Centring Intersex: Global and Local Dimensions

The Special Issue Centring Intersex: Global and Local Dimensions highlights the growing body of international work in intersex studies, an interdisciplinary field that critically examines societal norms, medical practices, legal premises, and cultural assumptions surrounding variations of sex characteristics (VSCs). Moving beyond medical definitions, the articles in this Special Issue address social, cultural, and political issues faced by intersex people and people with VSCs, including systemic oppression, discrimination, and human rights violations. The articles in the Special Issue were developed from presentations at the international online conference Centring Intersex Issues: Global and Local Dimensions, held on 20-23 February 2023. The conference aimed to create a platform that moved beyond Anglophone and Eurocentric narratives, emphasizing a more inclusive and diverse global perspective on intersex issues. The Special Issue emphasizes the need for a global perspective, critiquing neo-colonial medical practices and advocating for non-pathologizingcal understandings of intersex experiences. Several articles in this Special Issue highlight the importance of co-producing knowledge between intersex and endosex people. They explore global issues such as medical interventions on minors, along with legal and ethical strategies, while addressing local contexts in countries like Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, Canada, France, Greece, Ireland, Malta, Mexico, and Latin America.