3 days ago
Woman Shares 9 Facts About Her Intersex Body, No Longer Feels 'Shameful'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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An intersex woman who grew up feeling like she had to lie about herself is finally learning to embrace who she is and what makes her body different.
When Jackie Blankenship was 4 years old, she was diagnosed with Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome, meaning she's intersex. It was a lifechanging diagnosis, but at the time, Blankenship had no idea what it meant.
Her parents broached the subject when she was around 8 or 9 years old. Blankenship told Newsweek that they gave her some basic information they thought she would be able to process, but it was still incredibly hard to understand.
"My mom has relatives with CAIS, so she asked the doctor to test me just in case. The results came back that their little girl had XY chromosomes, which is what we see in males," Blankenship said.
"When I was 15, doctors advised my parents to have my testes (that were in my abdomen) removed. That was probably when I started having questions about my body, but I wasn't emotionally ready to talk about it."
Jackie Blankenship, 40, attending a pageant event.
Jackie Blankenship, 40, attending a pageant event.
@mrsjackieblanks / TikTok
Indeed, it wasn't until Blankenship, of Grandville, Michigan, reached her mid-twenties that she finally started to realize that her body was different. By that time, there was a world of information at her fingertips with the likes of Google taking off, and it was a way for her to become knowledgeable without having to ask doctors personally.
Intersex refers to people who have genitals, chromosomes, or reproductive organs that don't fit into a binary definition of male or female. There are approximately 40 different ways that being intersex can present itself, with the most common types including a combination of chromosomes or having mixed genitals and sex organs.
The Intersex Society of North America explains that it can be difficult to quantify the number of intersex cases because there is so much ambiguity. But it's estimated that androgen insensitivity syndrome occurs in one in every 130,000 births.
While Blankenship was born with external genitalia, she has no internal reproductive organs. She had her testes surgically removed, but she didn't understand what was going on. In her young naivete, she thought she was having a hysterectomy. When she turned 18, she underwent dilation therapy to extend the vaginal canal, which was "definitely not a fun experience."
But the impact of being intersex was more mental than physical. Her body seemed different to the girls around her, and from a young age she was encouraged not to speak about it.
Living in silence and having to lie about who she is was a massive burden.
Jackie Blankenship at a pageant event where she was competing.
Jackie Blankenship at a pageant event where she was competing.
@mrsjackieblanks / TikTok
"I felt like I was more childish than my peers," Blankenship said. "My condition leaves me unable to grow body hair, and I never menstruate due to lack of ovaries or a uterus. So, as my friends went through those changes, I stayed the same on the outside with my height and breast development. I felt like there was a secret that I wasn't let in on."
Despite knowing she couldn't menstruate, Blankenship recalls frequently taking a tampon or sanitary pad out of her mom's bathroom just so she could be like her friends.
For so many years, she was filled with "shame and secrecy," and she felt embarrassed about her anatomy. Being told by doctors that she shouldn't tell anyone about it only added to that.
Pageants were a big part of Blankenship's life during her twenties, but she never felt like she could speak openly about being intersex out of fear they wouldn't let her compete. She didn't want to be considered less of a woman, and there was (and still is) so much judgment.
Over the years, Blankenship has done therapy, endless research, and even tried to find other people like her. But after getting married, becoming a mom (through a gestational carrier) and turning 40, she decided it was finally time to speak publicly and create a platform for acceptance.
Jackie Blankenship pictured with her husband and daughter.
Jackie Blankenship pictured with her husband and daughter.
@mrsjackieblanks / TikTok
Blankenship began sharing her experiences on TikTok (@mrsjackieblanks) in which she discusses being intersex. Many of her videos have gone viral with millions of views, including one which revealed nine facts about her that people might not have known.
She no longer wants it to be an embarrassing secret—she wants to use her voice to advocate.
Blankenship told Newsweek: "I feel like I am reclaiming my body by sharing what I thought was so shameful about myself. I turned 40 and felt like I still was a little girl. I've had experiences that I know are not uncommon in the intersex community but are never talked about. So, I decided I needed to share my whole self and heal this kiddo still inside me."
Blankenship is still working on healing and embracing who she is, but she refuses to conceal it or lie.
There are many misconceptions about those who are intersex. By using her social media platform to educate and speak positively, Blankenship hopes to tackle the stigma and misinformation.
"The biggest misconception is that we are disordered and need fixing, when in fact more often than not, our bodies are functioning fine as they are. The fixing stems from doctors trying to normalize us into neat 'male' or 'female' boxes," she said.
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