We recently connected with Jo Ivester and have shared our conversation below.
Jo, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I was fortunate to be raised in a politically active family, one in which our dinner conversations often focused on social justice and how individuals can make a difference. My parents didn’t just the talk the talk, they walked the walk, to quote a phrase first used over a hundred years ago and made popular during the Civil Rights Movement. In 1967, when I was ten years old, my family moved from a suburb of Boston to Mound Bayou, a small, all-Black town in the Mississippi Delta, where my father managed a medical clinic, my mother taught English at the local high school, and I was the only white student at my middle school. Adding to the challenge, we were the only Jewish family in town. That experience — described in my first book, The Outskirts of Hope — fostered in me a life-long commitment to advocating for equal rights for all.
Forty-five years later, when my middle son began to understand in his early 20s that he is transgender, it was natural for me to expand my writing and advocacy work to focus on rights for the LGBTQ+ community. Living in Texas, where the rights of transgender people are constantly under attack, I decided to write a second book, Never a Girl, Always a Boy, to share my son’s journey, believing that doing so would help raise awareness about what it means to be transgender and that with that awareness, my son and others like him would find increased acceptance. Relying on a video journal that Jeremy shared with me to provide his voice in my memoir, we were able to create a book that has become one of the go-to resources for families upon first learning that one of their loved ones is transgender.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I was inspired to become an LGBTQ+ advocate when I began hearing about trans teens getting thrown out of their homes and faith communities. As I began my advocacy journey, I learned of the incredible organizations already involved and began working side by side with their staff and volunteers, staffing phone banks to get out the vote, testifying at public hearings, lobbying our politicians, and eventually, once my book, Never a Girl, Always a Boy was published, through speaking engagements at schools, libraries, churches, temples, and community organizations.
PLAY OPENING ON FEBRUARY 15, 2024:
My latest project is to adapt my book for the stage. Always a Boy received an off-Broadway industry reading in October of 2023 and will be premiering at the Ground Floor Theatre in Austin, TX in February of 2024. It is a theatrical testament to the strength and power of radical familial love. As Joshua and his mother, Rachel, prepare for a wedding, they reminisce about the last family wedding, when Joshua began his gender journey alongside that of his sister’s matrimonial one. This brings up some harsh truths that had previously gone unspoken. The play is honest and hard-hitting, sharing the tough moments as well as the amazing ones. It is a story of discovery and growth, always within the powerful framework of love.
I have been married for 43 years to my college sweetheart, whom I met when we were both acting with an undergraduate repertory Shakespeare company. We have four kids who are all married or engaged and five grandkids. The process of writing the book and play pulled us all closer because we had to talk openly and honestly for the book to ring true.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1) I have always been eager to challenge myself to learn and to throw myself into activities, even when they seem overwhelming. While some might find this stressful, I have flourished with this approach. It means that I can’t always succeed, but I enjoy the journey. My advice: Be willing to take risks, but understand that things won’t always turn out the way you expect.
2) From my parents, I learned the importance of standing up for what is right, and that individuals doing so can make a significant difference. My advice: Find what you’re passionate about — whether it’s a social justice cause, working with youth, performing, writing, running a restaurant or other small business — and pursue it.
3) Build a strong support network. For me, it starts with my family. They are my inspiration and they keep me going. My advice: Nurture relationships in your professional and personal life. Not only will it help you be successful at whatever you do, it will make the journey far more satisfying.
All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
As an LGBTQ+ advocate, I find our current political situation to be devastating, with too many politicians taking advantage of people’s fear of the unknown to create and weaponize a hatred of transgender people for their own political gain. Through my writing, my speaking engagements, and now through my play, I hope to build an awareness of what it means to be transgender, and I have to believe that with that awareness, transgender individuals will find greater acceptance.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.joivester.com
- Instagram: joivester
- Facebook: JoIvesterAuthor
- Linkedin: JoIvester
- Twitter: joivester
