Intersex Human Rights Australia (IHRA) is a voluntary organisation for

intersex Intersex people are individuals born with any of several sex characteristics including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical b ...

people that promotes the

human rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

and bodily autonomy of intersex people in Australia, and provides education and information services. Established in 2009 and incorporated as a charitable company in 2010,About OII Australia
Organisation Intersex International Australia, 24 July 2013 it was formerly known as Organisation Intersex International Australia, or OII Australia. It is recognised as a Public Benevolent Institution.

History

The institution was founded in 2009 and established as a company in 2010. Founding president

Gina Wilson Gina or GINA or ''variation'' may refer to: Gina Gina may refer to: * Gina (given name), multiple individuals * Gina (Canaan), a town in ancient Canaan * Arihant (Jainism), also called gina, a term for a human who has conquered his or her inner p ...

stepped down on 1 September 2013.Changes At OII As Trailblazer Gina Wilson Retires
Star Observer, 13 September 2013 The current co-executive directors of IHRA are

Morgan Carpenter Morgan Carpenter is a bioethicist, intersex activist and researcher. In 2013 he created the intersex flag, and became president of Intersex Human Rights Australia (formerly OII Australia). He is now a co-executive director. In 2015, he cofound ...

, previously president,The OII Australia Board
Organisation Intersex International Australia, 12 October 2013. and Tony Briffa, known as the first publicly intersex mayor and previously vice-president.Briffa to march in mayoral robes
Star Observer, 8 December 2011"Intersex Mayor Elected in Australia"
Advocate.com, 9 December 2011"World's first intersex mayor, Cr Tony Briffa does not want to be called he or she"
Herald Sun, 15 April 2013
, SameSame.com.au, 9 December 2011 Tony Briffa is also the Vice-President of the

Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome Support Group Australia Intersex Peer Support Australia (IPSA), also known as the Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome Support Group Australia, is possibly the oldest known intersex organization, established in 1985. It provides peer and family support, information and adv ...

Activities

Physical integrity and bodily autonomy

Intersex Human Rights Australia campaigns in favour of personal autonomy in medical interventions affecting intersex people, including an end to cosmetic or "normalising" surgeries on intersex infants. In late 2012, the Senate's Community Affairs References Committee established an inquiry into the involuntary or coerced sterilisation of people with disabilities. In February 2013, intersex was added as an additional term of reference.Involuntary or coerced sterilisation of intersex people in Australia, Chapter 1
Senate Community Affairs References Committee, 25 October 2013 The Committee published a joint, cross-party report on 25 October 2013, making 15 recommendations. The conclusions of the inquiry supported much of the case and recommendations made by IHRA:Involuntary or coerced sterilisation of intersex people in Australia, Chapter 3
Senate Community Affairs References Committee, 25 October 2013It's time to defend intersex rights
Morgan Carpenter at

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-owne ...

, The Drum, 15 November 2013 In May 2019, IHRA published a multilingual joint statement signed by more than 50 intersex-led organizations condemning the introduction of "disorders of sex development" language into the

International Classification of Diseases The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is a globally used diagnostic tool for epidemiology, health management and clinical purposes. The ICD is maintained by the World Health Organization (WHO), which is the directing and coordinating ...

, stating that this causes "harm" and facilitates human rights violations, calling on the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level o ...

to publish clear policy to ensure that

intersex medical interventions Intersex medical interventions, also known as intersex genital mutilations (IGM), are surgical, hormonal and other medical interventions performed to modify atypical or ambiguous genitalia and other sex characteristics, primarily for the purposes ...

are "fully compatible with human rights norms". The institution also engages directly with clinicians and biologists. While opposing use of terminology that it describes as pathologising, such as "

Disorders of Sex Development Disorders of sex development (DSDs), also known as differences in sex development, diverse sex development and variations in sex characteristics (VSC), are congenital conditions affecting the reproductive system, in which development of chromoso ...

", Carpenter is nevertheless named as a reviewer for a "DSD Genetics" website funded by the

National Health and Medical Research Council The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is the main statutory authority of the Australian Government responsible for medical research. It was the eighth largest research funding body in the world in 2016, and NHMRC-funded rese ...

Australia. In a submission to the UN Committee Against Torture in 2016, the organisation submitted that Australian governments recognise the dignity and rights of

LGBTI Intersex people are born with sex characteristics (such as genitals, gonads, and chromosome patterns) that "do not fit the typical definitions for male or female bodies". They are substantially more likely to identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, ...

people, but at the same time, "harmful practices" on intersex children continue. In March 2017, representatives of IHRA participated in an Australian and Aotearoa/New Zealand consensus "Darlington Statement" by intersex community organisations and others. The statement calls for legal reform, including the criminalization of deferrable

on children, an end to legal classification of sex, and improved access to peer support.Alt URL
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Access to healthcare

In July 2013, the Commonwealth announced that it was removing sex or gender terms from item codes for Medicare procedures, following input from IHRA. IHRA noted that the changes do not ensure full access to the

Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) is a program of the Australian Government that subsidises prescription medication for Australian citizens and permanent residents, as well as international visitors covered by a reciprocal health care ag ...

(PBS).

