Intersex Equality Rights and Walnut Unlimited worked together to gain the first population figures of intersex people in the UK, the figure came back at 3%
Why we are conducting research
The UK Equality Act 2010 provides protection for people with specific characteristics. This means they are protected under hate crime legislation and it leads to society making efforts to be aware of the needs of people.
Organisations are compelled to be inclusive of people with protected characteristics and to understand how to accommodate them.
People with diverse sex characteristics are not recognised as a protected characteristic in the UK Equality Act 2010 leading to a lack of awareness and knowledge of the community, in some cases this lack of understanding leads to dangerous outcomes.
The UK Census 2021 omitted people with diverse sex characteristics/intersex, therefore there is currently no understanding of the population or needs of the intersex community.
We believe that having this understanding will compel organisations, institutions and government to make provision for people with diverse sex characteristics. In addition:
We want parents to be empowered with knowledge to make informed decisions.
We want medical professionals to understand that diverse sex characteristics are not something that need to be erased. Intersex people must be afforded space and time to make decisions about our own bodies.
We want intersex people to have the support they need to live full and vibrant lives.
We want intersex people to play a vital role in society, safe from hate and misunderstanding.