Members of the INIA consortium have contributed to various types of outreach activities. A list of events is posted here below:
103) 2 July 2024: MSCA webinar
102) 4-6 June 2024: 4th Global Community Health Annual Workshop
PI Amets Suess Schwend participated as a speaker, community health hub facilitator and advisory board member at the 4th Global Community Health Annual Workshop, organised by the UNESCO Chair Global Health & Education, EHESP School of Public Health, International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE), Réseau Francophone International Pour la Promotion de la Sante (RÉFIPS), University of Clermont Auvergne and University of Huddersfield. The event took place on June 4 – 6, 2024 online, in two time zones. Amets Suess Schwend talked about “Intersectional Perspectives on Poverty, Activism, Advocacy and Community Health: Protecting the Human Rights of Intersex People”, with reference to the INIA project.
For more information about the programme: https://unescochair-ghe.org/global-community-health-annual-workshop-fourth-edition-2024/
101) 30 January 2024: Book launch in Brussels
Michal Raz (a sociologist, doing a Post-Doc in Aix-Marseille Université) and Loé Petit (a PhD student in sociology at the Université Paris 8 Vincennes) came to Brussels to present their book entitled “Intersexes : Du pouvoir médical à l’autodétermination » published by the Cavalier Bleu as part of the AGS seminar. This particular event was organized in collaboration with Tulitu, a bookstore in Brussels. The event took place on the 30th of January, in Brussels, and ESR Audrey Aegerter had the opportunity to chair it. The event was attended by approximately 40 people.
100) 9 March 2024 and 9 April 2024: Open Days at Loughborough University
Prof. Surya Monro gave lectures about the INIA project and public sociology at the following events for high school students: Open Day Event (09.03.24, 50 students) and Inspiring Minds: Social Sciences and Humanities event (09.04.2024, 60 students).
99) 29 February 2024: Health, Body and Culture at Loughborough University
Coordinator Surya Monro regularly uses findings from the INIA project in teaching, for example in a lecture given for the Health, Body and Culture module for undergraduate Sociology and Psychology Students at Loughborough University titled ‘Critical approaches to intersex and variations of sex characteristics’.
98) 4 December 2023: Empowering Methods in an Unequal World workshop, University of Loughborough
On 4 December 2023 Surya Monro gave a talk about INIA to academics and students from various UK universities, titled ‘Participant Action Research and Epistemic Injustice: The case of research with intersex people’ It contributed to stimulati9ng discussions about equality, inclusion and social justice at the Empowering Methods in an Unequal World workshop, University of Loughborough.
97) 28 November 2023: Faculty of Law, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia
Prof. Surya Monro gave an invited lecture for the Feminist Legal Research Group and Health Law Research Group while in Sydney, Australia. She used two presentations, one titled: “Challenges facing intersex people and those with variations of sex characteristics. Findings from an international research project” and a second one in collaboration with ESR2 Sean Saifa Wall titled: “Making a case for equality, diversity and inclusion frameworks and mainstreaming mechanisms to systematically include intersex people.”
96) 26 October 2023: Intersex Awareness Day
Audrey Aegerter was invited to present some of her research findings at the LGBTI Health conference organized by ExAequo. The aim of the conference is to discuss community health practices and initiatives aimed at LGBTI+ people. Audrey talked about the difficulty for intersex adults to access healthcare, due to lack of information, trauma and normative guidelines in human medicine, and the importance of peer-support groups (variation specific or intersex) in accessing information about health concerns, follow-up exams and care. More information about the conference can be found here: https://www.lgbtihealth.eu/en
95) 25 October 2023: Class on intersex healthcare at UCC, Cork, Ireland
ESR1 Addy Berry taught a class on intersex healthcare to 1st year midwives and nurses at UCC. The feedback from the class was overwhelmingly positive and many participants revealed that this was their first ever introduction to intersex people throughout their whole degree.
94) 24 October 2023: Scholarship in the areas of sex and gender, University of Waikato, New Zealand
Prof. Surya Monro contributed to a roundtable about scholarship in the areas of sex and gender at the University of Waikato (New Zealand), in which she presented a number of key findings from the INIA project in areas including epistemic justice, older intersex people, social policy and human rights.
93) 6 October 2023: Séminaire de recherche ‛Enfants, Famille, Droits’ – automne
ESR3 Audrey Aegerter participated in a Research Seminar organized by the Center for Interdisciplinary Children’s Rights Studies and the Law Faculty of the University of Geneva. She presented her research for 15 minutes and received insightful comments from her two discussants: Solène Gouilhers and Cécile Greset. who are both from the Gender Studies Institute at the University of Geneva.
Link to the seminar: https://droit.cuso.ch/?id=3370&tx_displaycontroller%5bshowUid%5d=6533
Flyer for the seminar
92) 12 September 2023: Just Futures Research Centre, University of Huddersfield
On September 12, ESR1 Addy Berry presented findings from their research about Older Intersex People to the Just Futures Research Center at the University of Huddersfield. The audience included academics with health practice backgrounds and those involved in teaching nurses and midwives.
