Canada Out of the Closet

In this Series Finale episode, Travis & John reflect on the past three seasons of Canada Out of the Closet. They discuss a few of the recurring themes that came up through many of the chats with their guests, and share their own takeaways from those conversations. 

Cole Alvis is a Metis and Two-Spirit artist based in Toronto. Originally from Alberta, Cole joins Travis & John today to talk about her own journey to finding her true identity, and shares how the world of theatre has positively impacted her life. 

Originally from the BC Okanagan, Jenni Barrientos now makes her home in Medicine Hat with her wife and children where she is an archivist for the city. She joins Travis & John today to share her own coming out story, while also giving a little glimpse into the queer history of the city all three of them call home. 

Rod Olson told his wife Joline before they got married that he was also attracted to men. Through their marriage he was never able to completely get rid of this attraction, and he eventually admitted to himself that he might be gay. Together they have worked hard to remain a family unit for their daughters while gracefully dismantling their almost three-decade marriage. They join Travis & John today to share their story - one rooted in love. 

Based in Edmonton, Alex Marshall is a transgender woman who is working to better the lives of 2SLGBTQ+ youth all over Alberta. Today she joins Travis & John to share about her own story and talk about her experience working with queer youth and the folks who support them. 

Along with being a performer, playwright, composer and writer, Edmontonian Darrin Hagen has been active in the drag scene for many years. Today he joins Travis & John to share his own story, and how it has shaped his award-winning body of work. 

Originally from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Max Craven now lives in New York, where he is pursuing his dream of performing in musical theatre. He recently finished a national tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's iconic musical, Cats, and joins Travis & John today to share his own coming out story. 

Meagan Thorson is a fellow “Hatter” who was well into adulthood before she discovered she's a lesbian. She joins Travis & John today to talk about her own story, coming out to her parents and now ex-husband, and showing us it's never too late to find out who you are. 

Based in Edmonton, Alberta, Trevor Schmidt is an award winning playwright and the artistic director of Northern Light Theatre. Today he joins Travis & John to talk about how his own story has influenced his work on stage.

Originally from a small farming community in Saskatchewan, Jeffery Straker is a singer/songwriter who now shares his music all over Canada, Latin America and Europe. He joins Travis & John today to open up about his own story, and explore how his identity has influenced his music. 

Travis & John are back for a third season! In this preview episode they talk about what this season looks like, and make a major announcement about the upcoming season.

In this season finale episode, Scott Blair returns to help Travis answer a couple questions from John, as well as some from our listeners! Then Travis & John share their final big takeaways from the season. 

Turns out we really like to talk. We recorded a little too much with Scott Blair for our Season Finale next week - so today we present a deleted scene from that episode! Scott joins Travis & John to revisit the list of movies and plays that we have talked about over the past two seasons. The movies and plays mentioned are: The Birdcage Brokeback MountainBare: A Pop OperaThe Talented Mr. RipleyCall Me By Your NameLove, SimonMoonlightMiseducation of Cameron PostBoy ErasedSecret LoveMambo ItalianoBoys Don't CryDisclosureBeautiful ThingThe Half of ItParis is BurningToo Wong Foo, Thank's for Everything! Julie NewmarThe Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the DesertThe Boys in the BandTorch Song TrilogyBros

It only took us almost two full seasons before nepotism brought a guest into our studio. Travis' husband, Curtis Perrin, joins him and John this week to talk about his own story of growing up in the Salvation Army in Southern Ontario, being a music educator, and how he found love on the Prairies. John also asks Travis and Curtis about what marriage means to them and how their recent wedding came together. 

In early August, news broke about 18 former students of a Christian high school in Saskatoon who were accusing the school and its leaders of abuse. Coy Nolin is one of those 18, and this week he joins Travis & John to share his own story. Coy details how he was outed by another student, shares how school leaders performed an exorcism to “cast out the gay demons,” and tells us how he worked through it all to get where he is today. 

In the short year since being elected as the Member of Parliament for Edmonton Griesbach, Blake Desjarlais has made a name for himself in the Canadian political scene. Desjarlais is the first Two-Spirited MP to serve in the House of Commons, and joins Travis & John this week to discuss what it means to be Two-Spirited and to share his own story as a member of the community. 

Travis & John took a road trip to Saskatchewan this week to meet Jim Saville, owner of the Spring Valley Guest Ranch near Cypress Hills. For over thirty years Jim has hosted the Ranch Rendezvous weekend, where LGBTQ+ people have been able to freely be themselves, even when they couldn't always at home. Jim shares his own coming out story, how he found his identity in bigger cities, and what drew him back to the small prairie town he grew up in. 

Not all coming out stories are told from the perspective of the person coming out. Alison Wearing, author of Confessions of a Fairy's Daughter: Growing Up with a Gay Dad, says that after her father came out, it took her years to come out herself as the daughter of a gay man. This week she joins Travis & John to share the story of her father coming out of the closet while she was in middle school. Alison explains how her father finding his truth impacted their family and how they've become closer through the process. 

