Read when you’ve got time to spare.
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What do you want your legacy to be? That’s the question Sean Saifa Wall asked in his commencement speech at the 2021 Williams College graduation. It’s also what he asks clients in his work as a somatic practitioner—one of the many roles that are part of the legacy this multi-hyphenate is building.
For those who saw Saifa on ABC News Nightline in 2015, when he confronted the surgeon who performed his gonadectomy at age 13, it’s easy to understand why a lasting legacy is so important to him. Having gone through a procedure that was misrepresented as medically necessary to both him and his mother, Saifa is committed to racial equity and a radical vision of bodily autonomy for people with intersex variations. His work includes co-founding the Intersex Justice Project and centering Black, queer, and transgender populations in his public health research. This summer, his story will reach even more people as the documentary Every Body introduces audiences to three subjects, Saifa included, coming into their authentic selves.
Activism amidst the current state of trans rights in the U.S. can take a toll. Saifa says “As an intersex and trans person, it can be hard to find joy sometimes because everything right now feels so terrible. Making this list was a good reminder of the people and things that bring and have brought me joy.” Share in Saifa’s joy with his links below, including a hilarious TikTok account, and the inspiring words of New York’s 2023 Teacher of the Year.
Photo by Harold Daniels.
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Sean Saifa Wall: “I went to Williams College with William ‘Billy’ Green and he was one of the bravest, fiercest students on Williams’ campus. I was not surprised to see the change that is still rippling from him.”
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SSW: “Micah Bazant is one of the most talented trans and nonbinary artists of our generation. Their work is both captivating and ethereal.”
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SSW: “Thundercat is one of my FAVORITE music artists and is such a talented bassist. I love this video because it’s so wacky but the message is ultimately about our devotion and love of our animal babies.”
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SSW: “Prentis Hemphill never ceases to amaze me with their insight, wisdom and brilliance. This podcast does not offer answers but is an invitation to be curious.”
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SSW: “The Houston Intersex Society is one of the few if not the only organization doing intersex advocacy in the South. Koomah and Mo Cortez are brilliant, humble, and dedicated to making Texas a safer place for intersex and trans people.”
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SSW: “Richie Fontane is HILARIOUS and I appreciate his comedy because it is irreverent and socially aware.”
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SSW: “Ericka Hart changed the face of breast cancer awareness. Their work lives at the intersections of sexuality, health and love of Black people and culture.”
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Sean Saifa Wall (he/him/his) is a Black queer intersex activist and rising scholar. Born and raised in the Bronx, Saifa attended Williams College and has since lived and worked in New York City, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Atlanta. He is a Marie Skłowdoska-Curie fellow at the University of Huddersfield in England examining the erasure of intersex people from social policy in Ireland and England.
Saifa is committed to racial equity and a radical vision of bodily autonomy for people with intersex variations. He made history by confronting the surgeon on ABC News Nightline who performed his gonadectomy at the age of 13. He is co-founder of the Intersex Justice Project whose #EndIntersexSurgery campaign pressured Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago to become the first children’s hospital in the United States to denounce and further investigate genital surgeries on Intersex infants. Saifa is determined to end harmful and invasive genital surgery on intersex children and advocate for affirming healthcare for all people with intersex variations. In addition to his activism, he is a loving dad to his dog, Justice.