The Hong Kong intersex campaigner who’s tearing down barriers

Small Luk was born with both male and female genitalia, but early on doctors classified her as male because she had what appeared to be a boy’s reproductive parts.

Being unable to urinate like other boys at school, Luk underwent more than 20 operations in five years. All of them failed.

The unsuccessful surgery, bullying from her peers and pressure to act as her family’s first-born male caused her to twice attempt suicide. Confused about why she was forced to continuously endure hospital treatment, Luk decided not to accept it any more.

As a teenager, she developed breasts and started to bleed when using the bathroom several days every month. She had lived for 16 years as a boy, hiding her true self.

“I learned from other men how to sit, how to speak. I think at the time, I was a good performer,” Luk said.