From the Publisher
"At once a moving story of growing up intersex in America, and a passionate call for education and activism on behalf of the intersex community, Alicia Roth Weigel’s memoir is powerful and vital. Weigel’s voice shines with honesty, humor, courage, and hard-won wisdom. I am privileged to have been able to know her, and am so glad that this book will be in the world." — Madeline Miller, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Song of Achilles
"In a society that continually reduces intersex existence to a theory or a metaphor, Inverse Cowgirl is a powerful intervention that affirms the dignity and full humanity of intersex people. With equal measure of heart and humor, Alicia Roth Weigel takes us on a trip from the personal to the political, establishing herself as an essential voice for autonomy and democracy." — ALOK, author of Beyond the Gender Binary
"Alicia is a force of nature, indeed. Shimmering with empathy, even for those who most mistreated her, Inverse Cowgirl charts a brave new course for the world. In one book, Alicia manages to singlehandedly shatter notions of sex, gender, and politics as we know them, clearing the way for a brighter, better, and more liberated future. Slip on your cow-them boots, hop on the justice pony, and get ready for one helluva ride, because this is not a book you can afford to miss." — Jacob Tobia, bestselling author of Sissy: A Coming-of-Gender Story
"Insightful, fierce, and candid, this book is a welcome addition to the growing body of personal accounts about living as a member of one of the most marginalized, silenced, and misunderstood of sexual minorities. ... An inspiring, eye-opening memoir that will educate many readers." — Kirkus Reviews
"The must-read memoir of fall 2023." — Them
OCTOBER 2023 - AudioFile
Author Alicia Roth Weigel takes listeners through her life as an intersex person and her activism in a world that fears differences in sexuality. Born with both male and female reproductive organs, Weigel experienced life-changing surgery and procedures performed long before having the ability to consent. As an adult, she found a passion for politics and became an activist to fight for legislation to protect vulnerable populations. Weigel's powerful performance of her own audiobook allows her to share her genuine emotions while discussing some of the most challenging and transformative experiences of her life. Her charming performance aims to provide a personal look at the life of an intersex person and succeeds in being disarming, powerful, and ultimately beautiful. V.B. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2023-06-15
An intersex advocate maps a journey from the closet to committed activism.
Diagnosed with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome as an infant, Weigel underwent nonconsensual surgeries (like the removal of internal testes) well before her first birthday. By resculpting her body, doctors and her parents hoped to help the author “pass” as a woman—albeit an infertile one—later on. Instead, Weigel became haunted by feelings of dissociation from childhood on. In her first book, the author traces her journey to physical reclamation by telling the stories behind the tattoos inked on her body. Her first essay revolves around a shoulder tattoo of an orchid. Derived from the Greek word for testicle, the orchid (as a symbol) represented Weigel’s excised testes, which resulted in postmenopausal symptoms by the time she reached kindergarten and forced her into permanent reliance on hormone replacement therapy. In the essay titled “Figa,” the author explores how a closed-fist tattoo acquired on one of her many travels around the world came to represent the “struggle for safety” that female-presenting bodies like hers too often experience in a world that victimizes not only sexual minorities, but anyone who deviates from the (racist, classist, patriarchal) “norm.” Another essay reflects on how going to Austin to help former Texas Sen. Wendy Davis train the next generation of female activists led her to work on the infamous Texas “bathroom bill.” That project led Weigel to a public coming out about her intersexuality, helped her forge life-changing alliances with intersex and trans activists, and inspired her to proclaim her presence to the world with a finger tattoo that reads “I ExyST.” Insightful, fierce, and candid, this book is a welcome addition to the growing body of personal accounts about living as a member of one of the most marginalized, silenced, and misunderstood of sexual minorities.
An inspiring, eye-opening memoir that will educate many readers.
