Natasha Jiménez Mata

March 21, 2016  /  San José, Costa Rica

(Transcript)

Hello, my name is Natasha Jiménez. I am an intersex woman... an intersex person from Costa Rica. I'm about to be 50 years old.

What am I going to tell you... 

When I was born, there wasn't enough information on intersex bodies, in fact, the term intersex became known just recently in Costa Rica. Doctors simply diagnosed bodies based on what they saw and didn't do much. So, when I was born, I was at first diagnosed as a boy, and it wasn't until later on, in my adolescence, when I decided to investigate on my own body, it was then that I realized I have an intersex body, I was living in an intersex body.

It was very hard to be living in a society with so little information. I had to go through violations and abuse from my own family, abuse from the doctors was very tough, especially in my adolescence; and I remember that because of my own ignorance, I wanted to have a "normal" body. I didn't want to be discriminated against, I didn't want to experience violence because of the body I was living in.

As time went on, I started to love my body, and I discovered how wonderful it was to live in my own body and how wonderful that difference was and to love myself. It was then when I decided I didn't need to have a body others considered normal, because my body was beautiful; my body was perfect just the way it is. So I tell young people, that I know that in some countries, in some regions, it's hard to be an intersex person, but what's most important is to enjoy and live the differences by accepting, embracing and loving them. I believe that is the key to be happy in a world that doesn't value our bodies.

To parents, I tell them to research for information, to get as much information on the subject before making any decisions. My parents, especially my mother, supported me, never pressured me into making a decision and always allowed me to grow up and develop freely. That was my biggest support, having the support of families is very valuable for intersex persons.

And to doctors and people who tend to intersex people, I ask not to think about "normalizing" surgeries on our bodies as the only option, and for interventions to be motivated by other reasons and not for being intersex.

Thank you so much for allowing me this space.

Kisses, see you soon.