On Thursday, 21 June 2018 there will be a public hearing on operations on children with variations in physical sex characteristics (at 5pm in Hamburg City Hall, Room 151). The study “Zur Aktualität kosmetischer Operationen “uneindeutiger” Genitalien im Kindesalter” [“On the relevance of cosmetic surgery on ꞌambiguousꞌ genitalia in childhood”] by Ulrike Klöppel (2016) shows that the frequency of such procedures in Germany seems to have remained relatively stable since 2005. The hearing with the respondents relates to the major interpellation from the political party die LINKEN, see Publication 21/9670.
WDR broadcast on intersex
On 7 June 2018, the programme “Menschen hautnah” [“People up close”], from the West German Broadcasting Corporation, broadcast the episode “Männlich, weiblich – oder was? Leben mit dem dritten Geschlecht” [Male, female – or what? Living with the third sex]. In this episode of some 45 minutes, three awe-inspiring people tell of their lives as intersex people.
You can find the link to the WDR media library here.
Videos of the Intersex Symposium in November 2017
We are pleased that we can make available to you today the first video recordings of the symposium “Intersex-Kontroversen” [Intersex Controversies].
Opening speech by Prof. Dr med. Peer Briken, Director of the Institute for Sex Research and Forensic Psychiatry, UKE
Welcome by Lucie Veith from the organisation Intersexuelle Menschen e.V. and ADS prizewinner in 2017
Introduction and moderation by Dr phil. Katinka Schweizer, Institute for Sex Research and Forensic Psychiatry, UKE
Public Understanding of Intersex in the UK and the USA von Prof. Dr. phil. Peter Hegarty (University of Surrey, UK)
The new AWMF (Association of the Scientific Medical Societies in Germany) guidelines “Variations in Sex Development” by Prof. Dr phil. Hertha Richter-Appelt (Hamburg)
Legal insight into the Federal Constitutional Court judgement by Prof. Dr Konstanze Plett
Bill proposed by Federal Ministry of the Interior rejected
According to the Süddeutsche Zeitung of 19 May 2018, the SPD has rejected the bill on the third sex marker tabled by the Federal Ministry of the Interior. Federal Minister of Justice Katarina Barley and Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth Franziska Giffey criticised the term “anders” [“different” or “other”] as degrading and called for a uniform regulation for inter- and transsexual people. More detailed information can be found here. How the ruling on the “Third Option” will ultimately be implemented by the Federal Constitutional Court therefore remains in the balance.
The radio broadcaster Deutschlandfunk on the topic “The Third Sex: Heute gesellschaftlich akzeptiert? [Now socially acceptable?]
This Deutschlandfunk radio broadcast from 12 January 2018 deals with the current social perspective on intersex. Four people who are engaged with the topic for different reasons offer individual and exciting perspectives on this topic.
You will find the link to the audio broadcast here.
TV programme Quarks & Co: Junge oder Mädchen? Warum es mehr als zwei Geschlechter gibt [Boy or girl? Why there are more than two sexes]
What actually constitutes gender? This question was the focus of Quarks & Co. on 10 April 2018. The link to the WDR media library can be found here.
New book publication Die Schönheiten des Geschlechts: Intersex in Dialog [The Beauties of Gender. Intersex in Dialogue]
On the occasion today of World Book Day, we would like to refer to the new publication Die Schönheiten des Geschlechts. Intersex im Dialog [The Beauties of Gender. Intersex in Dialogue], edited by Katinka Schweizer and Fabian Vogler. Yesterday, the book project was presented for the first time at the opening of the IMAGO exhibition in Galerie Lüth, Husum. More than 25 contributors, lived-experience experts, specialists, and artists contributed to the project. For further information: see link
