I’m Fergus Tuohy, a North Carolina–based writer whose work often explores identity, belonging, conscience, and queerness through essays and reported stories.

I’m writing a book about my family set largely in Alabama during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. It is the story of my Irish Catholic parents, an ordained priest and a Sister of Mercy, who were sent by the Church from Ireland to the Deep South in the 1960s.

Before earning a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University, I enjoyed a 12-year career as a financial advisor. I am also a former chair of Equality Alabama.

Whitewater kayaking is a passion and a spiritual practice. My husband Michael is my bodhisattva and best friend, and our Aussie Shepherds, Tallulah and Finnegan, are our daily reminders that the Divine is a rascal who wants us to live joyfully.