The man with a feminine soul
Pedro Juan Perez was diagnosed with Klinefelter’s syndrome when he was 13.
Pedro Juan Perez grew up confused about his identity, said Becky Dickinson in the London Guardian. “I was skinny and hopeless at sport,” he says. “I preferred knitting.” At the age of 13, he collapsed while riding his bike, and doctors ordered a series of tests. “They diagnosed Klinefelter’s syndrome, which means I have three sex chromosomes, XXY, instead of the XY for a male or XX for a female. Physically I’m male, but genetically I’m male and female.”
The condition, which affects one in 1,000 boys, meant he’d never be able to have children. “I was devastated and burst into tears.” Perez was put on testosterone injections to induce puberty. But his parents refused to talk about the condition. “The only person I told was a priest, who offered to pray for me, but it wasn’t prayers I needed.”
In his mid-20s, the testosterone injections finally started to make him more masculine. “Hairs sprouted on my chest. At 25, I had my first shave, my hands shaking with excitement.” Inside, though, he still felt feminine. “I’m not gay. I just enjoy the things women enjoy. I love shopping and trying on clothes.” With the help of his girlfriend, he’s learned to accept himself. “I see [my extra X chromosome] as a bonus. I guess I’m just very in touch with my feminine side.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 tit-for-tat cartoons about Trump's trade war
Cartoons Artists take on Canada, Mexico, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The catastrophic conflict looming in the heart of Africa
In the Spotlight Showdown between DR Congo and Rwanda have been a long time coming
By The Week UK Published
-
Generation Z: done with democracy?
Talking Point Allure of authoritarianism is no surprise when young people have grown up in a democracy 'that seems unable to deliver its basic functions'
By The Week UK Published