Courtney Skaggs, 29, is genetically male but was also born with a clitoris. However, her body rejected its male hormones and she now lives as an ‘intersex femme’ following the invasive surgery from when she was a newborn. Courtney, from San Diego in California, was deemed female by doctors soon after birth because of her overall physical appearance. She then underwent surgery at six weeks-old to ‘normalize’ her genitalia by removing her testicles, but is now distressed that such a major, life-changing procedure was conducted without her consent. The operation took place even after Courtney had been identified as intersex at birth, when doctors realized she had XY (male) chromosomes. Courtney believes she was ‘robbed’ of her true identity when she underwent surgery to remove the testicles she was born with, and wishes her body had been left alone. She said she’s unsure how her body would have developed differently if she was left with her male hormone-producing testes. Courtney now campaigns for intersex-related surgery to be stopped, claiming it strips individuals of ‘who they really are’. She said: ‘When somebody makes the decision to alter your body you are stripped of who you really are. That leads to mental trauma for a lot of people.’