The Woman Born Without a Vagina

I genuinely believe every single person needs to hear this conversation. Jackie Blankenship is an intersex advocate who was born with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome — meaning she has XY chromosomes, but her body couldn't respond to testosterone, so she developed externally female. She also has no internal reproductive system and no vaginal canal. And she didn't tell a single soul until she was 40. In this episode, Jackie walks me through everything: what it actually means to be intersex, what her childhood was like being told to keep her diagnosis a secret, the surgery she had at 15 that she wasn't fully informed about and didn't consent to, the dilation therapy she went through at 18, and what it was like navigating relationships, intimacy, and marriage while carrying this secret for decades. We also talk about her journey to motherhood — her sister served as her gestational carrier, and the process of choosing a donor egg is something you truly have to hear to believe. And then there's the moment that changed everything: Jackie won Mrs. America. And while crowning the next queen live on stage, she read aloud a rule that she realized — in real time — wouldn't have included her. That was the moment she knew she had to speak up. We get into intersex advocacy, nonconsensual surgeries on intersex children, what the word "intersex" actually means versus transgender, what it's like to come out publicly in today's politically charged climate, and why Jackie says she doesn't consider her diagnosis a disorder — just a really cool quirky trait that the world needs to understand better. This episode will genuinely expand the way you think about the human body, identity, and what it means to live authentically. Sponsors: Ritual: For a limited time, save 25% on your first month at https://www.Ritual.com/REALSTUFF Clean Simple Eats: Shop the best tasting protein drinks at https://www.CleanSimpleEats.com Rhoback: Use code REALSTUFF at https://www.rhoback.com for 20% off your first order through the end of this week. Magnetic Me: Get 15% off at https://www.magneticme.com Watch this episode in video form on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjmevEcbh5h5FEX0pazPEtN86t7eb2OgX  To apply to be a guest on the show, visit luciefink.com/apply and send us your story.  I also want to extend a special thank you to East Love for the show's theme song, Rolling Stone.  Follow the show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealstuffpod  Find Lucie here:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luciebfink/  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@luciebfink  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/luciebfink Website: https://luciefink.com/  Subscribe to my free newsletter "The Lucie List" here: https://thelucielist.beehiiv.com/subscribe Subscribe to "The Creator Confidential": http://www.luciefink.com/confidential Executive Producer: Cloud10 Produced by Dear Media. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices