Inaugural Darlington Intersex Ally Award
Update: the inaugural winner of the Darling Award has been announced.
Many of the participants of the two Darlington retreats
We are excited that tomorrow, on Intersex Awareness Day, a consortium of intersex-led and allied organisations working towards implementation of the Darlington Statement in Australia will be proud to announce the recipient of the first annual Darlington intersex ally award, the Darling.
The Darling award, 2018
The Darling will be presented to an organisation, institution or individual that demonstrates a commitment to action on intersex human rights beyond merely affirming the Darlington Statement. The Darlington Statement is a community consensus statement that sets out the demands of the intersex human rights movement in Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand. It calls for recognition of our right to bodily integrity, and outlines the systemic changes needed to ensure our enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health and other human rights.
There are five nominees: the National LGBTI Health Alliance, People with Disability Australia, Senator Janet Rice, ACT Labor, and the ACT Government Office for LGBTIQ+ Affairs.
Nicky Bath, representing the National LGBTI Health Alliance, states:
The National LGBTI Health Alliance is thrilled and honoured to be nominated for the first ever “Darling” award for outstanding ally-ship to the Intersex Human Rights Movement in Australia. Our partnership over the last few years with Intersex organisations and advocates has led to some important outcomes such as the Darlington Statement, and a large presence of presenters at our Health in Difference conference this year. to be recognised as an outstanding ally is a great honour and we are excited to continue this vital work going forward.
Therese Sand, representing People with Disability Australia, states:
PWDA is honoured to be nominated for the inaugural Darlington Intersex Ally Award. As an organisation constituted, led and governed by people with disability, PWDA has a strong affinity with intersex-led organisations. Our commitment to the implementation of the Darlington Statement is underpinned by our work to progress the human rights of all people with disability, and our recognition that the human rights of intersex people are articulated by the international human rights framework, including the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). For several years, PWDA has been collaborating with intersex-led organisations, and using the international human rights framework to raise human rights concerns about forced sterilisation and forced medical interventions perpetrated against people with disability and intersex people, and have called for legal prohibition of these practices. PWDA remains committed to our shared campaign to end human rights violations against our rights to bodily and mental integrity.
Andrew Barr MLA, Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory, states:
Proud the ACT Government Office for LGBTIQ Affairs has been nominated for the inaugural Darlington Intersex Ally Award. The ACT Government’s vision is for Canberra to be the most LGBTIQ welcoming and inclusive city in Australia. A key component of this vision is to make the ACT the most intersex-competent, inclusive and welcoming jurisdiction in Australia. We look forward to ongoing engagement with intersex organisations to consider the impact of the Darlington Consensus Statement in the ACT.
Senator Janet Rice states:
It is wonderful to hear that I have been nominated for the inaugural Darling award! I have been honoured to support and advocate for the intersex community in Parliament. As Co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of LGBTIQ Australians, I was proud to bring the recognition of Intersex Awareness Day into the Australian Parliament for the very first time last year, with my office leading the organisation of a breakfast roundtable of intersex advocates and parliamentarians and staff; and this year coordinating the community’s advocacy day in Parliament. I will always stand with the intersex community in their fight for their human rights. The Greens are the first political party in Australia to affirm the Darlington Statement and we are committed to continue working with peer-led intersex groups, individuals, human rights experts and health professionals to realise the human rights and dignity of all people who are born with variations of sex characteristics.
A representative of ACT Labor states:
The ACT stands out in Australia as a community that prides itself on equality and inclusion. Ending human rights abuses against intersex persons is an important cause that ACT Labor is proud to champion in our community. We are very pleased to have been nominated for the inaugural Darlington Intersex Ally Award in 2018! ACT Labor, as the largest force for fairness in the ACT, has a proud record of standing up for the rights of those in our community who are marginalised, discriminated against, or denied a fair go – even when it has not always been popular to do so. We are proud to have adopted the Darlington Statement into our policy platform, and look forward to continuing to work as an ally of the intersex community into the future.
All nominees are winners, and we warmly commend their work. The recipient of the award will be announced tomorrow, here and at the Darlington Statement website, darlington.org.au
Update: the inaugural winner of the Darling Award has been announced.
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