91) 17 May – 5 November 2023: Queer Graphics, Design Museum, Brussels
ESR3 Audrey Aegerter helped organise the Queer Graphics exhibition at the Design Museum (https://designmuseum.brussels/brussels-queer-graphics/). The exhibition looks at how the LGBTQI+ community in the 1950s in Brussels used visual language to be visible and to express themselves. A book about the exhibition is available here:
https://www.maisoncfc.be/fr/products/1320-queer-graphics-collectif-d-auteurs
90) 20 June 2023: Collegium Helveticum, Zurich
89) 13 June 2023: MSCA Doctoral Networks Call, Information Webinars
The UK Research Office (UKRO), in its capacity as UK National Contact Point for the Horizon Europe 2023 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), held a series of information webinars for organisations and individuals interested in applying to the 2023 MSCA Doctoral Networks Call (proposed call opening date 30 May 2023 with a proposed call deadline 28 November 2023).
As part of the webinar, INIA coordinator Surya Monro and project manager Clare Desplats, presented a case study of the INIA project. This included information about the application process, setting up the consortium, the goals of the research project, challenges, project management and implementation and recommendations for future applicants. The webinar was attended by approximately 80 people in the U.K.
88) 12 June 2023: Llubljana City Hall: Dilemmas related to the medical care of intersex children
ESR Martin Gramc took part in a discussion about the medical care of intersex children attended by approximately 15 people. The program for the event is available here: https://ljubljanapride.org/2023/en/event/dilemmas-related-to-the-medical-care-of-intersex-children/.
87) 05 June 2023: Outreach event with high school students
Prof. Surya Monro participated in an outreach event with A level (high school) students at University of Huddersfield which showcased the INIA project and its findings. Approximately 30 students attended the event.
86) 26 May 2023: OII Public Event, Paris, France
During the OII Community Event and Public Conference held in Paris, France, ESR Audrey Aegerter presented some of her research to approximatively 120-140 people at the movie theater Pathé La Villette. The audience consisted of over 100 European intersex activists, activists from other continents, politicians, journalists, and members of the public who were interested in the topic.
85) 19 May 2023: MESSAGE Policy Lab
Prof. Surya Monro contributed to the MESSAGE (Medical Science Sex and Gender Equity) policy lab aiming to improve biomedical research about sex and gender organised by Imperial College London and the Georgia Trust. She contributed information about the findings that have come out of the various INIA research projects. More information about the policy lab can be found here and here.
84) 19 May 2023: Research for Intersex Justice
ESRs Audrey Aegerter, Martin Gramc and Ernesto Zelayandia, along with PI David Paternotte participated in a round table event organised in Brussels. Ernesto, Audrey, Martin, Mauro Cabral and Charly Derave spoke about their research and expertise in the field. Approximately 10 people attended – mainly academics and intersex activists. The poster for the event can be found here.
83) 14 March 2023: Online training course
ESR Adeline Berry provided an online training course to the largest LGBT+ organisation in Ireland on intersex issues. This training led to talks of the development of a healthcare conference for expected 150 medical professionals and mental health professionals scheduled for this coming June 2023 at the Royal Surgeons in Dublin. The event was attended by 10 members of LGBT Ireland including their CEO.
82) 1 March 2023: Lecture at University of Huddersfield
INIA coordinator Surya Monro gave a lecture titled Intersex and Citizenship for the following module: Health, Identity and Social Change (second level, Sociology BA, UOH). This presentation drew on INIA research findings.
81) 2 February 2023: Online workshop at Newcastle University
Coordinator Surya Monro presented the INIA project at an online workshop that she was invited to speak at, at Newcastle University UK. The audience included policy makers, artists, academics and students, and the event was about gender-based violence and sexual ethics and it formed the culmination of a research project funded by the Violence and Mental Health Network and UKRI at Newcastle University UK.
80) 2022-2023 Coalition for Hate Crime in the Republic of Ireland
Adeline Berry was an active part of the Coalition for Hate Crime in the Republic of Ireland working for intersex inclusion based on findings from their research. This coalition was sponsored by the government of the Republic of Ireland, minister for justice and equality.
79) 23 January 2023: Public engagement in secondary school
INIA coordinator Surya Monro discussed academic careers and the INIA project with 16-17 year old schoolchildren at KIng Ecbert School in Sheffield, U.K.
78) January 2023: Civil Liberties Union for Europe
ESR1 Adeline Berry fed into the Irish Council of Civil Liberties submission to the Central Statistics Submission to include intersex people in the census in the Republic of Ireland based on findings from their INIA research.
77) 13 January 2023: Research Sandpit, University of Huddersfield
ESR8 Svet Sol and coordinator Surya Monro attended a research sandpit where they presented the INIA project to university staff and postgraduates from the departments of of law and human and health science. Approximately 30 people attended the event.
