An Australian farmer who was born with both male and female genitalia has shared an interesting theory about what may have caused his rare biological traits.
Rob Wilson, a 66-year-old poultry breeder from Australia, has spent decades crafting chicken breeds recognized around the world. But behind his success in the farming world lies a personal story.
Wilson was born intersex, a term used to describe individuals whose reproductive anatomy or chromosomes don’t fit typical definitions of male or female. In his case, he was born with both male and female genitalia.
Just three days after birth, doctors made a swift decision. “The doctors decided, because I peed out of a penis, that I’d be made a boy,” Rob recalled, per ABC. “They just sewed up my vagina, leaving me with six stitches.”
Rob Wilson was born with both male and female genitalia. Credit: ABC Australia
Intersex people make up an estimated 1.7% of the global population. Despite this, many grow up without understanding their own biology, often facing unnecessary surgeries and hormone treatments early in life to fit into rigid gender norms.
Wilson's story is no exception.
Early Life and Isolation
The farmer's mother, a devout Catholic, struggled to accept him. “I don’t know how you’re my child, how God would give me a child like that,” he remembered her saying.
From the age of eight, Wilson was prescribed daily testosterone tablets, and underwent multiple medical interventions that left him with lifelong health issues.
At school, he was ridiculed by a Christian Brother, an experience that deepened his sense of isolation.
His own siblings noticed something was different. “You’re half like me and half like our sister,” one of his brothers once remarked.
Finding Solace in Chickens
At age six, Wilson's uncle gave him a pair of partridge bantams, sparking what would become a lifelong passion for poultry breeding.
“I think that was one of the genetic fascinations for me, that has become my life’s work,” he said.
Over the years, he developed 36 recognized color varieties of American Wyandotte chickens, up from just five in Australia when he started.
Some of his chickens now sell for thousands of dollars, with buyers traveling from as far as Belgium, where he once mailed two dozen eggs.
He currently ranks as the seventh-best chicken breeder in the world, proudly boasting “more ribbons than you can poke a stick at.”
A Life-Changing Revelation in His 50s
Although Wilson always felt different, it wasn’t until his mid-50s, just before his aunt passed away, that he learned the truth.
“She rang me up and said, ‘You’d better come and see me, I’ve got some information you need,’” he recalled.
She revealed to her nephew that he had been born with 48, XXXY syndrome, a rare chromosomal condition affecting between 1 in 17,000 and 1 in 50,000 males.
It explained the unexplained pain he had lived with for years, including a sharp discomfort while working on road crews. “I realize now I was having a period,” Wilson said.
He believes that years of reabsorbed menstrual blood contributed to his abnormally high iron levels and other complications.
His Fascinating Theory
Wilson also has a personal theory about why he is intersex and it is one rooted in family history.
His father, a former German prisoner of war, once told him he had been “injected with stuff” during his captivity.
“So, whether that was something they was experimenting with or not, I don’t really know,” Wilson said.
Wilson's chickens cost thousands of dollars, with people traveling from far to buy them. Credit: ABC Australia
For the past 14 years, Wilson has traveled to Ukraine to access medical treatment not available in Australia. His regimen includes a contraceptive pill, human growth hormone, and a testosterone suppressant.
It was in Ukraine that doctors finally told him what no one in Australia ever had: that he was biologically more female than male.
Now, the farmer shares his story with universities around the world, hoping to create awareness and change for future intersex children.
“Because I hope the next poor bugger like me gets a better run than I did,” he said. “And unless the likes of me get it out there, it’s going to keep happening.”
He also credits his strength and work ethic to his father, sharing: “Dad used to say, ‘You can do anything anyone else can do, boy, if you set your mind to it,’” he recalled.