Salem to hold first Intersex Awareness Day flag raising

The City of Salem announced Oct. 20 that it will host its first Intersex Awareness Day flag raising and a series of free community events on Monday, Oct. 26.

Mayor Dominick Pangallo is inviting residents to the events, which mark the 30th anniversary of the first known intersex protest, held in Boston in 1996.

The day begins at Cinema Salem, where attendees are asked to arrive at 10:45 a.m. for a screening of "Common as Red Hair," a 2023 short drama film written and directed by Robbie Robertson and executive produced by Kimberly Zieselman, starring Wally Kurth and Kassie Depavia. The screening is set to run from about 11:05 a.m. to 11:20 a.m. and will be followed by a March of Visibility from Cinema Salem to Salem City Hall.

The community will gather at City Hall at about 11:40 a.m. for a speaking program and flag raising. Speakers include Kimberly Zieselman, described as the first openly intersex person to work in the federal government, who served during the Biden administration, and Erika Lorshbough, executive director of interAct, an intersex-led legal advocacy organization. The program will be followed by the raising of the city's intersex flags and a group photo outside City Hall. The Salem Public Library will host an Intersex Resource Table with educational materials, pins, buttons and flags.

From 12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m., the city will hold a free educational presentation in the Salem City Council Chambers led by Lorshbough, covering an introduction to intersex identity and the history of the intersex rights movement. The presentation is open to the public; an RSVP is recommended by emailing Michael Corley at mcorley@salem.com.

"Visibility matters, and education is an important part of building a community where everyone is able to live openly and authentically," Pangallo said in the release. Lorshbough said in the release that "Salem officials are working hard to publicly recognize those essential rights and celebrate intersex people as valued community members."

All events are free and open to the public.

Source: Town of Salem announcement, October 21, 2026.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the original announcement.