76) 9 January 2023: ShoutOut
Adeline Berry participated in a second podcast by ShoutOut, a leading LGBTQIA+ awareness organization in Ireland https://www.shoutout.ie/ alongside Clara Barry of Intersex Ireland https://intersexireland.org/ where they discussed intersex community, joy, education and what the future looks like for intersex people in Ireland and elsewhere. Adeline spoke about INIA and findings from their research. The podcast was recorded for broadcast at a later date: https://www.shoutout.ie/podcast
75) 13 December 2022: Intersex Education with National Union of Journalists LGBT+ Network
ESR Sean Saifa Wall along with INIA partner Jennie Kermode participated in this event attended by journalists from within the United Kingdom.
74) 9 December 2022: LGBTQIA+ Research day at the University of Amsterdam
ESR3 Audrey Aegerter presented some of her findings during the session on political subjectivity. This research day is part of the VU Pride events:
73) 24-25 November 2022: VI Doctoral Research Seminar in Women Studies, University of Granada
On 24 November 2022, ESR10 Ernesto Zelayandía González presented a communication titled “Los derechos intersex son derechos humanos: trayectoria de discursos en el activismo” (“Intersex rights are human rights: discourse trajectory in activism”) in the VI Jornadas Doctorales de Investigación en Estudios de las Mujeres (VI Doctoral Research Seminar in Women Studies), organised by the PhD Programme Women Studies, Gender Discourses and Practices and Women’s and Gender Studies Institute, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
More information on the event: https://canal.ugr.es/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/diptico2022-copia.pdf
72) 24 November 2022: All Ireland LGBT+ Heath Symposium
ESR2 Sean Saifa Wall presented some of his findings from the Ireland research conducted during his secondments.
This one day symposium included contemporary original research, expert commentary and practice innovation related to the health and healthcare practices focused on LGBT+ individuals and communities.
The symposium was hosted by the Centre for Indisciplinary Research, Education and Innovation in Health Systems (IRIS) at UCD School of Nursing Midwifery and Health Systems and is funded by UCD Seed Funding for Equality Diversity and Inclusion. A schedule for the event is provided here.
71) 3 November 2022: Training in Edinburgh
ESR Adeline Berry gave a training to LGBT health and LGBT age employees in Edinburgh on their research and early INIA findings. It was well received, and Addy has been invited back to give follow up trainings and workshops.
70) 26 October 2022: Intersex Awareness Day
A statement cosigned by professors and researchers in different universities in Belgium, amongst which PI David Paternotte and ESR3 Audrey Aegerter was released in the Belgian Press. It was written by the Law equality clinic. The statement calls for the government to pass the law to guarantee physical integrity to intersex people. You can read it here.
In addition, ESR 3 Audrey Aegerter was invited to be a panelist for a conference organised by the city of Brussels and Genres Pluriels on intersex issues. Audrey’s presentation was entitled: « Devenir intersexe – Comprendre l’émergence du mouvement intersexe en Europe».
A photo of the panel is provided here below.
69) 24 October 2022: Online training for Outhouse staff
Adeline Berry provided Intersex training and disseminated INIA research findings to Outhouse staff members. Outhouse is a community and resource centre for LGBT people, their families, and friends. The event took place online with Outhouse staff members including the CEO
68) 22 October 2022: GLMA award
ESR2 Sean Saifa Wall received the GLMA Achievement Award during the GLMA 40th anniversary on LGBTQ Health. More information about this event can be found here: https://www.glma.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.ViewPage&PageID=1239.
A photo of Saifa presenting at the event is provided here below:
67) 18 October 2022: Lecture at University of Malta
ESR4, Somya Dixit, presented an invited lecture on ‘intersex and intersectionality of inequality’ on October 18 from 12 PM to 2 PM at the University of Malta. The talk was well received by the postgraduate students of the gender and sexuality department of the University. This talk included a detailed introduction to the issues faced by intersex people and how intersectionality plays a major role in furthering the discrimination faced by them. The talk included intersex intersections from the perspectives of sexism, gender stereotypes, racism, and disability. It also included discussions on the current legal mechanisms in Malta that facilitate the rights of intersex people and to what extent they are brought into practice. The talk was very interactive and the audience brought in new parallels between discrimination faced by different vulnerable groups with that of discrimination faced by intersex people. The audience also discussed how various cultural practices also lead to discrimination against intersex individuals.
66) 13 October 2022: INIA presentation at Andalusian School of Public Health
While on secondment at EASP, ESR7 Martin Gramc gave a presentation to master’s students at the Andalusian School of Public Health. The session was part of the Europubhealth, European Public Health Master / Master of Public Health and Health Management, held at the Andalusian School of Public Health. The title of his presentation was “Collaboration and professions involved in health care for intersex people.” The session was attended by approximately 25 students and was preceded by a brief introduction to the INIA project presented by PI Amets Suess Schwend.
