ACT legislation: Media wrap up and thanks

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Now that the dust has settled and legislation has passed, we’d like to take this opportunity to share some of media coverage, and take a moment to thank those who helped us to get here.

First and foremost we’d personally like to thank Chief Minister Andrew Barr, and his colleagues including Johnathan Davis, for their outreach and engagement on this issue, demonstrating both leadership and compassion in championing these necessary changes.

We’re profoundly grateful to Chief Minister Barr’s staff, including his advisors and the Office of LGBTIQA+ affairs, for their considered, careful and transparent work in not only constructing the mechanisms of discussion that helped inform and design this legislative model. As the first of its kind in Australia, we are deeply thrilled to have this foundation to build advocacy efforts in other jurisdictions. The opportunities for community feedback and balancing of a breadth of views has produced something that will protect many people with innate variations of sex characteristics with nuance and care.

It’s also hard to imagine how this legislation could have happened without the work of our community members and partners. From organisations like A Gender Agenda, Intersex Peer Support Australia, Equality Australia and Relationships Australia, to independent activists like Stephanie Lum and people who prefer to remain anonymous, it’s taken an immense and consistent community effort to bring these laws into fruition.

Over the next few weeks we’d like to publish some more information addressing questions about the legislation as well as misinformation that has popped up in response. If there is something that you would like to see addressed, feel free to send an email to us at info@ihra.org.au.

We’ve tried to capture as broad snapshot of media coverage as we can, if you’ve seen something that we haven’t. Feel free to reach out to us by email, or on Facebook, or Twitter.

ACT leads the way on intersex human rights (ACT Government)- https://www.act.gov.au/our-canberra/latest-news/2023/june/new-laws-lead-way-on-intersex-human-rights

Commission welcomes passage of new ACT intersex laws (Australian Human Rights Commission)- https://humanrights.gov.au/about/news/media-releases/commission-welcomes-passage-new-act-intersex-laws

VIDEO: With resounding unity, the ACT Parliament has passed groundbreaking legislation. (Equality Australia) – https://www.facebook.com/EqualityAustralia/videos/3653315268229815/

ACT passes Australian-first legislation banning irreversible medical procedures for young intersex children (ABC News) – https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-08/act-bans-deferrable-irreversible-surgery-for-intersex-children/102453968

VIDEO: ACT introduces bill that outlaws deferrable medical treatments for young intersex people – https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-09/act-government-introduces-intersex-bill/102461832

How Australian-first laws could change the future for intersex children (SBS) – https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/how-australian-first-laws-could-change-the-future-for-intersex-children/1cmroqoy5

‘Such a transformative moment’: ACT passes trailblazing laws protecting intersex people from surgeries without their consent – https://www.9news.com.au/national/act-passes-australias-first-laws-to-protect-intersex-people-from-surgeries-without-their-consent/c9c6daf0-0c50-4e14-b939-9e7cf4decdb1

ACT passes laws to ban deferrable medical interventions for intersex people (Canberra Times) – https://canberraweekly.com.au/act-passes-australias-first-bill-to-protect-intersex-people/

ACT passes Australia’s first bill to protect intersex people (Canberra Weekly) – https://canberraweekly.com.au/act-passes-australias-first-bill-to-protect-intersex-people/

Bill bans irreversible medical procedures for intersex children (CBR Citynews) – https://citynews.com.au/2023/bill-bans-irreversible-medical-procedures-for-intersex-children/

Intersex children protected under ACT law from having irreversible surgery without their consent (Riotact) – https://the-riotact.com/intersex-children-protected-under-act-law-from-having-irreversible-surgery-without-their-consent/669844

Pressure for Tasmania to follow ACT’s intersex law protections (The Examiner) – https://www.examiner.com.au/story/8242723/should-tasmania-follow-the-acts-lead-to-protect-intersex-people/

ACT introduces Australian-first protections for intersex children (Out In Perth) – https://www.outinperth.com/act-introduces-australian-first-protections-for-intersex-people/

ACT Passes First Laws Protecting Intersex People From Unwanted Surgeries (Star Observer) – https://www.starobserver.com.au/news/act-passes-first-laws-protecting-intersex-people-from-unwanted-surgeries/224324

ACT Has Become the First Place to Ban Non-Consensual Intersex Medical Interventions (The Latch) – https://thelatch.com.au/intersex-people-laws/