InterAction for Health and Human Rights

Looking forward to participating in this online forum next Friday (30 Oct) at midday, discussing the important topic "The case for legislative protections for intersex people in NSW", alongside some truly impressive figures. Registration details in the post below - please come along if you're free!

The University of Queensland and Brisbane City Council have collaborated to bring together an opportunity for you to be curious, learn, and connect around how we can work together to advance our allyship for Intersex communities. Register via the QR code or events.humanitix.com/intersex-awa...

InterAction's Deputy Executive Director will be speaking at the 2026 Carswell Forum. Come along to learn more about Bonnie's work, perspectives and ongoing commitment to supporting intersex people and creating safer, healthier and more inclusive communities. www.qldlgbtqia.org.au/events/2026-...

InterAction will be hosting a free lunch-time webinar on "The case for legislative protections for intersex people in NSW" on Friday 30th of October Read more here buff.ly/wO1nmMZ And register here buff.ly/r80nvwh

Join us for a special webinar this Wednesday Oct 21st, on the use of the “I” in the LGBTIQ+ acronym in Australian health research hosted by Associate Professor Morgan Carpenter, InterAction's Executive Director. www.lgbtiqhealth.org.au/webinar_i_in...

InterAction launches QLD campaign to Protect Intersex Infants & Children 3 ways you can support the campaign; check them out: interaction.org.au/45206/intera... #theirbodytheirchoice #IAD2026 #intersexawarenessday

The IOC needs fundamental reform: transparent processes, open dialogue, and true accountability. But most importantly, athletes' human rights must come first. Sport exists for people, not the other way around. Read about how female intersex athletes are impacted: interaction.org.au/resource/pos...

Gender stereotypes drive public scrutiny of intersex athletes. Social media becomes a weapon for humiliation. This isn't just harmful- it's a direct result of the IOC's discriminatory approach to women's sport. Read about how female intersex athletes are impacted: interaction.org.au/resource/pos...

For many intersex women, sports exclusion is just another trauma layered on top of childhood interventions. They've already faced unnecessary surgeries and treatments- now sport tells them they don't belong either. Time for change. Read more: interaction.org.au/resource/pos...

Lifelong hormone replacement therapy. That's one consequence of sports testing for many intersex athletes. These aren't choices- they're requirements imposed by sporting bodies. This isn't healthcare… it's control. Read about female intersex athlete impacts: interaction.org.au/resource/pos...

Sports testing leads to irreversible medical interventions: clitorectomies, genital surgeries, all without athletic justification. These are not treatments- they're punishments for having natural variations. Read about how female intersex athletes are impacted: interaction.org.au/resource/pos...

The human cost of mandatory testing: lives shattered by discovery through sports eligibility processes. Lost jobs, broken relationships, mental health crises. Is this really what we want from sport? Read more about how female intersex athletes are impacted: interaction.org.au/resource/pos...

What's wrong with the 2026 census? Our explainer on the lack of intersex inclusion interaction.org.au/45061/whats-...

The facts: women with these traits don't have male-typical development. There's no proof they have performance advantages. Yet the IOC framework treats them as outsiders. This isn't about science- it's about exclusion. Read about female intersex athlete impacts: interaction.org.au/resource/pos...

Interested in joining the human rights team making strides in the intersex space? Come and work with us! - we are hiring a part-time Training Coordinator and a part-time Communications and Social Media Officer. Applications close August 19th. For more details click the link: buff.ly/XaqKpm8

Imagine being told you're not really the sex you've always known. That's what happens when women are involuntarily reclassified in sport. This practice violates human rights and is opposed by experts worldwide. Read about female intersex athlete impacts: interaction.org.au/resource/pos...

The IOC can't even define sex scientifically. They try to use single characteristics like chromosomes or hormones, but sex is far more complex. This scientific ignorance drives discriminatory policies that hurt athletes. Read more: interaction.org.au/resource/pos...

Would you undergo genetic testing if your job depended on it? That's the reality for female athletes under IOC regulations. This isn't medical practice- it's coercion masquerading as policy. Read more about how female intersex athletes are impacted: interaction.org.au/resource/pos...

The Darlington Statement is clear: all intersex people deserve access to sport at all levels. No restrictions, no discriminatory investigations. Sport should be for everyone, regardless of their biology. Read more about the impact: interaction.org.au/resource/pos...

Understanding who's affected by IOC regulations reveals the framework's unfairness. From women with Y chromosome traits to transgender athletes, these policies create winners and losers based on biology. It's time for change. Read more: interaction.org.au/resource/pos...

Today in partnership with Equality Australia we launched the Missing Voice Report in NSW Parliament. With special thanks to the The Hon. Ryan Park, MP Minister for Health, Minister for Regional Health and NSW Parliamentary Friendship Group for LGBTIQ People for your support and attendance.

So what are intersex traits? Thanks to my co-authors Bonnie and Ingrid, the folks in the photo, and the editors at @theconversation.com for this explainer theconversation.com/what-people-...

Dr. Morgan Carpenter highlights that “policy and public incomprehension and incoherence mean that the goals and work of the intersex movement are often poorly recognised or understood”. Read more at interaction.org.au/resource/con...

The IOC framework goes against Australian law and community expectations. Australians want fair, inclusive sport- not discriminatory policies that penalise women for natural biological variations. Time for alignment with our values! Read more: interaction.org.au/resource/pos...

Gender stereotypes in sport? The IOC framework not only allows them- it entrenches them. True fairness comes from evidence, not outdated ideas about what women's bodies should look like. Let's demand better. Read more: interaction.org.au/resource/pos...

