Born both a girl and a boy

Intersex Ruth/Ryan Muiruri during the interview. [Jenipher Wachie, Standard]

I was born with ambiguous genitalia. That means I had characteristics of both sexes. The midwife told my mother that she could not tell whether I was a boy or a girl, so they decided to bring me up as a girl. According to Kikuyu customs, I should have been named after my paternal grandmother but my father refused because he said someone like me could not be associated with his family. He was ashamed of me.

When I was three months old, my mother realised I could not be a girl because my male organs were getting pronounced. She took me to the hospital and the doctors decided that I should be a girl. That it would be easier to turn me into a girl than a boy.