46 min
Authenticity & Religious Abuse Intersexion
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- Books
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
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
46 min