An OII Europe Intersex Awareness Weeks Campaign
Intersex seniors face a number of challenges, including isolation, discrimination, and a lack of awareness about their needs. Many intersex seniors have experienced medical interventions in their lives that have had negative lifelong consequences. Some also have difficulty finding healthcare providers who are knowledgeable about their needs.
Our campaign is aiming to highlight some needs and issues that elderly intersex persons are having and calls for more research and awareness about intersex seniors. A few specific examples of the challenges faced by older intersex people include:
- Discrimination from healthcare providers: Older intersex people are in danger of being mistreated, or denied care altogether by healthcare providers who are not familiar with intersex variations or follow the pathologizing regime of treating intersex persons as having a disorder.
- Isolation and mental health: Older intersex people can feel isolated from community or in their contexts due to a lack of awareness and understanding of intersex realities and their trauma, and a lack of support structures or resources specifically for older intersex people.
- Lack of access to healthcare: Older intersex people may have difficulty finding healthcare providers who are knowledgeable about intersex variations and who are sensitive to their needs.
Learn more about intersex seniors and their needs and challenges but also about the good practice examples and solutions:
