Transgender Woman Talking

Welcome back! This episode is on different aspects of safety - which is a timely topic right now, especially for those living in the United States presently. Elle discusses many themes including proactive steps we can take to make ourselves feel and be more safe. Elle is now a fully licensed LMFT in California (#159064) and is accepting clients currently. She accepts several insurance plans and al...

In this installment of Transgender Woman Talking, Elle hosts a conversation with Mary Almy and Cheryl Shaver about a documentary they created together. Cheryl is a filmmaker and director who spent time with Mary and her loved ones to explore and present an intimate portrait of her world. In the episode, Elle talks with the two of the importance of story-telling, the poignancy and power of Mary&#39...

Elle checks back in with her thoughts about the current political discourse regarding trans people, including the many cruel and stigmatizing executive orders the new president of the United States signed during the first few weeks in office. Elle discusses some of the practical things she's doing to take care of herself, and how she believes we will all survive these times. Included in the episod...

I am still here. And so are you. This episode is the first following the American election of 2024, which was upsetting and disappointing for many of us. In it, Elle talks about Transgender Day of Remembrance, and provides a recording of a speech she gave at a in person gathering in her area. In it, she also reflects on surviving, thriving, and still showing up even during difficult times. Blessed...

In this belated episode, Elle talks about a book published just this past summer on the history of women's running. Better Faster Farther, by Maggie Mertens, explores the myths that have restricted women athletes access to competitive sports (namely running) and that continue to threaten them to this day. Read or learn more about it here and here . Included in this conversation are reflections on...

This week's episode is a recording of a sermon/lecture that Elle gave back in May at Paradox Church in Redlands (see their website here). In the speech, Elle reflects on some of the unique ways that queer people are often harmed by especially high control religions. As a spiritual person and one who practiced rigid religion for many years, Elle has experiences with both being negatively impact...

In this edition of the show, Elle talks about the idea of the 24/7 news cycle, and how it creates predictable waves of outrage throughout our culture, and into our lives. She reflects on the common denominators of the cycle as described by author Mark Manson (from the Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck) in a ⁠block post⁠ , and explores how these dynamics are uniquely experienced by trans and gender e...

Dr. Jill Hingston, LMFT is a psychotherapist, fierce ally of the trans community, and brilliant queer cisgender woman who currently serves as the Director of Behavioral Health Services at the LGBTQ Center of the Desert in Palm Springs. During this episode, Elle talks with Jill about her extensive experience working especially with transgender youth. Reach out to Jill via contact info on The Center...

In this episode, Elle addresses the elephant in the room and plans for the show going forward. She furthermore reflects on the many kinds of breaks we all take through our lives and transitions. This latest installment touches on themes of anxiety, trust, mindfulness practices, vacations, privilege and class, and of course transgender identities. . To join the Fierce Femmes support group on the 2n...

After an unplanned hiatus, Elle talks about the learned nature of gender, how gender is socialized, and the validity of gender and sex being changed and performed. She talks about the reasons we might choose to do gender in different ways, including safety, joy, and internal personality alignment. Some of the resources and additional materials referenced and recommended from this episode include:...

In this week's installment, Elle talks about a recent tattoo she got commemorating her graduation from therapy school. In addition, she reflects on some of the history and conversation in and around body modifications, including the perjorative accusation of "mutilation". Elle references her tattoo artist, Adrianne Marcella , as well as the work that she got done on her forearm for h...

On this episode, Elle brings back her book report format, exploring her reactions and thoughts about Taylor Jenkins Reid's masterful novel, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo . Among the themes included in this monologue are: reflections on allyship, the difficulty of being in the closet, how names and labels for the queer experience have changed over the years, the ways in which the dangers an...

In this episode of the program, Elle talks about some of her understanding of religious trauma or spiritual abuse. As a former pastor and lifetime member of the Seventh-day Adventist Christian denomination, she resonates very strongly with many of the experiences folks identifying as victims of religious trauma describe. In the program, Elle also reflects on some of her understanding of trauma in...

