Kimberly Zieselman Award for
Young Emerging Intersex Leaders
The Kimberly Zieselman Award for Young Emerging Intersex Leaders was established in 2023 to be awarded to young intersex people (ages 13 – 29 years old) in the United States in recognition of outstanding work, leadership, and dedication to the intersex community. As a means of both investing in ongoing leadership development of dedicated intersex youth and centering intersex youth voices in our own organizational direction, interACT will also offer each awardee a special 1-year seat on our board and the opportunity to co-chair our Youth Advisory Council.
Kimberly Zieselman, interACT’s Executive Director Emeritus, is an intersex woman, lawyer, and nonprofit professional. In 2014, she assumed the role of Executive Director of interACT, then known as Advocates for Informed Choice; in 2015, she proposed initiatives leading to rebranding of the organization and expansion of its programs. With a commitment to both youth voices and increasing intersex visibility, interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth announced its new name – a name developed by our young leaders and one that both recognizes and honors intersex youth voices which are at the heart and soul of our mission.
Kimberly Zieselman
The Kimberly Zieselman Award for Young Emerging Intersex Leaders recognizes the 8+ years – 7 as Executive Director – that Kimberly Zieselman dedicated herself to interACT. During her tenure as Executive Director, her vision and leadership had a direct impact on both an increase in emerging young intersex advocates as well as intersex visibility in media.
2024 Awardee: Justin Tsang
Justin Tsang (he/him) is a Transportation Planner and passionate activist for disability and intersex rights. He also currently serves on the Board of Directors for the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and The Kelsey, focusing on disability rights and housing policy.
In Summer 2021, as former Research Director for the Asian Americans with Disabilities Initiative (AADI), Justin pioneered the first community resource guide for disabled Asian Americans. In the process, he discovered the intersex community through Tiffany Yu’s podcast featuring Intersex Activist Alicia Roth Weigel. After connecting with Club Intersex through the LA LGBT Center, he came out publicly as an intersex person on Intersex Awareness Day in 2021. On that same day, he participated in the first-of-its-kind White House Roundtable on Intersex Awareness Day, where they made recommendations against non-consensual intersex surgeries alongside intersex activists.
Since 2022, Justin quickly emerged as a recognized leader in the intersex community, speaking at numerous venues, including various medical schools through the Intersex Justice Project, the LA LGBT Center, LA Public Library, UCLA, and Blume Kind’s Interesting & SeXY podcast. His advocacy work has been featured in Teen Vogue, The Independent, Florida Today, the Kansas City Star, and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM).
As an Asian American intersex person, Justin is proud to work alongside BIPOC intersex activists on a global level. Recognizing cultural, familial, and generational differences, Justin challenges the norms to bring acceptance, self-love, and the fight for bodily autonomy.
“I am deeply honored to accept the 2024 Kimberly Zieselman Award for Young Emerging Intersex Leaders and the accompanying stipend. Kimberly’s decades-long work as an activist had a profound impact on my life, and her words, “Together, I really believe we are unstoppable,” continue to resonate deeply with me as they reflect the robust resilience, knowledge, and talents of our community.
Since starting my intersex activism journey in 2021, I have found profound belonging and empowerment within our community, both nationally and globally. It has been particularly incredible to see the journey of new emerging voices from InterACT’s Youth Advocacy cohort that was launched back in 2023. Their diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and passionate dedication continue to strengthen our movement in incredible ways (elated to also see disabled representation).”
2023 Awardee: Banti Jaswal
Banti Jaswal (they/them) is a queer, intersex, person of color and advocate. They have attended the InterConnect Support Group conference since the age of 10, and joined interACT as a Youth Advocate at age 15. Since then, across both organizations they have coordinated conference workshops, provided peer support, facilitated monthly youth support meetings and spoken on medical and community panels.
As a high schooler, Banti fought out-of-date, pathologizing intersex education within their own school and presented new information to their LGBTQ History class. They have been featured in the international intersex youth journal “YOUth & I” with an essay and comic, and have been quoted in Teen Vogue. Banti currently attends Connecticut College where they worked with the GLSEN Shine Team and Greater Boston PFLAG in addition to serving on the 2023 InterConnect board.
“Through sharing my story and experience I have been able to build awareness and support of people in the LGBTQIA+ community. Being intersex and a nonbinary queer person has motivated me to work towards creating a more accepting and understanding world.
I am really honored to receive this award. It means a lot to me that it is in honor of Kimberly as I respect her advocacy and leadership so much, and have appreciated her support throughout my journey as an advocate. I am excited to join the interACT board and work with you all!”