30.04.

2023

Proposal for Social Sciences’ Special Issue “Centring Intersex: Global and Local Dimensions”

Peeling the Livelihood Onion: Turkish Intersex People’s Intersectional and Multi-Faceted
Obstacles in Education and Employment

Aslı Yasemin Bahar1 Belgin Günay2

1
Kaos GL Association (Kaos Gay and Lesbian Cultural Studies and Solidarity Association)
2
May 17 Association

PROPOSAL ABSTRACT

This paper investigates the obstacles faced by intersex people living in Turkey in education and
employment. In other words, this paper will examine the discrimination, isolation, obstacles,
stigmatization faced in academic institutions and the work force (or even in efforts to get into
academic institutions or the workplace). This was done primarily through one-one-one semi-
structured interviews with 10 intersex persons living in Turkey. Topics covered include the
genderification of clothing, body shape and hair, physical spaces, socialization, and cultural
expectations in schools and workplaces as well as the difficulties of living under the norm of the
gender binary and lack of equal access to opportunities on education and employment. Additionally,
quantitative data was collected through a questionnaire for endosex (non-intersex) individuals who
are working in the fields of education or employment, i.e. psychological counselors (n= 100) and
HR-related personnel (n=100) around their and their institution’s intersex awareness. Data for both
the one-on-one interviews and questionnaires of this mixed-methods research was collected via
non-probability sampling, given the limitations in data collection from intersex people/about
intersex issues. Purposive sampling was having variation in age, intersex variation, medical history,
socioeconomic background and education level for the one-on-one interviews, as not every intersex
person in Turkey has the same experience. This research fills gap in the literature by focusing on the
experiences of people from a Turkey, a MENA country, non-medical areas -specifically related to
education and employment-, all stages of life and a varied demographic. The paper finds that while
there is significant variation in experiences around education and labor based on socioeconomic and
cultural factors, all intersex participants reported feeling unsafe and alienated in academic
institutions and their workspaces, even facing human rights violation. Gendered physical spaces,
perpetuation of the gender binary, and lack of intersex awareness were cited as reasons for feeling
unsafe in these spaces. Moreover, intersex participants detailed having limited opportunities for
occupying a space in education or the workforce in the first place, indicating that the difficulties of
intersex people around school and work begin before even getting there. This was supported by the
survey findings which indicated that most guidance counselors and human resources personnel
cannot define intersex, are not informed around intersex needs, and do not have institutional
policies in providing a safe and inclusive space with equal opportunity for intersex students or
employees. It was concluded that the lack of equal access to basic human rights and public services,
often coupled with lack of family support created a difficult-to-escape spiral that made earning a
livelihood for intersex participants significantly difficult.

1
AUTHORS

Both authors are female-assigned intersex activists from Turkey. Though they are not currently part
of an academic institution, they are able to dedicate time and resources to this research thanks to a)
their civil society organizations accepting this research as part of our work load and b) existing
additional human rights monitoring and research funding provided by Etkiniz EU Program. Authors
were not able to attend the “Centring Intersex: Global and Local Dimensions” conference yet would
still like to submit to the special issue.

Aslı Yasemin Bahar

Relevant education and research experiences are listed below.

Education
Degree Field Institution Time Period
Bachelor’s Psychology Bilkent University, Ankara 2013- 2018
Master’s Psychology Bilkent University, Ankara 2018 - 2020

Relevant Experience
Position Organization Funding Time Period Type
Research Project Coordinator Bilkent University Scientific and 2018 - 2021 Full-Time
Technological
Research
Council of
Turkey
Undergraduate Research Bilkent University Bilkent 2018 - 2020 Full-Time
Assistants’ Lead/Supervisor University
Monitoring, Evaluation and Kaos GL Swedish 2021 - Current Full-Time
Learning (MEAL) Officer May 17 International
Development
Cooperation
Agency
Founding Member Inter Solidarity Initiative N/A 2022 - Current Volunteer
Scale Development Expert and UniQueer Association Association for 2022 - Current Contract
Statistical Analyst for LGBTI+ SpoD Ass. Monitoring
Rights Monitoring Gender
Equality
MEAL Consultant and Impact Turkish Family Health and UN Women 2023 - Current Contract
Analyst Planning Foundation

2
Belgin Günay

Belgin Günay is the main/primary founding member of Inter Solidarity, a self-led intersex rights
advocacy initiative, as well as previous known intersex rights organisations in Turkey. They have
been doing work around intersex visibility and rights for over 10 years and are widely accepted as
the initiator of modern intersex activism in Turkey. They currently hold the position of Intersex
Studies Coordinator at May 17 Association, an LGBTI+ rights organization in Ankara, Turkey.

Education
Degree Field Institution Time Period
Associate’s Information Management Anadolu University, Eskişehir 2014- 2016
Associate’s Social Work Anadolu University, Eskişehir 2022 - Current

Relevant Experience
Position Organization Funding Time Period Type
Founding Member Inter Solidarity Initiative Turkey, N/A 2011- Current Volunteer
previously Intersexual Shalala,
Intersex Anatolia and Intersex
Turkey
Translator & Consultant OII Europe & Pink Life Various 2013 - Current Contract
Solidarity Association
Intersex Studies Coordinator May 17 Association Astraea 2022 - Current Full-Time
Lesbian
Foundation for
Justice
Researcher on Intersex Rights May 17 Associaation “Etkiniz” 2022 - Current As part of
European above position
Union Program

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INDICATIVE REFERENCES
(Unfortunately unformatted)

1. İnterseks Çocuklara Yönelik Tıbbi Müdahale Sorunu Bağlamında Toplumsal Cinsiyet ve

Beden, Hülya Türker
https://interdayanisma.org/2021/01/08/interseks-cocuklara-yonelik-tibbi-mudahale-sorunu-
baglaminda-toplumsal-cinsiyet-ve-beden/

2. Medicalization of Intersex and Variations of Sex Characteristics: An Analysis of the

Medical Procedures Through Narratives of Clinicians and Intersex in Turkey, Ceren
Aydın
http://research.sabanciuniv.edu/36720/1/10213897_CerenAydin.pdf

3. From “Intersex” TO “DSD”: Toward a Queer Disability Politics of Gender - Translating

Identity Conference Keynote Speech, Emi Koyama
http://www.intersexinitiative.org/articles/intersextodsd.html

4. Caring for individuals with a difference of sex development (DSD): a Consensus

Statement, Martine Cools et al.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41574-018-0010-8.pdf

5. Exploring Intersex Wellness: A Social Work Approach, Mórrígan Wolf*

https://dalspace.library.dal.ca/bitstream/handle/10222/50627/Wolf-Morrigan-MSW-SLWK-
December2013.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

6. A National Study on the Physical and Mental Health of Intersex Adults in the U.S.,
Amy Rosenwohl-Mac et al.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7546494/pdf/pone.0240088.pdf

7. Health intervention experiences and associated mental health outcomes in a sample of LGBTQ
people with intersex variations in Australia
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13691058.2022.2102677

8. A long way to go for LGBT equality

http://fra.europa.eu/en/publication/2020/eu-lgbti-survey-results