by Priya Menon

The first national conference on Intersex Human Rights was held at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi on Sunday. Organised by Srishti Madurai, the conference featured Intersex activists from India and abroad as well as legal, medical and government experts.

“Intersex people are like refugees. While refugees have no right over land, intersex people have no right over their body. Surgeries are done when they are infants. Others take the decision,” said Gopi Shankar, founder, Srishti Madurai, speaking about the need to highlight the concerns of the community and create more awareness about the issues faced by them.

Gopi also stressed on the need to distinguish between the medical needs of transgender and intersex people. Speakers included Dr Anuradha Udumudi, senior medical geneticist and founder of Genentech, and Prashant Singh, a Delhi-based lawyer and researcher as well as volunteer of Srishti Madurai. Parents of intersex children also shared their experiences of parenting. Read more via Times of India