65) 11 October 22: Lecture at University of Malta
ESR4, Somya Dixit, presented an invited lecture on ‘intersex and feminism’ on October 11 from 6 PM to 7 PM at the University of Malta. This talk included a detailed introduction to the issues faced by intersex people in their day-to-day lives and focused on seeing these issues from the lens of feminist theories such as the social construction of gender. The talk also included an interactive session on how sexism and gender-stereotype affect medical intervention on the bodies of intersex children. The talk further dealt with the current legal mechanisms in Malta that facilitate the rights of intersex people and to what extent they are brought into practice. The talk was very interactive and well received by postgraduate students of the gender and sexuality department of the University.
64) 10 October 2022: World Mental Health Day
On World Mental Health Day, GATE hosted a webinar focused on highlighting challenges, recommendations and priorities regarding the mental health of intersex people.
Intersex people continue to face persistent and disproportionate challenges regarding their wellbeing, which includes both physical and mental health challenges. GATE organized a discussion focusing on the impact of human rights violations on intersex people and their mental health featuring an international panel of experts:
Irene Kuzemko from OII Europe, Katharine Dalke from Penn State College, Hiker Chiu from Intersex Asia, Eli Rubashkyn from ILGA World and INIA’s own Adeline Berry.
You can find out more and watch the recording here:
63) 2 October 2022 Online workshop as part of OII Europe’s community event
62) 28 September 2022: NYC Mayoral Appointment
61) 26 September 2022: Stakeholder Event at University of Malta, Valletta Campus
During the sixth INIA network event held at University of Malta, Valletta, INIA PIs and ESRs participated in a stakeholder conference. This was a very successful event attended by approximately 40 people from the University of Malta and from the Maltese government. The programme for the event can be found here. Some photos are provided here below.
60) 22 September 2022: National Youth Council of Ireland
ESR1 Adeline Berry met with members of the National Youth Council of Ireland to discuss their research and the needs of intersex youth in Ireland. This event was held online.
59) 2 September 2022 Nijmegan School of Management, Radboud University
Surya Monro presented the INIA programme as part of her panel presentation at the ‘To Boldly Go Beyond: Celebrations and Challenges on Gender and Power’ event at the Nijmegan School of Management in the Netherlands. The conference celebrated 10 years of the Gender Hotpot at the University. Surya was thrilled to be invited by Radboud University, which is an INIA partner. The audience were particularly interested in the INIA work on intersex Equality and Diversity as there was a panel of policy advisors and practitioners at the event. The photo shows Surya alongside Professors Myra Marx Ferree (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Mustafa Ozgilbin (Brunel University) and Patricia Zenoni (Utrecht University/Hasselt University).
58) 11 August 2022: Panel during Walk with Us
ESR1 Adeline Berry participated in a panel discussion on trans futures at the project arts centre where she talked about her curent research with INIA as well as past research and work with the intersex community.
https://projectartscentre.ie/event/walk-with-us-a-panel-discussion-on-trans-futures-in-ireland/
57) 9 August 2022: Meeting with CEO of Outhouse
ESR1 Adeline Berry met with the new CEO of Outhouse, an LGBT+ centre in Dublin to discuss Adeline’s research and the needs of the intersex community and how they might work together in the future.
56) 8 August 2022: Intersex Panel at Galway Pride
ESR1 Adeline Berry presented her research during the Intersex Ireland panel at Galway Pride.
55) 24-31 July 2022: IGLYO Activist Academy
Axel Keating attended the IGLYO Activist Academy in Bucharest, Romania from Sunday 24 July 2022 to Sunday 31 July 2022. 30+ participants from across Council of Europe member states attended. The event included training in LGBTQIA+ activism and education, developing a communication plan, public policy and advocacy, and facilitation skills. During the final ‘team challenge,’ Axel and his team’s communication plan on raising support for ending forced and coerced surgeries on intersex children and children with variations of sex characteristics among medical students placed first.
Link to certificate
54) 30 June 2022: Meeting with Irish minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
ESR1 Adeline Berry met with Roderick O’Gorman along with members of Intersex Ireland to present findings gleaned from Adeline’s research and to campaign for a better Ireland for intersex children. These points were raised with the U.N. shortly after on July 5th and a promise has been made to include bodily characteristics with Irish hate crime laws.
53) 26-28 July 2022: Transnational Contact Zones Conference
During this conference co-organised by coordinator Surya Monro with colleagues from the University of Huddersfield, Prof. Monro was able to let delegates know about the INIA project. The conference was attended by approximately 50 delegates internationally mostly from African, Indian and European Universities and some NGOs. A program for the event can be consulted here.
52) 25 June 2022: Pride in Education conference
A conference for LGBTQ+ allies in education. ESR2 Sean Saifa Wall gave the presentation “Cultivating Allyship through Intersex Education.”
The conference website can be consulted here: https://www.prideineducation.co.uk
51) 21 June 2022: Wébinaires du mardi
On Tuesday June 21, 2022, PI Amets Suess Schwend gave a talk on “Human rights-based public health research: Reflections from the INIA. Intersex – New Interdisciplinary Approaches project” within the Webinaires du Mardi organized by the École des Hautes Études en Santé Publique (EHESP), Rennes, France. The talk took place in person at EHESP and could be followed online, and was directed to researchers, health professionals, students of the Europubhealth Master programme and the general public.
