Chris Arnone with Kimberly Zieselman: My Name Was Baby

• This event will take place at street level.
• If possible, events are livestreamed. Check out our store YouTube channel for livestream updates.
• ASL interpretation may be provided (based on the availability of interpreters) but must be requested at least 2 weeks in advance of the event.
• Please email us at [email protected] as soon as possible if you require ASL interpretation, guaranteed seating, or other accommodations. Seats are limited.We will do our best to serve your needs!

From a rising intersex activist in the Midwest, a candid memoir about growing up different and an inspiring story of self-discovery and self-acceptance.

When Chris Arnone was born in Independence, Missouri, nobody could tell what sex he was. For the first few days of his life, until a chromosome test confirmed he was a boy, his parents called him Baby. From this first, literal “coming out,” it was clear he was different. His life was punctuated by a string of surgeries and trips to the ER, unrecognizable and confusing diagrams in sex ed class, and the need to preface every intimate encounter by explaining his medical history. But it wasn’t until he was thirty-seven that he discovered he didn’t have “birth defects”—he was intersex.

In this fresh and affirming memoir, Chris’s struggles with anxiety, confusion, and a painful journey toward self-acceptance will be familiar to LGBTQIA+ people everywhere. But he also offers a perspective that is largely untold: that of an intersex man, existing in the toxic masculine culture of the heartland; parents who were open and accepting of his differences; and doctors who (mostly) did no harm.

It is a deep and wide exploration of religion and politics, gender and sexuality, frat parties, burlesque shows, and Magic: The Gathering. Arnone boldly shows how the lives of intersex folks can be so different and yet so familiar to everyone, helping us all take one step closer to understanding and acceptance.

With raw vulnerability, emotional range, and a quick wit, My Name Was Baby offers something inspiring for everyone, from self-assured manly men to confused genderqueer kids. It is the story of someone who came to love who he is and hopes everyone else can love themselves, too.

Chris Arnone (he/him) is an intersex author, activist, and actor from Kansas City with an MFA in Creative Writing from UMKC. In addition to his memoir, his cyberpunk series, The Jayu City Chronicles, can be found everywhere books are sold.

Kimberly Zieselman, JD (she/her), is Senior Advisor for Global Intersex Rights at Outright International, focused on movement-building and advancing the rights of intersex people worldwide through awareness-raising, law and policy initiatives, and resource mobilization. She is the Global Advisor for the Astraea Foundation’s Intersex Human Rights Fund, and 2026-2027 Harvard Kennedy School Carr-Ryan Center Global LGBTQI+ Human Rights Fellow.

Kimberly previously served as Senior Advisor to the Special Envoy to Advance the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ Persons in the U.S. State Department, as Executive Director of interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth, the premier U.S. intersex policy organization, and as a member of the board of InterConnect support group. She participated as the sole American intersex participant in the historic 2015 Expert Intersex Convening by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and is an official signatory to the Yogyakarta Principles +10.

She published XOXY, an award-winning memoir about her personal and professional intersex journey, and executive-produced the award-winning short intersex film, Common As Red Hair. Kimberly consults on intersex representation in the media and is working on an anthology of global intersex activist stories, Defending Bodies, to be published in 2027.

Brookline Booksmith, thriving in the heart of Coolidge Corner in Brookline, Massachusetts, since 1961, is one of New England’s premier independent bookstores. We offer a vast selection of books, ranging from current bestsellers to the most eclectic titles. We are also known for our beautiful and inspired gifts. Customers buy and sell gently used books in our treasured Used Book Cellar and enjoy our bountiful bargain book selection. We host award-winning events series (including our groundbreaking Transnational Literature Series), offering more than 300 author talks, community conversations, and book clubs annually. Find more at brooklinebooksmith.com!