Raising awareness and visibility of the ‘I’: An appraisal of curricula and its impact on children with intersex variations

Abstract

The intersex human rights movement has, to date, focused on advocating for greater understanding and changing practices in medical, legal and political spaces. Contemporary literature is beginning to explore how the health and wellbeing of people born with variations in sex characteristics are also impacted by educational discursive practices. In most instances, however, intersex remains invisible or poorly addressed in school curricula. Historically education, as understood through a broad definition of curricula, reflects prevailing societal perspectives and subsequently ideations about the body’s biology, sex, sex characteristics, gender and sexualities. This paper explores how curricula can be a means for productively and constructively learning about intersex that is inclusive of the intersex human rights movement, diversity of lived experience and identities.