All Out in the Open

This month on All Out in the Open, Ben Schilaty, Sarah Langford, and guest Tegan Zelano “Z” Blanchard answer the question, "How do I create the community I wish I had?"

Z shares how his social circle grew from a small group chat to a WhatsApp group of over one hundred LGBTQ+ young adults across Utah. Their efforts to create opportunities for queer joy culminated in a successful queer prom, which will soon be followed by queer homecoming.

This episode discusses the importance of authenticity and vulnerability in forming connections. Ben, Sarah, and Z remind us that community building starts by ministering to the one, and God will inspire us to know who to reach out to first.

#AllOutInTheOpen #LGBTQ #ReligiousPodcast #Community #ChurchOfJesusChristLatterDaySaints

All Out in the Open is back with a brand new episode!

Ben Schilaty, Charlie Bird, and new co-host Sarah Kellar Langford Sifuentes answer the question, “Is My Orientation an Essential Part of My Identity?”

In this episode, they share personal experiences that have shaped their identities, how people’s reactions can feel invalidating, and how God has been alongside them throughout the process.

Stay tuned for new episodes each month!

#AllOutInTheOpen #LGBTQ #ReligiousPodcast #Identity #ChurchOfJesusChristLatterDaySaints

Join us for a free writing workshop in Orem, UT on January 24th and February. Register for the workshop here: https://forms.gle/wVN3dPdythPEbywSA

To celebrate one year of All Out in the Open, hosts Charlie Bird, Ben Schilaty, Liz Macdonald, Michael Soto, Iese Wilson and Clare Dalton reflect on their favorite episodes and biggest takeaways.

We’ll be taking a break from the podcast to assess the best way to meet the needs of the community moving forward. Thank you for tuning in each week—your support means the world to us. We’ll be sharing more resources, events and opportunities to get involved soon. 

We’re excited to have Molly and Ruth join us in this week’s IN the Scriptures episode. Molly, an Arizona native, is a choir teacher with a passion for building community, and Ruth, originally from New York, works as an engineer who loves solving complex problems. The couple met and married in Utah before relocating to Indiana last year.

Together with host Clare Dalton, they explore how cultural misunderstandings of doctrine and policy can cause real harm—and why acknowledging that harm is the first step toward healing.

OUT and About: Iese Wilson takes us to New Zealand where Shaquaila Uelese opens up about growing up, discovering her identity, and embracing the Māori term Takatapui. While her family initially struggled with her coming out, their love helped her reconnect with God and heal her testimony. Shaq also shares the inspiration behind her nonprofit, Nevertheless, which helps people heal from shame, and offers powerful advice to anyone who feels different.

In this week’s ALL Together episode, Liz Macdonald and Michael Soto sit down with Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz. Growing up in an interfaith home, he felt called to Judaism and a life of activism. Rabbi Yanklowitz has founded organizations that serve foster children, immigrants, unsheltered individuals, and animals. Through his leadership and faith, he has also been a steadfast ally to the LGBTQ+ community.

Rabbi Yanklowitz invites listeners to reinterpret exclusive teachings, live joyfully as an act of resistance, and practice small acts of kindness to help heal ourselves, our families, and our world.

In this week’s episode, Charlie and Ben share their experiences watching the October 2025 General Conference. They discuss which messages stood out to them and how we can apply those principles in our daily efforts to become better disciples of Christ.

This week our IN the Scriptures episode features Jeremy and Sara Kerrigan.

After nearly two decades of marriage, Jeremy came out as gay. Though the couple later divorced, they continue to share deep friendship, faith, and love for each other and their five children.

Together with host Clare Dalton, they discuss Doctrine & Covenants 124-136, exploring temple covenants, eternal relationships, and how our understanding of God grows through lived experience.

#AllOutInTheOpen #INtheScriptures #DoctrineAndCovenants #FaithJourney #LGBTQ #Marriage #EternalFamilies 

This week’s OUT and About episode features Marcel Robinson, a gay Latter-day Saint from Jamaica. He opens up about losing his father, coming to terms with his sexuality, facing health challenges, serving a mission, and now attending Brigham Young University–Idaho. Marcel’s story is one of faith, hope and perseverance.