To view the announcement, please click on the following link: https://www.ehesp.fr/campus/les-seminaires-du-mardi/archives-seminaires-du-mardi/
50) 17 June 2022: Europubhealth+ Research Meeting
On June 17, 2022, PI Amets Suess Schwend, ESR9 Yessica Mestre Martínez and ESR10 Ernesto Zelayandía González participated in the Europubhealth+ Research Meeting, with an online presentation titled “INIA. Intersex – New Interdisciplinary Approaches: Generating knowledge on intersex human rights and wellbeing”.
The Europubhealth+ Research Meeting was organised by the School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sport Sciences, University College Dublin.
The participating institutions are:
-
- EHESP French School of Public Health, University of Rennes
- Maastricht University
- Sheffield University, School of Health and Related Research
- Institute of Public Health, FHS, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow
- University of Granada/Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública
- School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, University College Dublin
To view the Programme, please click here.
49) 13 June 2022: Talk to college students
Coordinator Surya Monro gave a talk at University of Huddersfield to >100 college students (aged 16-17 years old) titled Intersex Citizenship which showcased the INIA project.
48) 26 April 2022: PSI-I Conversation
ESR6 Daria Abrosimova participated in a talk about how psychologists provide information on intersex/gender in the process of psychosocial support of parents. The talk was attended by prominent academics in the area of researching psycho-social support and intersex, as well as medical and peer support providers ESR7 Martin Gramc moderated the conversation.
47) 22 April 2022: Write-up about INIA in OII Europe annual report
The INIA project is mentioned on page 25 of the OII Europe annual report under the heading Research, Training and Education. To view the report, please click here.
46) 21 April 2022: UCC Queer Conference
ESR1 Adeline Berry gave a presentation with members of Intersex Ireland and spoke about her research with INIA.
45) 11 April 2022: Meeting with membersof Irish parliament
44) 7 April 2022: Presentation at PGR Engage conference, University of Huddersfield
ESR1 Adeline Berry gave a presentation to other postgraduate researchers: “Older Intersex People, Invisibility and Resilience.”
43) 6 April 2022: Joint activity with the MagnEFi ITN
ESRs from the MSCA ITN INIA met with ESRs from the MSCA ITN MagnEFi for a cross sectoral outreach activity. Five ESRs from each project gave presentations about their research projects and their experiences as Marie Curie fellows. The presentations were followed by a short Q&A session. An agenda for the event is available here and some photos are provided here below:
42) 6 April 2022: Presentation as part of HSE Rainbow Bridge Program
On the 6th of April 2022, ESR Adeline Berry gave a presentation to the staff of Eist Linn inpatient child and adolescent mental health unit as part of HSE Rainbow Bridge program on intersex and mental health (link here). The presentation, which was very well received, was recorded to be shared with staff members who were unable to attend.
41) 1 April 2022: LGBT Teens Podcast
ESR1 Adeline Berry participated in this podcast on intersex.
40) 3 March 2022: Irish Council for Civil Liberties
ESR1 Adeline Berry met with the Irish Council for Civil Liberties to talk about intersex inclusion in hate crime legislation. The meeting was very well received and led to their submitting a parliamentary question on paths for intersex care in Ireland.
39) 28 February 2022: Creation of an INIA project poster
ESR Adeline Berry created a network poster with information about the various ESR research projects. This poster will be displayed at ESR host institutions. To view the poster, please click here.
38) 25 February 2022: Understanding Intersex (part of the Yorkshire Urban and Rural Teaching Partnership Masterclass 2022)
Saifa gave a presentation on intersex issues for social work providers to social work students and practitioners during this event.
37) 24 February 2022: Wahlpraktikum Intergeschlechtlichkeit FS22 – KriMe
ESR7 Martin Gramc gave a workshop on Intersex for students of medicine of University of Basel. More information is available here: https://krime.ch/veranstaltungen/wahlpraktikum/
36) 18 February 2022: European Society for Sexual Medicine EPATH panel
On 18 February 2022 Surya Monro provided an invited talk titled ‘History and Cultural Diversity.’ for the ‘Life isn’t binary’ Masterclass at the European Society for Sexual Medicine EPATH panel. This talk included a substantial amount of discussion about non-binary intersex people’s issues and it highlighted the work of INIA. The audience consisted mostly of medics such as surgeons and endocrinologists and approximately 90 people attended. The talk was well received.
35) 16 February 2022: LGBTI history month at University of Huddersfield
34) February 2022: Interview with the ULB student magazine Prisme
ESR Audrey Aegerter was interviewed by Prisme (the Université Libre de Bruxelles student magazine) about the challenges of medicalisation of intersex people. The article mentions Audrey’s participation in the INIA program. The article can be viewed here: https://prisme.ulb.be/tous-les-numeros/hiver-2022/intersexuation-des-evolutions-en-cours
33) 16 December 2021: Presentation during Research Colloquium at the Institute of Bioethics and the History of Medicine
ESRs Martin Gramc and Daria Abrosimova presented their scoping reviews to other PhD candidates at the University of Zurich. The title of the presentation was: Medicine, stigma, society: How bioethical studies could improve the human rights of intersex people? The presentation was well attended and followed by an animated question and answer session.
