mani Mitchell, and has previously been known as the Intersex ...

, also known as Intersex Awareness New Zealand. Mitchell has also narrated the documentary ''

Intersexion ''Intersexion'' (2012) is a documentary about intersex people. The film was researched and presented by activist Mani Mitchell, New Zealand's first "out" intersex person.

'' (2012), directed by Grant Lahood, which features the story of Mani Mitchell and many other individuals, and looks at how intersex people navigate their way through life. Mitchell also helped organize the third International Intersex Forum in November/December 2013, and participated in a meeting of New Zealand and Australian intersex organizations in Darlington, Sydney, Australia, leading to publication of the Darlington Statement policy platform. In 2021, Mitchell spoke of amazement at seeing "intersex people 'moving out of that shame and secrecy and into a playful, joyful place' over the years".

Recognition

In the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours, Mitchell was appointed a

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have re ...

, for their work as a human rights advocate and educator. Mitchell is thought to be one of the first intersex non-binary New Zealanders to receive the award.

References

External links

Official website

Intersex Trust Aotearoa New Zealand
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Mani 1953 births Living people Intersex non-binary people Intersex rights activists Intersex rights in New Zealand New Zealand LGBT people New Zealand activists New Zealand educators People educated at Taupo-nui-a-Tia College Non-binary activists Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit University of Waikato alumni