Blessed Are the Binary Breakers

Solaris Baldwin is a 21-year-old Black, genderfluid Methodist who first learned about Jesus as a watchful judge ready to throw people into hell. However, as they explored their identity and sought out community, they uncovered the God who does not will suffering but who suffers alongside us; who does not demand unquestioning obedience but desires our joyful efforts to emulate God's own love. Join Solaris and Avery in a conversation about finding our people, wrestling with scripture, and letting go of fear in order to embrace growth and love.

Find Solaris @seraphic_sapphics on Instagram.

Click here for an episode transcript.

Timestamps:

(0:00 - 6:17) Lent as a time for openness and self-nourishment; introducing Solaris

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Blessed Are the Binary Breakers is part of the Rock Candy Podcast  Network. Find more shows, such as Common Creatives, at  www.rockcandyrecordings.com.

The theme song is "Aetherium" by Leah Horn. "Can't Find" by MotherHood is also used in this episode.

Trans persons experience drastically higher rates of mental illness and suicide attempts - when they are denied support and safety. In this episode, five trans and/or nonbinary persons of faith share their own mental health journeys, that move them from harmful theology to discovering God's deep love for them; and from isolation or hostility into relationships where they are embraced for all that they are. 

Click here for an episode transcript.

CONTENT WARNING for discussions of suicide ideation & suicide attempts and brief mentions of self harm; as well as mentions of non-LGBT affirming ideologies.

Timestamps:

(0:00 - 9:00) Statistics & studies surrounding transgender mental health; Avery discusses how mental illness is higher in trans populations because of lack of support, not because of sin or brokenness.

(9:01 - 15:34) Solaris Baldwin discusses how their suicide ideation stemmed from lack of options, and tells the story of how God sent two strangers to save their life.

(15:35 - 23:18) Avery and Solaris discuss how prevalence of illness is not because of sin, how community helps; they then discuss how these experiences can help us develop greater compassion for others and God's presence in the midst of suffering.

(23:19 - 25:43) Raphael shares their experiences with schizoaffective disorder, suicidality, and God's protection in the midst of it all.

(25:44 - 33:53) Alex Burchnell tells of his journey from anxiety and uncertainty into a life of love and purpose as the president of Queer Christian Family Values.

(33:54 - 39:52) Lavii has always been queer, Christian, AND proud, even while struggling with family homophobia and isolation at school; with the help of God and loving relationships, her journey is looking up.  

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Find the participants online:

Solaris - @seraphic_sapphics on Instagram.

Raphael - on TikTok @hostmodem; on mastodon at [email protected]; on Discord at Cactus Divina#3353.

Alex Burchnell - QueerChristianFamilyValues.com; on Twitter, Facebook, & Instagram @AlexMBurchnell. 

Lavii - thisisworsethanitlookslike.tumblr.com 

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Blessed Are the Binary Breakers is part of the Rock Candy Podcast Network. Find more shows, such as Brown Suga Diaries, at www.rockcandyrecordings.com.

The theme song come from "Aetherium" by Leah Horn. Other pieces used in this episode are "Can't Find" by MotherHood as well as "August," "Dreamer," and "Knowing" by Jeremy SH Griffith.

Click here for an episode transcript.

Rudra Maharaj navigates feeling disconnected from many of the communities around them due to racism, ableism, homophobia, and cultural differences, even while embracing the gods whose stories show them that queerness is compatible with Hinduism. 

In this episode, Rudra discusses their family's unique ways of practicing Hinduism as descendants of the indentured Indian diaspora living in Canada by way of Fiji; how Shiva gave them their name; and how being disabled intersects with their faith and family life.

Find Rudra on Twitter @RY_Maharaj

Talking Points:

(0:00 - 3:00) Intro - explaining that the interview was held over text message; Avery's sister helps read the transcript

Blessed  Are the Binary Breakers is part of the Rock Candy Podcast Network. Find more shows, such as Sacred Tension, at www.rockcandyrecordings.com.

The theme song come from "Aetherium" by Leah Horn. Also used in this episode is the instrumental version of "Can't Find" by MotherHood.

Click here for an episode transcript.

Avery shares their plans for this podcast for 2021! But first, they discuss the hard work that won white Jewish man Jon Ossoff & Black Christian Rev. Raphael Warnock the seats that flipped the US Senate blue, using an interfaith and interracial lens to do so.

Talking points:

(0:00 - 4:21) Episode intro, summary of presidential election & GA's runoff election

Blessed  Are the Binary Breakers is part of the Rock Candy Podcast Network. Find more shows at www.rockcandyrecordings.com.

Click here for an episode transcript.

Avery reflects on the queerness of Advent + Christmas, including 3 original poems. They show how the Nativity story (as presented in Luke & Matthew) is bursting with binaries broken, assumptions flipped on their head, and God's uplifting of persons the world calls unworthy. They explore Divinity's transition into a physical, finite form assigned male at birth; Mary's "yes" that put her at risk of social condemnation - not unlike what trans persons risk when coming out; and Joseph's initial confusion and rejection transformed into solidarity due to his openness to God's word.

