Queer Kid, Straight Mom

Yes, we watch Love Island, USA... and we have thoughts about Zach and Bryce, reality TV, homophobia, and what this all says about our society.

As Olivia Rodrigo says, you can still be sad as a girl (or anyone else) in love. While romances suggest that true love conquers all, mental illness doesn't play by the same rules. We think it's important to recognize that the most perfect relationship can't conquer depression and anxiety - and no one should feel guilty or burdensome about not overcoming these conditions.

TV shows featuring queer female leads seem to be the first to the chopping block when it comes to renewals. Why?

Boycotts - when are they worth it and how do they work?

Jason Collins, the first gay man to come out while playing in the NBA, recently died of brain cancer. We pay our respects, tell you a little about his accomplishments, and discuss the progress that still needs to be made in men's professional sports.

Bisexuality is the most represented group in the LGBTQ+ community, but also one of the most misunderstood. We’ll address some of those misunderstandings and explain why it’s important to validate bi people’s identities.

As queer stories like #heartstopper and #heatedrivalry find wide appeal, tension arises as straight fans follow the fandom into queer spaces. One of these is spaces is the world of #fanfiction, long a queer refuge from heteronormative storylines. Are queer fans justified in being territorial, and what guidelines should straight fans follow in being respectful guests in spaces that are not their ow...

The U.S. has a long history of protest - what has worked, what hasn't, and what can we learn?

Heated Rivalry is a runaway hit, but that's not all good news for the queer community. Take a listen. #queerpodcast #lgbtqpodcast #heatedrivalry #queermedia #parasocialrelationships

Yeah, everyone's talking about Heated Rivalry, so how can we not jump into the conversation? Hear our thoughts on why straight women love this show, queer autistic representation, and more. #queerpodcast #heatedrivalry #fujoshi #them #rachelreid #jacobtierney #genderroles #autism

Stranger Things has wrapped, to mixed reviews. We have thoughts about it all: plot, pacing, Will's coming out, and what could have - should have? - been.

State legislatures all over the country have introduced bills to limit trans healthcare for youth in the past couple of years. Although many of these bills will never make it into law, we think it's important to see what's out there and to explore the misconceptions that lead to these policy proposals. #lgbtqpodcast #lgbtqpodcaster #queerpodcast #queerpodcaster #parentallies #genderaffirmingcare #...

Our annual Christmas movie episode, in which we review and discuss gay Christmas movies of various quality... plus a new game where I name a non-gay Christmas movie and Siena invents a (mostly) plausible gay subtext. Enjoy!

The Supreme Court just upheld Trump's executive order on passport gender markers. Here's a quick summary of what that means for our trans friends.

That's right, Gaylorism - the social media theory (and its fallout) about Taylor Swift being secretly queer. We're having a little chat about what is and isn't queerbaiting (again), what responsibility celebrities do or don't have to use their voices politically, and the inherent weirdness of obsessing over a stranger's sexuality. #queerkidstraightmompodcast #queerpodcast #queerpodcaster #lgbtqpod...

S4 E4: In honor of Halloween week, we are talking horror movies! This time, our focus is on “problematic” trans characters. We talk about the villains of 5 movies of varying quality, and discuss the harmful stereotypes they proliferate. #lgbtqpodcast #queerpodcast #lgbtqpodcaster #queerkidstraightmompodcast #queerkidstraightmom #parentallies #horrormovies #longlegs #houseofwax #rockyhorrorpictures...

We love spooky season, and we love talking about movies, but those aren't the only reasons we're talking about Hotel Transylvania. These movies are fun to watch, but they also have some really interesting social commentary. Let's talk about it!

Beyond the aesthetic fun and great music, K-Pop Demon Hunters has a powerful message for anyone struggling to accept the things about themselves that they have been told to hide. We are inspired by this movie and the message it gives to queer kids - "love who you are and find the power in your voice" - and to their families: "let them."

Throughout history, power-hungry leaders have blamed marginalized people for society's problems - often to distract from their own complicity in those very problems. Right now, that marginalized group is the transgender community. A statistically insignificant group of trans people have committed shootings, but Republicans are committed to painting them as a threat. We have some things to say abou...

Blood is thicker than water, as the saying goes, but sometimes the safest people for LGBTQ+ folks are not their family members. For many youth, rejection means being thrown out of their houses. For others, of all ages, the hostility is more subtle. In both cases, other members and allies of the queer community can provide more love, affirmation, and stability than biological family.

We hate to give Republican leadership credit, but they have knocked it out of the park with "loyalty via outrage." By exaggerating or even manufacturing threats, and packaging those threats with a conservative lifestyle brand, they ensure that their voters will show up - with heartbreaking consequences for the groups targeted by their outrage machine.

As the Trump administration and Supreme Court continue to set back LGBTQ+ rights and visibility, even some among the gay community are pointing their fingers at transgender people. If trans people would just stop demanding rights and acceptance and medical privacy, they say, there would be no backlash against gay people. We think this is misguided and, in the case of journalists and other high pro...

A common argument by anti-trans activists is that regret is common among people who have received gender affirming care and/or transitioned. We love facts and data here at Queer Kid, Straight Mom, so we are excited to share the recently released results of the U.S. Transgender Survey. This huge survey, conducted by various trans groups and approved by the UCLA Institutional Review Board, not only...

Pride is colorful, sparkly, and fun. It was also born from a desperate struggle for acceptance, rights, and safety.

Right wing media has been abuzz with allegations that Nike is funding "trans experiments" on kids. This is a great example of media framing, a technique media outlets use to influence audience's beliefs and behavior about particular issues. Find out what the real story is, and how the allegation of the trans "agenda" is itself an agenda.