In today's episode I am with Max Smothers ( they/them, he/him) and we discuss their earliest memories of questioning their gender and sexuality, barriers faced in their journey, family and friend support, what they wish the Black community understood about being queer and trans, and their recommendations for parents of trans youth, plus their experiences in college. Max Smothers is a junior at Columbia College Chicago. Max is a Creative Writing major and a Fine Arts minor. They are a nonbinary, LGBTQ+ artist and science fiction writer. They describe their work as wanting to be the loudest in the room.