Intersexion

Marla Taviano is the author of Unbelieve. Jaded, and an upcoming third and final poetry collection named publicly for the first time in this special edition episode! Marla's poems are journeys through book-inspired thoughts and real-life observations of evangelical Christianity, crafted into bite sized narrative poems that often made me suck air in a gasp of recognition or horror, or, more commonly, both. She's also the creator behind @whitegirllearning, an instagram account devoted to elevating books by authors of color. Marla's personal instagram account @marlataviano is absurdly fun to follow--she pulls people into her world and treats them all as friends. Join me in getting to know my fellow sister-author and friend!

CW: suicidal ideation Laura Beth Buchleiter is a self-described Intersex, transgender, lesbian, Christian, Baptist Minister. But her story upends just about every possible assumption or judgement that often comes along with those adjectives. Laura Beth was a husband, father, and minister who spent 20 years living with physical pain from an undiagnosed source and mental anguish from body dysmorphia. Prayer, Biblical manhood courses, and Christian therapy didn't help. "I was slowly dying," she says. Her story almost ended in suicide, but she found herself in the ER instead. That night began Laura Beth's journey of finding answers. And as she began to understand her body, peace of mind followed. Please join me for this conversation about the five biological systems that determine gender, Christian mysticism, and other life-giving topics. http://laura-bethany.com/

Our guest on this episode is Marian Edmonds-Allen, the Executive Director of Parity NYC. Parity is a faith-based organization headquartered in NYC that builds bridges across the LGBTQ+ and faith divide. Parity partners with diverse faith communities to foster understanding between traditionally rejecting faiths and LGBTQ+ people and their families. They create connections between the sacred and the secular by partnering with non-religious community-based organizations. Marian's work is focused on suicide prevention and homelessness in the LGBTQI+ youth population. She was instrumental in turning indifferent legislators into fierce advocates who ultimately fought for the new 988 national suicide prevention hotline, and insuring that the was equipped to handle the needs of the LGBTQI+ community, who are more than four times more likely to contemplate suicide than their heterosexual peers. Mentioned in the episode: Learn more about Marian and her work at Parity: https://parity.nyc/ The Salt Lake Tribune's story about Marian's interaction with Laura, the legislator turned advocate: https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/commentary/2021/11/24/marian-edmonds-allen/ The 988 crisis Line: https://www.samhsa.gov/resource/dbhis/988-suicide-crisis-lifeline?gclid=Cj0KCQjw1rqkBhCTARIsAAHz7K02LGHGOj3iCfblIuD3E6wPn0BJ3VL1LnlLw_DxePuX-OAxqGO6SIIaAqHdEALw_wcB

Jennifer Pickens is an audio book narrator whose smooth, confident delivery brings stories from major publishers like MacMillan and Penguin to life. In this episode, Jennifer tells HER story of learning, as a 15 year-old Christian teen that she has XY--Male--chromosomes. Mentioned in this episode: Encountering God: A Spiritual Journey from Bozeman to Banaras Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome learn more about intersex

Flamy Grant doesn't care if Christian music is ready for drag--she's here to "move you, soothe you, help you heal some trauma and always leave you laughing." In this episode, Cynthia and Flamy discuss Flamy's pandemic origin story, faith and deconstruction, and their mutual respect for Christian music icon Amy Grant. Mentioned in the episode: Derek Webb Amy Grant Semler "What Did You Drag Me Into" churchclarity.org Jennifer Pickens Curtis Michael Holland

