He's the Man: Tony Briffa

Sunday, September 4, 2005

Interviewer: ninemsn in association with 60 Minutes present a live interview with Tony Briffa, talking to us tonight about how Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS) has affected his life.

Interviewer: Tony, thank you for joining us tonight in our live online chat.

Tony Briffa: Thank you for having me.

Leanne asks: Tony, can you tell us about Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome, how it affects a child and leads to these life-altering decisions being made?

Tony Briffa: Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (or AIS) is a genetic condition in which a child has either a complete or partial response to androgens even though they are genetically male and born with testes. In complete AIS there is no question that the child is a girl, but in partial AIS the person can be male or female or anywhere in-between. Obviously it is in this grey area where the difficult decisions have to be made.

maleeha asks: How did you find out that you are not meant to be a female?

Tony Briffa: I started testosterone treatment to replace the testosterone my healthy testes would have been producing had I not been castrated. My body responded well to the testosterone, meaning that, had I been left alone, I would have gone through a masculinising puberty.

Don asks: Are you classed as female on your birth certificate still and, if so, are you getting it changed legally?

Tony Briffa: People with inter-sex conditions in all Australian states and territories can have their birth certificates corrected if they were raised in the wrong sex. My birth certificate was corrected several years ago. So I am male for all legal purposes.

Pixie asks: Have you forgiven your mother for her decision to go ahead with the surgery when you were born?

Tony Briffa: Absolutely. It wasn't really a decision that she made. She was following the advice of doctors.

Lisa asks: Is there a good support group for people born with Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome to help you?

Tony Briffa: Yes, the AIS Support Group Australia (AISSG). There is a link to the support group on the 60 Minutes website.

help asks: Hi Tony I have a similar problem that you faced and I'm wondering should I go with what the doctor say or follow my instincts and reject their treatment and therapy? Please help.

Tony Briffa: I really advise that you contact the AIS support group, and I'm happy to speak more about it offline.

maleeha asks: What were some of the stages you passed through? How did you deal with them?

Tony Briffa: Initially, I guess disbelief, despair and anger. But then, once I was finally given the testosterone treatment I'd been seeking for 18 years, I went through a great period of personal growth and acceptance. And that is who I am today.

keg asks: Did you ever feel that they should have waited until you were old enough to say whether or not you wanted to become a female Tony?

Tony Briffa: Being raised as female wasn't my problem. It was the doctors performing irreversible surgical and hormone treatment on me for no medical reason. I think it would have been appropriate to raise me as a girl without performing the surgeries until I could tell them who and what I was.

ambella asks: Bravo to you Tony! Your interview showed you to be an intelligent, caring and sensitive man. My question to you is: as mother of three children, how are your own kids coping with their mother now being their father?

Tony Briffa: Thank you for your kind words. As I am not their biological parent it really was a different situation. I have certainly explained everything to them about my past and my medical condition and they are very accepting. I continue to be their loving parent irrespective of my gender.

latte asks: Did you ever doubt your sexuality rather than your gender?

Tony Briffa: No.

MichaelB asks: Not sure what the difference is between AIS and being born with XXY chromosomes but, Tony, you mentioned that a young person should be free to make a decision about treatment etc. My question is ... how should these kids be brought up in the meantime?

Tony Briffa: Children with inter-sex conditions should be raised as either male or female. I would never advocate raising a child as an "it". Obviously the early treatment should include counselling and peer support.

ausace asks: How did your co-workers treat you at work when you made the change from Antoinette to Tony?

Tony Briffa: My co-workers were absolutely brilliant. They weren't very surprised about my condition, in fact it answered more questions than were raised.

teena asks: Just wondering what impact the sex change has had on your friendship circles (ie. have friends/family shunned you because of your decision?).

Tony Briffa: No. I still live and work in the area where I was born and everyone has been very accepting of me. I didn't have a sex change; I was merely reversing what doctors did to me as a child.

adam asks: Tony, was wondering how your children responded to this? Having a mother, then a father?

Tony Briffa: They were excellent; they had no problems adjusting to it whatsoever. I didn't change in my attitude and love of them.

Dee asks: Do people with this condition have "working" reproductive systems of either gender?

