In The Den with Mama Dragons

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Over the years we’ve heard LGBTQ people say that they didn’t know what life might look like for them as an adult. Many haven’t had LGBTQ role models that provide examples of a potential future, and a lot of fear that parents of LGBTQ children experience comes from the unknown as well. We thought it might be helpful for parents to get to know some of the amazing members of the LGBTQ community, just a few at a time, so that they can provide a realistic view of what life could look like for our children. Today, Jen joins guests Brandon Connolly, Mikayla Connolly, and Melissa-Malcolm King in the second episode of World of Possibility. 

Special Guests: 

Mikayla Connolly (she/her) is a Licensed Mastered Social Worker and advocate for the LGBTQ community.

Brandon Connolly (he/him) is a community activist and LGBTQ+ advocate in Southern Idaho. He’s passionate about educating others on LGBTQ+ issues and is the President of Southern Idaho Pride.

Melissa-Malcolm King (she/they) is an author, educator, and community leader.  In 2023, Melissa-Malcolm became the first woman and person of color elected to be President of Affirmation: LGBTQ Mormons, Families, and Friends. As a survivor of abuse, Melissa-Malcolm has appeared on multiple panels to advocate for survivor rights and discuss the intersection of being a Queer, Disabled, and Person of Color. Melissa-Malcolm advocates and supports inclusion rights in the disabled community as a proud and active board member of the Disability Rights Action Committee (D.R.A.C.) and American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today (A.D.A.P.T.) that support advocacy, community awareness programming, and lobbying for equitable laws that protect the rights of Disabled Individuals both on the state and national level.

Links From the Show:

• Join Mama Dragons at www.mamadragons.org 

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Join Jen as she sits down with sex therapist Dr. Cami Hurst to discuss the topics of safe sex and sex education for our queer kids. Cami presents the foundations of sexual health, including consent, non-exploitation, mutual pleasure, protection from STIs and unwanted pregnancy, honesty, and shared values. Don’t miss this information packed episode, full of valuable resources and wisdom for parents everywhere. 

Special Guest: Cami Hurst

Dr. Cami Hurst is a licensed marriage and family therapist and certified sex therapist in Meridian, ID. Cami operates a private practice offering therapy, coaching, and online small group education. She is a founder and current President of the Idaho Association of Sexual Health Professionals (ISHP). She is the host of the Sex Therapy 101 podcast. She holds a Master’s Degree in Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy and a PhD in Clinical Sexology. Cami is passionate about helping couples and individuals improve their relational and sexual health. As a Mama Dragon herself, Cami finds extra fulfillment in working with members of the LGBTQ community and their families. 

Links from the Show: 

• It’s Perfectly Normal by Robbie Harris: https://www.amazon.com/Its-Perfectly-Normal-Changing-Growing/dp/0763644846
• It’s So Amazing by Robbie Harris: https://www.amazon.com/Its-So-Amazing-Families-Library/dp/0763668745
• It’s Not the Stork by Robbie Harris: https://www.amazon.com/Its-Not-Stork-Families-Friends/dp/0763633313  
• Who Has What?: All About Girls’ Bodies and Boys’ Bodies by Robbie Harris: https://www.amazon.com/Its-Not-Stork-Families-Friends/dp/0763633313
• The Pride Guide by Jo Langford: https://www.amazon.com/Pride-Guide-Sexual-Social-Health/dp/1538144158 
• Cami’s website: camihurst.com
• For Hers: www.forhers.com
• For Hims: www.forhims.com 
• mistr (PrEP provider): https://heymistr.com/ 
• Cami’s podcast Sex Therapy 101: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sex-therapy-101-with-cami-hurst/id1487731899 

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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:

Bisexual shared by Marnie Lobban

Pansexual shared by Tracey Anne from Scotland

Lesbian shared by Steph Leanne from Mississippi

Pregnancy (queer potential)  shared by Shauna Jones from Idaho

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In this week’s episode of In the Den, Jen visits with Denver-based therapist Cole Brennen about his experiences coming out as trans himself 25 years ago, changes in society’s perceptions of trans people over that time, and what parents can do to support and nurture their queer children today. 

