JIM AMBROSE

Missoula, MT, U.S.

Jim first spoke publicly about his body, his childhood, and his family at the University of Minnesota in 1997. He was 20 years old. A year later he left his hometown of Baton Rouge, LA and began volunteering for the Intersex Society of North America (ISNA). His work with ISNA sent him all over lecturing, working with young activists, and offering his perspective as a survivor of a unique campaign of normalization. The institutionally endorsed outcomes of this treatment are genital mutilation, sterilization, and the toxic trinity of secrecy, shame, and isolation.

In 2000 Jim appeared with Tiger Devore in the award-winning short film, XXXY. After careers in bike messengering and bookselling Jim joined InterACT in 2008. He designed InterACT's PR and communications while initiating the first intersex youth leadership development program. He co-founded The Interface Project in 2012. His activism and personal story have been featured in diverse publications and programs including CNN, The Discovery Channel, Montana Public Radio, and The New Yorker. Jim is a freelance writer and editor living in Missoula, Montana.