What It's Like To Be Intersex

Guess which one of us has testes?

Intersex Youth Advocacy Group: http://www.interactyouth.org
Legal Advocacy Group: http://www.aiclegal.org
Support Group for intersex youth, adults, & families: http://aisdsd.org/

FEATURING

Sean Saifa Wall: http://saifaemerges.com
Pidgeon Pagonis: https://www.facebook.com/pidgeon
Emily Quinn: https://twitter.com/emilord
Alice Alvarez: http://alicemaggie.tumblr.com/

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MUSIC
Sun Day
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Pidgeon: Raise your hands if you have

testes.

All: I’m Pidgeon. I’m Alice. I’m Emily,

I’m Saifa. And we are intersexy.

Emily: Intersex describes a person

who doesn’t fit the typical definition

of male or female.

Alice: I have XY chromosomes but typical

female genitalia.

Emily: I’m a girl who has testes and

XY chromosomes.

Pidgeon: I identify as a queer, gender

non-conforming intersex person.

Saifa: I identify as a Black intersex man

Pidgeon: Intersex is not new.

It’s been around since the beginning

of human existence. I mean there was

probably even intersex dinosaurs,

if you think about it.

Emily: Transgender has to do with your

gender identity, whereas intersex

has to do with your biological

characteristics.

Saifa: Often, intersex people get

surgeries that they don’t want

and transgender people have to fight

for surgeries that they do want.

Saifa: They gave my mom the excuse that

the internal testes were cancerous,

that I would develop cancer.

Pidgeon: They didn’t even come up with an

excuse, basically, in terms of a

health-related reason. They instead just

said it was about the appearance.

Emily: A lot of doctors are very

uncomfortable with the fact that I have

that I have testes, and they are still

trying to get them removed. But I’m

perfectly healthy and there’s nothing

wrong with them.

Alice: They did a surgery to remove my

testes and told my parents to take me

home and just raise me as a girl.

I didn’t find out about it myself

until I was 12.

Saifa: There aren’t a lot of options,

or medical providers don’t explore

other options.

My mom would put me in dresses and she

would be like “Oh, aren’t you so cute”

and “You’re so pretty” and I’d be like

“No! This is horrible! Rah!” I was um,

put on hormonal treatment which

consisted of estrogen and progesterone.

I just wanted to belong. I wanted to fit

in. I didn’t want to be different. So

even though I knew something

felt amiss, I conformed.

He was very condescending, he was like

“You intersex advocates don’t know what

you’re talking about.”

Emily: It’s difficult for intersex people

to find each other because from an early

age we’re told not to talk about our

bodies.

Saifa: I did feel like I was the only

one.

Emily: My doctors always told me there

was nobody else like me and so it

perpetuates a vicious cycle of shame and

stigma that we can’t break out of.

Emily: I would tell another intersex

person that, you are worthy.

You are loveable.

Saifa: Your body is beautiful.

You’re beautiful.

Alice: Intersex people don’t need to be

fixed, there’s nothing wrong with them.

Pidgeon: I know you feel like you might

not be able get through this.

I know you might have really dark

thoughts. But I want you to know that

meeting other intersex people, and finding

a community, or a support group, can be

one of the most important aspects in your

healing process. And we’re out there.

We’re out here. We’re here.

And I just hope you can find us.