Born Both

An Intersex Life

De: Hida Viloria

Narrado por: Hida Viloria

From one of the world's foremost intersex activists, a candid, provocative, and eye-opening memoir of gender identity, self-acceptance, and love.

My name is Hida Viloria. I was raised as a girl but discovered at a young age that my body looked different. Having endured an often turbulent home life as a kid, there were many times when I felt scared and alone, especially given my attraction to girls. But unlike most people in the first world who are born intersex--meaning they have genitals, reproductive organs, hormones, and/or chromosomal patterns that do not fit standard definitions of male or female--I grew up in the body I was born with because my parents did not have my sex characteristics surgically altered at birth.

It wasn't until I was twenty-six and encountered the term intersex in a San Francisco newspaper that I finally had a name for my difference. That's when I began to explore what it means to live in the space between genders--to be both and neither. I tried living as a feminine woman, an androgynous person, and even for a brief period of time as a man. Good friends would not recognize me, and gay men would hit on me. My gender fluidity was exciting, and in many ways freeing--but it could also be isolating.

I had to know if there were other intersex people like me, but when I finally found an intersex community to connect with I was shocked, and then deeply upset, to learn that most of the people I met had been scarred, both physically and psychologically, by infant surgeries and hormone treatments meant to "correct" their bodies. Realizing that the invisibility of intersex people in society facilitated these practices, I made it my mission to bring an end to it--and became one of the first people to voluntarily come out as intersex at a national and then international level.

Born Both is the story of my lifelong journey toward finding love and embracing my authentic identity in a world that insists on categorizing people into either/or, and of my decades-long fight for human rights and equality for intersex people everywhere.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Viloria does us the even greater service (it's more of a gift, really) of showing us what it means to live not just as both a man and a woman but also as a third gender that eventually emerges as the right one."—New York Times Book Review

"Intersex babies often have their dual gender surgically 'corrected,' but trailblazing activist Viloria didn't. Her book is fierce, brave, and a clarion call to celebrate our differences."—People

"[A] poignant and powerful story."—The Washington Post

"How do you discover who you are when you are born outside of what culture has decided is possible? Hida Viloria answers this question with this moving and essential memoir, a personal history that is also something of a history of America's blind spots around gender and sex."—Alexander Chee,bestselling author of The Queen of the Night

"Intelligent and courageous, [Born Both] chronicles one intersex person's path to wholeness, but it also affirms the right of all intersex and nonbinary people to receive dignity and respect. A relentlessly honest and revealing memoir."—Kirkus Reviews

"Groundbreaking....This brave and empowering book deserves a wide audience."—Library Journal

"Born Both is a courageous and compelling personal story that helps give us the necessary knowledge and understanding of the complex topics of intersexuality and gender fluidity. Hida Viloria has boldly brought us along on this journey of understanding and pushes us forward to become a more inclusive culture where we value everyone--not in spite of our differences, but rather because they make us perfectly and uniquely us. A must read."—Jane Clementi, co-founder of the Tyler Clementi Foundation

"Hida Viloria's touching and generous memoir shines a beautiful light of understanding not only on what it's like to discover, explore, and own one's identity as an intersex person, but also on what it means to be human. Through heartbreak and humor, Viloria writes with welcome candor and insight--and shows us that there is so much more beauty, brilliance, and complexity than can ever be contained in the categories 'male' or 'female.'"—Sam McConnell,producer of HBO's The Out List and The Trans List

"Words come alive in Born Both, which Hida Viloria has written with intellectual sophistication as well as passion for intersex activism. In this memoir, Viloria eloquently tells a deeply personal story within larger structural narratives of race/ethnicity, gender, and class, making for a simultaneously pleasurable and informative read. This book will not only captivate those interested in intersex activism and gender revolution but also those who enjoy skillful storytelling."—Georgiann Davis, PhD,Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas andauthor of Contesting Intersex: The Dubious Diagnosis

Hida feels like my best friend

Hida reads a beautiful story about their experience of being intersex. I feel like I know them because their story was so close to their heart. I would 100000% recommend listening to Hida regardless of where you are at in your interactivism!

Honesty about a complex subject

I so appreciated the author’s honesty in sharing her journey and struggles, at once personal and political, with us. She makes a strong case for ditching a term like “disorders of sex difference” in favor of “intersex”. And for accepting intersex people as they came into the world, unaltered.

very enlightening

THIS IS A GOOD BOOK that really gets into the nuts and bolts of intersex - so to speak...I did find it overly long but I'm sure the distinctions she makes are very important to those who's lives are effected which mine is not. I do admire her openess and sincere dedication to making this information available to a wider audience.

Life Changing, Eye Opening, Amazing

Hida is a fantastic writer and the performance is beautiful. I enjoyed every minute of the 10 hours of this book. Hidas story is incredibly interesting and they cover many aspects and conversations of life. I have learned so much about the LGBTQI+ community, racism, sexism, law, activism, spirituality, gender, love, and hope from this book. I will be recommending it to everyone. I do feel like this book has changed my life and opened my perspective wider and I am so grateful for that. Thank you Hida <3

Insightful

Amazing insight into intersex thinking and feeling. Great NY stories. Love the voice of the writer, thx for sharing!