Intersex Human Rights Australia

Make every day Intersex Awareness Day

Active allyship

Together with Intersex Peer Support Australia and with support from the National LGBTI Health Alliance, we launch two new resources aimed at supporting meaningful inclusion of intersex people that respects our diversity and addresses the issues we care about as a community.

• Raising the bar: How to be an intersex ally, respecting the diversity of the intersex population, doing your research, using appropriate language, acknowledging leadership and prioritising consent – download PDF version
• Inclusion guide to respecting people with intersex variations: Information about who are intersex people, helpful terminology, defining inclusion, measuring inclusion, intake forms and research, and a checklist on using appropriate terminology – download PDF version

• Find out more on the Darlington Statement website
• Read the joint press release

Affirmative healthcare pathways

Together with Intersex Peer Support Australia and Queensland Council for LGBTI Health, we are proud to launch new Intersex Health & Wellbeing resources that work together to visually map established health care needs and highlight potential gaps in services. The suite of resources encompasses:

• Psychosocial Impact Map: pathways and pitfalls navigating healthcare services, peer support and advocacy
• Service Referral Flowchart: A high level graphic depiction of how referral pathways should operate between different health and social service providers
• Healthcare and Services Map: a map of health and wellbeing services needed at different life stages
• Best-Practice Indicator Checklist: an evaluation tool to ensure service delivery is affirmative, inclusive, rights-based and trauma informed. The tool currently provides indicators matched to existing industry accreditation standards across 6 sectors – primary health care; mental health; peer-led intersex organisations; education, skills & employment; social services; and health specialists

Find out more:

• Sign up for the briefing today 26 October 2020 at 2pm (Qld), 3pm (ACT/NSW/Tas/Vic), midday (WA), 2.30pm (SA), 1.30pm (NT).
• A formal launch event for these resources will take place via Zoom on Friday 6 November 2020 at midday (Qld), 1pm (ACT/NSW/Tas/Vic), 10am (WA), 12.30pm (SA), 11.30am (NT).
• Download the resources on the Darlington Statement website

Accountability through the Yellow Tick

Together with Intersex Peer Support Australia we are proud to launch a new community-led initiative to ensure your organisation is intersex affirmative from the front door to the boardroom table. Through provision of a policy and program review service alongside training and intersex specific resources, the Yellow Tick helps improve consistency and accountability when groups move to learn more and make their services more intersex inclusive. If you seek to implement and use the healthcare pathways resources within program design and delivery, training and educational program at your organisation or institution, then we invite you to licence the resources and become Yellow Tick approved.

• Find out more on the Darlington Statement website

Training to address services and knowledge gaps

Alongside these resources we introduce new, tried and tested, short intersex training programs delivered online or face-to-face (subject to availability and public health regulations) by experienced people with lived experience.

• Find out more on the Darlington Statement website

Watch and share resources this Intersex Awareness Day

Watch and share videos – everything from short animations to TEDx-style presentations and a debate with paediatric surgeons.

Share some new collaborative resources filmed and produced by Dr Phoebe Hart and recorded at our January 2020 community event in Williamstown, Victoria:

 
Read and share the amazing YOUth & I youth publication.

View this post on Instagram

Today is Intersex Awareness Day – a day to celebrate the 'I' in LGBTQIA+ and shine a light on the diverse lives and experiences of folks with intersex characteristics.  Before we do, @abcqueer wants to point out that not all intersex people identify as 'queer' because having physical intersex characteristics is different to your sexuality and gender identity. But some intersex folks are queer or LGBT+ as well as being intersex, if you get what we mean!  Now for today's special guest…  Steph Lum is an intersex advocate, researcher, poet and founder of the very first intersex youth publication, YOUth&I. Up until recently, Steph was living on Ngunnawal land in Canberra but has moved to Ireland to research intersex human rights issues.  "Intersex visibility is so important so that intersex people can grow up and see themselves and their experiences reflected around them. For too long intersex people have been silenced. This furthers stigma and misunderstanding around who we are and hides the real issues that we can face," says Steph.  "Intersex bodies are traditionally viewed with a very medical lens, so that bodies that don’t look typically male or female are hormonally or surgically changed to look ‘normal’. This can happen without an intersex person being told about it or by being pressured to agree to interventions and feeling like they have no other choice.  "By knowing other intersex people exist and have made different choices about their own bodies and lives, intersex people can grow up with more information and make more informed choices about their own body."  A poet herself, Steph founded @aus_youthandi – a book of writings, poetry and artwork by talented young intersex people from Australia and around the world.  Swipe through to hear Steph read one of her own poems, 'In the doctor's rooms'. (First published in Not Very Quiet, Issue 6, March 2020, not-very-quiet.com)  📷 Al Azmi  #IntersexAwarenessDay #Intersex #intersexpride #poetry

A post shared by ABCQueer (@abcqueer) on Oct 25, 2020 at 11:15pm PDT

Read and share our briefing papers on everything from bodily integrity to identification documents to clinical practice guidelines. Find out how to research and count intersex populations. Find out about the impact of COVID-19 on intersex populations.

Events

This Intersex Awareness Day, staff, directors and community members are participating in a number of closed and open events.

Today is Intersex Awareness Day. Our staff are learning with @MorganCarpenter from @IntersexAus about the human rights and health needs of people with intersex variations. Such an engaging session – thank you Morgan! For more information, visit https://t.co/htMdtJ46fr

— NSW ACI (@nswaci) October 26, 2020

Open events include a webinar for the University of Sydney Pride Network featuring Morgan Carpenter, Dr Agli Zavros-Orr and Gabriel Filpi:

 
Brisbane’s Story and Victoria Bridges will be lit in purple and yellow this evening, from 6pm local time.

Support our work

Help support the intersex movement in Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand – donate to IHRA, IPSA or ITANZ.

Find out more about supporting the Darlington Consortium (IHRA and IPSA).