Afram Clarkson
24 October 2025
9:00 am
Session summary
In Ghana, intersex people, those born with sex characteristics that do not fit typical definitions of male or female faces widespread erasure. This erasure happens in many ways.
Mostly, our bodies are pathologised, our stories go untold and our identities are denied legal and social recognition. In most public health, policy and education systems, intersex people are invisible. We are often grouped in with other identities or left out entirely. This session will unpack how power, politics and colonial influence continue to shape this silence. Medical practices rooted in shame and secrecy often lead to harmful surgeries on intersex children without consent. Religious and cultural beliefs label intersex people as abnormal, a curse or Taboos pushing families to hide or reject us. The legal system offers no protection and, in some cases, they cause severe harm by ignoring our rights entirely. I will draw on both personal experience and community knowledge to bring these issues to light. But this talk is not just about harm, it’s about resistance. I will spotlight how intersex people in Ghana are building networks such as Key Watch Ghana to claim space and raising awareness in bold and creative ways. Youth led advocacy, community storytelling and global solidarity are helping to push back against the forces that try to keep us silent.
My goal is to make this session a space for learning, unlearning and connecting. Whether you know a lot about intersex issues or very little, this talk will provide a grounded human perspective on what it means to exist, resist and speak out in a world that often refuses to see us.
Biography
Afram is an intersex Ghanaian public health officer and advocate, human rights defender and a gender advocacy officer. Afram has a strong commitment in amplifying the voices of marginalised communities. With over four years of experience working at the intersections of youth leadership, gender justice and LGBTQ+ rights, Afram is dedicated in challenging erasure, stigma and systemic discrimination in Ghana and beyond. Serving as the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at the Youth Initiative Foundation, Afram supports grassroots mobilisation through activism at advocacy organisation Rightify Ghana. Afram actively supports the rights of LGBTQ+ people in Ghana, documenting cases of blackmail, violence and discrimination to seek justice for victims and push for inclusive systems. Afram also champions intersex visibility, access to healthcare, and safe spaces for queer communities. In addition to human rights work, Afram is a passionate mental health advocate supporting initiatives that provide crisis care and psychosocial support to LGBTQ+ individuals and frontline defenders. Afram blends their work with lived experience, research, and community cantered strategies to foster resilience, dignity, and inclusion.
