Blume was 'diagnosed' as intersex at 16. They were told to keep it a secret.

At 16 years old, Blume found out the truth about their identity. 

The vocalist and content creator, who uses they/them pronouns and is 27 years old, learned they were intersex – meaning they were born without meeting 'the criteria' of being biologically female or male. 

"There are many, many intersex people in the world," Blume tells Mamamia. "It's estimated that it's about as common as having red hair."

Watch: Blume Kind on having their own identity. Post continues after video. 

"Being intersex means that you were born without fitting the criteria of male and female phenotypes. So you are kind of found somewhere in between with elements of both – kind of like on a spectrum," they explained. 

While other teenagers were dealing with the pressure of school, friendships and family, Blume was faced with a new reality. 

Their journey really began when they noticed they weren't going through puberty the way other teenagers were.

"I went through life thinking I was pretty normal," they recalled. "But it wasn't until I hit puberty [that I realised] I wasn't going through the same changes as everybody else."

Blume didn't think much of it – only haphazardly mentioning it to a doctor while there for an unrelated reason. 

"I said, 'By the way, I'm not going through puberty'," they told Mamamia. "They wanted me to get looked at and that's when I found out I was intersex." 

Image: Instagram @blumekind_

It was, in short, confronting for Blume. 

"It was really hard for me to accept," they explained. "I think when you are a teenager, you really just want to be like everybody else and to find out you're intersex – it was something I'd never really heard about. It was a lot for a 16-year-old."

At the same time, Blume's parents were also just learning the truth about their child. 

"My parents were figuring it out at the same time as me," they said. "And so was the doctor who diagnosed me. I think I was the first person she ever diagnosed. It was so new for everyone but it was a lot for me."

What made the transition into Blume's new reality even more difficult was being told by doctors they couldn't share that they were intersex with anyone. 

Read more: 'I'm intersex. It was a secret my parents kept from me for 17 years.'

After announcing they needed to call their best friend, the doctor urged Blume not to say a word. 

"They said, 'Don't tell anyone. Don't do that.' I had to deal with that shame," Blume recalled. 

Unfortunately, the reality for intersex children, teens and adults is their identity is shrouded in secrecy. 

Blume eventually told a selective amount of people, but then rumours begin to spread while they were in high school. 

"It ended up getting out when I was in high school, but I was denying it," they recalled. "I couldn't accept it for such a long time. I spent my time saying, 'Why did it have to be me?'" 

Image: Instagram @blumekind_

There's a complicated history around children who are born intersex. Left out of history books and ignored in mainstream media and education despite those with the diagnosis having always existed. Their tale, as old as time, still has limited understanding.

Blume's goal – or perhaps destiny – has been to educate the wider mass about being intersex. 

"It started by making videos here and there," they said. "Just fun TikToks. And then I dropped one about being intersex." 

The clip went viral. Then Blume made another one and that went viral too. Before long, Blume was sharing their story online – the one they had been urged to keep a secret – for the world to hear. 

Listen to Her with Sophie Cachia. Post continues after audio. 

"It's gotten so much attention because it's something most people just don't know about," they explained. "Some people don't believe it's a real thing, so it's controversial even though it should just be... normal."

With almost 70,000 followers online, Blume's community actually began when they went to the US at 17 years old.

"My mum – who is an angel – flew me over to America to go to an Intersex Medical Convention," they recalled. "I was lucky enough to experience that."

While Blume made many friends who were just like them, none lived in Australia. In making videos online, they hoped to not just educate those who don't understand what it means to be intersex but also to expand their own community. 

"My whole life, I was waiting for someone else [who is intersex] to speak up. I kept thinking, 'surely they're going to start putting intersex people in TV series? Surely intersex people are going to come out and talk about it everywhere?' And they didn't," Blume said. 

"It's complicated and traumatising for many of us. But I kind of got to the point where I decided I'm just gonna do it and I'm going to speak about it – not because it's my job, but because I want to make it better and safer for other intersex people. I want everyone in the world to know about it. And I want this to be normal and I want young kids to not be traumatised by their diagnosis."

The world is changing, albeit slowly, and Blume is one of the many helping to usher it along. 

While we still have a long way to go, they know a better future is around the corner.

"I want people to just understand the world isn't black and white or even grey; it's multicoloured," Blume said. "There are so many different things in life and you need to go in with an open mind. Being intersex doesn't mean that you have to identify as male or female or non-binary. You can identify however you want."

"You know, if intersex can prove one thing, they show that there isn't just male and female. Humans are very diverse creatures."

Johnnie Walker is partnering with trailblazers across the LGBTQIA+ community to spread a message of progress and positivity that inspires people to Keep Walking Proudly towards a more inclusive future.

For more from Blume, follow them on Instagram and learn more about their story on TikTok. 

Feature Image: Instagram @blumekind_.

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