Intersex symposium, University of Surrey

Coloured pencils, by Petr Kratochvil

On 23-24 September 2016, the Institute of Advanced Studies at the University of Surrey held a multidisciplinary symposium entitled After the Recognition of Intersex Human Rights.

A conference sponsored by the University of Surrey’s Institute of Advanced Studies and the Wellcome Trust, and the third annual meeting of EuroPSI: the European Network for Psychosocial Studies in Intersex/Diverse Sex Development (dsd).

This symposium will discuss recent research and developments, as well as encourage exchanges between patient advocates, political activists, psychosocial researchers, health professionals, and academic scholars. Recognising the expertise of such diverse groups of people is required to support the flourishing of people addressed by medical consensus and human rights claims. This is a space to present on recent research and developments, and in particular to examine the impact of human rights claims on the field.

These aims are reflected in the title of the conference. Topics for contributions might include discussions of the actual and potential achievements of the strategy of going after human rights, and how this can support the flourishing of intersex people. Relatedly, contributions might consider contexts shaped by the recognition or lack of recognition of intersex human rights. We also hope to discuss what accounts of “the human” inform current humanistic orientations to intersex, including those that inform legal, psychosocial, cultural and biomedical approaches. How does the pursuit of intersex human rights affect the conception of being human?

Speakers include Morgan Carpenter, participating in an international panel discussion on “Intersex human rights: why we need research supporting an affirmative model of care”, alongside Holly Greenberry (Intersex UK), Tanya Ni Mhuirthile (Dublin City University) Kimberly Zieselman (interACT), Georgiann Davis (InterACT/University of Nevada), Kitty Anderson (OII Europe/Intersex Iceland) and Miriam van der Have (NNID/OII Europe).

Other speakers from our region include Katrina Roen (University of Oslo). Keynote presenters include Georgiann Davis (University of Nevada), Kitty Anderson (Intersex Iceland/OII Europe), and Ruth Baldacchino (ILGA).

More information

Intersex_Symposium_Programme
Conference report