Special Guest: Cole Brennen

Cole Brennan is a queer and transgender mental health therapist, owner of HeartMind Therapy in Denver, former bike mechanic and youth outdoor educator, and lover of nature, adventures, and above all, people. Cole works primarily with LGBTQ+ identified youth and adults, and has a passion for helping his clients find their innate love and joy for themselves, their many identities, and the world around them. Cole lives in Denver, Colorado with his partner, two young children, and two equally young pups. 

Links from the show: 

Cole’s therapy practice: https://www.heartmindtherapydenver.com/about

Join MamaDragons today at www.mamadragons.org 

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In this episode of In the Den, Jen brings back past guests Lori Davis, Shauna Jones, Neca Allgood, and Laura Skaggs to answer some frequently asked questions regarding parenting an LGBTQ child. 

• What do I do if my partner/co-parent isn’t supportive of my child?
• Why does my child say they are a boy but wear dresses and makeup? What’s the difference between gender identity and expression?
• How do I protect my child, both physically and emotionally?
• How do I respect my child’s reality without “outing” them as we move through the world?

Links from the show:

Mama Dragons website: www.mamadragons.org 

Mama Dragons on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mamadragons 

Mama Dragons on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themamadragons/ 

The Family Acceptance Project: https://familyproject.sfsu.edu/

More Family Acceptance Project: https://lgbtqfamilyacceptance.org/

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With the tidal wave of anti-transgender legislation currently sweeping the United States, there is an overabundance of misinformation and disinformation circulating about what transitioning is and what it means. To be clear, some trans people never transition in any way, and transitioning is not a requirement of being transgender. Some trans people may utilize certain aspects of transitioning and not others. Social, medical, and legal transitions are very distinct forms of transitioning, but they are often conflated and hyperbolized in conversations around transitioning. Jen sits down with trans therapist Dianne Piggot to sort through common misunderstandings surrounding transitioning, what transition actually means, and what different types of transitions might look like. 

Special Guest: Dianne Piggott

Dianne Piggott is a counselor in Boise, Idaho, who primarily works with transgender people. As a member of the transgender community herself, she has both studied and experienced the situations and has a unique perspective. She works from a strength based and deeply empathetic place to give clients a safe place to explore who they are. 

Links from the show: 

Dianne’s Counseling Practice: https://www.piggottcounseling.com/

Additional resources on transitioning: 

• https://www.healthgrades.com/right-care/symptoms-and-conditions/8-common-misunderstandings-about-gender-transition
• https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/gender-identity/transgender/what-do-i-need-know-about-transitioning 
• https://transcare.ucsf.edu/transition-roadmap 

Fact checking myths around transitioning: https://www.aclu.org/news/lgbtq-rights/fact-checking-common-myths-transition-related-care-trans-people 

Join MamaDragons today at www.mamadragons.org 

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Many religious spaces can be fraught for LGBTQ people of faith and those who love them. Scripture and theology are all too often used to harm instead of heal, especially when it comes to our queer congregants. Pastor Stan Mitchell sits down with Jen to talk about how religious theology has hurt and wounded the LGBTQ community, and how we can lean on and expand our faith to find peace, hope, and healing amid a sometimes tumultuous spiritual journey of love and acceptance of our LGBTQ children and ourselves. 

Special Guest: Stan Mitchell

Stan Mitchell is the Founding Pastor/Pastor Emeritus of GracePointe Church in Nashville, Tennessee, having served as its Lead Pastor from 2003 through 2019. In 2015, GP made the move to the full affirmation and celebration of LGBTQ+ people. Prior to this he was the Teaching Pastor at Christ Church also in Nashville, Tennessee. He spends his vocational time now as a speaker, LGBTQ+ advocate/pastor, and consultant within the Progressive Christian movement.  

