WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.881 Pidgeon: Raise your hands if you have NOTE Paragraph 00:00:01.881 --> 00:00:03.084 testes. 00:00:07.996 --> 00:00:10.473 All: I’m Pidgeon. I’m Alice. I’m Emily, 00:00:10.473 --> 00:00:12.693 I’m Saifa. And we are intersexy. 00:00:16.030 --> 00:00:17.500 Emily: Intersex describes a person 00:00:17.510 --> 00:00:19.190 who doesn’t fit the typical definition 00:00:19.190 --> 00:00:20.130 of male or female. 00:00:22.760 --> 00:00:25.270 Alice: I have XY chromosomes but typical 00:00:25.270 --> 00:00:26.750 female genitalia. 00:00:26.770 --> 00:00:28.560 Emily: I’m a girl who has testes and 00:00:28.560 --> 00:00:29.470 XY chromosomes. 00:00:29.470 --> 00:00:31.140 Pidgeon: I identify as a queer, gender 00:00:31.140 --> 00:00:33.220 non-conforming intersex person. 00:00:33.220 --> 00:00:36.370 Saifa: I identify as a Black intersex man 00:00:37.790 --> 00:00:39.200 Pidgeon: Intersex is not new. 00:00:39.200 --> 00:00:40.320 It’s been around since the beginning 00:00:40.320 --> 00:00:42.250 of human existence. I mean there was 00:00:42.250 --> 00:00:43.750 probably even intersex dinosaurs, 00:00:43.750 --> 00:00:45.120 if you think about it. 00:00:47.150 --> 00:00:48.660 Emily: Transgender has to do with your 00:00:48.660 --> 00:00:50.690 gender identity, whereas intersex 00:00:50.690 --> 00:00:52.460 has to do with your biological 00:00:52.460 --> 00:00:53.610 characteristics. 00:00:53.610 --> 00:00:55.520 Saifa: Often, intersex people get 00:00:55.520 --> 00:00:57.200 surgeries that they don’t want 00:00:57.200 --> 00:00:58.563 and transgender people have to fight 00:00:58.563 --> 00:00:59.973 for surgeries that they do want. 00:01:04.388 --> 00:01:06.358 Saifa: They gave my mom the excuse that 00:01:06.358 --> 00:01:09.728 the internal testes were cancerous, 00:01:09.728 --> 00:01:11.528 that I would develop cancer. 00:01:11.528 --> 00:01:12.078 Pidgeon: They didn’t even come up with an 00:01:12.078 --> 00:01:13.288 excuse, basically, in terms of a 00:01:13.288 --> 00:01:15.393 health-related reason. They instead just 00:01:15.403 --> 00:01:17.110 said it was about the appearance. 00:01:17.120 --> 00:01:17.919 Emily: A lot of doctors are very 00:01:17.919 --> 00:01:19.216 uncomfortable with the fact that I have 00:01:19.216 --> 00:01:21.132 that I have testes, and they are still 00:01:21.132 --> 00:01:22.257 trying to get them removed. But I’m 00:01:22.257 --> 00:01:23.373 perfectly healthy and there’s nothing 00:01:23.373 --> 00:01:24.369 wrong with them. 00:01:27.012 --> 00:01:27.884 Alice: They did a surgery to remove my 00:01:27.884 --> 00:01:30.564 testes and told my parents to take me 00:01:30.564 --> 00:01:33.087 home and just raise me as a girl. 00:01:33.087 --> 00:01:34.942 I didn’t find out about it myself 00:01:34.942 --> 00:01:35.793 until I was 12. 00:01:35.793 --> 00:01:37.623 Saifa: There aren’t a lot of options, 00:01:37.623 --> 00:01:39.861 or medical providers don’t explore 00:01:39.861 --> 00:01:40.877 other options. 00:01:46.391 --> 00:01:48.539 My mom would put me in dresses and she 00:01:48.539 --> 00:01:50.236 would be like “Oh, aren’t you so cute” 00:01:50.236 --> 00:01:51.306 and “You’re so pretty” and I’d be like 00:01:51.306 --> 00:01:54.074 “No! This is horrible! Rah!” I was um, 00:01:54.074 --> 00:01:55.784 put on hormonal treatment which 00:01:55.784 --> 00:01:57.985 consisted of estrogen and progesterone. 00:02:01.781 --> 00:02:03.912 I just wanted to belong. I wanted to fit 00:02:03.912 --> 00:02:05.772 in. I didn’t want to be different. So 00:02:05.772 --> 00:02:08.245 even though I knew something 00:02:08.245 --> 00:02:11.047 felt amiss, I conformed. 00:02:16.835 --> 00:02:18.904 He was very condescending, he was like 00:02:18.904 --> 00:02:20.964 “You intersex advocates don’t know what 00:02:20.964 --> 00:02:22.595 you’re talking about.” 00:02:25.027 --> 00:02:26.712 Emily: It’s difficult for intersex people 00:02:26.712 --> 00:02:28.623 to find each other because from an early 00:02:28.623 --> 00:02:29.992 age we’re told not to talk about our 00:02:29.992 --> 00:02:30.795 bodies. 00:02:30.795 --> 00:02:32.535 Saifa: I did feel like I was the only 00:02:32.535 --> 00:02:32.975 one. 00:02:32.975 --> 00:02:34.765 Emily: My doctors always told me there 00:02:34.765 --> 00:02:36.016 was nobody else like me and so it 00:02:36.016 --> 00:02:38.883 perpetuates a vicious cycle of shame and 00:02:38.883 --> 00:02:40.229 stigma that we can’t break out of. 00:02:43.779 --> 00:02:45.938 Emily: I would tell another intersex 00:02:45.938 --> 00:02:47.531 person that, you are worthy. 00:02:47.531 --> 00:02:49.420 You are loveable. 00:02:49.657 --> 00:02:50.864 Saifa: Your body is beautiful. 00:02:50.864 --> 00:02:52.416 You’re beautiful. 00:02:52.473 --> 00:02:53.924 Alice: Intersex people don’t need to be 00:02:53.924 --> 00:02:55.854 fixed, there’s nothing wrong with them. 00:02:56.024 --> 00:02:57.234 Pidgeon: I know you feel like you might 00:02:57.234 --> 00:02:58.398 not be able get through this. 00:02:58.398 --> 00:02:59.518 I know you might have really dark 00:02:59.518 --> 00:03:01.703 thoughts. But I want you to know that 00:03:01.703 --> 00:03:03.753 meeting other intersex people, and finding 00:03:03.753 --> 00:03:05.740 a community, or a support group, can be 00:03:05.740 --> 00:03:09.050 one of the most important aspects in your 00:03:09.050 --> 00:03:10.870 healing process. And we’re out there. 00:03:10.870 --> 00:03:12.480 We’re out here. We’re here. NOTE Paragraph 00:03:12.480 --> 00:03:14.660 And I just hope you can find us.