Latest news with #Lexington
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
I was born with both male and female 'attributes'... here's the harsh reality of my dating life
A woman who was born intersex has lifted a lid on the realities of dating while having 'both male and female attributes.' Siera Arena, 27, from Lexington, Kentucky, grew up believing she was a perfectly normal girl. But at age 16, she began to notice that she was 'different' from her peers. She still hadn't started her period or gone through puberty, and she began to develop 'symptoms of menopause.' 'I wasn't getting any of the hormones I needed. I would get hot flashes and mood swings a lot, which was strange for a young teenager to experience,' she recalled exclusively to the Daily Mail. 'I also would get frequent headaches which I've since learned were likely hormone related as well.' She brought it up during a checkup with her doctor, who ran a series of tests and discovered that her uterus and ovaries hadn't developed correctly. Eventually, she was told she was intersex, which is when someone has 'physical sex characteristics, including sexual anatomy, reproductive organs, or chromosomes, that don't fit typical definitions of male or female.' A woman who was born intersex has lifted a lid on the realities of dating while having 'both male and female attributes' Siera Arena, 27, from Lexington, Kentucky , grew up believing she was a perfectly normal girl. But at age 16, she began to notice that she was 'different' from her peers She still hadn't started her period or gone through puberty, and she began to develop 'symptoms of menopause.' She's seen as a kid 'Being intersex basically means that you don't fall on the binary for biological sex and can have both male and female attributes or characteristics,' she explained. 'In my case, I was born externally female, but I have XY chromosomes and instead of developing ovaries or testes, I had what are called streak (sterile) gonads, which don't produce the typical sex hormones needed to reach sexual maturity. 'It was a pretty jarring realization to have. You grow up planning your life around these societal norms and so when you find out that you're different and it will impact how you have relationships or start a family it can really reshape how you see everything and your future as a young person.' When it comes to finding love, Siera said she doesn't usually bring up the fact that she's intersex 'until the topic of having kids comes up.' 'I can't conceive naturally and that's definitely something I like to be open about when having these types of conversations while dating,' she explained. Siera admitted that she used to get really nervous about how she would tell her significant other, but now, she's realized it's not that 'big of a deal.' 'When I was still dating men it was something that I thought about a lot more, but now that I date women, it's really not as big of a deal as it used to feel for me when I was younger,' she added. Siera is extremely open about her journey online, but she's unfortunately been subjected to a slew of cruel comments. She brought it up during a checkup with her doctor, who ran a series of tests and discovered her uterus and ovaries hadn't developed correctly. Eventually, she was told she was intersex 'Being intersex basically means that you don't fall on the binary for biological sex and can have both male and female attributes or characteristics,' she explained 'There are definitely some haters in the comments which can primarily be explained by ignorance,' she said in response to the trolls. 'Not a lot of people know what intersex is or means, so it makes sense people will try to invalidate something they don't understand. 'I know that I was born the way I am for a reason and I'm excited to see how that manifests, so I don't let hate comments bring me down.' While Siera felt ashamed by her differences at first, she has since come to love her body. 'As I've gotten older, I've continually strengthened my ability to not care what others think,' she stated. 'This has helped me a lot in building my confidence in speaking about being intersex. The more I talk about it openly with others, the easier it becomes to stand in who I am confidently. 'I find it really comforting to have a better understanding of who I am and what it means to be Intersex. When it comes to finding love, Siera said she doesn't usually bring up the fact that she's intersex 'until the topic of having kids comes up' While Siera felt ashamed by her differences at first, she has since come to love her body 'It's nice to be able to connect the dots on things that make me unique and different and knowing the words to describe my condition has helped me to foster a community with other intersex people online.' In the end, she said she hopes that others who were 'born different' feel inspired by her story. 'There is a lot of power in having this unique perspective we have on life thanks to being born differently,' she gushed. 'Talk to your friends and family about it and become more comfortable sharing your story with others, because it can make a huge difference in everyone's lives.'
