Charis welcomes Alicia Roth Weigel in conversation with Park Cannon for a discussion of Inverse Cowgirl: A Memoir, from a celebrated activist on the forefront of fighting for intersex representation and rights—and a subject of the forthcoming documentary Every Body, from the filmmakers behind RBG—a funny, thought-provoking collection of essays about owning your identity and living your truth. This event is co-sponsored by the Gay Johnson McDougall Center for Global Diversity and Inclusion. Part of the Division of Equity and Inclusion at Agnes Scott College, the Gay Johnson McDougall Center for Global Diversity and Inclusion is committed to fostering a community that celebrates and honors the intersections of identity.

Two percent of the world’s population—the same percentage of humans who have naturally red hair—is born intersex. Yet many people aren’t even familiar with the word. Intersex individuals are born with both male and female reproductive organs, yet many are stripped of their identity at birth when a parent designates M or F on a birth certificate. That subjective choice is often followed by invasive, life-changing surgeries, performed without the individual’s consent. Intersex people have become a target of politicians, attacked for who they are and threatened by legislation that attempts to categorize and define them.

Alicia Weigel is fighting back against the hate and fearmongering to protect the rights and lives of everyone. As an activist and the Human Rights Commissioner for the City of Austin, Alicia has championed legislation to reduce sexual assault and human trafficking, mandate paid sick leave and abortion funding, decriminalize and alleviate homelessness, and target other social determinants of health. In this book, Alicia boldly speaks out about working as a change agent in a state that actively attempts to pass legislation that would erase her existence, explores how we can reclaim bodily autonomy, and encourages us to amplify our voices to be heard. Disarming, funny, charming, and powerful, this is a vital account of personal accomplishment that will open eyes and change minds.

Alicia Roth Weigel is a writer and activist working to improve the political and social landscape for marginalized populations in the South and worldwide through her firm, Intrepida Strategy. As a partner for the Pride Fund, Alicia is raising and deploying capital to grow LGBTQIA+-led companies in Texas and beyond. A Human Rights Commissioner for the City of Austin, she continually advocates for the rights of intersex people like her, work for which she was awarded the Ceci Gratias Guardian Award by the Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce in 2019. Over the past decade, Alicia has helmed nonprofits and political campaigns and has held various marketing and business development roles in Brazil, Angola, South Africa, and throughout the US. Alicia is committed to fostering body autonomy and culturally competent healthcare for all. She has written for the New York Times, the Austin Chronicle, and Girls Globe, and has been featured in Austin Women, the Daily Mail, and Forbes, among many others. She lives in Austin, Texas.

State Representative Park Cannon serves the citizens of Georgia’s House District 58, which encompasses a diverse cross-section of Atlanta, including portions of the following neighborhoods: Virginia Highland, Midtown, Downtown, the Old Fourth Ward, Cabbagetown, Reynoldstown, Oakland City, Grant Park, Capitol View, Capitol View Manor, Summerhill, Mechanicsville, Peoplestown, Pittsburgh, Venetian Hills, Fort McPherson, Adams Park, Betmar-LaVilla, Campbellton Road, Pomona Park, and sections of numerous others.

She currently serves as the Secretary to the Georgia House Democratic Caucus, and is assigned to the Insurance, Small Business Development, Human Relations & Aging, Code Revision and Ethics committees. Her legislative efforts focus on reproductive justice issues such as access to quality health care, housing, and education. Rep. Cannon seeks to stop the erosion of affordability for basic needs, which she believes are the foundations of social stability. She also devotes her legislative work to protecting Georgia’s most vulnerable citizens: women and children, the elderly and the LGBTQ+ community. These communities are often the most at risk for losing their homes and access to quality health care.

During previous legislative sessions, Rep. Cannon centered her efforts legislation that addresses maternal mortality rates and the HIV epidemic in Georgia. Rep. Cannon has partnered with some very brave and upstanding members of the state legislature from all corners of Georgia to ensure access to the HIV-preventive treatment, PrEP, securing funding for HIV health navigators at Grady Hospital, addressing housing affordability and extending protections to victims of family violence and sexual assault.

Rep. Cannon attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Hispanic Linguistics and a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics, and minored in Women’s and Gender Studies. During her time at UNC-Chapel Hill, Rep. Cannon was named a Camões Award Recipient and inducted into the Order of The Old Well. She also participated in the Harvard Kennedy School of Government’s Executive Education State and Local Government program. She was named by the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) as a Bohnett LGBTQ Leaders Fellow and studied police accountability.

In service to SisterSong, the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus, NOBEL Women, the League of Women Voters, NBCSL, and the NAACP, Rep. Cannon was awarded the “Fresh Legislator” and “Joan Garner Service” awards. Rep. Cannon was named a CALS Fellow and Henry Toll Fellow by the Council of State Governments. She has also participated in the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Regional Leadership Institute.

This event is free and open to all people, especially to those who have no income or low income right now, but we encourage and appreciate a solidarity donation in support of the work of Charis Circle, our programming non-profit. Charis Circle's mission is to foster sustainable feminist communities, work for social justice, and encourage the expression of diverse and marginalized voices. https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/CharisCircle?code=chariscirclepage

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Inverse Cowgirl: A Memoir--Alicia Roth Weigel in conversation with Park Cannon