Links from the show:

Find Stan on FB: https://www.facebook.com/stan.mitchell.58 

Stan on IG: https://www.instagram.com/pastorstanmitchell/ 

GracePointe: https://www.gracepointe.net/about-us

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It can be a confusing and even frustrating experience for parents when their LGBTQ child changes how they label their identity. It’s important to understand that it is very common for LGBTQ young people to find a label for themselves and to later change that label to something else down the road. What does label changing mean, and how can we fully support our children when we don’t understand certain labels? Does changing labels mean that it’s all really just a phase? In this week’s episode of In the Den, Jen talks with Elizabeth Johnson about the importance and usefulness of labels within the LGBTQ spectrum of experience and why those labels might change along the way.  

Special Guest: Elizabeth Johnson

Elizabeth Johnson is a widowed mom of four adult children (three of whom are bisexual), a transgender son-in-law, a non-binary "bonus kiddo,"  and one grandson. She has been active with Mama Dragons since 2020 as a member of the marketing team, and was part of the education team that developed the first Parachute course, Intro to Understanding Your LGBTQ Child. She lives in Michigan where she is active in choir, community theater, and her local Optimist Club. 

Links from the show: 

Elizabeth’s Mama Dragons article on labels: https://www.mamadragons.org/post/why-does-my-child-keep-changing-their-labels 

Join MamaDragons today at www.mamadragons.org 

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The 2023 legislative season is here, and there are a record-breaking 299 anti-LGBTQ bills being proposed across the nation, most attacking transgender young people. The complex nature of the legislative process, along with the overwhelming number of bills being presented, may lead parents of LGBTQ children to feel discouraged and overwhelmed, but we’re here to help. On this week’s episode of In the Den, Jen sits down with policy advocate Sue Robbins to discuss the legislative process and how these kinds of damaging bills originate, along with how you can make a difference in your state this year and every year. 

Special Guest: Sue Robbins

Sue Robbins is a woman who is Transgender, Intersex, and Pansexual and uses the pronouns she, her, and hers. She is currently serving on Equality Utah’s Transgender Advisory Council working on bills, policy, and other statewide transgender and intersex efforts. She is a Past Board Chair of the Utah Pride Center and of Transgender Education Advocates (TEA) of Utah, along with being a founding member and the inaugural president of Phi Delta, Utah’s chapter of Tri-Ess.  Sue also has lifted voices as a past Community Co-Host of Everyday People at KRCL RadioACTIve.  Sue has been recognized with the 2018 Transgender Advocacy TEAM Award, the 2019 Dr. Kristen Ries Community Service award, and the 2022 Equality Utah Impact Award. Sue is an Engineering Manager currently employed with a government contractor. She is a proud veteran with 20 years of service in the US Army, working first as a Tank Crewmember and later in Satellite Communications. Sue lives in Woods Cross with her loving and amazing wife Theresa and has four children and ten grandchildren.

Links from the show: 

WPATH Transgender Standards of Care: https://www.wpath.org/publications/soc 

Sue’s website: https://sueinut.com/ 

ACLU Legislation Tracking: https://www.aclu.org/legislative-attacks-on-lgbtq-rights

Trans Equality 2023 Legislation Tracking by State: https://transequality.org/state-action-center 

Track Trans Legislation: https://www.tracktranslegislation.com/  

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The 2023 legislative season is here, and there are currently a record-breaking 300+ anti-LGBTQ bills being proposed across the nation, most attacking transgender young people. The complex nature of the legislative process, along with the overwhelming number of bills being presented, has the potential to lead parents of LGBTQ children to feel discouraged and overwhelmed, but we’re here to help. In this first episode of a two part series on legislation, Jen and Shauna Jones break things down to the bare basics. They offer a primer on governmental structure, how legislation is created and passed, and what parents can do to make a difference in the legislative process. 

Links from the show: 

Info about the branches of state government: https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/our-government/state-local-government/

More info about state government: https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_criminal-law/s06-02-the-branches-of-government.html 

ACLU Legislation Tracking: https://www.aclu.org/legislative-attacks-on-lgbtq-rights

Trans Equality 2023 Legislation Tracking by State: https://transequality.org/state-action-center 

Track Trans Legislation: https://www.tracktranslegislation.com/  

Join MamaDragons today at www.mamadragons.org 

In the Den is made possible by generous donors like you.

Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today at mamadragons.org. 

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