Warning: This article contains discussion of surgery on intersex infants which some readers may find distressing.
An individual born intersex has revealed how they were raised as a girl following surgery performed shortly after birth.
Jim Ambrose appears in a new Channel 4 documentary, The Secret of Me, which explores the widespread practice of surgical interventions on intersex infants.
This practice is still prevalent in numerous countries, involving surgeries to make an infant’s anatomy conform to traditional definitions of male or female.
Jim, now in his late 40s, recounted being raised as a girl until a college class led to the realization of the events that transpired after his birth.
“I was taking this feminist studies course,” he said, “I had no idea when I walked into this class that my whole f***ing world was gonna turn upside down.”
Jim described reading about infants ‘born with bodies with genitals that fall outside an arbitrary acceptable norm’ in one of the texts for the class.
Detailing the usual course of action, he explained: “The length is measured. This long you get to be a boy, if it’s less than that then you lose your phallus and you’re raised as a girl.
“The choice is made by the parents and the doctors. The child is having their gender designated, imprinted, selected for them.”
He added: “And it just hit me – I think this is about me.”
Upon reviewing his medical records, Jim discovered that he had XY chromosomes, which typically indicate male sex.
In a shocking revelation, he learned that doctors had conducted surgery on him as an infant to arbitrarily determine his gender.
“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.”
Originally from Louisiana, Ambrose spent years advocating for intersex rights before stepping back due to the emotional toll.
He shared with 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.”
Intersex conditions are more common than many realize.
The Cleveland Clinic estimates that about 2 percent of the global population possesses ‘intersex traits’, which may be evident in their external physical attributes or chromosomal makeup.
This prevalence is similar to the frequency of twins or red hair globally, and many intersex children face the risk of surgical procedures.
Advocates argue that such surgeries are abusive and strip individuals of the ability to choose their path in life.
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.
The Secrets of Me is available to watch on Channel 4 on demand.