32) December 2021: Short course on intersex for Open University
ESR Adeline Berry has put together a short course about intersex for the Open University. This course introduces learners to intersex and explains what intersex means. It looks at two intersex figures from history before explaining the current medical model of intersex care and how it came about. The course then goes on to look at how early decisions made in medical settings can affect intersex people throughout the rest of their lives. It ends with suggestions on how changes might be made to achieve better outcomes for intersex people. The course can be viewed here:
https://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/course/view.php?id=8143
31) November 2021: INIA findings and undergraduate teaching
INIA coordinator, Surya Monro, is using early findings from the INIA project in her undergraduate teaching at the University of Huddersfield, for example Body and Society (Sociology BA, second level, elective) and teaching for Social Work Students (first level, core).
30) 25-26 November 2021: V Doctoral Research Seminar in Women Studies, University of Granada
On 25 November 2021, ESR9 Yessica Mestre Martínez presented a communication titled “Derechos humanos de las personas intersex en la Unión Europea y América Latina” (“Human rights of intersex people in the European Union and Latin America”) in the V Jornadas Doctorales de Investigación en Estudios de las Mujeres (V Doctoral Research Seminar in Women Studies), organised by the PhD Programme Women Studies, Gender Discourses and Practices and Women’s and Gender Studies Institute, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
More information on the event: https://canal.ugr.es/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/diptico2021.pdf
29) 17 November 2021: The Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare flagship event
During the FSRH flagship event for sexual and reproductive healthcare professionals, ESR Adeline Berry gave a presentation entitled: Experiences of older intersex people. This conference offered attendees the opportunity to learn about the latest sexual and reproductive healthcare clinical developments and updates, network with and learn from a vibrant community of peers, and gain important credits to support ongoing professional development. FSRH Virtual 2021 is the leading conference for sexual and reproductive healthcare professionals showcasing the latest clinical developments across the UK and bringing together an impressive range of national speakers. A link to the event can be found here.
Some photos from the event are presented below:
28) 13 November 2021: Training on intersex
ESR6 Daria Abrosimova provided training on intersex with Achtungliebe, a Swiss non-profit organization of students who are committed to contemporary and age-appropriate sex education as part of their own school projects.
27) 1-5 November 2021: Meetings with local Finnish actors in the framework of a secondment with University of Helsinki
ESR5 Axel Keating met with the following actors in Finland during his secondment:
- Kaisli Syrjänen, Chairperson of ISIO Finland
- Jaana Pirskanen, Former Coordinator of the TIKA Project
- Marita Karvinen, education expert with Seta’s education services, school visits, expertise in LGBTIQ
26) 26 October 2021: Outreach event at University of Huddersfield for intersex awareness day
To mark Intersex Awareness Day, members of the INIA team led by coordinator Prof. Surya Monro gave a number of presentations targeting the healthcare and social services sector in the U.K. The presentations were very well attended with over 53 participants made up of NHS healthcare providers, civil servants, and intersex people and activists.
Presentations included Surya’s prior intersex research with Dr Tray Yeadon-Lee and Dr Dani Crocetti; a presentation on INIA and workshops on intersex inclusion and social work; intersex experiences of healthcare across the life course; intersex issues and equality and diversity, and healthcare provision.
Speakers and facilitators included Professor Surya Monro, Dr Amets Suess Schwend, Dr Kate Wood, Sheena Hiller, Dr David Griffiths, Dr Faye Garland, Daria Abrosimova, Martin Gramc, Sean Saifa Wall, and Adeline Berry.
Some photos from the event are provided here below:
25) 26 October 2021: Participation in OII event with launch of Thisisintersex.org
INIA coordinator Surya Monro participated in the OII event with the launch of a new website: Thisisintersex.org. Thisisintersex.org is a publication of the NNID Foundation. The website is about sex diversity in general and intersex in particular.
24) October 2021: Participation in Mercury Rising – Inter* Hermstory[ies] Now and Then at the Schwules Museum, Berlin, Germany
ESR Adeline Berry had an opportunity to talk about their research and the INIA project when they exhibited their artwork alongside ESR Sean Saifa Wall, and intersex artists and activists Hiker Chiu, Obioma Chukwuike, Giegold & Weiß, Mauro Cabral Grinspan, Sunil Gupta, Crystal Hendricks, Ins A Kromminga, Ev Blaine Matthigack, Mani Mitchell, Eliana Rubashkyn, Charan Singh, Rae Smith, Rebecca Swan, Del LaGrace Volcano, Gaëlle ‘Gelweo’ Wolf, Ins A Kromminga and Ev Blaine Matthigack.
The show is curated by Luan Pertl and Sylvia Sadzinski.
