ANZ declares support for intersex community by affirming Darlington Statement

ANZ declares support for intersex community by affirming Darlington Statement

ANZ has become the first major publicly listed company to announce support for intersex communities in Australia and New Zealand by affirming key intersex rights document, the Darlington Statement.

The Darlington Statement, a list of priorities and calls to action for the intersex human rights movement, was published in March 2017.

The statement calls for legal reforms centring on bodily autonomy, shifting clinical decision-making to a rights-based approach, enhancing access to affirmative care, and the availability of peer support.

ANZ affirmed the statement as a result of a recommendation by the company’s LGBTIQ+ Pride Network.

“We are proud to throw our support behind this community and encourage other organisations to support the Darlington Statement as we aim to build a more inclusive society,”said ANZ’s Chief Financial Officer and Pride network’s Executive Sponsor Michelle Jablko.

“ANZ agrees to the priorities set out in the Darlington Statement and echoes the calls by the intersex human rights movement to engage across legal, health, education, awareness and employment issues,” the company said in a statement.

“ANZ Pride has actively supported this community since the creation of its Intersex Inclusion & Awareness focus group in 2016 which has led Intersex Awareness Day events and delivered training and awareness programs to staff as part of wider diversity and inclusion initiatives.”

Earlier in 2018, the Australian Human Rights Commission sought input from the community as part of a far-reaching intersex rights consultation, with its outcomes pending following its September closing date.

Intersex people are born with physical or biological sex characteristics that don’t fit binary ideas around male and female bodies, and they make up nearly 2 per cent of the population.

“This statement is a powerful and directive message addressing the key issues currently affecting intersex people in our countries,” said Bonnie Hart, president of Androgen Insensitivity Support Syndrome Support Group Australia, when the Darlington Statement was first published.

“By transparently outlining our common direction, the Darlington Statement has galvanised our community and the intersex movement generally.”

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