Born: 1953
Died: 2014
Biography:
Sally Gross (born Selwyn Gross; 22 August 1953 – 14 February 2014) was an anti-apartheid and intersex activist who had a significant impact on society as a member of the African National Congress (ANC) during the apartheid era. She was also the founder of Intersex South Africa and played a crucial role in supporting intersex activists around the world.
Gross was born on 22 August 1953 to a Jewish family and was initially classified as male, given the name Selwyn Gross. Although she was aware of her genital ambiguities from an early age, it wasn’t until 1993, at the age of 40, that she was formally diagnosed with an intersex variation. Following her diagnosis, Gross was reclassified as female, which played a significant role in shaping her identity and activism.
Throughout her life, Gross demonstrated a deep and complex spirituality. Despite being born into a Jewish family, she developed an attraction towards Catholicism and was ultimately baptized in early 1976. Her spiritual journey led her to flee South Africa in May 1977, following the advice of her colleagues in the ANC. She initially sought refuge in Botswana and later joined her parents in Israel. In 1981, Gross became a novitiate in the Dominican Order in Oxford, England, where she pursued her religious studies. She earned a master’s degree from Oxford University and served as a delegate in an ANC conference in Dakar, Senegal in 1987, headed by Thabo Mbeki.
After the South African ban on the ANC was lifted in 1990, Gross was invited to teach in South Africa by the Dominicans. However, her return was complicated by her loss of citizenship during the apartheid era and her change of sex classification. While granted a passport with a male sex descriptor in 1991, her requests for a passport with a female sex descriptor faced numerous challenges within the South African Home Affairs and Health Departments. Gross rejected the suggestion of genital disambiguation surgery and fought for the recognition of her identity without compromising her integrity.
Gross ventured into intersex activism in the early 1990s and became a founder of Intersex South Africa, which was an autonomous intersex community organization affiliated with Organisation Intersex International. Her advocacy work was instrumental in securing the first known mention of intersex in national law in 2000. Through her efforts, the term intersex was officially included in the definition of gender within South African legislation.
Beyond her activism, Gross also found solace and inspiration in various spiritual practices. She discovered a spiritual home in the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and Buddhism after her clerical status within the Dominican Order was stripped, resulting in her removal from communion with the Church. This deepened her connection with spirituality and guided her activism with compassion and wisdom.
Sally Gross’s life was marked by her courage in both the personal and public spheres. She navigated the complexities of identity, citizenship, and gender classification while advocating for intersex rights. Her contributions to society, particularly in highlighting the struggles and challenges faced by intersex individuals, have left a lasting impact on the understanding and acceptance of gender diversity.