Fashion Model Hanne Gaby Odiele Goes Public About Being Intersex; Says ‘It’s Not that Big of a Deal’

Esteemed top model Hanne Gaby Odiele has revealed that she is intersex in hopes speaking out will help break social taboos.

Intersex individuals are people born with sex characteristics—such as genitals and/or chromosones—that do not fit the typical definitions of male or female. In other words, being intersex means you have a mixture of male and female characteristics. According to the United Nations, 1.7 per cent of the world’s population is affected by the medical condition.

Odiele was born with androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS) and undescended testicles, which were later removed at the age of 10. Her parents agreed to the procedure after warnings from doctors that the testicles could cause cancer. “It is very important to me in my life right now to break the taboo,” the model told USA Today in an interview.

She feels the operation was unnecessary, and hopes by speaking out she will stop children from going through similar procedures they might not need. “I knew at one point after the surgery I could not have kids, I was not having my period. I knew something was wrong with me,” she said.

‘I am proud to be intersex but angry that these surgeries are still happening.”

Dear #intersexyouth , doctors and parents, Whats up #intersex #StopIGM (Intersex Genital Mutilation) #intersexHanne #intersexy Feel free to share 💜😘🙃✌️

A video posted by Hanne Gaby Odiele (@hannegabysees) on Jan 23, 2017 at 2:07pm PST

According to the Intersex Society of North America, being born with both genitalia isn’t as rare as we’re led to believe. Heaps of people, such as Odiele, are now talking about the condition. A large component of these conversations centre around reassignment surgery before a child is able to make their own choice about their gender identity.

Ever since the '50s, it has been common for children born intersex to be given gender reassignment surgeries straight away. Doctors claimed choosing a child’s gender at birth would—in essence—allow them to have a better quality of life. In other words, there was a belief that having a definitive gender is better than having a non-definitive gender.

However, some studies have found former intersex children become dissatisfied with the gender they were assigned at birth, later in life. It’s not uncommon for them to be angered by their lack of autonomy in choosing their own identity.

Photo: Instagram (@hannegabysees)