Gina Wilson

Gina Wilson
Born 1952
Victoria, Australia
Occupation Community activist
Known for Intersex activist, founder of Organisation Intersex International Australia
Website oii.org.au

Gina Wilson is an intersex activist, born in Victoria, Australia in 1952. She was the founding president of Organisation Intersex International Australia.

Activism

Gina Wilson founded Organisation Intersex International Australia in 2009 and remained as president of the organisation until stepping down on 1 September 2013. She was succeeded by Morgan Carpenter[1][2] and has since returned as Vice-President.[3] She has also been a member of the board of the National LGBTI Health Alliance[4][5][6] and Lidcombe, New South Wales branch president of the Australian Labor Party.[7][8]

In her work at Organisation Intersex International Australia, Gina Wilson played an important role in improving access to healthcare, inclusion of intersex people in anti-discrimination legislation, and Wilson played a leading role in moves to protect people on the basis of "intersex status" in anti-discrimination law, and inclusion in aged care.[9][10]

Selected published work includes:

Anti-discrimination legislation

Wilson has played a leading role in moves to protect people on the basis of "intersex status" in anti-discrimination law, appearing before a Senate inquiry.[15] Interviewed by the Sydney Morning Herald, Wilson spoke about how initial proposals for intersex inclusion in federal legislation were inappropriate as they classed intersex as a gender identity.[16] Writing in the Equal Rights Trust journal Equal Rights Review, Gina Wilson wrote, "Legislators initially did not have a clear understanding of what intersex was, but having given evidence to Senate Committees and spoken with legislators individually we are hopeful that intersex will be a protected attribute under the Bill."[11]

A Senate of Australia inquiry into anti-discriminination legislation supported the approach of Organisation Intersex International Australia and "intersex status" was added to the Sex Discrimination Amendment (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Intersex Status) Act 2013, which passed into law on 1 August 2013.[17][18][19][20]

Bodily autonomy

Wilson has called for "normalising" surgeries on intersex infants to end, saying that such interventions should only take place when a child is able to provide informed consent.[21] In comments on Intersex Awareness Day 2012, Wilson said, "At a fundamental level homophobic bigotry, intolerance and ancient superstitions underpin contemporary mistreatment of intersex people. Intersex people are subjected to forced gendering and surgical alterations to our bodies to "disappear" our differences in a society that regards difference in sex anatomy as deeply suspicious."[22]

Interviewed by Andrew Bock in The Age, Wilson expressed concern about the use of prenatal screening to terminate intersex foetuses.[23]

Mental health and access to healthcare

Gina Wilson took part in a national mental health campaign by Beyond Blue, titled Stop, Think, Respect, including in a Real Life Story video.[12][13] The organisation has also called for the removal of intersex people from definitions of gender identity disorder in the American Psychiatric Association's diagnostic manual, saying "The assumption is that the birth assignment must be right. The doctor is never at fault, it's the poor intersex person who is wrong, who then gets carted off to a psychiatrist to try and 'fix' us."[24]

Wilson also played a role in efforts to improve access to Medicare services.[25][26]

Concern over identification documents and third gender

While welcoming federal guidelines on recognition of gender,[27] Wilson has expressed concern about misrepresentation of intersex issues by some trans groups[28] including the instrumentalisation of intersex in moves to create a third gender category, warning of "far-reaching unintended consequences".[29][30][31][32]

Recognition

Gina Wilson was a finalist for the Australian Human Rights Commission Community Individual Award, 2013. The Commission describes the award as one of "the two most vigourously contested categories for the 2013 Australian Human Rights Awards"[33][34] commenting that, "Gina Wilson is the founder of Organisation Intersex International (OII) Australia, and was its president until September 2013. Her intersex advocacy work has been ground-breaking, helping to achieve authentic and appropriate inclusion in anti-discrimination legislation."[35]

Wilson was also nominated for a Community Hero "Honour Award" in 2011.[36]

