Alicia Roth Weigel is an American writer, political activist, and

intersex Intersex people are those born with any of several sex characteristics, including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical binar ...

advocate. She served as a Human Rights Commissioner for Austin, Texas and is the founder of the fir
Intrepida Strategy
Weigel, who is intersex, was profiled alongside River Gallo and Sean Saifa Wall in the 2023 documentary film ''

Every Body ''Every Body'' is a 2023 American documentary film directed by and produced by NBC News Studios. It features Sean Saifa Wall, Alicia Roth Weigel and River Gallo. The film premiered at the Tribeca Festival on June 11, 2023, and was released ...

''. She released her memoir,
Inverse Cowgirl
', in 2023.

Early life and education

Weigel was named after

Hurricane Alicia Hurricane Alicia was a small but powerful tropical cyclone that caused significant destruction in the Greater Houston area of Southeast Texas in August 1983. Although Alicia was a relatively small hurricane, its track over the rapidly grow ...

, 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. Her mother was taken to the hospital where an

amniocentesis Amniocentesis is a medical procedure used primarily in the prenatal diagnosis of genetic conditions. It has other uses such as in the assessment of infection and fetal lung maturity. Prenatal diagnostic testing, which includes amniocentesis, is ...

was performed to ensure the pregnancy had not been terminated. The test revealed that Weigel had XY chromosomes, and so her parents expected to have a baby boy. 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. Doctors determined that Weigel was born with

complete androgen insensitivity syndrome Complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS) is an AIS condition that results in the complete inability of the cell to respond to androgens. As such, the insensitivity to androgens is only clinically significant when it occurs in individual ...

, possessing XY chromosomes, a clitoris, and internal testes, and without a uterus or ovaries. Weigel was raised as female and a

gonadectomy Gonadectomy, the removal of the gonads, may refer to: * Orchiectomy, removal of the testicles * Castration, removal of the use of the testicles, including by chemical means * Oophorectomy Oophorectomy (; from Greek , , 'egg-bearing' and , , 'a ...

was performed to remove her testes. Weigel graduated from the

Shipley School The Shipley School is an independent pre-K12 college preparatory school in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States, approximately 10 miles west-northwest of Philadelphia. History Hannah Shipley, Elizabeth Shipley, and Katharine Shipley, all siste ...

in 2008. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Development Economics and Latin American Studies from

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

Career

Political and LGBTQIA activism

Since 2017, Weigel has often advocated for legislative change at the

Texas State Capitol The Texas State Capitol is the capitol and seat of government of the U.S. state of Texas. Located in downtown Austin, Texas, the structure houses the offices and chambers of the Texas Legislature and of the Governor of Texas. Designed in 188 ...

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

, starting with her role as a director for Deeds Not Words—a non-profit organization focused on

gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality, gender egalitarianism, or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making, an ...

. The organization's founder, Democratic politician Wendy Davis, was her personal mentor and recruited Weigel to work for Deeds Not Words in 2016. Weigel was the campaign manager for Danielle Skidmore's City Council race, the first openly transgender person to run for public office in Texas. She also served as Secretary of Secretary of Austin Young Democrats. Weigel campaigned against Bill 6, a

bathroom bill A bathroom bill is the common name for legislation or a statute that denies access to public toilets by gender or transgender identity. Bathroom bills affect access to sex-segregated public facilities for an individual based on a determination o ...

, in the

Texas State Senate The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature, with the Texas House of Representatives functioning as the lower house. Together, they form the state legislature of the state of Texas. The Senate is made up of 31 members, where eac ...

. After consulting Davis and Skidmore, Weigel decided to

come out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBTQ people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. This is often framed and debated as a privacy issue, ...

before the

Texas State Legislature The Texas State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a po ...

while speaking against the proposed legislation. Since coming out, Weigel has worked as an advocate and activist for

intersex rights Intersex people are born with sex characteristics, such as chromosomes, gonads, or genitals, that, according to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical binary notions of male or female bodies." Intersex pers ...

. She was one of three intersex people featured in 's 2023 documentary ''

''. She speaks out against surgical procedures performed on intersex children without their consent. Weigel also worked as a partner for the Pride Fund, which invests money in LGBTQIA-led companies. She served as a Human Rights Commissioner of Austin, and 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. Weigel is also a speaker represented by th
Collective Speakers
bureau and founded the fir
Intrepida Strategy
In 2023, Weigel partnered with Texas Health Action to launch the nation's first eve
intersex care
offering for adult patients through their Kind Clinics. In 2019, she was awarded the Ceci Gratias Guardian Award by the Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce.

Writing

Weigel has written for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''
''Time Magazine''
''

The Austin Chronicle ''The Austin Chronicle'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demogra ...

'', '' Austin Woman and has been featured in the'' ''

Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily Middle-market newspaper, middle-market Tabloid journalism, tabloid conservative newspaper founded in 1896 and published in London. , it has the List of newspapers in the United Kingdom by circulation, h ...

''
NPR's Fresh Air
and ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

''. In 2023, Weigel published her memoir, ''Inverse Cowgirl''.

Personal life

Weigel lives in Austin, Texas. She is

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

and studies

Kabbalah Kabbalah or Qabalah ( ; , ; ) is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. It forms the foundation of Mysticism, mystical religious interpretations within Judaism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ...

. She was diagnosed with

osteoperosis Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disorder characterized by low bone mass, micro-architectural deterioration of bone tissue leading to more porous bone, and consequent increase in fracture risk. It is the most common reason for a broken bon ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weigel, Alicia Roth Living people Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American memoirists American campaign managers American LGBTQ rights activists American women memoirists Cornell University alumni Jewish American activists Jewish American non-fiction writers Intersex rights activists American intersex women American intersex writers LGBTQ Jews LGBTQ memoirists LGBTQ people from Texas Memoirists from Texas Texas Democrats Women in Texas politics