Producers and Directors
Megan DeFranza PhD
Director
Co-Producer
Author and scholar of religion, gender, sex, and sexuality, Megan became a filmmaker in order to elevate the voices of intersex people to bring change to religious communities, medical providers, and society. Author of Sex Difference in Christian Theology: Male, Female, and Intersex in the Image of God among other publications on sexuality, gender identity, and Christianity. Former Research Associate at the Center for Mind and Culture; former Visiting Researcher, Boston University School of Theology. Learn more about Megan at megandefranza.com.
Lianne Simon
Co-Producer
Lianne was born intersex and began telling her story and the stories of other intersex people through her novels. A devout Christian, she nevertheless experienced rejection in church and was asked by her pastor to remain silent about her intersex body. She co-founded the non-profit Intersex and Faith to “support, advocate with, and educate others about intersex people to help faith communities welcome those born outside the male/female binary.” Author of Confessions of a Teenage Hermaphrodite and A Proper Young Lady. Lianne passed away in August of 2021 but her legacy lives on in this film.
Paul Van Ness
Co-Director, Director of Cinematography
Filmmaker, director, musician, composer, painter and all around advocate for the arts in the greater Boston community, Paul is an award winning documentarian, owner of Van Ness Creative, and Co-Founder of the Salem Film Festival. Using a combination of modern film technology and more fine-tuned manual photography, Paul specializes interview techniques that result in raw, powerful and empathetic visual content that encourages viewers to consider new perspectives. Learn more at Van Ness Creative.