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Alicia Roth Weigel

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Alicia Roth Weigel
Human Rights Commissioner of Austin, Texas
Personal details
BornAustin, Texas, US
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materCornell University (BA)
OccupationActivist, writer

Alicia Roth Weigel is an American writer, political activist, and intersex advocate. She serves as a Human Rights Commissioner for Austin, Texas and is the founder of the firm Intrepida Strategy. Weigel, who is intersex, was profiled alongside River Gallo and Sean Saifa Wall in the 2023 documentary film Every Body. She released her memoir, Inverse Cowgirl, in 2023.

Early life and education

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Weigel was named after Hurricane Alicia,[1] which hit Texas in 1983, but born in Philadelphia, PA in 1990. When her mother was pregnant with her, she was in a small car accident.[1] Her mother was taken to the hospital where an amniocentesis was performed to ensure the pregnancy had not been terminated.[1] The test revealed that Weigel had XY chromosomes, and so her parents expected to have a baby boy.[1] They had planned to name her Charles, after her father and grandfather, until Weigel's mother gave birth, revealing that Weigel was born with female genitalia.[2]

Doctors determined that Weigel was born with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome, possessing XY chromosomes, a clitoris, and internal testes, and without a uterus or ovaries.[1][3] Weigel was raised as female and a gonadectomy was performed to remove her testes.[1][4]

Weigel graduated from the Shipley School in 2008.[5] She went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Development Economics and Latin American Studies from Cornell University.[5]

Career

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Political and LGBTQIA activism

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Since 2017, Weigel has often advocated for legislative change at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, starting with her role as a director for Deeds Not Words—a non-profit organization focused on gender equality.[1] The organization's founder, Democratic politician Wendy Davis, was her personal mentor and recruited Weigel to work for Deeds Not Words in 2016.[1] Weigel was the campaign manager for Danielle Skidmore's City Council race, the first openly transgender person to run for public office in Texas.[6] She also served as Secretary of Secretary of Austin Young Democrats.[6]

Weigel campaigned against Bill 6, a bathroom bill, in the Texas State Senate.[1] After consulting Davis and Skidmore, Weigel decided to come out as intersex before the Texas State Legislature while speaking against the proposed legislation.[1][7]

Since coming out, Weigel has worked as an advocate and activist for intersex rights.[3][8] She was one of three intersex people featured in Julie Cohen's 2023 documentary Every Body.[9] She speaks out against surgical procedures performed on intersex children without their consent.[10][11]

Weigel also worked as a partner for the Pride Fund, which invests money in LGBTQIA-led companies.[12] She currently serves as a Human Rights Commissioner of Austin, and has collaborated with lawmakers to reduce sexual assault, and human trafficking through legislation and also introduced legislation that funds reproductive rights and mandates paid sick leave.[12] Weigel is also a speaker represented by the Collective Speakers bureau and founded the firm Intrepida Strategy.[13][14] In 2023, Weigel partnered with Texas Health Action to launch the nation's first ever intersex care offering for adult patients through their Kind Clinics.[14]

In 2019, she was awarded the Ceci Gratias Guardian Award by the Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce.[12]

Writing

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Weigel has written for The New York Times, Time Magazine, The Austin Chronicle, Austin Woman and has been featured in the Daily Mail, NPR's Fresh Air and Forbes.[12][15]

In 2023, Weigel published her memoir, Inverse Cowgirl.[16]

Personal life

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Weigel lives in Austin, Texas.[15] She is Jewish and studies Kabbalah.[17]

She was diagnosed with osteoperosis.[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "I Came Out as Intersex in Front of the Texas Legislature". POLITICO. September 15, 2023.
  2. ^ "Intersex Rights Activist Alicia Weigel on New Her Book "Inverse Cowgirl" - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com.
  3. ^ a b "For the intersex community, 'Every Body' exists on a spectrum". NPR. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  4. ^ "Movie Review: What does it mean to be intersex? 'Every Body' sheds light on little-known subject". AP News. June 28, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "2023 Young Alumni Award Presented to Alicia Roth Weigel '08". The Shipley School. March 6, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Alicia Roth Weigel '08: Advancing the LGBTQIA+ Movement". The Shipley School. 2019-09-16. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  7. ^ "'Every body' documentary highlights life of intersex Austin resident". Austin American-Statesman.
  8. ^ Shulman, Randy (July 22, 2023). "Intersex Activist Alicia Roth Weigel is Fighting for the 'I'". Metro Weekly.
  9. ^ "Alicia Roth Weigel on new documentary about intersex community". Washington Post. 2023-08-11. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  10. ^ a b Williams, Mary Elizabeth (September 26, 2023). ""Intersex is a beautiful thing": Despite having surgery forced upon her, this activist found healing". Salon.
  11. ^ "For the intersex community, 'Every Body' exists on a spectrum". www.wbur.org. 5 July 2023.
  12. ^ a b c d "Alicia Roth Weigel".
  13. ^ "Home | Intrepida Strategy LLC". Intrepida Strategy L.
  14. ^ a b "The Kind Clinic in Austin expands to provide intersex-specific health care". Austin American Statesman. August 28, 2023.
  15. ^ a b "Alicia Weigel – HarperCollins".
  16. ^ Moreno-Paz, Bianca. "'In vulnerability there is power': Alicia Roth Weigel discusses being intersex in Texas". Austin American-Statesman.
  17. ^ Watkins, Josh (2018-10-26). "'I' Will Not Be Erased: Activist Alicia Roth Weigel Gets Intersexy in the Lone Star State". Spectrum South - The Voice of the Queer South. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
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