I think that all of my life I’ve had problems with speaking out of turn, butting into other people’s conversations, taking things out of context. Making inappropriate and sometimes hurtful comments, not intentionally, but still.

I now understand those traits were partly a result of my being 47xxy, but the people that were affected by my apparent lack of manners did not share that insight, and sometimes how they reacted could be really hurtful. It’s a hurt that never leaves my mind.

Back in ’93, I went on a hunting trip with my older brother and some of his friends. Although I had been on an earlier trip with most of these guys, one of them was new. He was probably, at the time, my brother’s best friend. At the end of our first day out this person said to me “you are right off the wall. If I didn’t know your brother so well, I would have killed you by now.” The hurt that I felt then which has continued to this day is beyond words. I didn’t know what he was talking about and I still don’t. And although I was aware of my being XXY at that time, I didn’t relate my actions to that. Even after twenty-seven years, that hurt still lingers.

~ Erin ~

When our community talks about pain, we mainly talk about physical pain we have experienced in our lifetime, but rarely if ever, do we mention emotional pain, which can be equally as debilitating.

If you are XXY and have experienced emotional distress from a sibling, a friend, colleague or anyone else you can think of, we invite you to share that experience with us and together, we can work at lightening the load.