Intersex UK Vision

 “A Britain where intersex people are understood, accepted and respected and able to participate fully in all aspects of society”

The key elements of this vision are:

• Intersex people: our working definition of intersex is an umbrella term for anyone has a disorder of sexual development (DSD) or other condition where the body is clearly intersex albeit without a specific diagnostic ‘condition label’
• Understood: people are aware of and comprehend what intersex means
• Accepted and respected: people are more open about gender diversity and value intersex people as equal citizens regardless of their gender identity, even where this identity is outside the binary male/female paradigm
• Participate fully in all aspects of society: intersex people are empowered to be fully involved in all the varied aspects of life – family, social, political, cultural, economic etc

When talking about intersex issues, there are no universally agreed terms or definitions that can be used. By its nature, language used to describe intersex people is fluid. How people self-identify may not be the same as how others identify them, or try to classify them, and this self identity may change significantly over time and in different contexts. For this reason, we have tried to develop as broad a definition of intersex as possible, and note that this is a ‘working definition‘ to allow us to continue the process of developing and building Intersex UK as an organisation, without constantly getting entangled in the complexities of language.

 

Intersex UK Mission Statement

“To represent and work with the UK’s government, intersex community, including their families and friends and allied organisations, by providing support and education, and by advocating for equality, rights, and access to services.”

The key elements of this mission are:

• Represent: to work for change on behalf of the intersex community in Britain, to ensure that the voices of intersex people are heard
• Work with: to regularly communicate and consult with the intersex community, making sure that Intersex UK is focused on areas that best represent the community‘s needs. To this end Intersex UK is a non condition specific, DSD organisation.
• UK’s intersex community: all intersex people in the UK
• Their families and friends: the spouses, partners, parents, children, and friends of intersex people who may also need support around their friend/loved one‘s gender identity
• Support and education: social and emotional supports, peer supports, and information about intersex issues and services
• Advocating for equality, rights, and access to services: lobbying, campaigning, and seeking to influence policy makers and service providers so that intersex people are treated equally, and can access all their rights and entitlements