Third sex, redux

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After fielding a few phone calls it is clear that many people can’t grasp our position in opposing the creation of a third sex while supporting X sex descriptors on birth certificates and passports. To be clear, intersex is not an arbitrary third sex category, but rather a spectrum of possibilities, and nor is it…
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We welcome new federal guidelines on sex and gender recognition

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We welcome new federal guidelines on sex and gender recognition

The federal government has finally released the “Australian Government Guidelines on the Recognition of Sex and Gender”. We warmly welcome their publication and implementation, and also the consultation process that has led to publication. Such wide consultation is necessary to prevent adverse consequences for any of the communities affected by the guidelines. The impact of…
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Third submission to Senate Inquiry on involuntary sterilisation

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OII Australia has made a third submission to the Senate Inquiry on involuntary and coerced sterilisation and it has now been published by the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs. The reporting date for the inquiry is being pushed into July, due to late hearings, and we wished to put additional data to the Inquiry…
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The House of Representations passes an inclusive Sex Discrimination Amendment

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The House of Representatives today passed the Sex Discrimination Amendment (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Intersex Status) Bill 2013. The Bill remains the subject of a Senate Inquiry, which will report on 17 June 2013. The Bill adds the following attributes to protection measures in the Sex Discrimination Act: 7 Subsection 4 (1) Insert: intersex…
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House of Representatives recommends passing of Sex Discrimination Amendment

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The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs yesterday published its report on its Inquiry into the Sex Discrimination Amendment (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Intersex Status) Bill 2013. It recommends passing the bill before the final sitting day of the current Parliament on 27 June 2013. In a press release,…
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“Golden Boy”, by Abigail Tarttelin

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“Golden Boy”, by Abigail Tarttelin

I loved this book. It vividly captures the effects of secrecy and shame on an intersex adolescent, and a family in crisis. It’s compassionately and beautifully written, from the perspective of six key characters: Max the protagonist, his brother, parents, doctor and friend. Unlike Jeffrey Eugenides’s Middlesex, which manages to convey the impression that intersex…
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Your beautiful child: information for parents

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Your beautiful child: information for parents

Congratulations on the birth of your child! This downloadable PDF by Hida Viloria and Claudia Astorino of OII-USA addresses common questions and concerns regarding variations in sex anatomy, or intersex variations, to help you welcome your newborn infant, and make decisions that promote the health and well-being of your child and the entire family. We…
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Intersex people and the NSW government

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We’re deeply disappointed in the NSW Government’s late submission on the federal Sex Discrimination Amendment (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Intersex Status) [SDA] Bill. The state says there hasn’t been enough debate to add “intersex status”: In particular, insufficient time has been provided to assess the regulatory implications of the introduction of ‘intersex status’ as…
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Groundbreaking US law suit filed on genital surgery

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Groundbreaking US law suit filed on genital surgery

Advocates for Informed Choice, the Southern Poverty Law Center, pro bono lawyers and parents Pam and Mark Crawford have filed “the first ever impact litigation lawsuit” against the state of South Carolina Department of Social Services, the Greenville Hospital System, Medical University of South Carolina and individual employees for, AIC state, “performing an irreversible and…
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