The I in Us

15 Oct 2024

The I in Us: Esther Morris Leidolf

Advocacy and Activism, Health, Society & Culture

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The I in Us welcomes special guest, Esther Leidolf from the USA to the program. The phenomenal host Paul, and Esther, discuss intersex and Esther’s personal journey and involvement in the intersex community. Come, tune into this extremely powerful episode.

Esther’s Background

Esther Morris Leidolf tells The I in Us that she was once a carpenter. She became a gender activist when she discovered others had MRKH Syndrome. Additionally, Esther is an intersex advocate and writer; with a background in public health data management. She is known internationally for the founding of the MRKH(Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser sydrome) organization. (https://www.mrkh.org). Esther was also Board Secretary for the Intersex Society of North America.(https://www.isna.org) and a renowned author. She wrote “Not Uncommon, Just Unheard Of” and “The Missing Vagina Monologue”. Also, Esther is currently collaborating with a playwright who is writing a a screen play of “The Missing Vagina Monologue”.

Esther’s Current Activities

The MRKH is a resource for women with Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser Syndrome and their medical providers. She networks with doctors and women with MRKH in the Boston area; and visits local colleges and universities to talk about her own experience. She has been interviewed on Gender Talk Radio and presented at Transcending Boundaries and at the LGBTI Health Summit(Boulder 2002). Currently, Esther is completing her degree in Society and Health at Simmons College and works at Fenway Research Institute in Boston.

Esther’s Viewpoint

Esther Morris Leidolf explains to The I in Us that we need to change the way we think about intersex. That is, intersex needs to be thought about as intersex diversities -not intersex disorders. We need to stop ‘medicalizing’ people’s bodies. We need to stop people into ‘binary norms’. Thus there is a need to explore everything that exists between the far polarized ends of male and female on the binary scale.

So, this episode of The I in Us is a truly educational and captivating episode you really don’t want to miss. (https://www.joy.org/theiinus)

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