When Jim looked at his medical records, he found that his chromosomes were XY, which is a male chromosome.
In a horrifying moment, he found that doctors had performed surgery on him as an infant to arbitrarily decide his gender for him.
« I was a healthy baby but then there’s all this other documentation about my genital presentation needed to be altered and so many things needed to be removed, » he said. »Those things were taken out and my genitals were crafted to have a very satisfying, pleasing vulva presentation so I could be safely taken home by my parents. »
Ambrose, originally from Louisiana, spent years as an activist for intersex people, but had to stop as it took a toll on him.
He told The Big Issue: « Depression compounded on depression. I chose self-medicate in a lot of different ways, and that just makes everything worse. I told young activists that if you decide to speak out publicly, specifically about the abuse that you endured and your family endured, it costs you something. Never forget that it costs you something. »
Being born intersex is more common than people may at first think.
Cleveland Clinic states that around 2 percent of people worldwide have ‘intersex traits’, which might be manifested through their external sex characteristics such as genitalia, or in factors such as chromosomes.
This figure means having intersex characteristics has a similar prevalence globally as being born a twin or with red hair, and many intersex children are at risk of surgical intervention.
Advocates for intersex people say that carrying out these surgeries is a form of abuse, and takes away someone’s choice for how they would want to live.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the LGBT national hotline at 888-843-4564, available Monday to Friday 4pm-12am ET and 12pm-5pm ET on Saturdays.
