About Us
Project Title
Mapping the Lived Experiences of Intersex/Variations of Sex Characteristics in Ireland: Contextualising Lay and Professional Knowledge to Enable Development of Appropriate Law and Policy
Intersex people have bodies that are born different to 'typical' male/female ones - they may have different genitalia, gonads, hormones or chromosomes. Intersex is an umbrella term that includes multiple ways the human body may differ.
To learn more about what intersex means read our Intersex FAQs
As part of our research, we are conducting interviews and undertaking a survey. Please visit our Research page to find out how you, or someone you know, may be able to help. If you are
- Intersex /a person with variations of sex characteristics (VSC)
- the Parent/Legal Guardian/Carer of an intersex child
- another Family Member and/or Partner of an intersex person
- a Medical Profession/Allied Health Professional who has experience of working in this field
then we'd be really interested to hear from you. Email us intersex@dcu.ie
What It's Like To Be Intersex
Take 5 minutes and listen to Emily, Alice, Pidgeon and Saifa explain what it's like to be intersex.
Our Intersex Mapping Study is the first of its kind in Ireland. Our Principal Investigator, Dr. Tanya Ní Mhuirthile from the DCU School of Law and Government, is a leading legal expert on intersex and how being intersex relates to the law in Ireland. She occasionally contributes to the national conversations about intersex, advocating for the rights of the intersex community and advising on policy formation. Tanya, along with our Associate Investigator, Dr. Mel Duffy from the DCU School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and Community Health, are co-investigators on the EU Horizon 2020-funded INIA Project.
The INIA Project: Intersex - New Interdisciplinary Approaches
INIA | Intersex - New Interdisciplinary Approaches
INIA is an EU-funded partnership between
- University of Huddersfield
- Université Libre de Bruxelles
- Dublin City University
- University of Zurich
- Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública / Andalusian School of Public Health
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
in collaboration with intersex activists and advocates, clinicians, and other specialists.
It will enable 21 organisations from more than 10 countries to work together on issues relating to intersex people / people with variations of sex characteristics, in a unique multidisciplinary and trans-sectoral network.
New Ph.D.students on the INIA project have commenced their doctoral studies at DCU in September, 2020.
For more information about the INIA project please click on the link https://research.hud.ac.uk/institutes-centres/ccid/projects/current_pro…
Our vision is that DCU will become a Centre of Excellence for Intersex Research.
The Intersex Flag
The Intersex Flag designed by Morgan Carpenter in 2013. It features a purple circle on a yellow background. Listen to Morgan explain the story of its design in the video and for more, check out this link https://morgancarpenter.com/intersex-flag/
The Mansion House and DCU 'go purple'!
#IrelandTurnsPurple 2019 & 2020
Yellow and purple are globally recognised as the 'intersex colours'. Our project lead, Dr. Tanya Ní Mhuirthile, was instrumental in organising that the Mansion House would become the first public building in Ireland to turn purple to raise awareness about intersex on 8th November 2019 - Intersex Day of Solidarity. That day, DCU's lights went purple too.
We took our 2020 campaign nationwide and it was a huge success. 70 buildings across Ireland turned purple for Intersex Solidarity Day on November 8th! Click on our #IrelandTurnsPurple page to see a full list of our supporters.
Find us on Twitter & LinkedIn Contact us: intersex@dcu.ie