0:00:00.000,0:00:01.881
Pidgeon: Raise your hands if you have

0:00:01.881,0:00:03.084
testes.

0:00:07.996,0:00:10.473
All: I’m Pidgeon. I’m Alice. I’m Emily,

0:00:10.473,0:00:12.693
I’m Saifa. And we are intersexy.

0:00:16.030,0:00:17.500
Emily: Intersex describes a person

0:00:17.510,0:00:19.190
who doesn’t fit the typical definition

0:00:19.190,0:00:20.130
of male or female.

0:00:22.760,0:00:25.270
Alice: I have XY chromosomes but typical

0:00:25.270,0:00:26.750
female genitalia.

0:00:26.770,0:00:28.560
Emily: I’m a girl who has testes and

0:00:28.560,0:00:29.470
XY chromosomes.

0:00:29.470,0:00:31.140
Pidgeon: I identify as a queer, gender

0:00:31.140,0:00:33.220
non-conforming intersex person.

0:00:33.220,0:00:36.370
Saifa: I identify as a Black intersex man

0:00:37.790,0:00:39.200
Pidgeon: Intersex is not new.

0:00:39.200,0:00:40.320
It’s been around since the beginning

0:00:40.320,0:00:42.250
of human existence. I mean there was

0:00:42.250,0:00:43.750
probably even intersex dinosaurs,

0:00:43.750,0:00:45.120
if you think about it.

0:00:47.150,0:00:48.660
Emily: Transgender has to do with your

0:00:48.660,0:00:50.690
gender identity, whereas intersex

0:00:50.690,0:00:52.460
has to do with your biological

0:00:52.460,0:00:53.610
characteristics.

0:00:53.610,0:00:55.520
Saifa: Often, intersex people get

0:00:55.520,0:00:57.200
surgeries that they don’t want

0:00:57.200,0:00:58.563
and transgender people have to fight

0:00:58.563,0:00:59.973
for surgeries that they do want.

0:01:04.388,0:01:06.358
Saifa: They gave my mom the excuse that

0:01:06.358,0:01:09.728
the internal testes were cancerous,

0:01:09.728,0:01:11.528
that I would develop cancer.

0:01:11.528,0:01:12.078
Pidgeon: They didn’t even come up with an

0:01:12.078,0:01:13.288
excuse, basically, in terms of a

0:01:13.288,0:01:15.393
health-related reason. They instead just

0:01:15.403,0:01:17.110
said it was about the appearance.

0:01:17.120,0:01:17.919
Emily: A lot of doctors are very

0:01:17.919,0:01:19.216
uncomfortable with the fact that I have

0:01:19.216,0:01:21.132
that I have testes, and they are still

0:01:21.132,0:01:22.257
trying to get them removed. But I’m

0:01:22.257,0:01:23.373
perfectly healthy and there’s nothing

0:01:23.373,0:01:24.369
wrong with them.

0:01:27.012,0:01:27.884
Alice: They did a surgery to remove my

0:01:27.884,0:01:30.564
testes and told my parents to take me

0:01:30.564,0:01:33.087
home and just raise me as a girl.

0:01:33.087,0:01:34.942
I didn’t find out about it myself

0:01:34.942,0:01:35.793
until I was 12.

0:01:35.793,0:01:37.623
Saifa: There aren’t a lot of options,

0:01:37.623,0:01:39.861
or medical providers don’t explore

0:01:39.861,0:01:40.877
other options.

0:01:46.391,0:01:48.539
My mom would put me in dresses and she

0:01:48.539,0:01:50.236
would be like “Oh, aren’t you so cute”

0:01:50.236,0:01:51.306
and “You’re so pretty” and I’d be like

0:01:51.306,0:01:54.074
“No! This is horrible! Rah!” I was um,

0:01:54.074,0:01:55.784
put on hormonal treatment which

0:01:55.784,0:01:57.985
consisted of estrogen and progesterone.

0:02:01.781,0:02:03.912
I just wanted to belong. I wanted to fit

0:02:03.912,0:02:05.772
in. I didn’t want to be different. So

0:02:05.772,0:02:08.245
even though I knew something

0:02:08.245,0:02:11.047
felt amiss, I conformed.

0:02:16.835,0:02:18.904
He was very condescending, he was like

0:02:18.904,0:02:20.964
“You intersex advocates don’t know what

0:02:20.964,0:02:22.595
you’re talking about.”

0:02:25.027,0:02:26.712
Emily: It’s difficult for intersex people

0:02:26.712,0:02:28.623
to find each other because from an early

0:02:28.623,0:02:29.992
age we’re told not to talk about our

0:02:29.992,0:02:30.795
bodies.

0:02:30.795,0:02:32.535
Saifa: I did feel like I was the only

0:02:32.535,0:02:32.975
one.

0:02:32.975,0:02:34.765
Emily: My doctors always told me there

0:02:34.765,0:02:36.016
was nobody else like me and so it

0:02:36.016,0:02:38.883
perpetuates a vicious cycle of shame and

0:02:38.883,0:02:40.229
stigma that we can’t break out of.

0:02:43.779,0:02:45.938
Emily: I would tell another intersex

0:02:45.938,0:02:47.531
person that, you are worthy.

0:02:47.531,0:02:49.420
You are loveable.

0:02:49.657,0:02:50.864
Saifa: Your body is beautiful.

0:02:50.864,0:02:52.416
You’re beautiful.

0:02:52.473,0:02:53.924
Alice: Intersex people don’t need to be

0:02:53.924,0:02:55.854
fixed, there’s nothing wrong with them.

0:02:56.024,0:02:57.234
Pidgeon: I know you feel like you might[br][br]

0:02:57.234,0:02:58.398
not be able get through this.[br]

0:02:58.398,0:02:59.518
I know you might have really dark

0:02:59.518,0:03:01.703
thoughts. But I want you to know that [br][br]

0:03:01.703,0:03:03.753
meeting other intersex people, and finding

0:03:03.753,0:03:05.740
a community, or a support group, can be

0:03:05.740,0:03:09.050
one of the most important aspects in your

0:03:09.050,0:03:10.870
healing process. And we’re out there.

0:03:10.870,0:03:12.480
We’re out here. We’re here.

0:03:12.480,0:03:14.660
And I just hope you can find us.