October 26th is Intersex Awareness Day, a time to celebrate the ‘I’ in LGBTIQA+ and a chance to double check you’re up to date with your understanding of the challenges faced by this section of the community.
Intersex people have innate variations of sex characteristics that differ from medical and social norms for female or male bodies. Intersex is an umbrella term for a diverse range of different traits that can be determined prenatally, at birth, during puberty and at other times. People with intersex variations grow up to express diverse identities, including LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ identities.
InterAction for Health and Human Rights for provide a range resources aimed at changing current practices and promoting genuine inclusive practice.
Join an online celebration
On Sunday 25th October an online celebration will be held from 3pm – 5pm (WA time). Tickets can be booked online and then you’ll be sent a link to the Zoom gathering.
There’ll be stories and laughter, connection and care, according to the event’s blurb. The event will also announce the recipient of this year’s Darling Award. A honour given out in recognition of outstanding intersex allyship.
The award takes it’s name from The Darlington Statement, the 2017 consensus statement that lays out a pathways for improving the lives of people who are intersex.
New memorial award launched
This year the group has launched the Del Victus Memorial Award named after the intersex awareness advocate who passed away in 2024.
The award will be presented to an individual or organisation within the Australian intersex community who made a powerful contribution to strengthening awareness and exacting change for intersex human rights as an advocate or activist. The innaugural recipient will be announced in November.
Learn more about the needs of people who are intersex.
Raising The Bar and the Inclusive Practice guide, delivered with the National LGBTI Health Alliance, provide tips and checklists that can assist organisations and individuals in respecting diversity within the intersex population, using appropriate language, helpful terminology, measures of inclusion and much more.
The ACT remains the only Australian jurisdiction to bring in legislation protecting people from unnecessary non-consensual surgeries
To date the Australian Capital Territory is the only Australian jurisdiction to bring in legislation to limit non-consensual surgery being performed on intersex people in their youth.
Malta was the first country to take action on the issue over a decade ago, but Australian politicians have been slow to respond to the calls to bring in similar laws. Read this 2020 account from a Western Australian advocate who discusses what its like to be given surgery in your youth but not be fully aware of the reasons or potential effects.
Take a listen to ‘The I in Us’
Melbourne’s JOY Media air a weekly show created by members of the Intersex community. Hosted by Paul Byrne-Moroney The I in Us is a great way to keep up to date with the latest issues and hear a wide variety of voices. Take a listen to past episodes.