Protection from discrimination

In late 2012, the Australian Governments' proposed ''Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Bill'' included intersex as a "gender identity". This was criticised by IHRA on the basis that intersex people needed protection, but biological differences should not come within the definition. Writing in the ''Equal Rights Trust journal Equal Rights Review'', Gina Wilson wrote, "Legislators initially did not have a clear understanding of what intersex was, but having given evidence to Senate Committees and spoken with legislators individually we are hopeful that intersex will be a protected attribute under the Bill."The Equal Rights Review, Volume Ten (2013)
, Equal Rights Trust, 27 March 2013Senate Committee Report on the Exposure Draft of Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Bill 2012, Chapter 3
Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, 21 February 2013Senate Committee Report on the Exposure Draft of Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Bill 2012, Chapter 7
Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, 21 February 2013 On 25 June 2013, the ''Sex Discrimination Amendment (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Intersex Status) Act'' passed with cross-party support, and became law on 1 August 2013. This was the first time "intersex status" had been a protected attribute under Australian discrimination legislation.

Identification documents

The organisation has stated that "while sex or gender markers are still required", it supports binary, non-binary and multiple

gender Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most culture ...

classifications for adults, but only binary classifications for infants and children, fearing stigmatisation and the potential impact on sex assignment processes for infants. The organisation cautiously acknowledged an Australian Capital Territory Bill to modify the Territory's birth registrations process to create a third sex category for infants and children, stating, "neither of the two national intersex organisations had been engaged in talks before the bill was presented in the Assembly." In 2017, the organisation reported that no children had been assigned to such a category, viewing this as a vindication of the argument that such classifications exacerbate parental fears. In March 2017, an Australian and Aotearoa/New Zealand community statement called for an end to legal classification of sex, stating that legal third classifications, like binary classifications, were based on

structural violence Structural violence is a form of violence wherein some social structure or social institution may harm people by preventing them from meeting their basic needs. The term was coined by Norwegian sociologist Johan Galtung, who introduced it in hi ...

and failed to respect diversity and a "right to self-determination".

Marriage

Citing cases where marriages have been annulled, and where marriage prospects are stated as a rationale for early medical interventions, IHRA campaigned for marriage rights regardless of sex characteristics. The institution expressed concern at the marriage implications of constructions of intersex as a third sex. In 2017 the

Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Bill 2017 The ''Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Act 2017'' (Cth) is an Act of the Parliament of Australia, which legalises same-sex marriage in Australia by amending the '' Marriage Act 1961'' to allow marriage between two persons ...

specifically refers to '2 people' rather than 'same-sex' with respect to the definition of marriage.

International work

Intersex Human Rights Australia is represented at numerous international events, including the "first

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...

Human Rights Council The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), CDH is a United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world. The Council has 47 members elected for staggered three-year terms on a regional group basis. ...

side event on intersex issues" in March 2014, alongside

Mauro Cabral Mauro Cabral Grinspan, also known as Mauro Cabral, is an Argentinian intersex and trans activist, who serves as the executive director of GATE. A signatory of the Yogyakarta Principles, his work focuses on the reform of medical protocols and law ...

and representatives of

Intersex UK Intersex UK is an organisation by and for intersex people (those born with differences of sex development or variations of sex anatomy) in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Intersex UK works to protect the bodily autonomy and civil rights of inte ...

and

Zwischengeschlecht Zwischengeschlecht (literally "between sexes") is a human rights advocacy group campaigning on intersex bodily autonomy issues. The group demonstrates outside medical events where surgical interventions are discussed or performed, engages with t ...

Intersex Flag

The

Intersex flag The intersex flag is a pride flag representing intersex individuals and the intersex community. It was created by Morgan Carpenter of Intersex Human Rights Australia in 2013. History and design The flag was created in July 2013 by Morgan Carpen ...

was created in July 2013 by

of Intersex Human Rights Australia (then known as Organisation Intersex International Australia) to be a flag "that is not derivative, but is yet firmly grounded in meaning". The circle is described as "unbroken and unornamented, symbolising wholeness and completeness, and our potentialities. We are still fighting for bodily autonomy and genital integrity, and this symbolises the right to be who and how we want to be."An intersex flag
Intersex Human Rights Australia, 5 July 2013

Awards and recognition

The organisation was nominated for a 2013 Community Organisation "Honour" Award for its work on anti-discrimination legislation. Founding former president Gina Wilson was a finalist for the

Australian Human Rights Commission The Australian Human Rights Commission is the national human rights institution of Australia, established in 1986 as the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) and renamed in 2008. It is a statutory body funded by, but oper ...

Community Individual Award in 2013, following her retirement, for her work on discrimination protections.Community Individual Award – Tony Fitzgerald Memorial Award (sponsored by iHR Australia)
Australian Human Rights Commission, Human Rights Awards 2013

Affiliations

Intersex Human Rights Australia is a national affiliate of

Organisation Intersex International The Organisation Intersex International (OII) is a global advocacy and support group for people with intersex traits. According to Milton Diamond, it is the world's largest organization of intersex persons. A decentralised network, OII was founded ...

, a member of the

National LGBTI Health Alliance LGBTIQ+ Health Australia (formerly the National LGBTI Health Alliance) is a peak health organisation for LGBT and intersex organisations in Australia. A not-for-profit company, it was established in August 2007. Key areas of activity Key ...

and the

International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) is an organization who is committed to advancing human rights to all people, disregarding gender identity, sex characteristics and expression. ILGA participates in a ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control Health charities in Australia Intersex rights organizations Intersex medical and health organizations Intersex support groups Medical and health organisations based in New South Wales LGBT history in Australia 2009 establishments in Australia LGBT organisations in Australia Intersex rights in Australia