Taylor Lianne Chandler, the alleged girlfriend of Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, revealed that she was born "intersex."
In a Facebook post dated November 14, Taylor Chandler revealed many of her secrets and gave answers regarding her relationship with Phelps. She said she was born intersex and was originally named David Roy Fitch.
The Intersex Society of North America defined intersex as "a general term used for a variety of conditions in which a person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn't seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male. For example, a person might be born appearing to be female on the outside, but having mostly male-typical anatomy on the inside. Or a person may be born with genitals that seem to be in-between the usual male and female types."
Chandler said that she already knew at a very young age that she was a girl. She was diagnosed and had testosterone blockers during her teenage years. She also changed her name to Paige Victoria Whitney, left home at 15, and got legally emancipated from her family.
"I was never a man, never lived as a man. No one can say they knew me as a man or produce a photo of me as a man. There are people that remember me as an androgynous child at times because of what was forced upon me," she also said.
Chandler also revealed that she had been arrested for extortion when she was 19. She was then jailed for nearly a month as she did not contact any of her family.
She also revealed that she was not jailed in a cell where female inmates stay, instead she stayed in a cell with three other men. She was then raped. After that, she filed a case against the state of Maine.
This resulted in better training for staff who deals with "people on different spectrums of gender," she said. She also claimed that she had been seen in many shows and tabloids after advocating for gender rights.
After that, she underwent surgery and again changed her name to Taylor Lianne Whitney.
She claimed that she had dated many celebrities but nobody knew her past. She revealed that she and Phelps met on dating app Tinder.
Her relationship with Phelps is "like a teenage love affair," she said.
"I have never felt so comfortable and accepted in every way as I did with him. I didn't tell him about my past until threat of the media exposing me forced me too," she said.
She also admitted that she was with Phelps during the night the swimmer was arrested for DUI.
"Yes, I was with Michael the night of the DUI, the story of the Uber and crying and me wanting to stay with him that night are true. A lot of the other things printed are lies."
She said that she might lose Phelps since his team wants to protect him. Losing Phelps, she said, "hurts like hell." She also said that there is a possibility that she will lose some of her friends but she has to accept everything.
"He is the first man I ever had intimacy with and felt comfortable and all woman."
She also said that she had to go through all "this scrutiny and tabloid mess" by herself since the swimmer was sent to rehab and since his team had abandoned her.
"...I never felt obligated to disclose any part of my past. The only reason this is news is because I was with Michael Phelps. I am Taylor Lianne Chandler; I have always been a female regardless of labels and personal opinions. I am not a transsexual and I have never identified with the moniker transgender, but intersex is certainly on the spectrum of gender along with them. I am telling my story to take the power away from the media and tabloids that want to hurt Michael and I."
She also addressed her former lovers saying, "To the men in my past, what you saw, whom you loved, is who I am regardless of labels that the media tries to throw on my back. I am sorry for not trusting and loving you enough to tell you upfront myself at the time."