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The harrowing but eventually uplifting story of Mani who is neither man nor woman. The life of intersex activist Mani Bruce Mitchell. Assigned male at birth (and named Bruce), at the age of one she was taken off to specialists who reassigned her as female. Renamed Margaret, the rural New Zealand community where she lived held a meeting to discuss the decision and to encourage everyone to keep the family's secret. At eight, without explanation, she was given the surgery that 'feminised' her. This documentary charts her discovery of the truth, choosing to own her sense of herself as neither male nor female, and follows her journey to Milwaukee to present a paper with fellow activist David Vandertie.

Primary Title
  • Mani's Story
Date Broadcast
  • Wednesday 8 May 2013
Start Time
  • 16 : 00
Finish Time
  • 17 : 00
Duration
  • 60:00
Channel
  • TVNZ Heartland
Broadcaster
  • Sky Network Television
Programme Description
  • The harrowing but eventually uplifting story of Mani who is neither man nor woman. The life of intersex activist Mani Bruce Mitchell. Assigned male at birth (and named Bruce), at the age of one she was taken off to specialists who reassigned her as female. Renamed Margaret, the rural New Zealand community where she lived held a meeting to discuss the decision and to encourage everyone to keep the family's secret. At eight, without explanation, she was given the surgery that 'feminised' her. This documentary charts her discovery of the truth, choosing to own her sense of herself as neither male nor female, and follows her journey to Milwaukee to present a paper with fellow activist David Vandertie.
Classification
  • PGR
Owning Collection
  • Chapman Archive
Broadcast Platform
  • Television
Languages
  • English
Captions
Live Broadcast
  • No
Rights Statement
  • Made for the University of Auckland's educational use as permitted by the Screenrights Licensing Agreement.
Subjects
  • Intersex people--New Zealand--Biography
  • Intersexuality--Treatment--New Zealand--History
  • Intersexuality--Social aspects
  • Gender identity
Genres
  • Documentary
Contributors
  • Jim Mora (Narrator)
  • Tony Mansen (Executive Producer)
  • John Keir (Writer)
  • John Keir (Producer)
  • Greenstone Pictures (Production Unit)
  • Mani Mitchell (Speaker)
Subjects
  • Intersex people--New Zealand--Biography
  • Intersexuality--Treatment--New Zealand--History
  • Intersexuality--Social aspects
  • Gender identity