Ash is the photographer behind the project. She enjoys all things photography - especially shooting portraits and landscapes. Her work has won Editor’s Choice awards and is featured in a number of websites and print magazines. Her other interests are reading, writing, hiking, kayaking, outdoor adventures, and traveling. She is fond of kindness, Buddhist philosophy, and intentional living. To see more photos and writing from Ash’s personal collection follow her on Instagram.
Jess is an environmental, mental heath, and human rights advocate. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from Roanoke College. Jess is passionate about the outdoors, traveling, and sustainable living. Her hobbies include hiking, mountain biking, snowboarding, spending time with her wife and dogs, kayaking - pretty much everything you do outdoors. She works to de-stigmatize mental health issues in society and spread authenticity, love, and kindness. You can follow Jess on Instagram to see more of their adventures!
Ash and Jess met in 2011, fell in love shortly thereafter, and were married in 2015. They currently reside in SW Virginia with their three dogs - Liam, Benny, and Aspen.
They created the Discovering Gender Project because of their own experiences navigating society as gender non-conforming people. They both felt that there was a lack of visibility, representation, and space for humans that fall outside of the traditional gender binary.
The project is their effort to bridge that gap.
Their goal is to represent as many different genders, ideas, and intersections as possible because ALL people are valid, important, and worthy of taking up space. It is their sincere hope that this website is a reflection of that.
They intend to add their individual stories to the blog at the conclusion of the project.
You can get to know Ash & Jess, learn about their life together, their interests outside of the project, and more on their personal blog.
