The Intersex and Faith project has a film, a curriculum, and is working to develop support services for parents of intersex children. This project was born from a partnership between Lianne Simon and Megan DeFranza.

Dr. Megan DeFranza is the scholar behind the book Sex Difference in Christian Theology: Male, Female, and Intersex in the Image of God, which I have written about because of its significance in OtherWise Christian: A Guidebook for Transgender Liberation.

Lianne Simon is a Christian intersex woman and advocate, who is also a contributor to OtherWise Christian 2: Stories of Resistance! Another OtherWise Christian 2 contributor, Dr Donovan Ackley III, serves on the advisory board of the Intersex and Faith project.

Most so-called LGBT faith-based organizations have limited transgender-competence–and even less intersex-competence. So, this project is a critical opportunity to provide better information for people of faith. The Intersex and Faith project mission is:

Intersex and Faith’s mission is to help communities of faith minister to those born with bodies that aren’t entirely male or female. We hope to do that via advocacy, education, and support.

Provided by Lianne Simon

Like Dr DeFranza’s book, the Intersex and Faith project does not begin in the culture wars about same-gender-loving or transgender experience. Rather, starting with the experiences of intersex people and their families, the project aims to meet the needs of more theologically conservative communities. While the project emerged from a Christian collaboration, their goal is to be of support in a more widely.

lntersex and Faith was incorporated as a nonprofit in Tennessee in 2017, but Lianne and Megan have been working together giving presentations, writing blog posts, giving interviews, and writing books for years. They met while Dr DeFranza was working on her PhD thesis.

Compiled by Mx Chris Paige on January 18, 2020.

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