Miss Mamelodi Sundowns opens up about being intersex

Miss Mamelodi Sundowns Sharon Rose Khumalo has opened up about being intersex, detailing what it was like growing up. The newly-crowned beauty queen said she was raised a woman who had no idea she had male sex chromosomes until she turned 21.

Signs started showing when she did not get her period during puberty, she told The Sowetan, something that she and her parents did not make into a big deal or suspect had anything to do with her being intersex.

The 25-year-old from Mamelodi, east of Pretoria, said she was devastated after a visit to the doctor revealed she did not have a uterus or ovaries. Though she has accepted herself, Khumalo told the publication that some days she looked at other women with children and thought about how she would never have one.

When she disclosed her intersex identity to the Miss Mamelodi Sundowns panel, Khumalo said they were accepting and supportive. The pageant’s project manager told the publication the club was aware that Khumalo was intersex and would stand by her.

The pageant, with took place late last month, saw Tsakane Mangwane clinch the first princess title, with Lisanne Lazarus taking second princess. Khumalo walked away with a car and R200 000.