Whiplash with Maxwell Kuzma

The fight for LGBTQ dignity in the Catholic Church didn’t begin in our lifetime—and this episode traces one priest who proved that publicly and without apology. Fr. Tom Oddo was a Catholic priest living in 1944-1989 who openly advocated for gay rights while also defending a rigorous, human vision of Catholic education, reminding us that courage and reform have always existed within the Church. On...

Purity culture is often framed as a story about sex and shame, but it’s also a political system shaping whose bodies are protected, disciplined, or cast as threats. In this episode of Whiplash , Emma talks with Sara Moslener , scholar of American religion, race, and gender, and author of After Purity . Sara helps us see how purity culture is deeply entwined with whiteness, Cold War politics, and A...

In this episode of Whiplash , Max is joined by Bill, co-host of the film podcast Morally Offensive , for a deep dive into Wake Up Dead Man . Framed as a gothic murder mystery, the film becomes a lens for examining Catholic power, clerical authority, and the uneasy overlap between faith, control, and grifting. Together, Max and Bill explore how the movie stages competing visions of priesthood, why...

Thomas Aquinas is very popular on the Catholic internet—especially in high-control spaces where his work is treated as the final word on hierarchy, gender, sexuality, and social order. In this episode of Whiplash , we take a deep dive into how Aquinas’s theology was shaped by aristocratic privilege, scholastic gatekeeping, and a rigid hierarchical imagination—and how those same frameworks continue...

Masculinity operates within a complex web of power, fear, and purity culture. In high-control Catholic spaces, rigid ideals of manhood are enforced not just through behavior, but through moral systems that label certain bodies, desires, and identities as “acceptable” or “threatening.” These structures protect themselves by policing men and women alike, privileging conformity while punishing deviat...

In this episode of Whiplash , we sit down with Nancy Sylvester, IHM , whose life spans the reforms of Vatican II, decades of Catholic social justice leadership, and a profound commitment to contemplative practice. Nancy shares how contemplative prayer can ground us amid uncertainty, help us navigate conflict with greater clarity, and sustain the long work of transforming our communities and our wo...

Queer and trans people are often told that our lives have no place in the Christian past—that we’re modern disruptions, not part of the story. But when you look closely at the Middle Ages, that certainty falls apart. The archive is full of gender-expansive figures, boundary-crossing saints, and stories that refuse the neat binaries people try to impose on them today. The trouble isn’t that queer a...

Today we break down why crusader armor, Jerusalem cross tattoos, and medieval edits are suddenly everywhere. Emma and I dig into how this aesthetic blends fantasy, Catholic symbols, and far-right vibes into a hypermasculine myth—and why it’s so appealing to young men right now. For more background and de-radicalization insight, don’t miss our companion essay, “Breaking the Crusader Spell,” here: h...

Matt Fradd’s decision to bring Pints with Aquinas to The Daily Wire is a major shift within conservative Catholic media in recent years. In this episode, we break down why this move matters, how it reshapes the landscape of Catholic commentary online, and what it reveals about the tightening relationship between right-wing political media and religious influencers. We look at how Fradd’s huge audi...

In this episode of Whiplash , Max and Emma keep the Halloween spirit alive by sharing their favorite costumes, movie memories, and stories from Halloweens past—while reflecting on the deeper meaning of this season for queer and trans Catholics. As the veil thins and the world turns toward remembrance, they explore how Halloween has long been a space of liberation for queer people: a night to step...

Queer Catholic history isn’t a closed book—it’s still being written in every act of courage, faith, and community. For more than fifty years, DignityUSA has been at the heart of that story, standing as one of the earliest and most enduring organizations advocating for LGBTQ+ Catholics. In this episode, Emma sits down with Marianne Duddy-Burke , Executive Director of DignityUSA, to reflect on the o...

As we continue celebrating LGBTQ History Month, we’re turning toward the power of art—how it allows queer people of faith to see ourselves reflected in the sacred. This week, Max speaks with Libby , a young artist and one of the youngest attendees at the recent LGBTQ pilgrimage in Rome. Building on our earlier conversation with Dani from @andhersaints , this episode explores how art becomes a form...

