Innately You: Depathologising Being Intersex

About this episode

The episode discusses the depathologisation of intersex individuals and the recent legislative changes in Victoria protecting intersex children.

Around 1.7% of babies born in Australia have innate variations in sex characteristics. That’s roughly one in 60 babies. For decades…and to this day, intersex people have been treated as medical problems that need solving. Doctors make decisions about their bodies – often surgical decisions – before they are old enough to consent. Variations in sex characteristics exist on a spectrum, just like height or any other trait. Yet intersex people face unnecessary surgeries, secrecy, shame, and a medical system that treated their bodies as “other”. The World Health Organisation still lists innate variations of sex characteristics as medical conditions. But being intersex isn’t a pathology. It’s a natural variation. On Science Queeries, we’re talking about depathologisation; about recognising intersex as a natural part of human diversity, not a disease. Our guest is Paul Byrne-Moroney from The I in Us, the only show for intersex people by intersex people. He’s here to help us understand what it means to be intersex and why depathologisation matters. Last month, Victoria passed legislation that protects intersex children from unnecessary…

People in this episode

Guest: Paul Byrne-Moroney

Topics covered

• intersex
• depathologisation
• medical ethics
• human diversity
• LGBTQIA+ rights
• healthcare
• sex characteristics

Keywords

• intersex
• depathologisation
• medical treatment
• sex characteristics
• LGBTQIA+
• healthcare rights
• natural variation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The I in Us, World Health Organisation

Places: Australia

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