Nex Benedict was a 16 year old trans child who used he/him/they/them pronouns and lived in Oklahoma outside of Tulsa. Early in February, they were bullied to death in the girls bathroom at school. Before passing, video and text messages were captured from Nex reflecting on the experience of the fight that took his life and the years of harassment and bullying that led up to it. Many folks have bee...

Elle talks about some recent experiences she's had with haters, and how she chose to respond. She reflects on some of the principles she's used in the past (and present) for shaping reactions, offering a matrix of priorities that may arrive in a variety of priorities depending on the situation. The themes and topics addressed in this episode include Nex Benedict's death, verbal and phy...

This week's show features an interview recorded some time ago with one of Elle's coworkers at the LGBTQ Center of the Desert in Palm Springs, Bekki Lorton. They are a nonbinary person who shares their experiences on the path of self-discovery and self-love. In addition to doing community work at The Center, Bekki also worked with exotic animals in a zoo. Learn more about Bekki and their wo...

This episode concludes (for now) Elle's series asking the question about gender identity, Am I Transgender? This final episode again will work just fine on its own but will be best absorbed in the context of the previous six (linked below). In it, Elle talks about the Erin in the Morning's fabulous response to a transphobic hit piece published by the New York Times this last week. She also...

Elle this week reflects on the stress of existing as a trans person (and more generally a minority person) in the world today. She talks about the weight of discouragement and hopelessness that some trans people get covered by, and why it shows up for us. Among other themes, Elle recommends the work by Erin in the Morning who tracks anti transgender legislation in the United States (read with caut...

In this episode, Elle reflects about a conversation she had with educators and medical providers at Loma Linda University, a Seventh-day Adventist college and hospital in southern california. The table talk itself was not recorded, but Elle brings her report before, immediately after, and in retrospect of what happened. What she had erroneously thought of as an interview or panel discussion prior...

In this first episode of 2024, Elle interviews a fellow transgender sister, Wendy Cole. Wendy is a transition coach and elder in our community. She speaks about her experiences coming out of the closet as a child in the mid 20th century, what life was like for trans people in the 80s and 90s, and how things changed after 2012. Wendy's wisdom and kindness bleed through the whole episode, you&#3...

Elle talks about the voices of doubt and self-hate and transphobia that rattle around in our heads -- where they may have come from, and how she navigates them in the present. She reflects on a conversation she once had with Rachel Freemon Sowers (of Road to Radical Visibility) about people's projections on us, in addition to her work in the therapy world. Among other themes, this program incl...

For this week's episode, Elle shares a lecture she gave for SDA Kinship's 42nd annual Kampmeeting held in Riverside, California. Her lecture was given to a small audience of queer Christians in a hotel conference room. The lecture features her reflections on queer and chosen families, the imperfections amongst families, the ways in which we survive, and how to build thriving communities th...

This week on the program, Elle interviews the founder and leader of Patchwork, a network of mutual support communities for and by transgender people. In the episode, Stephanie reflects on her own personal journey with gender, some of the key experiences that shaped her, and what she gives her heart and soul to today. In addition, she also discusses the importance of building networks of love for o...

During this episode, Elle reflects on some of her experiences with intersecting aspects of marginalization, as well as with enjoying privilege. She highlights the AWIS map of intersecting oppressions and privileges ( click here) , as well as similar diagrams from Sylvia Duckworth ( click here ). She talks about how she grew from dismissing systemic racism as an adolescent to becoming antiracist as...

Mass media portrayals of trans lives can often be downers -- this podcast is no exception. The reality of living as transgender in a transphobic, cissexist, and heterosexist world is that suffering is nearly unavoidable. However, most of us who transition and live our lives authentically do so with the expectation of, and experience of genuine joy. In this episode, Elle discusses some of the ways...