In The Den with Mama Dragons

Send us Fan Mail Many of our children are more expansive with regard to gender than we would have ever considered in our generation.  As parents of LGBTQ+ children, we are invested in having the tools we need to best support them and help them as they navigate the complexity of their gender identity. In this week’s episode of In the Den , Jen talks with psychiatrist Dr. Jack Turban about a range o...

Send us Fan Mail In the last couple of years, states have ramped up their attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, introducing laws surrounding sports, books, and even healthcare.  24 states have banned gender affirming care for youth, and many of those laws are now being discussed, debated, and decided in the courts as LGBTQ+ people, families, and advocacy groups file challenges to these laws. Medical ba...

Send us Fan Mail As human beings, we are all more than just one thing. We each hold more than one identity, and our cultural and ethnic backgrounds play huge parts in how we experience the world. Today In the Den , guest host Sara LaWall dives into the intersection of Latinx and Queer identities with two special guests, Gabe Morales & Alex Carmelo. Special Guest: Alex Carmelo Alex was born in...

Send us Fan Mail Mama Dragons has a new Executive Director! Liz Welch brings new leadership, new enthusiasm, and new ideas to Mama Dragons, so we thought it was important to introduce this new Executive Director to our podcast listeners and give her a chance to share her vision for Mama Dragons in her own words as she joins Jen in this week’s episode of In the Den .   Special Guest: Liz Welch Liz...

Send us Fan Mail There is currently a lot of public discourse around what an LGBTQ+ ally is and isn’t.  We know that our listening audience wants to be allying well and often, and as the political climate in the country continues to put our LGBTQ+ loved ones in the crosshairs, it has become increasingly important that we get our allyship right. This week In the Den, Jen sits down with Sara Burling...

Send us Fan Mail rds with Friends episodes are bonus episodes where different members of Mama Dragons provide definitions for LGBTQ related topics. This episode includes the following definitions: Biphobia shared by CC H. in Oklahoma Bi-Erasure shared by Amy Hutchinsson  Intersectionality shared by Kelly Fay in Essex, England Romantic Orientation   shared by Alex in The Bronx, New York In the Den...

Send us Fan Mail There are similarities and differences between all of our individual stories. We come from diverse religious backgrounds, political parties, family dynamics, and geographic areas. Each of us started at different levels of acceptance, but we all relate to the desire of wanting to protect our children over our own biases.  A few times a year, we will be sharing a Mama Dragon’s story...

Send us Fan Mail Many states and school districts are threatening to defund libraries and are challenging books at an increasing rate.  Removing books from library shelves reduces public access to information and is often part of an attempt to control what can be taught or discussed in public spaces, usually done under the guise of protecting children. Public libraries are often targeted for their...

Send us Fan Mail Gender and sexuality have been understood and expressed in a wide variety of ways in different parts of the world, in different cultures, and throughout history. As we learn more about other worldviews, our understanding expands, and we can become more compassionate and wise in our interactions with the LGBTQ+ community. Our guests today join Jen In the Den to deconstruct and reco...

Send us Fan Mail When they find out that their child is somewhere on the LGBTQ+ spectrum, parents are often forced to examine their faith in entirely new ways, and it’s hard stuff–earth shifting, ground shaking, life changing, relationship destroying sort of hard. Today’s In the Den guest is an expert at courageous conversations in the religious realm, because it isn’t just the individuals that ar...

Send us Fan Mail A recurring concern that we hear from parents when their child comes out as LGBTQ+ involves family, and more specifically the fear of losing the possibility of future family. Parents are sometimes worried when they find out they have a queer child, because they feel like they’re losing their chance to be a grandparent, or they just really knew their child would make a great parent...

Send us Fan Mail In a perfect world, all parents would be prepared to welcome news of a queer child with love and affirmation. As we all know, we aren’t there yet, and sometimes one parent is ready to do what has been shown to be best practices while another isn’t. Good and loving parents often have some learning and unlearning to do, and it can be challenging when parents aren’t on the same page....

Send us Fan Mail Parents often worry about the future of their children.  And sometimes that intensifies for a bit when their child comes out.  They wonder if their child will be able to find love and relationship.  They wonder if their child will be held back in their careers. Today In the Den , Jen talks with special guests Seth Anderson and Michael Ferguson about their personal experiences of c...

