By Mama Dragons
You're navigating parenting an LGBTQ+ child without a manual and knowing what to do and what to say isn't always easy. Each week we’ll visit with other parents of queer kids, talk with members of t
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As states across the nation continue to target transgender children, some families flee for safety and refuge. Some families choose to be as invisible as possible for their safety, and we support and celebrate that. But other families are choosing to plant their feet and fight back. Today’s In the Den guest is a mom from Texas who fought back when the state investigated her and her husband for child abuse for nothing more than supporting their trans child.
Special Guest: Amber Briggle
Amber Briggle (she/they) is a self-described “mama bear” of a transgender teen in Texas. Amber and her family were investigated by the Texas Department of Family Protective Services for “child abuse” in 2022 after TX Governor Greg Abbott directed the agency to open such cases against families like theirs. Consequently, Amber and her husband, Adam, sued Governor Abbott and are named as co-plaintiffs in PFLAG v Abbott, which seeks to permanently halt these types of investigations.
Amber is a founding member and the former national co-chair of the Human Rights Campaign’s “Parents for Transgender Equality Council”, and has previously been nominated by the Dallas Morning News as “Texan of the Year”. Along with her family, Amber starred in a nationwide PSA about trans-inclusive families that won a Telly Award and garnered over 300 million views, which she debuted onstage at the GLAAD Media Awards in Hollywood.
Amber has written for the Washington Post, Daily Beast, and TIME Magazine, and has been featured in numerous outlets, including Nightline, NHK-Japan, MSNBC, Newsweek, Teen Vogue, The 19th, and People Magazine. She and her family star in Love to the Max, a documentary acquired by the New Yorker, which was released June 2024. Mostly, though, she’s “just a mom” who loves both her kids unconditionally.
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Words with Friends episodes are bonus episodes where different members of Mama Dragons provide definitions for LGBTQ related topics. This episode includes the following definitions:
Prejudice shared by Chris Davis in Maine
Unconscious Bias shared by Lisa Renaud in Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Microaggressions shared by Marnie in Gold Coast, Australia
Discrimination shared by Erin in Clinton, Mississippi
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People around the world battle with self-image and self-esteem issues. Humans do a lot of things to look presentable and attractive, or even acceptable, to the world around them. Society sets unrealistic expectations about what it means to be a woman and what it means to be a man. Transgender people not only have to face these universal unrealistic expectations, they also face many unique challenges and have experiences that cisgender people don’t. Today In the Den, Jen sits down with special guests Erik VonSosen and Beckett Jones to talk about a wide range of topics impacting transgender people, from managing transition expectations to finding healthier ways to approach societal expectations to fully learning to embrace our true selves.
Special Guest: Erik VonSosen
Erik is a 23 year old fashion and costume designer based in Los Angeles. She creates womenswear out of recycled and sustainable materials, with an emphasis on structural heavy-duty corsetry. With a love of fashion as a form of visual storytelling, her inspirations often come from video games, nature, and her identity as a trans woman. When she's not working on a project, Erik can usually be found mixing songs on her DJ controller, scouring the flea market, or deciding what to wear out with her friends on a Saturday night.
Special Guest: Beckett Jones
Beckett is a transgender artist and poet. He is the oldest of three siblings and can often be found outdoors. Beckett’s a conservation worker who has spent his last few summers working in a variety of wilderness areas, including Yellowstone National Park, Mount Rainier National Park, and Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge (located about 1100 miles South of the Hawaiian Islands). Beckett's currently studying Marine Biology at the University of Hawaii.
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Project 2025 is a comprehensive initiative developed by The Heritage Foundation as a blueprint for any administration willing to take it on. Many people have seen or heard of it in news headlines, but not as many really understand what it actually is or why it matters. Regardless of who wins any election, the elements and ideas in Project 2025 will come up, and parents and allies of the LGBTQ+ community need to be informed. Lawyer, advocate, and strategist Rachel Laser joins Jen In the Den to discuss all the things we need to know about Project 2025.
