Frameline49: The Secret of Me

Sponsored by Gilead

This year’s recipient of the Out in the Silence Award asks a daunting question. “What if everything you were told about yourself from the people you trusted was a lie?” Through the story of Jim Ambrose, who didn’t know he was born intersex until he looked into his medical history in college, The Secret of Me exposes the truth about the harms caused by a bogus and bigoted medical study that lead to the normalization of a systemic practice which forced gender designations onto thousands of intersex children.

Through his research, Jim uncovers the story of a radical experiment performed on twins during the 1960s. Shrouded in secrecy, this incorrectly reported trial began a decades-long misuse of invasive and unnecessary surgical procedures meant to force gender designations onto thousands of intersex children. Despite the devastating medical scandals it exposes, The Secret of Me — directed by Three Identical Strangers producer Grace Hughes-Hallett — never sensationalizes its participants. Instead, this exploration of consent and identity is defined by their exquisite vulnerability and righteous resilience.

Content Advisory: Themes of abuse.