INVERSE COWGIRL

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.