Bridging the gap: De-medicalizing intersex and the role of social work practice

There are growing international concerns around the needs and status of intersex people in society. The medical trauma and bodily violations that people with variations of
sex characteristics can endure has been outlined within legal, human rights, and social science literature, however at present there is a dearth of publications that examine what this means for social work practice. Using critical intersex studies to underpin the analysis, this commentary will explore how social workers can begin to think about the
psychosocial needs of intersex people, whilst drawing upon the profession’s fundamental values concerning social justice. It will introduce wider terminology regarding variations of sex characteristics and discuss the primary challenges that intersex people face in terms of non-consensual medical interventions, discrimination, and erasure. It will also
acknowledge human rights concerns raised by global bodies and set out the legal and policy contexts, with a focus on frameworks in the UK. Finally, it will explore the distinct
approaches that social workers can bring to the field, in order to disrupt wider medicalized discourses which currently dominate professional practice.