Meet Sabreena: Born Different. Living Free

What makes you a Beautiful Disaster?

I am a Beautiful Disaster because of the fires I have walked through in my life—the battles I have fought to be who I am.

Why do you identify with the Beautiful Disaster brand?

Because the brand, with its slogans, speaks to my heart. It speaks to who I am and the daily fight I face in this ever-increasing political climate.

Tell us your Beautiful Disaster story:

I was born in 1966, a time when science and medicine understood very little about biology and gender variance. This was long before the internet, and even less was known about being Intersex—then called “hermaphrodite,” a term that originated from the Greek deity Hermaphroditus, who was born with both male and female genitalia.

I was one of those souls—born with both. At that time, it was common practice to surgically close the labia and raise the child as male. That’s what was done to me.

As a result, I spent my life dealing with physical, psychological, and emotional trauma—never understanding why I felt the way I did. At puberty, I began developing severe cramping. My parents tried to convince me it was appendicitis, despite the pain coming from both sides of my lower abdomen.

Years later, I spent 14 years in the military, trying to be the “man” I was expected to be. I married. We lost a child during pregnancy. After 13 years, we separated—and I began living as my true female self.

In 2001, during a surgical consult, the doctor asked if I had ever had surgery on my groin. I told him no. After an ultrasound and MRI, it was discovered that I had a deformed uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries. My vagina had been sewn shut at birth.

When I confronted my parents, it did not go well. They denied it. We had a painful split and spent years not speaking. But in 2015, I returned home for my 30-year high school reunion—and my dad finally came clean. He admitted he always knew I was his daughter. They had made a decision they thought was best based on the medical advice of the time.

I do not blame them. And today, we have never been closer.

I suffered for many years. I survived multiple suicide attempts. But despite everything—I came out the other side stronger, and better for it.

What happened for you to turn it around?

After discovering my physical condition, I felt free. All the confusion and emotional turmoil disappeared.

Even through the estrangement with my parents, I never burned the bridge. I held out hope. I stayed strong. I believed that time could heal the divide. And it did.

I gave them the space to come to terms with how their “son” had always been their daughter—and that they didn’t need to carry guilt for the decision they made with the best intentions.

Name 3 things you’ve done to move closer to happiness:

1. I have let go of my anger about the past.

2. I have learned to love myself through every struggle I’ve endured.

3. I’ve made a conscious effort to be a light in a dark world—for others like me who have silently suffered through this physical reality.

What is your favorite Beautiful Disaster collection, past or present, and why?

My absolute favorite is the “Hating Me Won’t Make You Pretty” gear.

There is so much hate spewed—not just at the LGBTQI community, but especially at the Transgender community. Even though I’m Intersex, there was a point when I believed I was transgender—and in some ways, I still do, even after learning I was Intersex.

I wear this collection as a message to the bigots of the world:
Their hate is a reflection of their own self-loathing. They are terrified to admit they see parts of themselves in us. They can hate all they want—but it’s that hate that makes them emotionally ugly.

Until they embrace what they fear in themselves... they will never be pretty.