Transgender School

In today's episode, we are joined by Kathleen Latlip and C.K. Malone, two amazing authors who recently each published a book designed to help and educate kids in their gender identity journey. Kathleen is a lifelong writer and editor who has worked as an Editor and/or Assistant Editor at Shondaland and ABC, Lionsgate, Marvel, Fox, Sony, Universal Pictures, and Grey's Anatomy, to name a few. She an...

LGBTQIA+ Affirmative Therapy & Parenting What does it actually mean to be an LGBTQIA+ affirming therapist or parent? It may not be what you think. Today we’re honored to welcome Dr. Rebeks Clark Mane and Aba Horthy, highly trained therapists who specialize in this field as well as having their own lived experience as members of the community. The four of us explore this critically important to...

While it’s popular in some circles to suggest that LGBTQ+ activists are “canceling” people for transphobic or homophobic comments and that being canceled can ruin someone's career, we have plenty of evidence to the contrary.  Jackie's grandfather, Bill, hosts today's show with us and brings a very interesting view on cancel culture. He invites us to reflect on what is hidden behind the idea o...

Today, we analyze the political landscape around LGBTQ rights, the latest rollback from the Supreme Court on abortion rights, and the clear intention of the Republican party to have control over people's bodies and turn the clock back on civil rights.  Far from falling into the blue or red dichotomy's rabbit hole, today's episode intends to invite you to pay attention to where democracy is he...

We’re so excited to have Toniii join us on today's episode. We discuss labels, gender-bending self-expression, drag, media representation, the need for role models in the LGBTQ+ community (especially black and brown queer folks), overcoming difficult circumstances, and improving outcomes for foster youth by providing access to diverse experiences.    Toniii is the host of the T...

We are thrilled to welcome Alicia Arballo to our show again, this time to talk about inclusiveness and affirming practices and policies at school. We also discuss legislation the LGBTQ+ community should be aware of.   Alicia is a transgender woman, a school counselor, and a former teacher, with over 36 years of experience in education. She advocates for the LGBTQ+ community's rights and...

We are so honored to have Alicia Araballo join us today to share her transition story and much more. Alicia has been an educator for 36 years; she is a counselor and former teacher, an LGBTQ+ advocate, and she recently came out as a trans woman at the age of 62.  As the oldest of five siblings in a traditional Latino family, coming to terms with her gender identity and sexuality was extremely...

Trigger warning… This episode touches on upsetting topics for trans people and allies.    Today, we address some of America's most comprehensive anti-trans laws ever approved. The entire package of anti-LGBTQ+ laws was signed on April 8th, 2022, by Alabama Governor Kay Ivey and it directly attacks transgender youth, their families, and their medical providers.   Amidst the pain and...

Our guest today, Leah, has a potentially life-saving message for two groups of people. She wants LGBTQ+ Christians to know that they don’t have to choose between their faith and fully being themselves. She also humbly asks religious people who are non-LGBTQ+ affirming to reconsider what they’ve learned about what the bible has to say on this topic. According to Leah, Jesus made it clear that the h...

The ways people express their gender identity are more diverse and fluid than ever before. We celebrate this and want to keep learning as much as we can about how it’s all evolving; especially as younger generations confidently assert their unique identities in a variety of new and creative forms of expression. We encourage all individuals to explore and find their own authentic way of presenting...

What is the difference between sexual orientation and gender identity? Why are there so many different labels for sexual orientation and what do they all mean? Are the labels helpful or problematic? Can my (or my child’s) sexual orientation change over time? How can I ever begin to understand all this? In this episode, we answer these questions and more in a very frank mother-daughter discussion a...

It's hard to imagine any parent-child relationship without conflict. In fact, a complete absence of conflict might indicate a lack of trust and honesty. Although it is expected and, in many ways, healthy to have conflict in a parent-child relationship, if not handled properly, conflicts can lead to permanent damage. An unresolved parent-child rift could ultimately result in estrange...

Although most of us might have (or might think we have) a clear idea of what it means to be an ally or an adversary to transgender people, we may not be aware of all the specific choices that can make a huge difference. What might cause someone to be seen as an ally by a trans person? What might cause someone to be seen as an adversary by a trans person? And what about all the people who fall some...

Today’s episode is very special; we have the pleasure of welcoming my parents and Jackie's grandparents, Kath and Bill, to the podcast. As the holiday season is drawing near, we thought it made sense to talk about our experience navigating Jackie's transition as a family, and more specifically, from my parents' standpoint. Although my parents were young in the '60s, and they were, as they call the...

After spending over 30 years leading multi-billion-dollar brands in the fashion industry, and despite his tremendous success, Rob Smith felt he wasn't doing what he was supposed to do. During the day, he was a successful designer in corporate America, and at night, he would work with the LGBTQIA+ youth community. Rob found the answer he was looking for after a shamanic experience, an epiphany duri...

For members of the LGBTQ+ community, finding a safe space where they can be themselves is as fundamental as it is hard to find. The possibility of being comfortable in their surroundings and expressing their thoughts and feelings without fear of being ridiculed or humiliated is often unavailable to underrepresented minorities. This is why the work of our guests, Monica and Ash, is so important! By...

For those of us advocating for access to necessary medical care for trans youth, recent legislation seeking to criminalize or prevent this gender-affirming care feels like a huge step back. Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy is working to gain that ground back again, and to promote greater understanding of and support for it.  Visiting us today is Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy, who we lovingly call Dr. Jo...

Going through his transition in a rural area of Northern California was tough and lonely for Aydin. Although he assumes there were other trans people in the area, he never got in touch with them. On the other hand, he would drive three and a half hours each way to see a gender specialist on weekends. These difficulties created a strong desire in him to increase accessibility to mental health servi...

When it comes to being more empathetic with other humans that are different from us, Lauren Nile feels that she could put together a five-day PowerPoint presentation with 1000 bullet points, yet nothing would be as impactful as experiencing discrimination or harassment first-hand or seeing someone we love go through it. She believes that we need to go out there and be curious and make an effort to...

It had never occurred to Dr. Paria Hassouri that she didn’t know her child's gender. When her daughter Ava came out as transgender at 13, Paria didn’t believe her. Many years later, and with a better understanding of what it means to have a transgender child, Paria knows that gender is a spectrum that presents and evolves at different times.  Visiting us today is Dr. Paria Hassouri and her da...

If we compare our society with the way things were 10 or 15 years ago, we can see advances regarding trans equality and safety. Still, there is often a lack of trust between members of the LGBTQ community and the law enforcement professionals who are meant to protect them. Reports indicate that approximately half of transgender people feel uncomfortable seeking police assistance. We wanted to unde...

Most children can recognize and label stereotypical gender groups between the ages of 18 to 24 months. They also categorize their own gender at about age 3. As gender stereotypes are usually reinforced, kids might choose to behave in the most rewarding way, according to the gender they perceive as the one they should express. Gender and expression are related, and still, gender identity is not alw...

Perhaps a common mistake we can make as parents of transgender children is to think that something must be fixed, that we need to say or do something to solve a problem. We might feel stuck in the mud when we see our children suffering and we aren’t able to help them in the way we think would be best. But the truth is, the only thing they want from us is our love and support.  In this episode...

Welcome to the first episode of the Transgender School podcast, where Bridget and Jackie talk about diverse transgender identities and experiences so that we can all be better allies and advocates. Coming out as transgender is a difficult thing to do, both for the person who's transitioning, as well as for those around them. All of a sudden, reality changes, and major adjustments must be made. In...