A powerful new documentary sheds light on the often-hidden history of intersex individuals in the United States, centering on the personal journey of one man’s fight for his true self.
The film follows Jim Ambrose, who was raised as a girl named Kristi for the first two decades of his life. Born in 1976 with XY chromosomes and atypical genitalia, his parents, following medical advice, consented to infant surgery to create female-appearing organs and raised him without knowledge of his biological history. It was only during a university feminism course, where he encountered information about intersex people, that he began to understand his own identity.
His path to self-discovery involved further painful medical procedures and significant psychological distress. Ultimately, he found his footing as an activist, a voice within the growing intersex community, and a supportive life partner.
One of the film’s most compelling sequences documents his preparation for a meeting with the surgeon who performed his initial operation as an infant. The encounter defies expectations, unfolding not with confrontation but with a complex, reflective dialogue that frequently references the medical understanding “at the time” versus “in retrospect.”
The documentary also revisits foundational and tragic cases in the history of intersex medicalization, including that of David Reimer. As an infant, Reimer lost his penis in a circumcision accident and was subsequently raised as a girl under the guidance of Dr. John Money, a prominent academic. Throughout the 1970s and 80s, Money’s theories on gender plasticity promoted infant reassignment surgery as the most compassionate course of action for intersex children, with Reimer presented as a prime success story. The profound distress Reimer experienced was omitted from Money’s published work, an oversight with consequences that continue to affect medical practices and children’s lives today.
While the documentary’s directorial style is noted for its emotional weight, it serves as a vital companion to other recent works on the subject, collectively illuminating the complex and deeply personal struggles for bodily autonomy and identity.
