Transamerica and me: writer Katherine Connella remembers coming out as intersexed to her filmmaker friend and housemate Duncan Tucker--not realizing at the time that she would inspire him to write and direct the award-winning indie hit Transamerica.

My connection with Transamerica started when my friend Duncan Tucker--who would go on to write and direct the film a decade or so later--approached me with the idea of living in the guest quarters of a home he was about to purchase. I am a hermaphrodite, or intersexed, woman--born with characteristics of both genders. I was forcibly raised as a male, but my physical makeup is predominantly female. I tried to keep this situation a secret all my life.

Most people don't really know what a hermaphrodite is or have some sort of gross misconception. At the time I found it easier to identify myself as a transsexual--the generally accepted term then--which, at least, didn't require massive explanation. So even though Duncan and I were occupying the same address, I'd never spilled the beans to him.

One night, however, it happened by accident. He and I were having a late-night debate on sexual morality, or the lack thereof, in Los Angeles. I was in a snappish mood, so I was sniping at every point he tried to make. A lot of the specifics have faded with time, but the one line I remember him using when trying to stress a fact was "I don't know, Katherine, maybe you have to have a dick to understand ..." After the eighth or ninth time hearing this, I opened my mouth and blurted, "Well, as a matter of fact, Duncan, I do have a dick--at least that's what it says on my birth certificate--and I still don't agree with you!" Well, that opened up entirely new avenues of conversation, and our debate fell by the wayside.

Duncan seemed shocked by my revelation, which didn't surprise me. It shocks everyone. We talked about it in depth over the next several days. He shortly thereafter started working on a screenplay about a transsexual. As time went by I'd glance at what he'd written or answer questions he might have.

When the first draft was completed, I read it eagerly. I thought it had great potential, but we both agreed it was pretty rough. Eventually that draft formed the genesis of Transamerica.

The character of Bree, played in the film by Felicity Huffman, is not based on me. She is a wonderfully sketched figment of Duncan's imagination. What I think I inspired was his desire to get into the mind of a transsexual--how they really think, feel, and react. What finally emerged in the finished script is fully a testament to Duncan's creativity and powers of analysis. The film and the rough draft share many parallels in plot, but the final result is worlds away from what was initially written. I've always appreciated Duncan's enormous talent, and I'm thrilled for him over how breathtaking his first feature film turned out. I know there will be many more to come.

As for the character of Bree, I'd be flattered to think that she and I have much in common, but I don't think we do. I almost wish we did. I may not be a transsexual, but I'm ecstatic at my connection with Transamerica!

Connella is the author of Sugar and Spice and Puppy Dog Tails: Growing Up Intersexed.