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE I was born with both male and female 'attributes'... here's the harsh reality of my dating life
A woman who was born intersex has lifted a lid on the realities of dating while having 'both male and female attributes.' Siera Arena, 27, from Lexington, Kentucky, grew up believing she was a perfectly normal girl. But at age 16, she began to notice that she was 'different' from her peers. She still hadn't started her period or gone through puberty, and she began to develop 'symptoms of menopause.' 'I wasn't getting any of the hormones I needed. I would get hot flashes and mood swings a lot, which was strange for a young teenager to experience,' she recalled exclusively to the Daily Mail. 'I also would get frequent headaches which I've since learned were likely hormone related as well.' She brought it up during a checkup with her doctor, who ran a series of tests and discovered that her uterus and ovaries hadn't developed correctly. Eventually, she was told she was intersex, which is when someone has 'physical sex characteristics, including sexual anatomy, reproductive organs, or chromosomes, that don't fit typical definitions of male or female.' 'Being intersex basically means that you don't fall on the binary for biological sex and can have both male and female attributes or characteristics,' she explained. 'In my case, I was born externally female, but I have XY chromosomes and instead of developing ovaries or testes, I had what are called streak (sterile) gonads, which don't produce the typical sex hormones needed to reach sexual maturity. 'It was a pretty jarring realization to have. You grow up planning your life around these societal norms and so when you find out that you're different and it will impact how you have relationships or start a family it can really reshape how you see everything and your future as a young person.' When it comes to finding love, Siera said she doesn't usually bring up the fact that she's intersex 'until the topic of having kids comes up.' 'I can't conceive naturally and that's definitely something I like to be open about when having these types of conversations while dating,' she explained. Siera admitted that she used to get really nervous about how she would tell her significant other, but now, she's realized it's not that 'big of a deal.' 'When I was still dating men it was something that I thought about a lot more, but now that I date women, it's really not as big of a deal as it used to feel for me when I was younger,' she added. Siera is extremely open about her journey online, but she's unfortunately been subjected to a slew of cruel comments. 'Being intersex basically means that you don't fall on the binary for biological sex and can have both male and female attributes or characteristics,' she explained 'There are definitely some haters in the comments which can primarily be explained by ignorance,' she said in response to the trolls. 'Not a lot of people know what intersex is or means, so it makes sense people will try to invalidate something they don't understand. 'I know that I was born the way I am for a reason and I'm excited to see how that manifests, so I don't let hate comments bring me down.' While Siera felt ashamed by her differences at first, she has since come to love her body. 'As I've gotten older, I've continually strengthened my ability to not care what others think,' she stated. 'This has helped me a lot in building my confidence in speaking about being intersex. The more I talk about it openly with others, the easier it becomes to stand in who I am confidently. 'I find it really comforting to have a better understanding of who I am and what it means to be Intersex. 'It's nice to be able to connect the dots on things that make me unique and different and knowing the words to describe my condition has helped me to foster a community with other intersex people online.' In the end, she said she hopes that others who were 'born different' feel inspired by her story. 'There is a lot of power in having this unique perspective we have on life thanks to being born differently,' she gushed. 'Talk to your friends and family about it and become more comfortable sharing your story with others, because it can make a huge difference in everyone's lives.'
