I Came Out as Intersex in Front of the Texas Legislature
politico.comAt 3 a.m. on the day I made the biggest decision of my life, I called Wendy Davis for advice.She’d been asleep, of course. It was a desperate moment, though, and I needed my mentor.
Despite the hour, Wendy took my call and listened as I laid out the plan I’d frantically hatched over the past few hours. She was no stranger to pulling stunts to make “good trouble” — having once filibustered for 13 hours straight to help kill a bill that would have restricted abortion access across Texas, which made her the stuff of feminist legend — and she gave me her stamp of approval.
But at the end of our call, she gave me one suggestion too: “I think you should try to look as feminine as possible when you walk into that committee room,” she said. “I know you don’t wear makeup, but maybe throw on a bit of lipstick, a killer dress and some power heels.”Wendy often advises that heels bring confidence, adding a little height and some power to your posture.“That way when you take the dais, all those old legislators’ minds will be wandering — we know some of them have even tried to hit on you before — and it will really throw them for a loop when you drop the fact that you were, you know, born with balls.”I was about to come out as an intersex woman.
And I was going to do it in front of the Texas legislature.You may be wondering what intersex means. I’m not surprised.