Today's guest is Virginia Palencia, a colleague and a very dear friend. We both teach at Christopher Newport University as adjuncts– a career that can honestly be a little lonely. Adjuncts are the itinerant workers of academia and it's a job that make building community difficult. In this episode, we talk about how we took seeds of friendship that were always there and built them into something more substantial– a community. We banded together with another colleague and created the sisters of Perpetual Disorder– a group that is part support, part advice and part drinking club.  Intersexion: A Story of Faith, Identity, and Authenticity A deeply human story about choosing between social acceptance or health, fear or authentic friendship. What happens when a teenage girl hits puberty, drops a testicle, grows a penis, develops breasts, gets a period and tells no one? What if years later this person finally confides in an insecure ally who has her own secret: a life-changing promotion with a catch—her signature on a document labeling sexual minorities as “repugnant” and “offensive”? Intersexion is a life-giving true story that plays out at the tense and tenuous intersection of identity and religion. Cynthia, an adjunct professor with a trunk full of ungraded papers and snack wrappers, has been an LGBTQIA+ ally for years—in convenient ways. She enjoys the company of her queer friends—but her support isn’t risky; it hasn’t cost her anything. Until she meets Dani. The youngest child in a conservative evangelical family, Dani knows that playing the role of dutiful daughter is safer than jeopardizing faith and family with a norm-defying body that seems an affront to both. Born visibly female, yet desperate to be seen as the boy he truly is, Dani relies on prayer and magical thinking, until his life depends on one thing: the truth. A middle ground was no longer an option for either of them. Told in both Dani’s and Cynthia’s voices, Intersexion is a harrowing, hopeful exploration of the cost of coming out—as an intersex minority, ally of a minority, or asker of difficult questions—and what it means to come into one’s own. It’s a book for anyone craving a more authentic life, and a story about the intersections we find ourselves in by no choice of our own. To contact Cynthia Davis: cynthiavaccadavis.com For more information or to read an excerpt from Intersexion: https://lakedrivebooks.com/intersexion/ Available through Amazon: click here

This episode is about allyship, and how true support of marginalized communities is never without cost. Our guest, Mary Nichols, is a former minister who was defrocked for her support of the LGBTQIA community—which includes her husband and her son.  Cynthia met Mary through Twitter in the summer of 2021 when she was going through arduous interviews with the credentials board of her church who’d decided—despite the fact that Mary’s family was always upfront about their unique situation—that Mary was no longer fit to serve her church community. Here’s the story of how a self-proclaimed good church girl ended up on the dangerous side of the most divisive issue in Christianity and the exorbitant cost she paid for loving the people who mattered most. Intersexion: A Story of Faith, Identity, and Authenticity A deeply human story about choosing between social acceptance or health, fear or authentic friendship. What happens when a teenage girl hits puberty, drops a testicle, grows a penis, develops breasts, gets a period and tells no one? What if years later this person finally confides in an insecure ally who has her own secret: a life-changing promotion with a catch—her signature on a document labeling sexual minorities as “repugnant” and “offensive”? Intersexion is a life-giving true story that plays out at the tense and tenuous intersection of identity and religion. Cynthia, an adjunct professor with a trunk full of ungraded papers and snack wrappers, has been an LGBTQIA+ ally for years—in convenient ways. She enjoys the company of her queer friends—but her support isn’t risky; it hasn’t cost her anything. Until she meets Dani. The youngest child in a conservative evangelical family, Dani knows that playing the role of dutiful daughter is safer than jeopardizing faith and family with a norm-defying body that seems an affront to both. Born visibly female, yet desperate to be seen as the boy he truly is, Dani relies on prayer and magical thinking, until his life depends on one thing: the truth. A middle ground was no longer an option for either of them. Told in both Dani’s and Cynthia’s voices, Intersexion is a harrowing, hopeful exploration of the cost of coming out—as an intersex minority, ally of a minority, or asker of difficult questions—and what it means to come into one’s own. It’s a book for anyone craving a more authentic life, and a story about the intersections we find ourselves in by no choice of our own. To contact Cynthia Davis: cynthiavaccadavis.com For more information or to read an excerpt from Intersexion: https://lakedrivebooks.com/intersexion/ Available through Amazon: click here

