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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]

Intersex people experience a range of human rights abuses, including non-consensual, irreversible medical interventions on minors. These abuses have lifelong effects, yet little is known about older intersex people. People in this diverse group face multiple marginalisations and erasures across different policy and practice arenas. This article reviews literature about intersex issues, drawing out materials relevant to older intersex people using an historically grounded approach. It focuses on the key issues affecting older intersex people living in a range of countries in the global North, as harmful medical practices originated in this region. Based on existing evidence, we found a pressing need for medical reform including a cessation of harmful medical practices and the development of appropriate healthcare that centres the needs and wishes of each intersex person. As intersex issues are currently heavily erased in most countries, research, cross-sectoral policy and practice work, and awareness-raising are all needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agency-based approaches to the health of intersex people and those with DSD focus on bodily autonomy and the cessation of normalising medical interventions until an under-age person can exercise fully informed choice regarding treatment. Discussions regarding intersex agency and health care can be inspired by the social model of health that emerged from disability theory. However, a purely social model is insufficient to address the harms that has been caused by DSD medical interventions, and the healthcare needs that some intersex people have. Drawing on original empirical research conducted in Italy, Switzerland and the UK, this article explores agency-based approaches to intersex and DSD, incorporating the social model's critique of the pathologisation of bodily diversities, whilst supporting the provision of effective healthcare where needed. The article addresses healthcare deficits and their cultural underpinnings. It identifies key impediments to intersex agency, including body normativity and sex and gender binarism. While there has been slight movement towards an agency-based approach to intersex in some national medical settings in the last ten years, there is still a need for change to the conceptualisation of intersex/DSD and subsequent revisions to healthcare provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citizenship studies is highly relevant to understanding intersex, variations of sex characteristics (VSC), and Disorders of Sex Development (DSD), yet little scholarship exists to date about intersex citizenship. This article outlines and develops the foundations for a distinctive intersex citizenship studies, addressing health citizenship, children's citizenship, legal rights, and breaches of human rights experienced by intersex people and those with DSD. The paper presents original qualitative data from research in the UK, Italy and Switzerland with intersex people and their advocates, medics, and policy stakeholders. It shows that asserting citizenship is crucial for intersex people and those with VSC or DSD. This extremely marginalised population require social, intimate, children's and health citizenship. Intersex citizenship addresses both medical and human rights issues in an integrated way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intersex people and those with variations of sex characteristics face significant health and social issues. This paper analyses the complexities of adult healthcare for this diverse population, including the root causes of deficiencies in care provision. Many minors with variations of sex characteristics are subjected to irreversible, non-consensual medical interventions, which can have negative effects on their health and wellbeing as adults. This 'emergency' approach to intersex paediatric healthcare has been challenged since the 1990s, but there is still a lack of understanding about how the paradigm affects adult care. This paper aims to raise awareness of the health challenges faced by adults with variations of sex characteristics. It identifies themes related to the challenges associated with accessing appropriate adult care, including the repercussions of childhood treatment, the lack of transitional services and psychological support, the limited general medical knowledge about variations of sex characteristics, and the reluctance to access services due to fear of stigma or past medical trauma. The paper indicates the need for more attention to intersex people's health needs as adults, moving away from attempts to 'fix' them as minors towards approaches which consider and provide for their diverse healthcare needs in a broader temporal context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]