Send us Fan Mail Words with Friends 12 Words with Friends episodes are bonus episodes where different members of Mama Dragons provide definitions for LGBTQ related topics. This episode includes the following definitions: Deadname shared by Roxy Rich in Temecula, California Binding shared by Tracey in Edinburgh, Scotland Misgender shared by Betania in Indiana Pronoun Usage   shared by Mel in Southe...

Send us Fan Mail Pride events happen around the calendar all across the country, but June is officially Pride month, and the entire month is filled with opportunities to celebrate with our LGBTQ+ loved ones. With the party on the horizon, some of us might have questions about how to show up and participate. In this episode of In the Den , Jen sits down with three other moms to tackle some of the m...

Send us Fan Mail Content Warning: This episodes has mentions of suicidal ideation. In this week’s episode of In the Den , Jen visits with special guests Alex and Christy Florence about their individual journeys that led them to meet and eventually marry each other. Alex shares his unique experiences as a Latino adoptee and trans man from a conservatively religious family. Christy talks about her e...

Send us Fan Mail There are similarities and differences between all of our individual stories as Mama Dragons. We come from diverse religious backgrounds, political parties, family dynamics, and geographic areas. Each of us started at different levels of acceptance, but we all relate to the desire of wanting to protect our children over our own biases. This week, we continue our new series of tell...

Send us Fan Mail Queer youth are overrepresented in the foster care system, meaning that the percentage of youth in foster care who are LGBTQ is significantly larger than the percentage of LGBTQ youth in the general population. Choosing to become a resource in the foster care system may seem overwhelming or complicated, but it can be an important lifeline for these kids. This week, Celeste Carolin...

Send us Fan Mail On this week’s episode of In the Den , Jen visits with TikTok mother/daughter duo Monica Gupta Mehta and Asha Lily Mehta about a range of topics from how to maintain good parent/child communication to understanding gender, neurodiversity, and queer sexuality. It’s a conversation you won’t want to miss! Special Guest: Monica Gupta Mehta Monica (she/her) is a teacher, educational ps...

Send us Fan Mail This week In the Den , Jen visits with Nigerian born pediatrician and LGBTQ+ educator Dr. Lulu about parenting queer children. They talk about a range of topics from what to do and not do when we learn about our children’s queer identities to unlearning preconceived ideas about the queer community to refining our advocacy to best serve our children.  Special Guest: Dr. Lulu Dr. Lu...

Send us Fan Mail EPISODE 66–Coming Out When You’re a Mom On this podcast, we often have conversations addressing parenting issues with experts, and we talk about parenting with parents.  Today’s episode explores an example of a mom realizing she was queer as an adult parent with grown children, and the impacts that had on her family. In this episode of In the Den , Jen visits with Jamie Michaels,...

Send us Fan Mail Therapy is such a wonderful gift for so many of us that need support. This week In the Den , Jen joins three therapists from Flourish Counseling to talk about the things that mental health providers wish parents of LGBTQ kids understood.  Special Guest: Lisa Hansen Lisa Tensmeyer Hansen (PhD, LMFT, Clinical Director) is the clinical director and founder of Flourish Therapy, Inc.,...

Send us Fan Mail Words with Friends 11 Words with Friends episodes are bonus episodes where different members of Mama Dragons provide definitions for LGBTQ related topics. This episode includes the following definitions: Homophobia shared by Clare in England Transphobia/Transmisia shared by Sarah M. in Fargo, North Dakota TERF shared by Connie W. in Canberra, Australia  NOT Pedophilia   shared by...

Send us Fan Mail Families come in all shapes and sizes, and that’s a wonderful thing. In this week’s episode of In the Den , Jen visits with Dr. Gwen Bass about her unique experiences growing up in the 80’s, the child of two women who broke norms by using artificial insemination to create a family. Gwen also discusses her later experiences as a queer person creating a family through foster care an...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of In the Den , Jen joins three moms whose trans kids came out and transitioned as young adults. They’ll answer a handful of frequently asked questions regarding the unique experiences of parenting an adult trans child. Special Guest: Chrysteil Hunter Chrysteil Hunter lives in Mill Creek, Washington, and is a single mom of four incredible adult kids, one 10 year ol...