Special Guest: Rachel Laser
Rachel Laser, Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Rachel Laser became president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State in February 2018. She is the organization’s first non-Christian and female leader in its 76 year history. Rachel is a lawyer, advocate and strategist who has dedicated her career to making our country more inclusive. In her position at Americans United, Rachel oversees the organization’s work to protect freedom of conscience for all and ensure religion is not used to justify discrimination. Prior to coming to AU, Rachel worked as an educator on white privilege and racism and held positions as deputy director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, director of the Culture Program at Third Way and senior counsel at the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC). Rachel is a graduate of Harvard University and the University of Chicago Law School. She is a former board member of NARAL Pro-Choice America.
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Conversion therapy, sometimes known as reparative therapy, targets LGBTQ+ people and seeks to change their sexual or gender identities.Conversion therapy has been shown to be harmful and has been categorically rejected by every mainstream medical and mental health organization for years. However, due to continued societal bias against queer people, some practitioners continue to use conversion therapy. Young people are particularly vulnerable to its harmful effects, which include increases in depression, anxiety, risky drug use, homelessness, and suicide. On today’s episode of In the Den, guest host Dawn Sparling talks with historian Seth Anderson about the history and consequences of conversion therapy and how to fight against it today.
Special Guest: Seth Anderson
J. Seth Anderson, PhD, was born in Provo, Utah, and raised in Utah and Arizona. He served a mission in the Russia, Samara mission. He earned a BA in Russian and a BS in Economics from Arizona State University, an MA in History from the University of Utah, and a PhD in History from Boston University. His dissertation explores the origin of gay conversion therapy. (He claims to be working on the book proposal, but that's debatable.) He likes to play piano and go to the gym. He and his husband Dr. Michael Ferguson, were the first same-sex couple married in Utah in 2013.
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As individuals who love and celebrate the queer people in our lives, we are very aware that their journey to accepting themselves is not always an easy one. There are lots of intersections that come together to make every journey unique, and yet we find common threads. Today In the Den, Jen visits with Mike Maeshiro about his experiences coming out as gay, deconstructing evangelicalism, healing from religious trauma, and helping others to do the same.
Special Guest: Mike Maeshiro
Mike Maeshiro is the founder of Numa, an organization that supports people recovering from religious toxicity. Mike is gay, an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, and a queer theology enthusiast. Mike is a former instructor at Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, best known for his class, “Discerning of Spirits.” He now teaches on emotional health and redemptive deconstruction. He is a consultant and coach for gay men recovering from evangelicalism. He also has a team of coaches who work with people whose faith is evolving. He is a social media influencer and thought leader. Mike loves Japanese food, movies, and playing volleyball, and has a depth of useless knowledge about the X-men.
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Many of our children are more expansive with regard to gender than we would have ever considered in our generation. As parents of LGBTQ+ children, we are invested in having the tools we need to best support them and help them as they navigate the complexity of their gender identity. In this week’s episode of In the Den, Jen talks with psychiatrist Dr. Jack Turban about a range of topics that impact our transgender and gender diverse children.
Special Guest: Jack Turban
Dr. Jack Turban, MD, MHS is a Harvard, Yale, and Stanford-trained child and adolescent psychiatrist and founding director of the Gender Psychiatry Program at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He is an internationally recognized researcher and clinician whose expertise and research on the mental health of transgender youth have been cited in legislative debates and major federal court cases regarding the civil rights of transgender people in the United States.
His research focuses on the mental health of transgender and gender diverse youth, particularly as these topics relate to public policy.. His research has been cited in major court cases regarding the civil rights of transgender people in the U.S., in state legislative debates around the country, and in the United Nations’ independent expert report on conversion therapy.
In addition to his research, he is a frequent op-ed contributor with work featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, The Los Angeles Times, Scientific American, and STAT. His new bookFree to Be: Understanding Kids & Gender Identity is now available.
