UN OHCHR paper on human rights violations against intersex people
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has published an essential new background note on human rights violations against intersex people.
Sex and gender recognition (page 1 of 7)
For an introduction to these issues, see our page on identification documents
Joint statement on the 2021 Census
Intersex Human Rights Australia and the National LGBTI Health Alliance issue this statement following news reports on the 2021 Census.
Federal election 2019 – party positions on intersex human rights and health
Ahead of the federal election on 18 May 2019, IHRA, AISSGA, Equality Australia, the National LGBTI Health Alliance, People with Disability Australia and others have identified key priorities for our populations and put questions to the major parties.
Tasmania: unfinished business
IHRA welcomes aspects of the Justice and Related Legislation (Marriage Amendments) Bill 2018, that has been passed by the Tasmanian Parliament. In particular, insertion of the attribute of “sex characteristics” in law is very welcome. However, we note that anti-discrimination protections on grounds of sex characteristics only apply to persons with intersex variations of sex…
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Submission to the NT 2018 inquiry on birth registration
In November 2018, we made a brief submission to the Social Policy Scrutiny Committee, Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory regarding reform of birth registration. Our submission was made in line with the Darlington Statement 2017, a community consensus statement by intersex advocates and organisations in Australia and Aotearoa/NZ. Morgan Carpenter was kindly called to…
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Submission to the Law Reform Commission of WA
Debate about legal gender recognition in Western Australia has thankfully shifted the debate in Australia from one focused on the recognition of non-binary gender categories to one that questions the necessity of legal registration of sex and gender at all.
Morgan Carpenter: new peer-reviewed papers on medical “normalisation” and legal “othering”
Update: The book chapter is now available freely via the author’s website We are pleased to share a current and recent peer-reviewed journal article by co-executive director Morgan Carpenter, on intersex health and human rights, and an associated book chapter. In an open access peer-reviewed journal article and a book chapter, Morgan describes contradictions where…
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New paper by Karkazis and Carpenter: IAAF regulations create “impossible choices”
In a new joint paper in the Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, Katrina Karkazis and Morgan Carpenter detail the choices and harms involved in unnecessary regulations affecting the participation of some women with intersex variations in elite sport. In April 2018, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) released new regulations placing a ceiling on women…
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Submission on birth certificate reform in Queensland
IHRA has made a formal submission to the Department of Justice and Attorney General of the Queensland Government on proposed amendments to legislation on birth certificates. The submission is grounded in the Darlington Statement of March 2017, and the Yogyakarta Principles plus 10.
The Yogyakarta Principles plus 10
An important and long-awaited supplement to the Yogyakarta Principles is published today. The Principles apply international human rights law in relation to sexual orientation, gender identity, and now also gender expression and sex characteristics.
Steph Lum: speech to Canberra think tank on LGBTIQ inclusion
Steph Lum gave this speech to the Inclusive Canberra think tank, held by the ACT LGBTIQ Ministerial Advisory Council, on 14 November 2017. Tonight I am speaking as a young person with an intersex variation. I’m really encouraged that we have such a positive environment here in the ACT and there’s a lot of energy…
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Birth certificate reform in South Australia
In November 2016, a diverse group of people with intersex variations participated in a parliamentary briefing, including intersex women, intersex men and people with other gender identities, talking about the issues that concerned us: of isolation, unnecessary medicalisation, and lack of bodily autonomy. In March 2017, more than twenty current and future leaders of the…
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