Moving film calls for the protection of the 'I' in LGBTIQ

LONDON -- The United Nations (UN) has released a film calling for the protection of intersex children and support for the "I" in LGBTIQ.

Intersex people are born with "a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male," according to the Intersex Society of North America.

This term also includes people with genetic deviations from expected chromosomal makeup that doesn’t align with their genitals.

Research suggests that approximately 1.7 percent of the population is intersex, which equates to being as common as having red hair (1 percent to 2 percent).

The UN Free and Equal campaign, a branch of the UN Human Rights office, has created a film calling on governments and parents to protect intersex children from harm.

According to Intersex UK, "thousands of intersex bodied children and adolescents are facing gross human rights violations in the form of torture, violence, discrimination, and ill treatment."

The film shows one family's journey from the birth of its child to bringing the baby home, and shows the family's discovery and acceptance that the child is intersex. Produced by creative agency Shape History, the film declares that intersex people are "perfect just as they are" and don't require surgery to "fix them".

“This is a historic moment for the United Nations and for equal rights. Intersex people have long been forgotten along our global path to equality, with many intersex people suffering due to ignorances that have transcended generations," Mike Buonaiuto, the executive director of Shape History, said in a statement emailed to Mashable.

"It’s incredible to think that being intersex is as common as being a redhead, this campaign really puts it into perspective."