Episode 52 begins our series on Sex, sex and SCI and the research into restoring sexual function.

Matthew and Jason start by talking with Kelsey Peterson, Quinn Brett, and Thomas Cloyd about their experiences with sex after injury: their partners, perceptions, feelings and explorations. This is a frank and explicit conversation, so be prepared.

We plan to continue the conversation with multiple interviews and guests. So please send us your comments and questions in order to steer our discussion in the most relevant direction.

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Music: In The Dark by Freaque (SCI artist Gabriel Rodreick)

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Thomas Cloyd is a healthcare business guy, fitness enthusiast, and advocate for the SCI community. He was born and raised in MN and following a c5 SCI in 2012, helped co-found GUSU, a SCI research non-profit, and graduated with an MBA from the University of Minnesota. He now lives independently in Oakland, CA working full-time and navigating all the ups and downs of adulthood with the added spice of quadriplegia. Thomas wouldn’t be where he is today without help from others, and he is committed to paying that help forward in any way he can.

Kelsey Peterson is a dancer, writer, filmmaker and quadriplegic. Her previous path was interrupted when she sustained a spinal cord injury in 2012 and became paralyzed from the chest down. Despite her injury, Kelsey continues to dance, now from a wheelchair. She currently serves as co-director, choreographer and dancer on a live music and dance production featuring inter-abled artists called, A Cripple’s Dance. Her choreographic background lends to her storytelling, which she also leans on in her documentary film, Move Me. Artistic advocacy for people with disabilities is her passion, using storytelling as a means of education, visibility and empathy.

Quinn Brett's passion for wilderness and adventure has taken her to the nooks and crannies of the world, reveling in the freedom of movement. Her accomplishments are varied; first ascents, speed ascents, summit handstands, public lands advocacy, National Park technical rescuer, educator and yoga-climbing retreat owner. In October 2017 she took a 100-foot fall climbing in Yosemite, causing paralysis below the waist, T12. Her drive to cover long distances over technically complex terrain continues, just a few layers deeper. Quinn still advocates for public lands and now spinal cord research through writing, speaking and as an athlete.