October 26 marks Intersex Awareness Day, recognised internationally each year on the anniversary of the first demonstration by intersex advocates at a medical conference at the American Academy of Paediatrics.
Intersex is a normal part of human diversity. ‘Intersex’, ‘intersex variations’ ‘variations in sex characteristics’ and ‘differences of sex development’ are umbrella terms for people born with physical, hormonal or genetic characteristics that don’t fit with typical male or female ‘norms’. There are lots of different types of variations and different people prefer different terms to describe their bodies.
Over time, care pathways for children with intersex variations have evolved in response to both improved knowledge and understanding of these variations and advocacy from affected individuals. At a Federal and state level, considerable work has been undertaken to engage the intersex community, advocates, and clinicians to determine future care pathways, and the RCH is proud to be an active contributor to these discussions.
We remain committed to providing the best care and outcomes for each individual patient, and believe it remains critically important that each child’s individual needs are considered and recognised in any change to care pathways.
The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) is proud to support intersex patients, the intersex community and Intersex Awareness Day.