In this episode of Whiplash , Max and Emma speak with Dr. Jason Steidl Jack , theologian, historian, and author of LGBTQ Catholic Ministry: Past and Present . Jason traces the long and often overlooked history of queer Catholic ministry in the United States — from early communities like DignityUSA to today’s ongoing efforts to build spaces of belonging within and beyond the Church. He reflects on...

What happens when queerness meets fundamentalist religion? This week on Whiplash , we sit down with Willow, an intersex trans person, thinker, and survivor of Christian and Catholic fundamentalism, to explore how queerness can become a way of making meaning inside systems that were never built to hold us. Together, we reflect on how queerness transforms us — how it redefines faith, community, and...

Beneath the surface of Catholic history in America lies a story too often ignored: the deep entanglement of white Catholic identity with racism. In this episode, Maureen O’Connell, author and scholar of Catholic social ethics, helps us uncover that history through her groundbreaking book Undoing the Knots , which traces five generations of her own family in Philadelphia to reveal how Catholic belo...

What if the “insider knowledge” driving today’s far-right movements isn’t Christian at all? Dr. Joan Braune joins us to expose how figures like Steve Bannon twist ancient Roman myths about history into pseudo-intellectual narratives of power. These ideas get passed off as “tradition,” but as Joan shows, they’re not Catholic, not Christian—and they’re fueling the dangerous rise of fascism and Chris...

Pope Leo’s first four months have been marked by gestures that many LGBTQ Catholics never thought they’d see in their lifetimes. From a historic pilgrimage of LGBTQ faithful into Rome—welcomed after decades of exclusion—to his private meeting with Fr. James Martin, the new pope has signaled continuity with Francis’s posture of welcome. For communities once silenced or cast out, these moments carry...

In this episode of Whiplash with Maxwell Kuzma, we dive into purity culture and the hold it continues to have in American Christianity. While many remember it through 1990s evangelical movements like abstinence pledges and purity rings, purity culture’s influence stretches far beyond that moment. It shapes how churches and communities regulate sexuality, enforce rigid gender roles, and equate wort...

This week on Whiplash , Jenn Morson joins us to talk about Franciscan University—a place both Max and Jenn attended. While many remember friendly friars and a vibrant campus life, the university also fostered a culture of control, secrecy, and conformity that allowed harm to persist. Jenn has been a leading voice reporting on sexual abuse allegations at Franciscan, including work for the National...

In this episode, we reflect on what it means to engage ethically with stories of High Control Catholicism and religious trauma. As we’ve moved through this series, we’ve seen how easily personal testimony can be flattened into content for clicks, and how platforms often privilege certain voices over others. We share how we approach storytelling differently—by centering lived experience, collaborat...

In this episode, we sit down with journalist and author Gareth Gore to explore the hidden world of Opus Dei. From his beginnings as a financial reporter to uncovering a story that stretched far beyond banking, Gareth shares how Opus Dei’s secrecy, influence, and high-control practices have shaped both Catholic life and global politics. Together, we discuss the cult of personality around founder Jo...

This week’s episode is one of the harder ones we’ve recorded. We’re talking about conversion therapy — something that isn’t just a political talking point, but a lived reality for so many in our community. If this topic is too much for you right now, please take care of yourself and skip this one. Your wellbeing matters more than anything. But for those who can listen, thank you for holding space...

In this episode, we’re joined by Theo, the creator and host of Disordered: Responding to Catholic Teachings on Gender and Sexuality. Their podcast takes on the harmful narratives that many conservative Catholic voices promote about LGBTQ people—arguments that are often cloaked in the language of love and pastoral care, but ultimately rely on shame, fear, and pseudoscience. Episode by episode (ther...

Raised in the Lamb of God Covenant Community, Audrey Clare Farley grew up in a tightly controlled environment shaped by charismatic Catholicism, rigid gender roles, and a theology that demanded obedience at all costs. Now a historian and author, Audrey reflects on how that formative experience shaped her work on eugenics, religious fundamentalism, and the ways society constructs categories like “m...

What does it mean to investigate the Church you still call home? And what happens when Catholic media itself becomes a tool of control? This week on Whiplash , we continue our High-Control Catholicism series with a powerful conversation with journalist, editor, and teacher Heidi Schlumpf. Heidi reflects on her career investigating the Catholic Church from within, and what it means to report on far...