Fox News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
State rep used Biden-themed username to distribute child porn, feds say
A South Carolina state representative and co-founder of the Freedom Caucus was indicted on federal charges after allegedly using a Biden-themed account on a messaging app to share child sexual abuse material. A federal grand jury in Greenville, South Carolina, recently returned a 10-count indictment against Rep. Robert John "RJ" May III, a Republican from Lexington, for distributing child sexual abuse material, according U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of South Carolina. In April 2024, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a cyber-tip from the social messaging app Kik, flagging several videos with the username "joebidennnn69" containing child sexual abuse, according to court documents. Investigators reportedly connected the account to May's West Columbia home IP address and mobile device, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of South Carolina. Authorities found at least 10 videos depicting child sexual abuse that were shared from the account, officials said. May was allegedly arrested at his home on Wednesday, according to a report from The State. The 38-year-old faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison with a minimum of five years, a fine of $250,000, and a term of at least five years of supervised release to follow any term of imprisonment. May, a father of two young children, is assigned to the Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Committee. The S.C. Freedom Caucus, where May previously served as vice chair, called for his resignation from the House. Read the statement below (App users click here) "The South Carolina Freedom Caucus stands firmly for the rule of law and the protection of children," according to the statement. "Although formal charges have not been made public yet, all indications are that these indictments will be for child sex abuse materials. These crimes are heinous and we expect that they will be fully investigated. We pray justice is served." The group said May has not been involved in the operations of the caucus since August 2024, when he was expelled from the group. The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. All charges in the indictment are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law, authorities noted. Dayne Phillips, who is reportedly representing May, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Boston Globe
5 days ago
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Wellesley girls' tennis back on top in Division 1, an undefeated season sealed with a doubles rally
Related : After dropping the opening set, Wellesley's top pairing of sophomore Mia Chung and junior Sari Hart rallied for a 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory to clinch the deciding point in Wellesley's 3-2 win at MIT's DuPont Courts. The victory over the No. 6 Minutewomen (22-1) sealed a perfect season for the fourth-seeded Raiders (24-0), who have won 41 consecutive matches since April 2024. D1 GIRLS FINAL: Wellesley 3, Lexington 2 After dropping the first set, Wellesley's top doubles pair of Sari Hart and Mia Chung charge back to earn the deciding point in three sets. The Raiders (24-0) complete an unbeaten season and win their second straight title. — Matty Wasserman (@Matty_Wasserman) 'We needed them, and I knew they're capable of playing that way,' Miller said of his top doubles pair. 'But under pressure, with all the crowd here, with the match on the line, it's so hard to focus. And they really did a great job of focusing and staying with it through the end.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Gopen rolled, 6-1, 6-2, against Lexington senior Phoebe Jiang, and Tai capped off her unbeaten season at second singles with a 6-0, 6-1, victory over Lexington sophomore Adhiti Hariram. Advertisement The Minutewomen got on the board with a 6-0, 6-3 win from senior Kiki Reddy at third singles, and sophomore Hayden Kuo and freshman Kiley Gallagher won 6-7 (8-6), 7-5, 10-8, at second doubles, with the tiebreaker coming after the match was decided. Wellesley coach Rob Miller accepts the Division 1 trophy. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff For Chung and Hart, persevering in three sets was especially meaningful after the pair dropped their first match of the season in Thursday's semifinal win over Winchester. Advertisement 'After that loss, we knew we had to come back and step up for our team and step up for ourselves,' Hart said. 'Everyone's point plays just the same role, but knowing that our match is the one to close it out and get that guarantee, it's really special.' Wellesley's Bella Gopen eyes her own return during a win at No. 1 singles. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff Wellesley players celebrate after defeating Lexington, 3-2, for a second-straight D1 championship. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff Matty Wasserman can be reached at
New York Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
A Daunting Task for Democrats
To the Editor: In 'The Democrats' Problems Are Bigger Than You Think' (column, June 6), David Brooks challenges the Democrats to do two things: define the central problem of our time and come up with a new grand national narrative. The first is easy: The central problem of our time is the Supreme Court's 2010 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which removed longstanding campaign finance regulations. There is no way our government can become a government of the people when wealthy elites can buy representation. And the Democrats can ignore the second suggestion. No political party needs to create a new grand narrative. What it needs to do is to listen to the people and encourage and help those people voice their concerns and needs. Then the party needs to figure out how to best meet and pay for those concerns and needs. If money's role in our elections can be addressed quickly, then a centrist and realistic narrative can be forged — and it should include an equitable tax policy. We are more in need of a reform of brackets and deductions in our tax system than we are of a new grand narrative. Elizabeth BjorkmanLexington, Mass. To the Editor: I agree with the view articulated by David Brooks that nothing short of a revolution in consciousness will allow us to wrest control of our future from the MAGA movement. What we need right now is a vision of the future that doesn't involve just dismantling structures and undoing what's been done (much of which is good), but also creating new belief systems. This will involve coming to terms with the fact that capitalism has failed the world in very serious and fundamental ways, producing a planet that is being torn apart by migration caused by civil war, climate disaster, inequality and starvation. These problems cannot be rejiggered from what already exists, because the system itself no longer recognizes the needs of the vast majority of its inhabitants. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
