This event is co-hosted by OutLaws and by qUCL

Speakers:

Dr Fae Garland (University of Manchester)

Dr Mitchell Travis (University of Leeds)

About this event

This empirical study engaged with intersex research participants to ask about their experiences with and perceptions of LGBT and queer identities and activism. The study found that whilst some people saw the value in Queer and LGBT activism many raised objections to being seen as falling under this umbrella. These criticisms took two distinct directions. Firstly, research participants largely identified as male or female – they mostly rejected intersex as a third gender that might queer the gender binary and were critical of academics or activists that ‘used’ intersex people in this way. Secondly, participants were mistrustful of queer and LGBT activism as they felt that intersex concerns around non-therapeutic medical interventions were not prioritised and funding was siphoned away from the intersex community. These findings raise new dilemmas about intersex inclusion in Queer and LGBT spaces and the purposes behind these inclusions. Importantly, intersex peoples rejection of queer places them at the porous intersection of a queer/non-queer binary.

About the speakers

Dr Fae Garland is a Lecturer in Law at the University of Manchester where she is a member of both the Centre for Social Ethics and Policy and the Manchester Centre for Regulation and Governance. She has published widely on gender, sex and law in journals such as the American Journal of Bioethics, Edinburgh Law Review; Law and Society, Legal Studies; and New Zealand Law Review. She has also co-authored a number of national and international governmental reports that explore intersex rights and law and has been PI on a range of empirical projects which consider the impact of law reform on intersex lives. Most recently, she has been awarded funding by the British Academy (with Dr Travis) to examine the operation of Maltese legislation which prohibits unnecessary surgeries on intersex infants.

Dr Mitchell Travis is a lecturer in Law at the University of Leeds where he is the Deputy Director of the Centre for Law and Social Justice. He has published widely on issues of gender and sexuality in Law and Society, Legal Studies, Social and Legal Studies, Medical Law Review and the European Law Journal. Mitchell has been a consultant for the Government Equalities Office and the Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs. He is currently an academic member of the NHS England’s DSD Policy Working Group.

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