Being TransParent | Raising a Trans Son

Amber is not only a dear friend of mine but they are a fierce activist for the LGBTQ+ community. We break down so many things from Amber's writing, to their sobriety journey, to their coming out journey...so much learning and vulnerability in this episode. Amber is a queer, nonbinary writer and advocate. They are a parent to three kids, one who happens to be transgender. Their writing appears on The Next Family, Sammiches & Psych Meds, Babble, Ravishly, Longreads, and The Washington Post. They are a staff writer for Scary Mommy. They also run Family Rhetoric by Amber Leventry, a Facebook page devoted to advocating for LGBTQ families one story at a time. Follow them on Twitter and Instagram @amberleventry. Amber is asking listeners to donate to Susu Healing Center: https://www.susuheals.com/

Today I was honored to interview this amazing woman, Nikole Parker. Nikole is Equality Florida's TransAction Florida Project Coordinator...amongst a million other roles within advocacy and activism. She shares intimate details of her coming out story, how she has come so far in such a short amount of time, how PULSE nightclub directly impacted her...and bares her soul for us. She talks with me about how to honor Black Voices during Pride Month and how we can be better allies. I'm so grateful for her voice and for her activism and just for HER. Please listen and donate to OnePULSE Foundation: https://onepulsefoundation.org/donate/ 

Tia Samuda is just so many amazing, wonderful things: a Jamaican native, an educator, a healthcare worker, a make-up artist, and a social media influencer. And to top it off, she's funny and kind. Tia and I talk all things from what it was like being raised in a country where being gay is literally still a crime, to BLM, to pride, to make-up. Tia is a member of the LGBTQ+ community and an amazing visible presence. This is a must listen because Tia is a ray of sun. Tia is asking listeners to support black owned business. Make-up: Juvias Place, Rainbow Station, Ikavins Cosmetics, Creole Cosmetics

In this episode, I interview LGBTQ+ activist Nate Quinn! In 2016, Nate began his journey as a transgender rights activist at the young age of 17. Nate made national headlines as he elevated the conversation of transgender voices and fought for his voice to be heard. Nate shares his coming out story with us and his journey into activism and advocacy.  We talk virtual pride month, young activism work, intersectionality, black lives matter, rioting, and all sorts of amazing things related to his journey.  An important episode to listen to learn about the ups and downs of being a visible transgender activist! Donate to Nate’s favorite charity, The Marsha P Johnson Institute: https://marshap.org/donate/

Marissa A. McCool, LGBTQ+ activist, women's semi-pro football star, author, pod-caster and Minneapolis resident, breaks it all down with me: what we should be celebrating this pride month 2020, what it's like being in the epicenter of this civil rights revolution, what coming out as trans looked like for her, and much, much more. Marissa drops invaluable knowledge during this episode. Marissa and I acknowledge our white privilege discussing these historic times we're in. Marissa passes on excellent information on ally-ship to all marginalized communities. This episode is a must listen. WE ARE ENCOURAGING LISTENERS TO DONATE TO MARISSA'S FAVORITE CHARITY, RAISING BLACK VOICES, Black Nonbelivers: https://blacknonbelievers.com/donate/

In this episode, we cover a LOT of ground. We talk about pride and how we will celebrate one another in the LGBTQ+ community social distance style. Dylan talks about his favorite pride experiences, gives suggestions on social distancing pride celebrations, we talk about The Trans Love Project, and MUCH MORE. It's a packed 25 minutes with my amazing, brave son.

On today’s episode, we talk about what it’s like being a kid in quarantine, as well as hear from Dylan about what it’s like to be a public, visible trans kid. Dylan gives some great answers to some difficult questions!

We are all using social media incessantly during this quarantine but when is it too much? When your child tells you it is! In this episode, I’ll talk about weighing the pros and cons of using social media during this unprecedented time and why I chose to delete Facebook, a platform where I had previously done so much LGBT advocacy work. My son Dylan also weighs in on the topic in a special guest appearance!

Sharing a special moment with our special bubble on social media that went awry. The lessons learned, the hurt, and the pause button.

In this episode, I dive into some of the emotions of my journey so far. As parents of trans kids, we rarely discuss our emotions because this journey isn’t about us. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t grappling with some enormous emotions.

This episode highlights our experience of my son coming out at school. I will give resources to parents on this journey, highlight the positives and negatives of our experience, give some talking points.

Some Questions With Answers. Answering questions about name choices, hormones, surgery, and gender identity versus sexuality.

In this episode, I tell my story of how I got here, parenting a transgender child. And how Caitlyn Jenner gave my son his voice.