Intersex people in Europe face ‘alarming’ rise in violence, EU finds

Increase in violence since 2019 is linked to online campaigns seeking to sow disinformation and fuel hatred

People hold a rainbow flag as they attend the 45th Berlin Pride Parade for Christopher Street Day (CSD) in Berlin, Germany. (Fabian Sommer/dpa via AP, File)

Europeans who do not fit the typical definition of male or female are grappling with an “alarming” rise in violence, the EU’s leading rights agency has said, as concerted campaigns seek to sow disinformation and fuel hatred towards them.

The findings from the EU’s Agency for Fundamental Rights, published on Tuesday, were based on responses from 1,920 people in 30 countries across Europe. All of them identified as intersex, an umbrella term referring to those with innate variations of sex characteristics and which includes people who identify as trans, non-binary and gender diverse.