In The Den with Mama Dragons

Send us Fan Mail On this week’s episode of In the Den , Jen talks with Lupe Bartholomew, mother of American popstar David Archuleta. They discuss Lupe’s experience as a religiously devoted Latina mother of five. Lupe explains how having a child come out as gay in the world spotlight in 2021 changed her life and inspired her to become a public supporter of the LGBTQ community. Special Guest: Lupe (...

Send us Fan Mail Conversion therapy, also referred to as reparative therapy, attempts to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity and is not a legitimate form of therapy. Conversion therapy has been denounced by all major medical organizations, but continues to exist and cause harm to LGBTQ people throughout the world. In this episode of In the Den , Jen talks with Dr. Matt Salmon,...

Send us Fan Mail This week In the Den , Jen sits down with Jeffrey Marx to chat about a variety of topics, including Jeffrey’s fascinating career as a reality television casting director in Hollywood, his journey to winning an Emmy, embracing his body size, and finding queer joy amidst the challenges of life. It’s an episode you won’t want to miss!  Special Guest: Jeffrey Marx Jeffrey Marx is an E...

Send us Fan Mail In this week’s episode of In the Den , Jen joins guest Blaire Ostler to discuss intersex conditions. As an intersex person herself, Blaire is uniquely positioned to not only share information about many aspects of intersex conditions, but also give personal insight into life as an intersex person.  The discussion ranges from when intersex conditions are most often diagnosed to the...

Send us Fan Mail Over the years we’ve heard LGBTQ people say that they didn’t know what life might look like for them as an adult. Many haven’t had LGBTQ role models that provide examples of a potential future, and a lot of fear that parents of LGBTQ children experience comes from the unknown as well. We thought it might be helpful for parents to get to know some of the amazing members of the LGBT...

Send us Fan Mail 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: Nonbinary , shared by Shauna from Idaho, USA Bigender, shared by Marnie Lobban from Australia  Agender , shared by Mel Fraze from California Gender Diverse , shared by Zane Bates from Colorado In the D...

Send us Fan Mail EPISODE 35–Just the FAQs 4 In this episode of In the Den , Jen joins therapists Lisa Tensmeyer Hansen, Laura Skaggs, and David Zealy-Wright to answer a handful of frequently asked questions regarding parenting an LGBTQ child.  I’m trying to support my child, but I don’t know if I’m doing enough?/How do I support my child without dragging them along too quickly? What advice do you...

Send us Fan Mail Eating disorders occur at dramatically higher rates within the LGBTQ community than heterosexual/cisgender populations.  In this week’s episode of In the Den , Jen talks with Caden Jones about different eating disorders and the intersection of those disorders with queer identities. They discuss the challenges of recognizing an eating disorder and ways to find the best treatment fo...

Send us Fan Mail In this week’s insightful episode of In the Den, Jen sits down with award-winning writer, director, and producer Jay Randall to discuss a wide range of topics from Jay’s experiences growing up as a gay kid in a highly religious family in the South in the 90’s to his time working on the massively popular Ru Paul’s Drag Race. Jay and Jen discuss the importance of seeing queer repres...

Send us Fan Mail Raising LGBTQ children comes with a whole set of unique parenting challenges and opportunities. In this week’s episode of In the Den , Jen talks with parent and author Tammy Plunkett about parenting queer children. From advocacy at school to coming out to extended family and friends to setting and maintaining healthy boundaries, Jen and Tammy cover a variety of topics that impact...

Send us Fan Mail 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: Asexual (Ace) shared by Marie Mulling from Texas Aromantic (Aro) shared by Roxana Reguera from California Allosexual shared by Tracey Anne from Scotland Demisexual shared by Amy Hutchisson In the Den i...

Send us Fan Mail Many conversations assume that LGBTQ people and religious people are two separate identity groups. There is a heteronormative religious culture that falsely claims that queer people can’t be religious or spiritual. Some queer people absolutely need to walk away from religion in order to heal and become whole, but others are seeking a spiritual path that is different from what they...

