GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Jackie Green's road to taking the Mrs. America 2022 title was anything but traditional.
"I did pageants since I was 12," she said. "I'm 37 to put it into perspective. I honestly never win. Ever. I didn't even win Michigan. One of my closest friends had some health scares and couldn't go to Nationals.”
The unexpected opportunity opened up, and she wasn't about to let it disappear.
"I went in with this feeling of let's just have fun, meet some new people, spread awareness about my platform, and see what happens," she said.
Green not only competed in Nationals, but won the entire competition in November 2021.
Her platform? Raise awareness for the intersex community, of which she is a member.
"Being intersex means to have sex characteristics that don't necessarily match up to what we know as male or female. For me, I have what's called complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS). It basically means I'm externally female, but I have XY chromosomes, which we typically see in males. Because I have, for lack of a better word, almost like an allergy to testosterone, my body developed female. But I don't have the internal reproductive system that a typical female would have, which puts me under that umbrella intersex."
Green said doctors discovered she had this condition when she was around 15 years old.
"It was something that I was very ashamed of and very embarrassed of, for a very long time," she said.
Green ended up having an operation to address her condition, but she said that doesn't necessarily need to be the solution.
“A lot of people with an intersex condition are forced into a operation or surgery that will forever change your body," she said. "It will forever change your hormones and how your body functions. We don't get a lot of say in that because it is new to a lot of doctors. The first decision is, well, that doesn't fit in this box or that box, let's fix it. But you don't necessarily always need to fix it when you could just monitor it. Then when someone hits adulthood, let them make the decision for themselves.”
Green has been speaking on this topic for years, and wants to continue the conversation ahead of Intersex Awareness Day on October 26th.
"It's not just how we talk to people with an intersex condition, it's how we talk to people who don't have one," Green said. "The reality is we're going to school, and our kids are going to school, and they're learning in health class how our bodies operate. They're not learning that everybody operates a little different. That's even true for someone without an intersex condition."
She also had a message for others in the intersex community.
"I want them to keep in mind that if you decide it's right for you to talk about this, to know you're not alone," she said. "There are people in the community here, and online, and nationally, in support groups. They're there for you. There are good doctors out there that care about you. They're right here in West Michigan."
