Our work

Welcome!

Intersex people are born with physical sex characteristics that don’t fit medical norms for female or male bodies. We have many different kinds of bodies and life experiences.

Intersex Human Rights Australia is a national not-for-profit company by and for people born with variations of sex characteristics. We were formerly known as OII Australia.

We promote human rights and bodily autonomy. Our goals are to help create a society where intersex bodies are not stigmatised, and where our rights as people are recognised. We engage in systemic advocacy and community-building work, and provide information, education, and resources.
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Steph Lum, photo by Georgia Andrews. Glasses by Irene Kuzemko

Steph Lum: “Intersex self-love”

Steph Lum has won a prize for the poem “Intersex self-love”, in the Canberra SpringOut essay competition. Congratulations, Steph! Here’s the poem in its entirety.

Michael Noble

Remembering Dr Michael Noble

In May 2018, Dr Michael Noble passed away. IHRA lost one of our longstanding members, and Australia lost one of our first wave of intersex activists. We remember him and his works.

Bonnie Hart in HR at Midsumma, 2019

Midsumma carnival and performance

Find and participate in an intersex community stall at Midsumma Carnival, and come along to talks and performance by Bonnie Hart, Kelly O’Shea and Elise Nyhuis, during the festival in Melbourne, starting this coming weekend.

O&G Magazine cover, December 2018

O&G Magazine: “What do intersex people need from doctors?” and more

O&G Magazine, the magazine of the Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) published a special issue on LGBTQIA people for December 2018. It contains articles on intersex people by Morgan Carpenter and Dr Jenny Beale, and relevant content by Dr Kimberley Ivory, Dr Elizabeth Kerekere and others.

Australian Law Reform Commission submission

Submission to the ALRC on reform of the family law system

IHRA has made a submission to the Australian Law Reform Commission regarding its discussion paper on reform of the family law system, with a focus on reform of the welfare jurisdiction to ensure that children with intersex variations and persons with disabilities are protected from harmful practices.

Community declarations

Darlington 2 retreat participants

Affirm the Darlington Statement

Following the second Australian-Aotearoa/NZ intersex advocacy retreat, we invite you and your organisations to affirm the Darlington Statement in support of intersex human rights.

Darlington retreat

Darlington Statement

The Darlington Statement is a joint consensus statement by Australian and Aotearoa/New Zealand intersex organisations and independent advocates, agreed in March 2017. It sets out the priorities and calls to action by the intersex human rights movement in our countries.

Participants at the Third International Intersex Forum in Malta

Malta Declaration

Between 29 November and 1 December 2013, the Third International Intersex Forum, supported by ILGA and ILGA-Europe, took place in Valletta, Malta. The event brought together 34 activists representing 30 intersex organisations from all continents, and produced a common declaration.