Mandatory sex testing doesn't just discriminate- it devastates. Women face stigma, lose career opportunities, and face pressure for unnecessary surgeries. Is this really what sport should stand for? Read more: interaction.org.au/resource/pos...

Today is Global Day of Parents! The InterLink website has a Resource Hub with many resources for Parents. Did you know that InterLink also runs online psychosocial support group sessions for parents of intersex children too? Visit ilink.net.au to gain support... and Happy Global Day of Parents!

The IOC admits there's no conclusive evidence of performance advantage, yet their framework remains. This isn't about science- it's about finding ways to exclude certain women from competing. Let's call it what it is: discrimination. Read more: interaction.org.au/resource/pos...

Reconciliation Week commences today & celebrates Australian Indigenous culture & promotes cultural exchange and understanding. Learn more about the great work of our friends at Gayawur Rainbow at www.qc.org.au/gayawur and of the amazing work at 2 Spirits by visiting www.2spirits.org.au #NRW2026

Sex is complex. Human development is diverse. Yet the IOC framework treats sex as a simple checkbox. This oversimplification ignores the reality of how sex characteristics actually develop in humans. Time for evidence-based policies! Read more : interaction.org.au/resource/pos...

Can't believe it is almost a month since I returned from historic UN CSW70! First intersex event inside UN HQ- Intersex rights advocacy on the international stage. Building solidarity for bodily autonomy worldwide! Read about the whole adventure: interaction.org.au/44909/a-hist...

FREE PDF DOWNLOAD AVAILABLE! 'Unspoken' is a groundbreaking collection of intersex memories that gives voice to experiences long kept silent. Download your free copy now: interaction.org.au/resource/uns...

Earlier this month, we held a powerful, first of its kind retreat for women & non binary people with innate variations of sex characteristics. We thank the NSW State Government for their support in making this special event possible. Learn more: interaction.org.au/44835/strong...

Just a few weeks ago, InterAction made Its Mardi Gras debut! At the 2026 Sydney Mardi Gras, our message was loud and clear: “Swim in Ecsta sea! Where every wave is unique, fierce and free! Be a wave for change — Support Intersex Rights!” Read more: interaction.org.au/44814/intera...

A vital conversation is taking place today at the Uni of Sydney and online, focusing on the future of healthcare for people with innate variations of sex characteristics (IVSC). The session features Dr Lih‑Mei Liao with responses by Velissa Aplin & Bonnie Hart, with Dr Morgan Carpenter chairing.

Thank you to Victorian Parliamentarians across the political spectrum for supporting law reform to protect intersex people from harm in medical settings. Thank you to our friends and partners for helping to get this reform across the line. interaction.org.au/44749/victor...

Everyone deserves protection from hatred and the right to gather, speak, & protest peacefully. These are foundations of any society that values freedom & dignity. “There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.” -Elie Wiesel

Today the Victorian Lower House unanimously passed the Health Safeguards for People Born with Variations in Sex Characteristics Bill 2025! It now moves to the Upper House on 18–19 February. Read the full story on our website: interaction.org.au/44689/a-hist...

Watching the Vic Parliament livestream on the Health Safeguards for People Born with VSC Bill 2025? Watching live: Paul Byrne‑Moroney, Commissioner Joe Ball (with excellent intersex socks), Tony Briffa, Dr Alice de Jonge & Sean Mulcahy. If you’re watching online too, what are your thoughts so far?

For many First Nations people, 26th January is not a celebration. It is Invasion Day, Survival Day, a day of mourning. Sovereignty was never ceded. This always was, always will be, Aboriginal land. May today remind us to listen, learn, & walk together toward justice, healing, true reconciliation.

The team at InterAction for Health & Human Rights join Australians across the nation on this National Day of Mourning in honouring the victims of the Bondi Beach tragedy, and we stand in solidarity with the Jewish community and the families, friends, and all those affected. Reflect & Remember.

"The Secret of Me" is now streaming for free on ABC iview. This film is a powerful, must‑see documentary uncovering one of the most extraordinary intersex stories of our time.

It has been a busy, challenging and productive year for the team at InterAction with so many highlights, happenings and achievements to reflect on! Click here to read our 2025 A Year in Review here: mailchi.mp/interaction....

Dr Aileen Kennedy has published “Humiliated and Ashamed, Again and Again”: Regulating Genital Examinations of Children with Innate Variations of Sex Characteristics in the International Journal of Feminist Approaches to Bioethics. Read more & access article link: interaction.org.au/resource/reg...

The Missing Voice reveals ongoing medical interventions on intersex kids in Australia & the need for laws to protect consent. Read the report 👉 interaction.org.au/resource/the... Sign the petition 👉 equalityaustralia.org.au/take-action/...

Better Together 2025 in Adelaide Oct 31 & Nov 1st included intersex voices. From intersex community panels to the Better Lives Project & powerful storytelling by Margie McCumstie, intersex issues were acknowledged and allies now have a pathway to action. Read more: interaction.org.au/44445/better...

Today, Intersex Day of Solidarity (also termed Intersex Day of Remembrance) we have big news: the InterLink psychosocial support service is officially accredited under national quality and safety standards for digital mental health services www.starobserver.com.au/news/interse...

It’s been a vibrant and inspiring time of celebration around Intersex Awareness Day 2025. We hope your Intersex Awareness Day celebrations were meaningful and special. Read all about how we celebrated here: interaction.org.au/44373/celebr...