Lexicon Library.LGBT
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agency

agency is the ability for individuals, groups and cultures to act and think for themselves; to entrust them to act in their own best interests, and to navigate their own paths; to be able to act independently and make their own free choices.

In Queer contexts, this may mean the ability for individuals to identify with their sexual or gender identity, without groups outside of that identity making decisions in their name or subjecting them to legislation or social prejudice which prevents them from living fulfilled lives or prevents them from navigating the various social, cultural and legal institutions to which other people have access.

For individuals with intersex variations, this may mean the ability for intersex individuals to make informed choices surrounding medical options and interventions that are based on necessity, or with health considerations in mind that are based on what is best for the intersex individual themselves, rather than on social, cultural or medical perceptions that view intersex as something that needs correcting.

Originally published: 4th December, 2020
Last modified: 4th December, 2020