24/10/2025 Equality and Non-Discrimination | LGBTI
“Exclusion, multiple discrimination, stigmatisation and demands to conform to stereotypical gender norms from an early age are part of everyday life for many intersex persons. Their rights are still too often unheeded or overlooked and, as a result, poorly protected,” said Béatrice Fresko-Rolfo (Monaco, ALDE), the Assembly's General Rapporteur on the rights of LGBTI persons, on the eve of Intersex Awareness Day (26 October 2025).
“It is essential that Council of Europe member states put an end to discrimination, serious violations of the physical integrity of intersex persons without therapeutic necessity, and the culture of secrecy surrounding these practices, which can have long-term harmful effects,” she added.
“On the occasion of Intersex Awareness Day 2025, I call on Council of Europe member states to implement Recommendation CM/Rec(2025)7 of the Committee of Ministers on equal rights for intersex persons, which is the first comprehensive international legal instrument on this subject. I hope it will inspire similar initiatives beyond the European continent,” she concluded.