Articles about legal cases and judgements, and policing matters. Read our briefing papers on bodily integrity, discrimination, identification documents and detention
We announce publication of a joint consensus statement, the “Darlington Statement”, by Australian and Aotearoa/New Zealand intersex organisations and independent advocates, in March 2017. It sets out common priorities and calls to action by the intersex human rights movement in our countries.
The Darlington Statement is a joint consensus statement by Australian and Aotearoa/New Zealand intersex organisations and independent advocates, agreed in March 2017. It sets out the priorities and calls to action by the intersex human rights movement in our countries.
On 22 February 2017, co-executive director Morgan Carpenter spoke at an Australian Human Rights Commission RightsTalk, on “Creating Equality – The Role of Law in Protecting SOGII Rights”. The event was hosted by Human Rights Commissioner Ed Santow, with Anna Brown, Director of Advocacy and Strategic Litigation, Human Right Law Centre and Imam Nur Warsame,…
Read more →
Every few years, the UN Committee against Torture reviews the performance of member states against the obligations of the Convention Against Torture. In June this year, OII Australia made a submission to the Committee to help it prepare a “List of Issues Prior to Reporting”, for the government to respond to. The Committee has now…
Read more →
The Family Court has recently published a decision on the sterilisation of a 5-year old child and, unfortunately, it reveals that: earlier genital surgery that “enhanced” her genitals without Court approval was viewed without concern, and with no evidence of necessity. The idea of “enhancing” the genitals of an infant or young child is disturbing….
Read more →
The intersex population is far more diverse than commonly understood. This page presents details based on a 2015 independent Australian sociological survey.
The High Court handed down judgement today in the case of NSW Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages v Norrie on Wednesday 2 April. The case is about a transgender person who was born biologically male, had gender reassignment as an adult to affirm an identity as a woman, and who now identifies as being…
Read more →
Update: We welcome the High Court judgement to recognise Norrie as having “non-specific” gender. We take no pleasure in having to comment on this case, currently before the High Court, Australia’s highest court, which has a hearing likely to be heard on 4 March 2014. However, the case raises the stakes for intersex people in…
Read more →
Gay News Network has kindly published an opinion piece by OII Australia president Morgan Carpenter: While it may not be foremost in the minds of many gay men, the clitoris is the only part of any human body that’s purely designed for pleasure. But is too much of a good thing a bad thing? Research…
Read more →
This 2008 case before the Family Court of Australia saw a request for confirmation of sterilisation associated with a changed sex of rearing in a 4-year old. The case is entitled, Re: Lesley (Special Medical Procedure) [2008] FamCA 1226. The judge in the case reports at length on affidavits supplied by the paediatric surgeons and…
Read more →
Here we look in detail at a case selected by the Chief Justice for mention in her February 2013 submission to the current Senate inquiry into the involuntary or coerced sterilisation of people with disabilities, and intersex people. The case is entitled, In the Matter of the Welfare of a child A (1993) FLC 92-402…
Read more →
This is an analysis of the NSW Court of Appeal judgement in the matter of Norrie v the NSW Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDM), in relation to its relevance to intersex people. Update The case has now been appealed to the High Court by the NSW government. Our briefing paper on the High…
Read more →
You must be logged in to post a comment.