Talking points:

(0:00 - 4:00) Mary's Magnificat and God's revolution

Blessed  Are the Binary Breakers is part of the Rock Candy Podcast Network. Find more shows at www.rockcandyrecordings.com.

The theme song is "Aetherium" by Leah Horn. The other music featured  in this episode comes from "Valpariso" and "Dreamer" by Jeremy SH Griffith - find more at www.jeremyshgriffith.com/home.

Click here for an episode transcript.

This is the second of two episodes featuring excerpts from authors who speak on religious pluralism and interfaith relationships. In this episode, Avery reiterates how opening oneself to beliefs beyond one's own can enrich one's connection to divinity and to humanity - rather than posing a threat to one's own faith life.

The passages Avery shares in this episode come from Rabbi Jonathan Sacks' Making Space for Difference, Philip Vinod Peacock's "Some Insights on Imago Dei," Rev. Jonathan Thunderword's From Christendom to Freedom, and Eboo Patel's Acts of Faith.

Talking Points:

- (0:00 - 3:30) Announcement - this podcast is now part of the Rock Candy Podcast Network!

Blessed Are the Binary Breakers is part of the Rock Candy Podcast Network. Find more shows - such as Bible Bash - at www.rockcandyrecordings.com.

The theme song is "Aetherium" by Leah Horn. The other music featured in this episode come from "Dreamer," "Mod 5," and "Mod 4" by Jeremy SH Griffith - find more at www.jeremyshgriffith.com/home.

Click here for an episode transcript.

This is the first of two episodes featuring excerpts from authors who speak on religious pluralism, interfaith relationships, and how diverse identities and cultures enrich religion. In this first episode, Avery focuses in on the extra complexities faced by Christians in approaching interfaith relationships respectfully, as members of a religion with a history and present tangled up in colonization and assimilation. 

The passages Avery shares in this episode come from Barbara Brown Taylor's 2018 book Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others and Kaitlin B. Curtice's 2020 book Native: Identity, Belonging, and Rediscovering God. The next episode will feature authors from religions other than Christianity.

(0:00 - 5:35) Why trans persons of all (and no) faiths need to include religious identity in our solidarity and activism; why the focus on Christianity for this first ep

Avery draws from multiple sources to discuss Halloween as a holiday that has elevated gender diversity since its origins deep in the ancient Celt observance of Samhain. As a holiday that has undergone various transitions, traveling across time and space and religious experiences while maintaining its binary-breaking core, Halloween is the perfect time for those of us who don't fit into gender norms to live into our holy truths. Indeed, its rise in popularity in the United States may well have relied on LGBT communities! 

Click here for an episode transcript that includes resources & citations.

Talking Points: 

- (2:50 - 5:19) Leslie Feinberg - "...The old butches told me there was one night of the year that the cops never arrested us – Halloween."

Andy Thornton shares their research into the exclusion experienced by bi and trans persons not only in Christian spaces, but also in LGBT/queer spaces. They found that many persons are made to feel like they are "not enough" - not Christian enough, not queer enough, not trans enough - and feel compelled to alter or suppress aspects of themselves to fit in better. How do we learn to stop hurting one another in the same ways that the normative world hurts us? 

Click here for an episode transcript.

Talking points: 

- (0:00 -  4:12) Intro: relating Andy's research to the tv show Pose

In this special episode, 8 trans and/or nonbinary persons share their insights on solidarity and allyship, intersectionality and wholeness. How do we resist assimilation and recognize our interdependence? How does religion uplift or fail trans persons? What can all of us, cis and trans alike, do to recognize our privilege and show up for other marginalized communities? Let's keep the conversation rolling.

Click here for an episode transcript.

Talking Points:

(1:50 - 5:38) Hadassah (she/they) is a Black Jew who wants those who would be their ally, accomplice, or co-conspirator to understand that they must support every part of her. Every human and community must be taken holistically, for we are all journeying towards wholeness.

(5:39 - 9:23) Andy Thornton (they/he) discusses how trans persons must show up for other marginalized groups, both members who are also trans and those that are cis. They bring up the issue of assimilation within the trans community and the need to fight the tendency to "other" others.

(9:24 - 11:14) William (they/he) is a white 14-year-old in Missouri who is learning young what it means to show up for racial justice. They also talk about the support they find at their church. 

(11:15 - 12:58) Chris Paige (they/zey) recounts how their friend stands up for his nonbinary siblings by calling out cissexist language even in the middle of worship. A good ally or co-conspirator is willing to disrupt and take risks so that members of an oppressed group don't have to.

(12:59 - 17:45) Elliott (he/him) is thankful to have found a Catholic community that listens to and uplifts trans voices, recognizing trans persons as fellow children of God. 

(17:46 - 20:35) Anonymous (she/her) is an Afro-Caribbean trans woman who emphasizes that transphobia is not inherent to every culture and often stems from white supremacy and colonization. Her mother is teaching her the practices of their people as an empowering alternative to white-dominated expressions of spirituality. 

(20:36 - 27:16) Dr. SJ Crasnow (they/them) teaches at a small Missouri university and studies how queer and trans Jews engage in and shape Judaism; in this episode they discuss how the US government attempts to violently regulate our bodies and identities; and then about privilege and what responsibility we have to bring our whole selves into our activism.