Schema Magazine

I consider myself to be a pretty lucky gal. I've never struggled with my sexuality, nor did I ever have any questions about my gender. Sure, I've had issues with my identity and insecurities that come along with being a teenager. But that was the extent of it. So I can't even begin to phantom how fucked up Caroline Kinsey felt when her parents finally decided to tell her she was born a hermaphrodite, 19 years after her birth, and when she was known as Carl.

My initial reaction was to blame the parents and the doctor—"[her parents] went with the doctors' advice because they didn't know any better". But it was the late 1960s, and I am sure Kinsey's parents did not know how to deal with such a hush-hush situation. Were they embarrassed? Were they confused? Were they in shock? Probably a bit of everything, and then some.

At age 41 Caroline is finally living the life she has come to identify with. She may have come to this conclusion years earlier if she had known about her condition when she was younger, but hey, it's never too late. I can't help but feel admiration for her bravery, because I am sure its taken a lot of courage to come forward with her story.

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Jocelyn Gan is a graduate of English and Communications from SFU. She loves all animals, but her heart is cat shaped. She hopes to release her cat fashion line in the near future.