Tony Briffa: We are not able to reproduce naturally but I was not born with ovaries or a uterus, I had testes which were producing testosterone.

bob asks: What were the actual medical procedures performed by the doctors when you were a child?

Tony Briffa: I had four genital plastic surgeries ranging in age from zero to 15 years. I was castrated at seven and I had female hormone treatment from the age of 11 onwards.

Wendy asks: Tony, where is your father throughout this and what are his views? Your mother seems a great support.

Tony Briffa: My mum and dad are still married, and both of them are very accepting and wonderful supports to me.

Rabbie asks: Tony, why didn't your parents stop the doctors?

Tony Briffa: Because they were following their advice and once you start on that merry-go-round it's very hard to stop. For example, imagine the difficulties in reversing the treatment after I've already been castrated and had genital surgery performed.

Rakarr asks: How did you feel about the procedures as they were being performed; that is, when you were between the ages of seven and 15? Did you understand what was happening, and if so, were your arguments ignored?

Tony Briffa: Doctors still didn't tell me between seven and 15 what was wrong with me. In fact, they lied. I was told that I had no other options but to have the treatment they were giving me.

TBO23L asks: Did you end up confronting the doctors who performed the procedure on you? What did they have to say to you about it?

Tony Briffa: The doctor that performed most of the surgeries on me has since retired and I have not spoken to him about the treatment.

Soph asks: Tony, have you ever considered seeking legal compensation?

Tony Briffa: Yes I have considered it.

Cal asks: Do you think we can trust the Family Courts to make the right decisions with inter-sexed babies?

Tony Briffa: Yes I do think we can trust the Family Court to make these decisions. It would certainly be an improvement on giving doctors full authority. It would also ensure that the best interests of the child are fully considered and doctors will have legal protection from not having to make the decision on their own.

Vic asks: Tony, what helps you to have such a positive attitude?

Tony Briffa: My family, my friends, my faith and my community.

lion asks: Tony what is your opinion on the nature versus nurture argument? Clearly in your case nurture was not successful.

Tony Briffa: It is not as easy as saying nature or nurture as the predominant factor in gender identity. Both have an impact and it varies according to one's culture, faith, communities and experiences.

ausace asks: Had you not had the surgery, would you have turned out as a "normal" man, apart from the genitalia issue?

Tony Briffa: Yes.

Vic asks: Tony, What has been the hardest thing about this whole experience?

Tony Briffa: The impact the mistreatment has had on my family.

Jules asks: Tony do you intend to make yourself available to others, both children and parents, who have been through, or maybe possibly going through, what you and your family have suffered?

Tony Briffa: Yes. I am on the executive committee of the AIS Support Group Australia and the president of the Genetic Support Network of Victoria.

CNMC asks: Hi Tony, we have a beautiful happy baby boy who has been diagnosed with PAIS. Can I ask how testosterone treatment was effective if androgen receptors are "insensitive"?

Tony Briffa: Congratulations for your beautiful happy baby boy. Please contact me at the AIS Support Group if you ever want to chat. Having PAIS means that your son is sensitive to testosterone but to a varying degree.

ross asks: Has the professional psychological support been there for you during your most difficult times and was it very supportive or dismissive?

Tony Briffa: I didn't have any psychological support at all so I can't really comment.

Gordon asks: So there is no way they can reverse the operation? Not even change your physical appearance with surgery?

Tony Briffa: No they cannot reverse being castrated and they can't replace what tissue has been removed.

tonic0 asks: Do you know what the procedure is now with children born in the same situation? (Have we learnt anything?)

Tony Briffa: Regrettably, doctors still tend to surgically and hormonally reinforce the sex they assigned to the child with intersex condition.

joebob asks: Your brain chemistry has been played with a lot. Does this make you wonder if you would be a different person if you were just left alone?

Tony Briffa: No, it doesn't make me wonder but I realise all these experiences and treatments have made me a different person.

Leanne asks: Totally off subject Tony, but cool Jag. Do you do the work on it yourself because, as the ex of a mechanic, I know they spend a lot of time on blocks.

