Intersex Human Rights Australia

In YOUth & I, intersex youth tell their own stories, how they want to and in their own way. YOUth & I is an Australian publication created and edited by Steph Lum, and auspiced by IHRA, Issue 1 is kindly supported by the ACT Capital of Equality grants program. You can download a copy of YOUth & I for free.

On 7 July 2019, we put out a call for submissions to create an Australian-first intersex youth publication – YOUth&I. We sought to create a safe space for young intersex people to share their stories in their own words and not be taken out of context or rewritten by endosex (non-intersex) people. A space for intersex voices to be heard in their own right. A chance to educate the people we live with and to connect with others including those who, even if they don’t know the word intersex, might recognise some of these stories and experiences within themselves…

Creating safe spaces in community to share, hear, and hold each other is incredibly important. While the intersex community in Australia is growing, spaces solely for intersex youth have so far been difficult to create and sustain. YOUth&I provides a space for young intersex people in Australia and elsewhere to share, create, be visible, and be valued. It is one answer to the challenges of storytelling in a world that is only just beginning to listen and where sharing can be painful, unsupported, unsafe, and not always clear whether it leads to change. It is also one answer to the challenges of bringing together young intersex people and giving them the opportunity to express the creativity and joy in their lives.

In these pages you will find us reflecting privately and speaking publicly. Speaking to our friends, parents, doctors. To each other. You will find our stories are not all like each other’s—we have so many different body types, different experiences with family and interactions with doctors, different cultural contexts, and we live in different places and in different times. But what you will consistently find is great honesty, humility and great strength found in community. What an honour to be trusted to read these stories and have the opportunity to learn from the wisdom of these young people who show us different ways of living and being in this world, and shared with such generosity and heart.

Find out more, and download for free

More information about the YOUth & I project

Issue 1 Download PDF version

Issue 1 is very kindly supported by the ACT Capital of Equality grants program, run by the ACT government and administered by the Office for LGBTIQ Affairs. YOuth&I is auspiced by Intersex Human Rights Australia.