Mercury rising is the Schwules Museum’s first inter* focused exhibition is dedicated to the past and present of inter* movement(s) in activism, society, art and culture. It explores fragmentary universes and utopias on the topic of intersex issues which, until now has often been filtered and handed down through the gaze of dyadic people, or still is. For more information:
https://www.schwulesmuseum.de/ausstellung/mercury-rising-inter-hermstoryies-now-and-then/?lang=en
Some photos of the event can be viewed here.
23) 11 October 2021: Presentation for Open University academics and PhD students
ESR Adeline Berry from University of Huddersfield gave a well-attended presentation about the INIA project to Open University academics and PhD students.
22) 24 September 2021 European Researchers’ Night
As part of European Researchers’ Night, ESR 3 Audrey Aegerter took part in an event organised at the Museum of Natural Sciences in Brussels. The coordinator for the event was BeWise (Belgian Women in Science). All Marie Curie fellows present were women and the event included a discussion about the specific challenges of combining “womanhood” with science. Audrey talked about the INIA program and presented her research topic within INIA. She also mentioned Janik Bastien-Charlebois and how important her work was to Audrey’s own academic endeavours. Audrey also mentioned how knowing that her research could participate in the protection of intersex children’s human rights was motivating.
The idea behind the European Researchers’ Night within the framework of Horizon2020 is to run parallel, Europe-wide public events to raise the awareness on science careers and the enhance public recognition of researchers in general.
Some photos are provided here below.
21) 24 September 2021 OII Europe Online Public Conference 2021
INIA PI Amets Suess Schwend and coordinator Surya Monro were interviewed about ethical research practice in the field of research about intersex issues. They noted the importance of working collaboratively with intersex people, for example using participative research methods. INIA is the first large research programme to take a partnership approach, recognising intersex people and those with variations of sex characteristics as key stakeholders, and it also serves as a space where related ethical issues can be explored and elaborated. A schedule for the event can be found here.
20) 24 September 2021: Presentations to partner organisations
7 INIA ESRs myself gave presentations on their work to INIA academics, Jennie Karmode of Trans Media Watch and Radboud Academics.
19) 15 September 2021 Participation in IGLYO event
ESRs Adeline Berry and Axel Keating participated in the “Intersex intergenerational dialogues,” event with IGLYO.
https://www.iglyo.com/news/
18) 4 September 2021: Scientifica at University of Zurich
In September 2021, ESR6 Daria Abrosimova participated in Scientifica. Since 2011, ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich have been opening their main buildings on a weekend and inviting the public to experience science “on site”. Each year, “Scientifica” is dedicated to a key topic on which the two universities are conducting research in various disciplines. “Scientifica” includes various formats aimed at the interested public, as well as special activities for children. Daria presented Intersex 101 as well as her own and ESR7 Martin Gramc’s research. For more about the event, please click here: https://scientifica.ch/en/veranstaltungen/
17) March 2021 – July 2021: Sex Education Leadership Cohort
From March 2021 to July 2021, ESR Axel Keating participated in the Sex Education Leadership Cohort with the National LGBTQ Task Force. Over four months, Axel focused on topics including sex education law and policies, curricula, messaging, organizing, lobbying, and more. Axel is researching the education on intersex traits and variations of sex characteristics in Irish and Swedish schools – including sex education. As the majority of the task force are based in the US and had never heard about MSCA ITNs, Axel spoke about both the INIA project and MSCA ITNs in general. More information about the test force can be found here: https://www.thetaskforce.org/sex-ed-leadership.html
16) 24 June 2021: Virtual workshop for Women’s and Gender Studies Department, University of the Western Cape
Professor Surya Monro, INIA project coordinator, led a workshop on exploring sex/gender/sexuality as spectra and introducing the INIA project. A poster for the event can be viewed here.
15) 23 June 2021: Judge’s Choice Award at annual Post Graduate Review conference at University of Huddersfield
ESR Adeline Berry at the University of Huddersfield’s ENGAGE postgraduate conference 2021 won Judge’s Choice Award for their poster presentation titled “Older Intersex People: A Pan-European Intersectional Approach.” The poster can be viewed here.
14) 02 June 2021: Podcast for Glow West Pride Panel
On Wednesday, June 2nd, ESR Adeline Berry participated in a podcast as part of the Glow West Pride Panel. Some photos from the event are available here and here. A link to the podcast is available here: https://tortoiseshack.ie/glow-west-podcast/
13) 23 April 2021: ESR presentation at NYU FYQA
On Friday, 23 April 2021, ESR Axel Keating (they/them) participated on the New York University LGBTQ+ Center’s First Year Queers and Allies (FYQA) Alumni Panel. Axel, an alumnus of New York University (Gallatin BA ’16 and Steinhardt MA ’19) as well as a member of the 2012-2013 FYQA cohort, spoke about their experiences as a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Early Stage Researcher in the Intersex – New Interdisciplinary Approaches (INIA) innovative training network and a PhD student at the Dublin City University School of Law and Government in Ireland. A screenshot from the presentation can be viewed here.
