ACT Leader Andrew Barr Will Draft A Bill To Protect Intersex Individuals
In a landmark move, ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has pledged to draft a bill that would ban non consensual intersex surgeries performed at birth, reports Q News. The bill would be a first for Australia and represents a major step forward in protecting the rights and well-being of intersex individuals.
THE “I” IN LGBTQIA
Intersex individuals are born with physical sex characteristics that do not fit typical male or female classifications. Intersex traits can vary widely and affect up to 1 in 2,000 births. In some cases, doctors perform non-consensual surgeries on intersex infants to alter their genitalia to fit typical male or female categories. These surgeries can have long-term physical, emotional, and psychological consequences for intersex individuals, including a loss of sexual sensation and fertility, pain, scarring and trauma, reports Human Rights Watch.
Chief Minister Barr’s proposed bill would make it illegal for doctors to perform non-consensual intersex surgeries on infants in the ACT. It would also provide intersex individuals with greater autonomy over their own bodies and decisions about their gender identity later in life.
The bill would make the ACT the first jurisdiction in Australia to ban non-consensual intersex surgery and would set an important precedent for other states and territories to follow. It also represents a significant victory for intersex individuals and their allies, who have been advocating for greater recognition and protection of their rights for years.
The bill is expected to be drafted and introduced to the ACT Legislative Assembly in the coming month.
