For the first time in Ireland, an attempt is being made to understand what life is like for people with atypical sex characteristics. At the moment, there is not enough data about people’s lives to meaningfully engage in policy reform to ensure their rights are upheld in all aspects of life and society.
As such, this study seeks to change this by conducting a survey of people’s lived experiences and what it means to live with atypical sex characteristics in Ireland. It is being undertaken in two parts: by inviting people with atypical sex characteristics to (1) complete a questionnaire and (2) participate in an interview with one of the team members to tell them your story.
If you are an Irish intersex person, wherever you live in the world, or an intersex person, whatever your nationality, who has spent time in Ireland, please get involved! They would love to hear from you and to hear your stories and experiences. The information garnished will be used to direct policy changes to better the lives of Irish Intersex people where none presently exists. It will also be widely discussed at Intersex 2020: A Vision For the Future to be held @ Dublin City University on the 19th – 20th November 2020.
While its envisaged Intersex may not impact you personally the team at The XXY Project and beyond would appreciate if you would share this among your networks and/ or whatever means you have at your disposal. Thank you, and thanks also to the team at Intersex Mapping Ireland for making this a reality, they are;
PI: Dr Tanya Ní Mhuirthile. School of Law and Government.
Co-PI: Prof Anthony Staines. School of Nursing, Psychotherapy & Community Health.
AI: Dr Mel Duffy. School of Nursing, Psychotherapy & Community Health.
PD: Dr Maria Feeney. School of Law and Government.
The project is funded by The Irish Research Council
The purpose of this survey is to understand what it is like to be intersex/to live with atypical sex characteristics in Ireland. The survey is part of a bigger project ‘Mapping the Lived Experience of Intersex in Ireland: Contextualising Lay and Professional Knowledge to Enable Development of Law and Policy’ being undertaken by Dr Tanya Ní Mhuirthile and Dr Maria Feeney, School of Law and Government; & Prof. Anthony Staines and Dr Mel Duffy, School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and Community Health in Dublin City University.
The Mapping Project has ethical approval from Dublin City University. It is funded by the Irish Research Council COALESCE 2019 fund. The project has an international Steering Committee of four members, all of whom are intersex. Similar research was conducted in Australia in 2015 by Intersex Human Rights Australia to produce their report ‘Intersex: Stories and Statistics from Australia’. We were inspired by their work and have designed this questionnaire for use here in Ireland. Members of the intersex community/people with atypical characteristics in Ireland, have also given us feedback on earlier drafts of this questionnaire.
There is a lack of data available on intersex experience in Ireland. Statistical information enables advocating for change to improve the lives of intersex people and people with atypical sex characteristics. At present, their human rights are not being actively protected or addressed. The Mapping Project aims to gather statistics and stories about what life is like for intersex people/those with atypical sex characteristics in Ireland to provide the evidence that will assist to improve understandings of intersex and, hopefully, lead to reform of laws, policies and practices to enhance their lived experience. We also hope that the information you provide will inform medical practices. Therefore, it is a lengthy questionnaire.
Who is the questionnaire for?
This questionnaire is for:
1. intersex people living in Ireland, regardless of where they were born;
2. Irish intersex people living abroad, and
3. any intersex person, anywhere in the world, who has lived in Ireland for a time.
thexxyproject.org 