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In the last couple of years, states have ramped up their attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, introducing laws surrounding sports, books, and even healthcare. 24 states have banned gender affirming care for youth, and many of those laws are now being discussed, debated, and decided in the courts as LGBTQ+ people, families, and advocacy groups file challenges to these laws. Medical bans on gender affirming care have been some of the most terrifying for families, and there have been a lot to try to keep track of. Today In the Den, Jen meets with ACLU strategist Gillian Branstetter about a very specific case, and what this case might mean for all the other cases.
Special Guest: Gillian Branstetter
Gillian Branstetter is a Communications Strategist at the ACLU’s Women’s Rights Project and LGBTQ & HIV Project. Formerly of the National Women’s Law Center and the National Center for Transgender Equality, she works with advocates, storytellers, reporters, and artists to fight for gender justice, including the safety and dignity of queer and transgender people.
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As human beings, we are all more than just one thing. We each hold more than one identity, and our cultural and ethnic backgrounds play huge parts in how we experience the world. Today In the Den, guest host Sara LaWall dives into the intersection of Latinx and Queer identities with two special guests, Gabe Morales & Alex Carmelo.
Special Guest: Alex Carmelo
Alex was born in Galveston, TX, and raised in the city of South Houston. He was brought up by his grandparents. Their strong dedication and discipline made him the person he is today. Alex was the first person in his family to graduate from high school and attend college. His life journey has included some tough times, but he continues to fight not only for himself but the community he serves. As an openly gay Latino/Hispanic, he is truly passionate about helping the community. His first leadership position was as the executive liaison for Houston Millennials. He currently sits on the board of directors of the National Hispanic Professional Organization, Houston Dia Los Muertos, and the Houston Livestock show. Alex truly believes that as he empowers himself, he can help others become leaders. Motto: “Don’t talk the talk, walk the walk.”
Special Guest: Gabriel Morales
Gabriel is a 34 year old first-generation Houstonian. After years of yearning to study, practice, and work hands-on in the field of art, he was lucky enough to stumble upon a graphic design course at the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD), where he found his calling. Soon after, under the leadership of his graphic design professor/mentor, Gabriel joined the inaugural Graphic Design Research Initiative program at UHD, where he worked alongside his professor and a select group of fellow students to gain real-world experience in design projects with non-profit organizations. Gabriel was then invited to interview for a graphic design student position at the UHD Advancement & University Relations office, where he was offered a full-time position, after graduating with a BA in Fine Arts. Gabriel has been designing with UHD for eight years now and has since earned the title of Manager of Graphic Design. Outside of work, Gabriel does freelance design and spends his free time hanging out with his family, best friends/roommates, and his cat, watching movies, and singing along to musicals.
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Mama Dragons has a new Executive Director! Liz Welch brings new leadership, new enthusiasm, and new ideas to Mama Dragons, so we thought it was important to introduce this new Executive Director to our podcast listeners and give her a chance to share her vision for Mama Dragons in her own words as she joins Jen in this week’s episode of In the Den.
Special Guest: Liz Welch
Liz comes to Mama Dragons with extensive advocacy and lobbying experience in LGBTQ+ and religious freedom at the federal, state, and local levels. While at the ACLU, Liz led a National Faith Coalition that supported efforts to advance protections for LGBTQ+ communities while preserving the rights of faith communities. She also co-facilitated a transgender education and advocacy project, working to train and support trans activists in advocating for their rights across the country.
Liz's work is heavily influenced by the words of Bishop Desmond Tutu, “There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they are falling in.” Liz has a passion for creating a community around complex issues and lifting the voices of those who are most impacted, especially in places where “courageous conversations” can change minds and open hearts.
In addition to her work on LGBTQ+ issues, Liz is a trained mediator, experienced facilitator, and event coordinator for everything from hyper-local Pride events to coordinating the rallies at the Supreme Court of the United States for the biggest cases of our time. Liz has spent the majority of her life living in the Rocky Mountains while working at the national level. She currently lives in a self-renovated old home in Billings, Montana, with her three obstinate hounds and an extensive garden. She is the proud mother to Mariah, who is a public defender and an avid baker.
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