This episode is about authenticity and religious abuse. Our guest, licensed counselor Tracy Milstead, LPC, talks about the psychological consequences of suppressing aspects of your identity in order to remain in good standing in a religious community. Tracy has experienced religious trauma first hand and now uses her background to help her clients—many of whom are also dealing with church trauma. This episode tells the story of how Tracy and Cynthia became friends at the very first church where they felt safe to ask questions, share doubts, and engage in honest discussions. It’s also the story of how that all fell apart and what happened in the aftermath. Join us as we explore what it means to come out of a prescriptive environment and step into authentic life in your own skin. Intersexion: A Story of Faith, Identity, and Authenticity A deeply human story about choosing between social acceptance or health, fear or authentic friendship. What happens when a teenage girl hits puberty, drops a testicle, grows a penis, develops breasts, gets a period and tells no one? What if years later this person finally confides in an insecure ally who has her own secret: a life-changing promotion with a catch—her signature on a document labeling sexual minorities as “repugnant” and “offensive”? Intersexion is a life-giving true story that plays out at the tense and tenuous intersection of identity and religion. Cynthia, an adjunct professor with a trunk full of ungraded papers and snack wrappers, has been an LGBTQIA+ ally for years—in convenient ways. She enjoys the company of her queer friends—but her support isn’t risky; it hasn’t cost her anything. Until she meets Dani. The youngest child in a conservative evangelical family, Dani knows that playing the role of dutiful daughter is safer than jeopardizing faith and family with a norm-defying body that seems an affront to both. Born visibly female, yet desperate to be seen as the boy he truly is, Dani relies on prayer and magical thinking, until his life depends on one thing: the truth. A middle ground was no longer an option for either of them. Told in both Dani’s and Cynthia’s voices, Intersexion is a harrowing, hopeful exploration of the cost of coming out—as an intersex minority, ally of a minority, or asker of difficult questions—and what it means to come into one’s own. It’s a book for anyone craving a more authentic life, and a story about the intersections we find ourselves in by no choice of our own. To contact Cynthia Davis: cynthiavaccadavis.com For more information or to read an excerpt from Intersexion: https://lakedrivebooks.com/intersexion/ Available through Amazon: click here

Welcome to the Intersexion podcast, a limited edition series of conversations to coincide with the the release of Intersexion, a Story of Faith, Identity, and Authenticity, a dual-narrative memoir by Cynthia Vacca Davis. In this episode, Cynthia and Danny--the book's two narrators--chat about their friendship and how the book came came to be. Intersexion: A Story of Faith, Identity, and Authenticity A deeply human story about choosing between social acceptance or health, fear or authentic friendship. What happens when a teenage girl hits puberty, drops a testicle, grows a penis, develops breasts, gets a period and tells no one? What if years later this person finally confides in an insecure ally who has her own secret: a life-changing promotion with a catch—her signature on a document labeling sexual minorities as “repugnant” and “offensive”? Intersexion is a life-giving true story that plays out at the tense and tenuous intersection of identity and religion. Cynthia, an adjunct professor with a trunk full of ungraded papers and snack wrappers, has been an LGBTQIA+ ally for years—in convenient ways. She enjoys the company of her queer friends—but her support isn’t risky; it hasn’t cost her anything. Until she meets Dani. The youngest child in a conservative evangelical family, Dani knows that playing the role of dutiful daughter is safer than jeopardizing faith and family with a norm-defying body that seems an affront to both. Born visibly female, yet desperate to be seen as the boy he truly is, Dani relies on prayer and magical thinking, until his life depends on one thing: the truth. A middle ground was no longer an option for either of them. Told in both Dani’s and Cynthia’s voices, Intersexion is a harrowing, hopeful exploration of the cost of coming out—as an intersex minority, ally of a minority, or asker of difficult questions—and what it means to come into one’s own. It’s a book for anyone craving a more authentic life, and a story about the intersections we find ourselves in by no choice of our own. To contact Cynthia Davis: cynthiavaccadavis.com For more information or to read an excerpt from Intersexion: https://lakedrivebooks.com/intersexion/ Available through Amazon: click here