26 Oct – Intersex Awareness Day  

 Intersex Awareness Day, observed each year on 26 October since 1996, is an opportunity to raise awareness, promote understanding, and advocate for the rights of intersex people – who are born with natural variations in sex characteristics, such as chromosomes, hormones, reproductive organs, or anatomy, that do not fit typical definitions of male or female bodies.  

Intersex Awareness Day highlights the importance of bodily autonomy, dignity, inclusion, and equal access to healthcare, education, and social support for people who may experience high levels of trauma and mental ill-health as a result of the medicalisation, unnecessary surgery and stigmatisation of their bodies from infancy.  

The Better Lives Project, delivered by Working It Out in partnership with Interaction for Health & Human Rights, plays a vital role in advancing intersex rights and inclusion across Tasmania. This year, the Department of Health LGBTIQA+ Champions Network will mark Intersex Awareness Day by hosting an afternoon tea that brings people together to celebrate, learn, and show support for people with innate variations of sex characteristics (IVSC). The Parliamentary Friends of LGBTIQA+ group will host a morning tea and Q&A session focused on the upcoming legislative reforms which will strengthen the rights, protections, and wellbeing of people with IVSC. These events provide valuable opportunities to raise awareness, encourage meaningful discussion, and highlight the importance of creating a more inclusive and equitable Tasmania for intersex communities. 

Email: Simone-lisa@workingitout.org.au for more information and to express your interest in attending the afternoon tea event

For more Intersex information and resources: Click HERE