References

  1. ↑ Changes At OII As Trailblazer Gina Wilson Retires , Star Observer, 13 September 2013
  2. ↑ Board changes at OII Australia: Gina Wilson steps down, Gay News Network, 2 September 2013
  3. ↑ The OII Australia Board, Organisation Intersex International Australia, 12 October 2013.
  4. ↑ Health Alliance in better shape, Star Observer, 1 November 2011
  5. ↑ Melbourne elects Australia's first intersex Mayor, Samesame.com.au, 9 December 2011
  6. ↑ Tony Briffa Of Australia's City Of Hobsons Bay Becomes World's First Intersex Mayor, Huffington Post, 28 December 2013
  7. ↑ Backlash over MP's stand against gay marriage, Sydney Morning Herald, 2 August 2011.
  8. ↑ “Leave the party” comments rebuked, Star Observer, 27 July 2011
  9. ↑ Including intersex in anti-discrimination law, Star Observer, 22 November 2011
  10. ↑ 14 Days of Intersex, Star Observer, 27 October 2011
  11. 1 2 Wilson, Gina (2013). "Equal Rights for Intersex People: Testimony of an Intersex Person". Equal Rights Review. 10: 133–139.
  12. 1 2 Campaign urges Australians to respect LGBTI people, Gay News Network, 7 September 2012
  13. 1 2 Gina's Real Life Story on YouTube, Beyond Blue, September 2012
  14. ↑ Gina Wilson: Discovering One's Intersex Self. A Personal Story, TEDx Sydney, 2010.
  15. ↑ LGBTI advocates front anti-discrimination hearings, Gay News Network, 25 January 2013.
  16. ↑ Proposed law leaves intersex 'vulnerable', Judith Ireland in Sydney Morning Herald, 21 January 2013
  17. ↑ We welcome the Senate Inquiry report on the Exposure Draft of the Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Bill 2012, Organisation Intersex International Australia, 21 February 2013
  18. ↑ On the historic passing of the Sex Discrimination Amendment (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Intersex Status) Act 2013, Organisation Intersex International Australia, 25 June 2013
  19. ↑ Australia: LGBT and intersex anti-discrimination laws come into effect, Pink News, 2 August 2013
  20. ↑ Federal anti-discrimination protections start today, Gay News Network, 1 August 2013
  21. ↑ Call to end intersex genital operations, WA Today, 20 June 2013
  22. ↑ Intersex Awareness Day calls for equality and end to bigotry, Gay Star News, 26 October 2012
  23. ↑ It takes more than two, Andrew Bock in The Age, 20 June 2013
  24. ↑ Intersex people not ‘disordered’, Star Observer, 4 April 2010.
  25. ↑ Gender discrimination to be removed from Medicare, Sydney Morning Herald, 24 July 2013
  26. ↑ All Gender Discrimination to be Removed from Medicare, Joint Press Release, The Hon Tanya Plibersek MP Minister for Health, Minister for Medical Research and Senator The Hon Jan McLucas, Minister for Human Services, 24 July 2014
  27. ↑ New gender recognition guidelines released, Gay News Network, 18 June 2013
  28. ↑ Rift emerges between minority groups, Star Observer, 7 June 2011
  29. ↑ Court ruling “stigmatises” intersex people, Star Observer, 7 June 2013
  30. ↑ The Intersex View of Norrie's Case, Gender Centre, NSW, October 2013
  31. ↑ On Norrie v NSW Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Organisation Intersex International Australia, 22 June 2013
  32. ↑ Norrie’s may well be the first of their kind, Star Observer, 17 March 2010
  33. ↑ Commission announces shortlist for community Human Rights awards. Australian Human Rights Commission, 15 November 2013.
  34. ↑ Intersex pioneer & NSW gay lobby get nods for Human Rights Awards, Star Observer, 18 November 2013
  35. ↑ Community Individual Award – Tony Fitzgerald Memorial Award (sponsored by iHR Australia), Australian Human Rights Commission, Human Rights Awards 2013
  36. ↑ And the Honour Award goes to …, Star Observer, 23 September 2013
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