Intersex Filipinos have trouble accessing medical services and amending records to reflect their bodies, but it’s not stopping them from lobbying for policies that will cater sustainably to their community
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Jenelyn and Marlon planned all of their children except for Hero. They already had four other kids, and the one before Hero was born with autism, which had many challenges in itself. While it was peculiar to her, Jenelyn thought that perhaps her baby had dark skin because she had a tanned complexion herself. It was in the newborn screening when they found out Hero had CAH. They were told it was a “rare disease,” and they had no idea what it was. Hyperpigmentation in newborn males is aA week into Hero’s life, he became sickly. He no longer wanted to breastfeed, rapidly began to lose weight, and constantly defecated even if he did not eat.
This is why it’s so important for them to work every single day. In paying the P12,500, they have to take out loans from people in their community, which they pay back as they earn from their street stall. Jenelyn also turns to social media to find kind souls who will help her fund her son’s medical needs.
In 2003, at a regional trial court in Laguna, Jeff filed for changes in his birth certificate, namely the change of his name from “Jennifer” to “Jeff,” and his gender from “female” to “male.” “Respondent is the one who has to live with his intersex anatomy. To him belongs the human right to the pursuit of happiness and of health. Thus, to him should belong the primordial choice of what courses of action to take along the path of his sexual development and maturation,” the decision read, penned by the late former associate justice Leonardo Quisumbing.
For instance, while there are plenty of endocrinologists across the Philippine health system, Jeff said that it is difficult to find “intersex-friendly” endocrinologists, who do not push intersex people to undergo procedures to conform with the sex they were assigned at birth. “Many intersex individuals, both young and old, recount the adverse effects of unwanted surgeries, such as diminished self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and difficulties in trust and intimacy. Despite well-meaning intentions, hastily attempting to alter a child’s physical differences typically exacerbates, rather than resolves, issues,” the group said.of babies born with sex characteristics that don’t fit into typical male or female definitions, there are no local numbers in the Philippines.
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