A letter to the Prime Minister, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Secretary of State for Education and UK Minister for Women and Equalities responding to the Government’s publication of Variations in Sex Characteristics: Call for Evidence in June 2026 gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/variations-in...

Intersex Awareness Day, 26th October 2026

On the 30th anniversary of Intersex Awareness Day, we are writing to you in response to your recent publication of Variations in Sex Characteristics: Call for Evidence in June 2026. Building on this moment, we as intersex persons/people with Variations in Sex Characteristics (i/VSC) from the UK along with allies who work and research in this area have decided to collaboratively respond to this report. Like all groups that share an experience, we are also a diverse community with multiple perspectives. We are, however, brought together by the shared belief in and commitment to achieving bodily autonomy for i/VSC people. This report clearly highlights the need for immediate action from the government to protect the bodily autonomy of i/VSC people. This open letter is a call for action and will be followed by a more in depth response to the report.

Importantly, in publishing these findings, the UK has begun to act upon its obligations towards the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and the Council of Europe (CoE). The Government’s findings highlight issues that our communities have been experiencing and documenting for decades. We therefore see this recognition by the Government as a momentous occasion in our ongoing fight for justice.

What the Government’s evidence shows:

The Government’s own report raises a number of areas that need urgent action. Medical secrecy and the wider impact of how i/VSC people have been treated remains a serious concern in the UK. In particular, we would like to highlight some of the findings from the report about the devastating impact on our lives. From those of us that came forward to respond to the Government’s Call for Evidence, it was found that:

-Informed consent is often absent. 87% of respondents had undergone medical procedures, yet less than a third of us felt that we had given informed consent. Most concerningly, 70% of these life changing interventions started under 18, and almost 20% under 2 years of age.

-Around half of us had genital interventions and around a third of us were sterilised through removal of gonads, requiring lifelong medication.

-The success rate of many of these interventions undertaken is questionable because the overwhelming majority (80.6%) of us had further procedures, with over two thirds of us needing repeats of the same procedure. Half of us had a negative experience of post-operative aftercare. The correct sex to match identity had been selected only around two thirds of the time, leading to life-long consequences.

-Only 40% of us were told the truth of our own bodies by doctors, the remainder finding out in other ways.

-83% reported not having appropriate access to psychological support in post-diagnosis aftercare.

-73% of respondents said i/VSC had affected their school life; i/VSC people experience lifelong poorer outcomes across education, employment and wellbeing. Ongoing impacts are significant: 57% found it affected our experiences in the workplace, 50% in sport and leisure, while 60% of us hit a lasting boundary to accessing healthcare due to anxiety and fear.

Why does the Government need to act?

The Government’s findings add to long-standing evidence of human rights violations in clinical settings. The absence of valid and informed consent by i/VSC people raises serious concerns under domestic law and the European Convention of Human Rights particularly Article 8 the right to private life and potentially Article 3, the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment see M v France 2022. Most recently, in 2023, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child raised concerns about medically unnecessary interventions performed on i/VSC children without their consent in the UK, and called on the Government to both release the findings of the call for evidence and to prohibit such procedures where children cannot meaningfully participate in decision-making. In 2025, the UK signalled its commitment to act by adopting the Council of Europe’s Recommendation CM/Rec(2025)7 on equal rights for i/VSC people, establishing an agreed European standard for their protection.

What the Government must do now:

The Government now has its own evidence of the problems facing i/VSC people, alongside domestic and international obligations to act. The findings also show a clear need for the Government to lead on introducing broad human rights protections beyond healthcare. We see the priorities as being:

-Identifying a named minister and a senior member of the civil service with responsibility for coordinating a response, engaging meaningfully with intersex persons/people with Variations in Sex Characteristics and ensuring accountability across the relevant departments and healthcare bodies.

-Publishing a strategy and timeline to implement CoE recommendation CM/Rec(2025)7 and respond to the UNCRC 2023 concluding observations to the UK, commencing with an enforceable ban on medically unnecessary surgeries and other interventions.

-Committing to an independent public inquiry into historical and current practices, decisions, and systemic failures highlighted by the evidence in all areas outlined in the reports. An inquiry would provide a structured means of examining what has happened, hearing from those affected, establishing findings, and recommending reforms including the monitoring of surgeries, interventions, and the provision of support.

There is now sufficient evidence and data to justify immediate action. We, the undersigned who include people with lived experience, charities, organisations, advocates, and researchers invite you to meet with us to discuss the report and the Government’s next steps.

To show the widespread support for action within and beyond our communities, we will be publishing this letter openly. We will also provide a more detailed response to the Government’s report in the coming months.

We look forward to hearing from you,

Organisations:

Interconnected UK

Intersex Ireland

Hypospadias UK

Klinefelter’s Syndrome Association

Individuals

Dr Adeline Berry (University of Huddersfield)

Anick Soni (Community Member)

Annette Strzedulla (Chair of Trustees Interconnected UK)

Dr Charlotte Jones (Swansea University)

Dr David Griffiths (University of Surrey)

Dave Hill (Chair of Hypospadias UK)

Professor Fae Garland (University of Manchester)

Lauren Child (Community Member)

Dr Megan Walker (Halsden Centre)

Dr Mireia Garces de Marcilla Muste (University of Liverpool)

Professor Mitchell Travis (University of Leeds)

Paul F Dutton (Chair at Klinefelter’s Syndrome Association)

Professor Peter Hegarty (Open University)

And others

Links to cited materials:

Variations in Sex Characteristics: Call for Evidence in June 2026 gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/variations-in...

M v France https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng#{%22itemid%22:[%22002-13664%22]}

The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child Concluding Observations to the UK 2023 https://docs.un.org/en/CRC/C/GBR/CO/6-7

Council of Europe’s Recommendation Equal Rights for i/VSC people, CM/Rec(2025)7](https://search.coe.int/cm?i=091259488028b934)##)