Dr Dainius Puras, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, has published a report that will shortly be tabled to the UN General Assembly. It contains a section on intersex children: Intersex children 84. “Intersex” refers mainly to physical aspects…
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OII Australia recently joined with the National LGBTI Health Alliance, A Gender Agenda, Transformative and Transgender Victoria to agree a joint submission to the federal Attorney General’s Department on non-binary recognition in the federal sex and gender recognition guidelines. It recommends that “X” be redefined as “non-binary”.
In the wake of some objectifying news coverage of intersex bodies in Australian, UK and international media, Phoebe Hart of the AISSGA writes an important piece on “My intersex body: more than an object of fascination or repulsion to be ‘fixed’” in the UK Independent newspaper.
Who are intersex people? What are some of the key health, cultural and human rights issues that shape intersex people and intersex bodies? An Intersex Awareness Day presentation and Q&A in the Dr Chau Chak Wing Building, by Morgan Carpenter, president of OII Australia. The event is kindly supported by UTS Equity and Diversity Unit.
Thank you to Shon Klose, interviewed here for ABC’s One Plus One program.
On Friday, a side event was held at the UN Human Rights Council with intersex human rights defenders from five continents. Morgan Carpenter (OII Australia) moderated a panel featuring Julius Kaggwa (SIPD, Uganda), Hiker Chiu (Oii-Chinese, Taiwan), Kimberly Zieselman (AIC, US) and Dan Ghattas (OII Europe, Germany). The event was very kindly supported by ILGA and COC Netherlands.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein opened an expert meeting on intersex: “All human beings are born equal in dignity and rights. Those foundational, bedrock principles of universality and equality mean that all of us, without exception, and regardless of our sex characteristics, are equally entitled to the protections of international human rights law.”
OII Australia has made a submission opposing a proposed plebiscite or referendum on the matter of marriage in Australia.
In his opening address to the 30th Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, talked specifically about intersex people. Here’s his statement.
In 2014, OII Australia made a lengthy submission to the National Health and Medical Research Council calling for the prohibition of genetic testing to select against intersex traits. This submission responds to subsequent draft guidelines.
Together with the AISSGA, we started regular monthly social events in Sydney in December 2014. From September we’re going to change the day and venue. We plan on meeting on the second Sunday afternoon of each month, with venues including friendly cafes, bars and picnics. Anyone with an intersex variation is welcome, as are parents…
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OII Australia has joined with 27 other community organisations, legal experts, unions and service providers to call for improvements to the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 in Victoria.
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