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Intersex people suffer human rights abuses and harms because of non-consensual early medical interventions. They have historically been rendered outside of welfare regimes and equality, diversity and inclusion policies, or forcibly subsumed within sex-binaried institutions. This article draws on critical intersex studies to interrogate the policy silences and collusions that have taken place regarding intersex people's suffering. Using Ireland and England as case studies, we show that current formations of equality and diversity policies are inadequate in relation to intersex issues. Analysis of policy documents from Ireland and the UK using Bacchi's method reveals the erasure and/or marginalisation of intersex people, despite some stated commitments to gender and sexual equality. We conclude that there is a pressing need for social policy work around intersex issues and for reform to support intersex people's equality, diversity and inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rather than critiquing social institutions and practices that have historically excluded lesbians and gay men, as did earlier social movements in the 1960s and 1970s, since the 1990s the politics of sexuality has increasingly been about demanding equal rights of citizenship. These citizenship demands have, at least to a degree, been answered via a raft of recent legislation in the UK including the Adoption and Children Act 2002, Employment Equality ( Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003, Gender Recognition Act 2004 and the Civil Partnership Act 2004, and by associated changes in policy making and practice that emphasize ' Equality and Diversity'. In this article we consider how the implementation of sexualities equalities policies is related to processes of privatization and individualization. This is illustrated by using sexualities equalities work in local government as a case study to indicate how processes of change and resistance are aided by these processes. The article draws on findings from a study of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender ( LGBT) equalities initiatives in local government in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, which examined the views of those who now have a public duty to implement recent legislative and policy shifts and are obliged to develop equalities initiatives concerning 'sexual orientation' and 'gender reassignment'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transgender people are currently excluded from full citizenship in the UK. However, this is being challenged by a number of transgender groups. Sexual and feminist models of citizenship provide useful alternatives to mainstream models of citizenship, sharing a considerable amount of ground with transgender citizenship. However, transgender citizenship differs from sexual and feminist models in various ways. This article examines the commonalties and divergences between transgender citizenship and sexual and feminist approaches to citizenship, and explores some of the issues emerging in the area of transgender citizenship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifies the principal tasks of General Practitioner (GP) counselors and some of the professional dilemmas which need to be addressed. Discussion of the results of a survey of GP counsellors in Great Britain and primary health care teams concerning their role and contributions in primary care; Description of conditions under which they are employed; Counselling services.

In this article we address activist, patient advocate and medic perspectives on framing intersex, variations of sex characteristics and disorders/differences in sex development medical treatment as human rights abuses. Problematic aspects of intersex medical treatment have increasingly been highlighted in national debates and international human rights bodies. Some intersex activists have framed aspects of intersex medical treatment as human rights abuses since the 1990s. Other stakeholders in shaping medical treatment, such as patient advocates and medical professionals, are not always content with human rights framing, or even the term intersex. In order to address the different perspectives in this arena we provide background on the primary rights claims that have arisen followed by key human rights framing of these claims. We provide a short discussion of activism styles, looking at pan‐intersex social movements and variation‐specific patient associations as different styles of health social movements. The analysis of stakeholder perspectives on the use of human rights strategy in health areas provides a useful case study for medical sociology and policy in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the emphasis of the New Labour government on partnership and civil renewal has opened up new governance spaces in the UK These spaces have provided new opportunities for voluntary and community organisations (VCOs) but also posed new dilemmas. This article draws on research into the role of these organisations in the policy process, exploring how open the new spaces are, who is engaged in them and what scope for influence they offer. It concludes that, while there is room for optimism, operating in these new spaces can be risky and challenging. It welcomes the growing dialogue between North and South and the resource that this offers for negotiating the challenges they pose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article charts the past, present and future of the BiReCon event, which was the inspiration for this special issue of the Journal of Bisexuality. We provide the historical context for such an academic conference on bisexuality, and the key research which had been conducted on bisexuality in the UK prior to this. The aims of the 2010 BiReCon event are summarized, and a brief overview of the event is presented. Finally, we chart some potential future directions for BiReCon and other similar conferences. The full program for BiReCon can be found at the end of the article, along with links to YouTube clips from the event and other related Websites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]