12) 22 April 2021: INIA panel at DCU online conference, Intersex 2021: A vision for the future
On April 22nd during the online conference hosted by Dublin City University, the INIA project was introduced to conference participants. The panel was composed of the coordinator, Prof. Surya Monro, Principal Investigator, Amets Suess Schwend, and ESRs Yessica Mestre, Daria Abrosimova, Adeline Berry, Axel Keating and Steph Lum. The conference booklet can be consulted here. A link to the conference can be found here.
11) 20 April 2021: INIA Panel at TransLondon event
Every 3rd Tuesday of each month, TransLondon welcomes presentations from guest speakers. On April 20th, the INIA coordinator, Prof. Surya Monro participated in an INIA panel with supervisor Tray Yeadon-Lee and ESRs Addy Berry and Axel Keating (photo here). The goal of the talk was to gain greater insight to the unique issues that Intersex people face in life, providing a greater opportunity to strengthen allyship through knowledge and understanding. Photo extracted from presentation here.
10) 7 April 2021: Presentation at Teacher Assistant Preparation Course
ESR Adeline Berry gave a presentation entitled “What is intersex” to other students and the lecturer in the Teacher Assistant Preparation Course offered at University of Huddersfield.
9) 24 February 2021: Three-minute thesis competition
ESR Yessica Mestre participated in the three-minute thesis competition of the University of Granada on February 24, 2021. In total, the semifinal of the competition brought together twenty doctoral students from various departments of the University of Granada. For her presentation “the research for the 1,7%”, Yessica talked about the research objectives of her INIA project, which aims to identify human rights violations in research related to intersex issues and develop principles for a human rights-based research practice in intersex studies.
8) 27 January 2021: Talk at University of Granada on trans and intersex studies
PI Amets Suess Schwend from the Andalusian School of Public Health (EASP) gave a talk on trans and intersex studies and mentioned the role of EASP and University of Granada in the INIA project as well as the involvement of the two Early Stage Researchers recruited to EASP as part of INIA. More information about the event is provided here below:
Title: Estudios trans e intersex: reflexiones epistemológicas y éticas (Trans and intersex studies: epistemological and ethical reflections)
Cycle of activities: Conversaciones Feministas Compartidas (Shared Feminist Conversations)
Organized by: Instituto Universitario de Investigación de Estudios de las Mujeres y de Género, Universidad de Granada (Institute of Womens’ and Gender Studies, University of Granada)
Speaker: Amets Suess Schwend
Introduction and questions: Carmen Gregorio Gil
Chair: Ana Alcázar Campos
Date: Wednesday, January 27, 2021, 18:30 CET
Link to the recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwV-hw_stnw
Poster of the event here
7) January 2021: INIA appears in GCN Magazine
INIA ESRs and PIs contributed to an article in GCN Magazine, issue 366. The article can be viewed here: https://gcn.ie/magazine/inside-out/
6) 8 December 2020: Intersex panel as part of Galway Community Pride
ESR Addy Berry and PI Tanya Ni Mhuirthile participated in this panel during the Galway Community Pride. Addy mentioned her research project in the INIA network. More information about this panel is available here:
5) 20 November 2020: Participation in ET 2020 Working Group on Promoting Common Values and Inclusive Education
Dr. Mel Duffy (DCU) provided input to the 4th meeting of the ET 2020 working group. Her input was about relationships and sexual education and the argument for the inclusion of LGBTQI.
More information about ET working groups here: https://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/european-policy-cooperation/et2020-working-groups_en
4) November 2020: INIA project advertised on DCU website + participation in Intersex Solidarity Day
DCU is hoping to become a centre of excellence for intersex research. Currently a beneficiary on the INIA project, DCU posted information about INIA project to its website here: https://www.dcu.ie/intersex/about-us
Also on 8 November 2020, the newly recruited INIA ESRs, Steph Lum and Axel Keating, participated in visits to national monuments lit up for Intersex Solidarity Day. #IrelandTurnsPurple is a campaign to turn Ireland purple in a show of support for the Intersex community on International Intersex Solidarity Day. More information about the event is available here: https://www.dcu.ie/intersex/irelandturnspurple
3) 06 November 2020: Talk by ESR3 Audrey Aegerter in Paris
In November 2020, the Réseau Francophone de Recherche sur l’intersexuation (RéFRI) organised an event in Paris. Janik Bastien Charlebois presented the emergence of critical intersex studies, and Audrey Aegerter (ULB) spoke about INIA and the need for intersex research for advocacy purposes. Loé Petit presented the RéFRI.
https://quefaire.paris.fr/113119/quinzaine-de-visibilite-intersexe-2020
2) 02 November 2020: INIA Facebook page
INIA researchers have set up a facebook page for the network. You can visit it here: https://www.facebook.com/INIAproject
1) 26 October 2020: Official Launch of INIA website
The INIA website officially launched on October 26, 2020 to coincide with Intersex Awareness Day. A series of tweets was developed to publicize the event and a press release was sent to over 50 different international contacts.