Boden Broadhead joins Travis & John this week to talk about his coming out story, growing up gay in the LDS Church, and how he found a home in the world of performing arts. 

In this premiere episode of season 2, Travis & John are joined by Gabriella Hoff, a new teacher in the province of Alberta. Gabriella opens up about her own story as a bisexual woman, and dives into some of the misconceptions around this part of our acronym. 

Travis & John are back to talk to more Canadians living outside of the closet. In this preview for Season 2, they reflect on what Season 1 meant to both of them, and provide an update on the release for Season 2. 

In the final episode of the first season, it is John's turn to sit in the hot seat. John opens up about his own story -  how he has not always been an ally, how him and his high school friends treated a classmate who came out, and the people who helped him along the way to become an ally. Travis & John also share their three big takeaways from the entire season of the show.

Surprise! Our conversation with Jasper Hallows continued after we finished recording his episode - and we decided to share our conversation with you in this bonus episode. This informal chat sees Jasper answering more of our questions, and diving into hot topics in the Trans community like the Olympics and Caitlyn Jenner. 

Travis's good friend Stephanie Martin joins him and John today to share her own coming out story. An educator from Medicine Hat, Alberta,  Stephanie opens up about not being confronted with her identity until later in life, where she fits on the LGBTQ+ spectrum, and the importance of GSAs in our schools. 

Travis & John are joined today by Gavin Crawford, host of CBC Radio's Because News. Gavin shares his own coming out story, how he always knew he was gay while he grew up in the Mormon church, and about being a visible member of the LGBTQ+ community in the public eye. 

In today's episode Travis and John are joined by Jasper Hallows, a transgender man from Toronto. Jasper shares about his own journey to finding his identity, how he first came out as a lesbian, and how other people in his life helped him find who he truly is. Jasper also shares some information about how the process of transitioning can be different for everyone. 

If you follow politics in Canada, Kathleen Wynne is likely a familiar name to you. She has served as a MPP in the Ontario Legislature since 2003, and was the Premier of Ontario from 2013-2018. In that post, she was not only the first female holder of that title, but was also the first openly gay Premier in Canada. Today, she joins Travis & John to talk about her own coming out story, how it impacted her young family, and being out and proud in the public eye. 

Martha Chaves is one funny lady. Originally from Nicaragua, Martha is a Canadian comedian who has appeared in many major festivals, and is a regular contributor on CBC Radio's Because News. This week, Martha joins Travis & John to talk about her own coming out story, how it brought her to Canada, and how coming out impacted her career in entertainment.

As we have talked with our guests, John has thought of a number of "Hetero Moment" questions that he's wanted to ask - but did not want these questions to take away from the guest's story. So today, we are taking a break from sharing stories, and are joined again by Scott Blair to help Travis answer John's questions on a number of LGBTQ+ topics.

This week's episode explores another letter in the LGBTQ+ acronym when Travis & John are joined by Magda, a bisexual woman. Magda opens up about her own story, growing up in the American Deep South before later moving to Canada, and why she's never actually publicly come out. 

Today's episode takes a deeper look at the world of Bible School. Travis & John are joined by Ben Harrison, who Travis originally met while attending Bible School in Saskatchewan. Ben shares his own coming out story, reminisces with Travis about their Bible School days, and talks about his experiences as a gay man living in the New Brunswick. 

In today's episode, Travis & John are joined by fellow "Hatter" Bob Gehring. A life-long educator, Bob joins the hosts to talk about his own coming out story, how it affected his career, and how he uses his story now as an education tool in the community. 

If you have listened to our end credits each week then you have already heard the name of today's guest, who happens to also be our creative consultant on the show. Scott Blair joins Travis & John today to talk about his own coming out story, his struggle to balance his identity as a gay man and a Christian, and his time in a group known as "Side B." 

Originally from Barrhead, Alberta, Janis Irwin was an educator before being elected to the Alberta Legislature as an NDP MLA in 2019, representing the riding of Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood. She currently serves as the Official Opposition Critic for the Status of Women and LGBTQ2S+ Issues, and is the Official Opposition Deputy Whip. In today's episode, Travis & John talk to Janis about her own coming out story, being the only out "ML-Gay" in the Alberta Legislature, and being a member of the Official Opposition against a government that has rolled back protections for LGBTQ2S+ students. 

In this premiere episode, it only seems fair that the first person to be put in the hot seat is the host himself - Travis Boser. In a conversation with his cohost, John Whidden, Travis opens up about his own coming out story, how being a "church kid" contributed to his own identity struggle, and reflects on the experiences and people that have shaped who he is today. 

Hosts Travis Boser and John Whidden introduce their new podcast series: Canada Out of the Closet. Each week they will be joined by a Canadian living out of the closet, who will share about their own journey to finding their identity and coming out. Canada Out of the Closet comes out on September 8, 2021.