Tony Briffa said she has gone through "hell" after an unnecessary medical procedure led to decades of consequences.
Born with lumps in a Victorian hospital, doctors confirmed she had an intersex variation called Androgen Insensitivity - a rare condition that prevents the body from responding to the male hormones.
She had a female body, but had internal testes rather than ovaries.
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Misinformation and pressure from doctors meant Briffa spent her early years undergoing surgeries and examinations.
She had her healthy testes removed at just seven and was put on hormone therapy at 11 - which she still has to take to this day or risk bone density issues.
"Every three months, I'd basically be lying on the examination table, naked legs wide open, and having all these medical students or whatever, looking at me," she told 9news.com.au.
"None of this was because it was medically required.
"Had they not removed my testes, I would have gone through a normal feminising puberty anyway, because with Androgen Insensitivity, my body would automatically convert testosterone into estrogen."
That one surgery led to years of gender confusion, low self-esteem, body image issues and relationship problems that persisted until she was in her mid-40s.
"I wanted to be normal. I didn't want to have to be so different and have to hide who I am and what I am. I just felt like I was such a freak," she said.
"I spent some years living as a male, not very successfully, but I did.
"It affected relationships. One of the things about relationships is people - straight or gay or lesbian or whatever - all that's predicated on someone's sex, so when your sex is up in the air, that does make relationships challenging."
When Briffa was engaged to be married in 2013, she discovered her birth certificate listed her gender as "indeterminate".
Under Australia's marriage laws at the time, she could not marry her partner in Australia unless she identified as a man so the pair were forced to visit New Zealand
Despite decades of hurdles, Briffa was resilient.
Now 55, she has found self-acceptance, is happily married, and has adopted her son.
She served two terms as mayor of Hobsons Bay City Council, one as a woman and one as a man, as well as three terms as deputy mayor.
She also served in the Australian Defence Force, the Australian Federal Police and as chair or member of several LGBTQI+ and intersex organisations.
Briffa said she never believed she would have the remarkable life she has today.
"I was not sick, I wasn't deformed, I didn't have an abnormality, and I would have had a much better life had doctors in society just treated it that way," she said.
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Most states and territories behind on major reforms
Briffa's story is not a unique one. Many intersex Australians have been subjected to unnecessary and defereable surgeries at birth - before they could consent.
About 63,300 Australians, or 0.3 per cent of those aged over 16, have reported being intersex, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics' latest LGBTQI+ estimates and characteristics report in 2024.
Intersex is an umbrella term for anyone who has natural variations in their reproductive or sexual anatomy that do not exclusively fit the male or female definition.
There are at least 40 known variations that occur in an estimated two per cent of all births.
Victoria last month became the first major state to pass landmark reforms for intersex people.
The rules restrict any permanent or hard-to-reverse medical treatments that alter sex characteristics in children, only approve treatment if the person faces significant physical or psychological harm, provide clearer options and information to families and create an independent expert panel that oversees medical treatment plans.
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They do not apply to any urgent and medically necessary care.
Briffa was in the gallery of Victorian parliament when it passed the laws and became emotional just speaking about it.
"I've been working on these changes for 26 years," she said.
"I never allowed myself to think about it passing. I think about all the people, the families that I've supported over the years, including people that are not still with us, and this is for them.
"This is going to be remarkable for kids, and I hope that other jurisdictions around Australia will follow suit."
It follows similar legislation in the ACT.
The territory was the first in the country to protect intersex people from deferrable surgeries until they can consent.
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