今日吃瓜

TONY Briffa can鈥檛 pin coming out on any particular moment, but still remembers being told for the first time about being intersex at around 14 years of age.

鈥淚 remember it very well, with my doctor. I鈥檝e still got the pictures that he drew for me, telling me about male development and female development and how I developed,鈥� Briffa said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 ironic, because now looking back at it he didn鈥檛 give me the full picture, but it felt liberating. It was good finally know about myself and what was actually happening.鈥�

Serving as mayor of the City of Hobsons Bay in Melbourne鈥檚 western suburbs in 2011鈥�12 and subsequently as deputy mayor, Briffa is often regarded as the world鈥檚 first openly intersex mayor. Briffa is also Australia鈥檚 most recognisable intersex person, famously coming out on a 60 Minutes special in 2000.

While it took until Briffa鈥檚 late 20s to fully understand the intersex variation Briffa was born with, there are memories of being different from a very early age. Briffa was born with partial androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS), and raised as 鈥淎ntoinette鈥�, a girl.

鈥淚 was aware that I was different from as long as I can remember, because I was always going to hospital,鈥� Briffa said.

鈥淚鈥檝e got a twin sister, and we鈥檇 go to hospital every three months for medical examinations, but she鈥檇 be in the waiting room. She wouldn鈥檛 have to undergo any of the examinations that I鈥檇 go through, or any of the surgeries.

鈥淭hey were always examining a particular part of my anatomy, which ironically they called my 鈥榩rivate鈥�, which, it certainly didn鈥檛 feel very private [laughing]. So I knew there was something wrong there.鈥�

Throughout childhood Briffa learned, often one piece at a time, the details of the intersex variation Briffa was born with: at five, that Briffa couldn鈥檛 have children; at 11, that Briffa wouldn鈥檛 have periods; not long after that, that Briffa had internal testes. Rather than go through the process familiar to many gay and lesbian people of coming out to oneself and then others, Briffa had to be told about being intersex by someone else.

At 29 Briffa was told by a doctor the full extent of the intersex condition for the first time, particularly that it was partial rather than complete androgen insensitivity syndrome, meaning Briffa would have developed very differently without the extensive medical intervention.

鈥淚 was pretty confused. The doctors didn鈥檛 really help with the confusion, they just made it worse. Being Catholic undoubtedly made it worse as well,鈥� Briffa said.

鈥淣ot having any role models, not knowing any other intersex people, not having any awareness of intersex people, people of difference, didn鈥檛 help either. It was unknown territory.

鈥淚 actually felt angry and robbed, because they鈥檇 obviously lied to me. I鈥檇 asked questions all those years about my body and my variation, being intersex, and I was very angry they鈥檇 lied to me for all those years.鈥�

It was not long after that Briffa came out in the most public way: on national television. Briffa was completely unprepared for the impact of the 60 Minutes special 鈥淎 Crime Against Nature鈥�.

鈥淚 was very na茂ve about the impact and how many people were going to know. I was working at Ansett, as an engineer… I got a letter from 60 Minutes, and in the letter they wrote that they would like to come to Ansett, take some footage about Antoinette and, quote, 鈥榟er remarkable life with AIS鈥�,鈥� Briffa recalled.

鈥淢y boss called me into the office and said that鈥檚 all great and he鈥檚 happy to have 60 Minutes come down, but he didn鈥檛 realise I was into sport, and that I was involved with the Australian Institute of Sport. I was thinking, oh my god, how am I going to explain this (laughs).

鈥淪o there I was in my boss鈥� office explaining androgen insensitivity syndrome. He was such a good guy, and I鈥檒l never forget him saying to me after I鈥檇 explained it all, 鈥榓re you sure you want to do this?鈥欌��

Briffa came out to the family the night before the 60 Minutes special was to air 鈥� the program had provided an advance copy. Briffa鈥檚 siblings found out for the first time that Saturday night.

Finally having the full picture at 30 years of age, Briffa started testosterone treatment.

鈥淚 started testosterone treatment not because I thought, 鈥業鈥檓 a man鈥�, but because I thought, I just want to find out what nature made me,鈥� Briffa said.

鈥淚t was a few years on testosterone that I came to realise, 鈥榦kay, I鈥檓 a hermaphrodite, I鈥檓 male and female鈥�. That鈥檚 the way nature made me and that鈥檚 what I would have been had doctors not interfered without my consent, and it鈥檚 okay.

鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 ill or anything like that, I鈥檓 just a male and a female, and I should be allowed to be recognised and live like that.鈥�

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**This story聽was first published in the June聽edition of the Star Observer, which is . To obtain a physical copy, to find out where you can grab one in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra and select regional/coastal areas.

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