Author Talk: Eric and Stephani Lohman, Authors of Raising Rosie: Our Story of Parenting an Intersex Child

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Milwaukee parents Eric and Stephani Lohman appear at Boswell to share the powerful story of raising Rosie, their intersex child, and how they have navigated medical pressures and cultural ideas of gender. When their daughter Rosie was born, Eric and Stephani Lohman found themselves thrust into a situation for which they were not prepared. Rosie was born intersex - born with a variety of physical characteristics that do not fit neatly into traditional conceptions of male and female bodies. Immediately, the Lohmans were pressured to consent to normalizing surgery for Rosie, despite their concerns, and without being offered any alternatives.

Part memoir and part guidebook, Raising Rosie tells the Lohmans’ experience of refusing to have their child’s gender reassigned at birth, how they spoke about the condition to friends and family, teachers and caregivers, and how they plan to explain it to Rosie as she grows. This uplifting and empowering story is a must-read for all parents of intersex children.

Rosie’s story is featured in the National Geographic documentary Gender Revolution: A Journey with Katie Couric. Discussing the challenges the Lohmans have faced, Couric told Teen Vogue, “You have to be your own best advocate so that you can educate yourself about this issue. You don't have to be cowed into making a decision by a member of the medical community who may think you have to do things a certain way."

Eric Lohman, PhD. in Media Studies, is lecturer and researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, focusing on gender, race, and class in the mass media. Stephani Lohman, BS, BScN, works in health care and science as an infection prevention nurse and has degrees in chemistry, biology, and nursing.