- Yes, when I was a child was born, what happens is that my female external genitalia appeared, but had functional internal testes. They were inside my body. Physicians evaluated and thought it was a girl. I was raised in female, but always felt a child. And when I hit puberty my body developed in males, as the guy he was. I began to secrete testosterone, I grew a beard, hair began to get out through the body, the voice became more serious ... As an ordinary man. If your name is Patricia and assumes that you're a girl, not very normal. But if we start from the idea that had always been a child, my sexual development was completely normal.
- So when there are ambiguities, intersex can be detected at birth or at puberty.
- Yes, because in principle seem genitals of one sex, but then it does not. There is a case which appeared in 'House', that of a girl with androgen insensitivity syndrome. Are women, women feel they are, are developed in female external genitalia are female but when puberty hits no let-down rule. And when you go to the doctor, they discover that maybe they have internal testes ... That is a intersexuality. So there are some cases that are detected at birth and others when it reaches puberty or secondary sexual development. My case was this.
- You were born in 1971 ...
- Yes 12 years and had lots of hair all over his body, had always been very masculine. Played in the women's soccer team, was the best striker. Personally I am convinced that the South African athlete who won gold and fuss-up-Caster Semenya same thing happens to me, or three quarters. They said you have been tested and testosterone was three times higher than women and internal testicles, that's what happened to me.
- Transforming Patricia Gabriel would not be easy on ...
- Biologically, it is a process of years, gradually. For me, from the standpoint of emotional and psychological was tremendous, although a bit contradictory. Always had a male sexual identity, and when I begin to develop in men, I do not rule me down, I grow out my chest and beard ... It was the wish of my life come true. But Patrick will leave hair on your chest instead of tits, puts you in the spotlight worldwide. At the social level was tremendous: he had had a hard time for being a butch girl, and I assumed that a number of problems at the societal level, a lot of marginalization and stigma.
- What impact does it have?
- Some writers speak of 1%, and the statistics more restrictive of 0.018%. That's a higher incidence than transgender people. But usually resolves intersexuality in the privacy of the family and the person does not need to share. Homosexual sexual orientation is not lost, not a transsexual, intersex but yes there are many cases may go unnoticed, unless they are so bright as mine.
- Did you have any problems so legally recognized as Gabriel Joseph?
- It was very simple. It turns out that these cases are poorly understood but doctors have news of them. Existed in the Civil Registry Law an article that said that in the case of sex allocation had been done incorrectly, a problem at that time called hermaphroditism, the person was entitled to be rectified. In fact, the first time information on intersexuality was found in 'The Book of the sexual life, "Lopez-Ibor, which is carquÃsimo. And he explains in an absolutely objective, clear and without any negative emotional charge. Intersex said it was a purely anatomic problem that these people are not guilty of anything. In contrast the homosexual yeah ... In my case it was very easy because my situation was foreseen in the law and bring the documents the judge ordered that my seat in the register was rectified.
- What do you need a person with an intersex?
- When detected in childhood is much simpler. Most children, by the testimony that I have come across the family, has no awareness of having a problem. Yes remember having been unwell, having had a heridita in the penis that the doctor cured him, or something. When the diagnosis appears at puberty, the first thing you need is much emotional support and, above all, a very clear information and stripped of myths about human sexuality. Then you need a lot of surgery to avoid internalizing the stigma. But it is very interesting that most people who were born with intersex do ordinary lives. An expert on the subject concludes that, despite everything, most get to have lives and satisfactory standard. Source