Queer & A

In this episode I speak with Naledi Sunstrum of OKNaledi. We heard about their songs that Naledi wrote during the Queer & A artist residency program , and the musical they are working on now. Check out more of OKNaledi’s music here: https://oknaledi.com/ or follow along with Naledi here: https://www.instagram.com/oknaledi/ This is the final episode of series two, which explores themes that came up...

In this episode, we heard from playwrite Charley Bouchard about what it was like to write their play Transgendent, and where they are with it now. Permissions: The instrumental of the song “Bones” by OKNaledi is used with permission in the Intro and Outro of this podcast. Check out the full version here . Learn more about OkNaledi’s music by checking out their instagram. This is a public episode....

In this episode, we heard from artists Naledi Sunstrum and Charley Bouchard during their participation in Queer & A’s virtual artist residency, in which both artists were given the prompt to create art on the topic of queerness and spirituality -- whatever that meant to them and however they wanted to explore it. Naledi ended up writing two songs, one on Ruth and Naomi and one on David and Jonatha...

This episode’s podcast is all about sharing unfinished work. Kaitlin Carlson (she/her) and I start with a conversation about the research before hearing excerpts from the virtual artist residency in which Naledi Sunstrum (they/them), Charley Bouchard (they/them), and I chat through their two respective creative projects. Ok Naledi’s instrumental song track of the sound “Bones” is used with permiss...

This episode’s podcast is all about collaborating with others. Kaitlin Carlson (she/her) and I start with a conversation about the research on collaborating with others. We then hear excerpts from the virtual artist residency in which Naledi Sunstrum (they/them), Charley Bouchard (they/them), and I chat through their two respective creative projects. Ok Naledi’s instrumental song track of the soun...

We’re back with to explore another theme that came up during Queer & A’s virtual artist residency, during which Charley and Naledi took 10 weeks to develop their respective art projects on the topic of queerness and spirituality. One of the themes that emerged in our meetings was the challenge of choices — how hard it is to choose a project at the beginning when you have many options to take. List...

In this series, we’re diving deep into themes that emerged during our virtual artist residency — a beautiful, experimental 8-10 weeks where two incredible artists, Charley and Naledi, joined me as they each developed their own creative projects. If you’re just tuning in and wondering what this residency was all about, I highly recommend starting with Episode 1. There, I explain the structure of th...

Excited to launch the second series of Queer & A podcast. Queer & A podcast is a community-oriented educational project aimed at bringing awareness about, and sharing resources to combat, religiously-motivated queerphobia and transphobia. In Series 1 I interviewed a combination of academics, activists, therapists, and individuals with personal experiences to share from, and we conversed widely abo...

There are a few points that became more clear or more profound for me throughout my time on this series, and I wanted to start by recapping them here, and then we'll return to some takeaways from our guests. This episode reviews 5 key points I’ve learned throughout this series, and then gives the mic back to our series one guests. We hear from each of our guests, hearing about what messages they w...

Summary: A lot of the Queer & A podcast episodes have looked at queerness in the present day, sometimes looking closely at theological interpretations of biblical passages but still focusing on how these play out and affect people today. Here I'm excited to look back in time, trying to understand not the various strands of present day Christianity but looking back to early christianity, speaking w...

In this episode I speak with Rabbi Naj and Pam Rocker. Rabbi Naj is a second-generation Holocaust survivor, a rabbi, as well as a board certified interfaith chaplain and registered social worker and trained mediator. Pam Rocker is an atypical activist, consultant, and writer. From Pride to politics, she advocates for the full inclusion of 2SLGBTQ+ people in every area of society. The three of us t...

In this episode I speak with psychedelic researcher and community organizer Amy Bartlett. Amy draws on her doctoral research at the University of Ottawa where she explores how psychedelics are used as part of people's healing journey, including for the healing of PTSD, treatment-resistant depression, and other experiences and states. One thing Amy brings to light is the fact that most clinical tri...

In this episode I speak with Mackenzie Kolton , who is currently the Director of Learning of Egale Canada . Mackenzie is passionate about working in 2SLGBTQI advocacy and education and prior to Egale she was the Manager of Program Innovation at Big Brothers Big Sisters, co-developing Manitoba’s first Queer Lens Mental Health Training and overseeing their 2SLGBTQI department and staff. In this inte...

In this episode I speak with Charley Bouchard. Charley is an athlete, versatile artist, and passionate about volunteering for youth work in the community.  Charley considers themself to be a mystic Christian, ready and open to questioning and discussing big ideas that affect our culture and shape our lives.  As we talk about their story with queerness and Christianity, Charley shares openly and ho...

In this episode I speak with Stéfanie Lacroix. Stef is a Staff Attorney in Immigration Equality’s Pro Bono Program . In this role, she represents immigrants seeking asylum and she provides mentorship for over 170 immigration cases placed with law firms nationwide through Immigration Equality’s pro bono program. In this episode you hear Stef and I speak about the hardships and realities  that LGBTQ...

In this interview I speak with Dr. Sandra Noble (PhD, LPC, NCC), who holds a PhD in counsellor education and supervision and a masters in clinical mental health counselling. Sandra is a counselling professor at a grad school in Portland, Oregon and also a licensed professional counsellor in private practice. She’s certified as an eating disorder specialist and a clinical trauma professional, and i...

In this episode I speak with Nik Jovčić-Sas (he/they) . Nik is a musician, LGBTQ+ activist, drag queen, and Eastern Orthodox Theologian.  Nik grew up in rural Somerset, England within a Serbian family and attended  King’s College London to study theology, with a particular focus on the intersection of LGBTQ+ relationships and Orthodox Christian Theology and Identity. Nik has published work on th...

EPISODE SUMMARY: Mike Maeshiro ( @mikemaeshiro ) is Gay, Christian, and a Pastor. He hosts online communities for 2SLGBTQIA+ people looking for spiritual communities, and offers coaching to post-evangelical Christians in a journey of theological deconstruction. If you’re curious about the ways that evangelical conservative Christianity have systematically shaped the experiences of queer people wea...

Introduction Episode:- music: "BONES" by OK Naledi. All copyright belongs to OK Naledi and the instrumental version was used with permission. Check out the official music video for INtrlD BONES .- Pastor Zach Lambert’s tweet documents the rise in "anti-LGBTQ+ bills and hateful rhetoric" which have increased in the last few years.- Intersectional lenses are important when understanding individual i...