Victorian Pride Lobby: [Media Release] Intersex surgery ban

[Michael Barnett OAM]

MEDIA RELEASE 4/12/2025

Intersex surgery ban

Amidst inaugural announcements of free gender changes on birth certificates representing a positive shift in LGBTQIA+ recognition for Victorians, Victoria could once again become the first Australian state to ban deferrable, irreversible, and unconsented surgeries on intersex children. 

The Victorian Pride Lobby applauds this proposal by Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas as a commitment to the lives of the gender diverse Victorian community, in setting an example for the rest of Australia. 

This announcement follows Equality Australia’s report released on Monday, which examined reports from hospitals surrounding intersex care in NSW and Queensland from 2018 to 2023. 

Most significantly, “nonmedical reasons” for youth intersex surgery dominated around 66% of assessed cases, yet the lack of unique accessible medical records could conceal a greater percentage. Equality Australia found that these “nonmedical reasons” for surgery were most likely to be cosmetic (47%), gender-normative (16.9%), or parental driven by distress/confusion (62.7%). 

Unnecessary infant and childhood intersex surgeries are a violation of innate human agency, contravening upon the dignity and safety of unconsenting youth forced to become complacent within the gender binary without genuine discussion of what these operations entail. 

This bill recognition of the dignity of intersex people will hence afford safeguards for their ability to make independent, consensual, and safe decisions regarding their body, and motivate other states to emulate Victoria’s decision. 

Such decisions follow suit with the ACT’s bill passed in June 2023, which also banned on-consensual medical procedures on intersex people. 

The Lobby remains committed to uplifting and empowering the voices of the Australian intersex and gender diverse community, and commends these increased conversations and measures involving LGBTQIA+ rights within government. 

You can read more about the Victorian Government’s decisions here: 

https://www.health.vic.gov.au/communities/health-people-innate-variations-sex-characteristics 

And Equality Australia’s report “The Missing Voice” here: 

https://equalityaustralia.org.au/resources/report-the-missing-voice/

–  ENDS  –

— Media contacts —

Ari Casanova   | co-convenor | +61 493 060 983

Gregory Storer | co-convenor | +61 417 338 632