Tony Briffa: Hi Leanne, my mega-cool Jag is highly reliable and I am proud to say it hasn't spent any time on blocks in the last 12 months.

moree asks: Did you ever go through a time of depression or mental illness from it? If so, how did you overcome it?

Tony Briffa: Yes I went through periods of depression. Fortunately my family and friends, and the realisation that things weren't going to change unless I worked on them, helped me through that time.

Paul asks: Tony, do you think the best solution in most cases would be for the child to be allowed to grow up naturally and decide for themselves if they want any irreversible surgery, once they are old enough?

Tony Briffa: Absolutely.

Diana40 asks: Tony, what are your plans for the immediate future now that you are back to what you always should have been?

Tony Briffa: My plans are just to get on with life and enjoy it to the full with my family, friends and community.

gusmac asks: Tony, what an incredibly well-balanced person you are. I have so much respect and admiration for you. When you said the decision should be taken out of the doctors' hands, did you mean that currently parents don't have the autonomy to refuse surgery.

Tony Briffa: Thank you for your kind words. Parents ultimately do have the ability to refuse surgery, but not performing surgery is rarely an option doctors give them. This is because doctors believe they should remove all physical ambiguities from intersex children so they can accept the sex in which they are being raised. However if a mistake has been made it's too late.

Di asks: How are your kids dealing with the change?

Tony Briffa: The kids have treated the physical changes extremely well. They are very accepting and completely understand why I sought to reverse earlier inappropriate medical treatment.

Dj asks: I was also born with this problem and it was decided I would be a boy. Then as an eight-year-old a doctor tried to fix me more and I lost my whole penis. I'm now 25 and live without it and sometimes think life is not worth living. How do you cope with what's happened?

Tony Briffa: I'm very sorry for what's happened to you. I know it's difficult living in our situation but life has to go on. I am fortunate in that I have very supportive family and friends and I've worked hard to have a good career and be independent. You need to try and work through the same things, please contact me at the AIS Support Group if you would like to talk offline.

antman asks: Tony I am trying to understand what makes someone have ambiguous genitals. Can you please explain it. Surely I can't be the only one who is confused by this?

Tony Briffa: If a foetus has 46 XY chromosomes (the typical male pattern), they will have testes and the hormones the testes produce will make the genitals develop as a male. If the foetus cannot respond fully to those hormones, the genitals will not form completely and will be ambiguous. If the foetus has no response to those hormones at all, the genitals will then appear female.

Barb asks: Tony, I am currently studying gender studies at uni and have found that there is little supported documentation regarding such issues. Do you agree public education would go a long way to changing doctors' views?

Tony Briffa: I think it would help but I don't think it would go a long way. I fear that doctors will require legal action and/or legislative change to change their ways.

missyflea asks: As a teacher, I have come across this once. The boy in question was teased horrifically and I had no idea how to help him. Is there anything your teachers did or could have done to help you?

Tony Briffa: Yes there is. My teachers were fantastic but I was never comfortable in telling them about my condition. Teachers would be able to help kids in my situation a lot, if students weren't required to get changed in front of each other and were afforded privacy in change rooms at sport and camp. I dreaded all of these situations.

Karen asks: Tony, I was moved to hear of your brave journey. Congratulations on following your dream to release your true identity. You are an inspiration to all!

Tony Briffa: Thank you Karen.

dede asks: Do you have an address where you can be contacted at the AIS or a number?

Tony Briffa: The AIS Support Group details are on the 60 Minutes website, or as below.
My e-mail address is aissg@iprimus.com.au
The phone number for AISSG is (03) 9315-8809
http://home.vicnet.net.au/~aissg/
Any of those will find me.

Interviewer: Unfortunately Tony, we are out of time, do you have any last words for those that have joined us tonight?

Tony Briffa: Thank you for joining us and please visit the AIS Support Group website and thank you to 60 Minutes for covering this story.

Interviewer: Once again thank you and goodnight.
This concludes our live chat with Tony Briffa, September 4, 2005.
Produced by ninemsn.com.au in Sydney, Australia
2005 ninemsn.com.au

Reporter: Tara Brown
Producers: Lincoln Howes, Candice Talberg