Send us Fan Mail n this week’s episode of In the Den , Jen chats with three drag performers from different parts of the United States. They break down some of the misconceptions around drag and look at the benefits and beauty of the world of drag.  Special guests: Marty McGuy is a drag king from Columbia, South Carolina. In Marty’s day job, he is committed to helping the quality of care and educat...

Send us Fan Mail Finding out your child is LGBTQ can bring up different emotions for different parents. For many, expectations have to change, beliefs may be challenged, and what you thought you knew about your child may have to evolve. In this week’s episode of In the Den , Jen visits with therapist Liz Landry about some of the challenges of parenting and how to move from tolerating to celebratin...

Send us Fan Mail Over the years we’ve heard LGBTQ people say that they didn’t know what life might look like for them as an adult. Many haven’t had LGBTQ role models that provide examples of a potential future, and a lot of fear that parents of LGBTQ children experience comes from the unknown as well. We thought it might be helpful for parents to get to know some of the amazing members of the LGBT...

Send us Fan Mail 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: Gender Identity shared by Julie Turnbull from Washington Gender Dysphoria shared by Arlo Dennis from Florida Gender Presentation shared by Pannay Guigley from Wisconsin Stealth/Passing   shared by Lisa...

Send us Fan Mail During many of our episodes, we drop the name of our organization–Mama Dragons. We answer questions that are asked in our groups, and we discuss the themes that most often show up by those who seek support. However, some people might get connected to the podcast but not understand who the Mama Dragons are. This week, we’re going to talk about where Mama Dragons came from, where we...

Send us Fan Mail Jen sits down with a panel of parents of young transgender children to discuss the realities of raising young trans kids in the world today. From real talk about the fears they have for their children’s safety to the surprising and unique joys of raising transgender children to everything in between, this episode provides a behind the scenes glimpse into the lives of young transge...

Send us Fan Mail Transgender people have been forced into the national spotlight in recent years, as everyone from state legislatures to random strangers on the internet debate their identities, their access to medications, their health, their rights, their bodies, and more. There is a staggering amount of misinformation and disinformation being circulated about what it means to be transgender and...

Send us Fan Mail CONTENT WARNING: This episode includes talk of suicide, self harm, and suicidal ideation. It’s a very special Just the FAQs episode at In the Den , because we have a panel made up entirely of licensed therapists to answer some of our most frequently asked questions regarding parenting an LGBTQ child. Jen brings back past podcast guests Dianne Piggott, Cole Brennan, and Laura Skagg...

Send us Fan Mail In this week’s episode of In the Den , Jen talks with Reverend Adam Ericksen as he breaks down some of the most common theology surrounding LGBTQ folks today.  Reconciling theological beliefs with our desires to support our LGBTQ child is often a significant part of the journey for religious parents when their child comes out as LGBTQ. Deconstructing theology can be a big hurdle w...

Send us Fan Mail 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: Cisgender shared by Clare McFadden AFAB shared by Melissa Hardin AMAB shared by Heather Gooding Two Spirit   shared by Sheri Proctor In the Den is made possible by generous donors like you. Help us con...

Send us Fan Mail Being a teenager can be really hard. Being a transgender teen comes with its own unique set of challenges and obstacles. Following last week’s trans-focused episode of In the Den , Jen is back this week with another group of amazing trans teenagers. They discuss the highs and lows that come with being a transgender teenager in the world today. Listen to this informative conversati...

Send us Fan Mail Most of the anti-LGBTQ legislation happening this year in the United States is focused on one particular group–transgender children and teens. So much misinformation and disinformation are being spread about this specific marginalized demographic of kids. On this week’s episode of In the Den , Jen goes straight to the source. She sits down with several transgender teenagers and as...

Send us Fan Mail In this week’s episode of In the Den , Jen talks with community organizer and political activist Chelsea Gaona-Lincoln about strategies to find balance while advocating for our queer children, particularly during the legislative season where so many bills are being introduced that could harm our kids. They discuss ways to practice self-care and maintain balance between advocacy an...