Sarah Graham
| Sarah Graham | |
|---|---|
| Born | United Kingdom |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Counsellor |
| Known for | Counsellor, activist |
| Website | |
|
www | |
Sarah Graham is a counsellor, intersex activist, UK "national LGBT treasure",[1] and a member of the UK Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.[2]
Early life
Graham told The Independent and Daily Mirror newspapers that she only became aware of her diagnosis of complete androgen insensitivity syndrome in her mid twenties.[3][4][5] Visibly identified as female at birth, her testes were removed at age eight, to eliminate a risk of cancer and "imminent death". She was put onto oestrogen hormone therapy from age 12, and subjected to regular medical investigations. She says:[6]
Once I saw my diagnosis, I felt like a total freak, like I didn’t belong, and was offered no support. I felt like the only person in the world with the condition and that no one would love me. I went into a massive period of self-hatred and self-destruction, which fuelled a drug and alcohol addiction. Children need to be able grow up intersex if they want and parents shouldn’t be so pressured to make a decision. We must be given the space to exist.
Counselling
Sarah Graham currently works as an addiction counsellor and therapist.[7] She has written on addiction issues in The Sun and many other newspapers and magazines.[8][9] She was appointed as a member of the UK Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs in 2011, and is also an expert for the Frank national drugs information service.[2][10]
Activism
Graham is an independent activist on intersex issues.
In 2013, she has spoken out about her experience as an intersex woman in interview on the BBC where she stated, "this pink and blue thing is nonsense", and in a special report in The Independent newspaper.[11][6] Graham has described stigmatising language, prejudiced clinicians, and "dangerous myths". She argues that intersex is a "part of all creation", and "normalising" surgeries are often damaging to sexual response, but conducted for "political" reasons, "to make society feel safer and reinforce the gender boxes: male/female, pink/blue".[3]
Recognition
In the 2011 Independent on Sunday Pink List, she is cited as: "An expert on LGBT and intersex people and addiction. Now working with the Amy Winehouse Foundation."[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The IoS Pink List 2011, Independent on Sunday, 23 October 2011.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs homepage, Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sarah Graham: My intersex experience, The Independent, 22 September 2009.
- ↑ The secret of my sex, The Independent, 8 August 2006.
- ↑ I feel for Caster Semenya - I am a woman with male chromosomes, Daily Mirror, 14 September 2009.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Special report: Intersex women speak out to protect the next generation, The Independent, 30 November 2013.
- ↑ Sarah Graham Solutions
- ↑ EastEnders Phil showed brutal reality of addiction, The Sun, 12 August 2010.
- ↑ Media, Sarah Graham - additions therapist
- ↑ Sarah Graham, 96 Harley Psychotherapy. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
- ↑ Intersex woman: 'This pink and blue thing is nonsense', British Broadcasting Corporation, 1 November 2013.