Intersex Stories and Statistics from Australia

Tiffany Jones, "Intersex: Stories and Statistics from Australia"
English | 2016 | ISBN: 1783742089 | PDF | pages: 274 | 3.9 mb
This chapter introduces the first national study on Australians with intersex variations. People with intersex variations have long faced issues of visibility and stigma, although this is beginning to be challenged. This chapter outlines how new activisms in the last decade have secured greater recognition of the right to non-discrimination on the basis of intersex status in key global and Australian legislation. It underlines the lack of affirming sociological research; existing studies were conducted in medical frames positioning people with intersex variations as aberrations, or as subsumed within broader populations. The chapter outlines theoretical frames used in the field, showing how the minimal inclusion of people with intersex variations within medical/clinical, GLBTIQ, disabilities or other frames over-simplifies the group - erasing their most urgent concerns. It argues for a distinct 'Intersex Studies' framework devoted entirely to intersex issues; foregrounding the goals, perspectives and experiences of people with intersex variations.