What happens when you sit down with a Sydney? You get a discussion on the intersections of grief and pleasure, on releasing expectations, and on what it means to walk a polyamorous life even in loss. 

About Sydney:

Sydney Rae Chin (they/she) is a  Queer polyamorous non-monogamy sex educator and writer based in what is colonially known as Philadelphia. Their IG handle sexysoupdumplings is a hub for educational content and peer support geared towards non-monogamous people of color. Her degree in Media Arts Production from Emerson College has impacted how they create educational content with unpacking media, looking at social norms through a non-monogamy lens, and more.

Sydney's Links:

Website

Instagram

Substack

Ko-Fi

Welcome to Season Two of The Queering Death Podcast where we are dedicated to the stories and lived experiences of queer and trans people at the intersections of grief, loss, shadowless, death, and end of life. Our lens here is justice and liberation. When we sit down on the virtual couch, our brave space is one of personal sovereignty and a willingness to reframe as well as have empathy and compassion for the views that may be different than our own. 

My name is Ori. I am your two spirit and trans host. I am known as The Death Companion.

These last few months have been nothing short of an adventure in patience, will, survival, and what it means to live fully as my authentic self.

Personal loss has been my theme since our last season. And in this trailer I talk a bit about the balance of loss and gain.

If you enjoy our work here, I ask one thing of you my dear listeners and that is to support this podcast by going to queeringdeath.org.

If you would like to check out my range of services as well as how to support me as your host please visit thedeathcompanion.org.

As we move into a new format for this podcast, we were able to dig up 4 episodes that were "lost." These episodes follow the old format and are incredibly enlightening.

On this episode we speak with Bunny. 

Bunny is a disabled combat veteran who has traversed the journey of twin loss as well as the the grief and death that confronts those who enlist. 2021 brought a reckoning with Bunny's identity as a half-Japanese and gender expansive human being.

As we move into a new format for this podcast, we were able to dig up 4 episodes that were "lost." These episodes follow the old format and are incredibly enlightening.

On this episode we speak with Leah. Leah is a special guest because I was Leah's family death doula during the pandemic due to the illness and death of her mother. 

Leah is a sober spiritual mentor who is also a psychic medium. She is a gentle soul with a big heart, moving through healing. Leah's philosophy and message as a healing practitioner is that healing is a journey not a destination. 

How to Connect with Leah

Instagram: @bemoreboozeless

Drop In Readings: calendly.com/leahbmoreboozeless/mediumshipreading

As we move into a new format for this podcast, we were able to dig up 4 episodes that were "lost." These episodes follow the old format and are incredibly enlightening. 

On this episode we speak with Vanessa, an incredible human being who advocates for end of life care and sex workers. 

Vanessa's Bio:

Vanessa Carlisle (she/they) holds a PhD in Creative Writing, Literature and Gender Studies. Vanessa is the author of novels Take Me With You (2021) and A Crack in Everything (2010), as well as stories and essays appearing in PULP!, NinthLetter, Frolic, We Too: Stories of Sex Work and Survival, and many more. As a queer femme sex worker, death doula, activist, and educator, Vanessa's work calls for big change while celebrating the beauty and complexity of her communities here and now.

How to Connect with Vanessa:

Vanessa's Website: www.vanessacarlisle.com

Buy "Take Me With You": https://tinyurl.com/366w79jf

Vanessa's course "Writing With Your Whole Body" at PULP! Public School: https://www.thepulpmag.com/class/writing-with-your-whole-body

Instagram: @vanessacarlisle

Twitter: @VCarlisle

On this episode we sit down with queer death worker and advanced directive specialist, Tracey Walker, who serves the queer community and beyond, helping us sort through the inevitable yet protective paperwork to make sure our wishes, as queer and trans people, are carried out in end of life. 

This episode is for everyone and dives into the power of pre-planning and having an advocate by your side to companion you through what may seem like a daunting and even taboo task.

Tracey Walker is a queer death worker, a coach, and an educator you can find at www.letitbedeathdoula.com and www.goingwithgrace.com.

Zaya, a young gay Black man full of positivity and light, joins us for a special Father's Day episode where we discuss everything from what it was like to discovery his biological father and the aftermath of losing him again. Zaya also reveals a very special figure in his life who loves him and accepts him as just Zaya. 

What happens when you find what you never knew you had lost? What happens when that finding is coupled with the finding of self and the realization you may have lost years to explore who you were as a Queer human being? This is Taina's story of lifting the veil on hidden truths. These truths would ultimately set her free and give her an incredible way to reframe family and identity through the lens of grief.

This is a special episode for me as your host. I met Josué at a two-spirit pow wow this past year. That pow wow was a spiritually awakening and grounding event filled with so much medicine. The exact kind of medicine we talk about in this episode. Medicine that allows us as queer folk to move through a world that is often hostile, systems that seek to marginalize, and people who only desire a binary understanding of a world that has never been binary until colonization. And medicine that creates moments of healing when experiencing the loss of beloved family, biological and chosen.

For this episode, we sit down with Felicia, a well-known artist. Felicia is also a respected activist and advocate as a Trans woman of color and a queer Romani woman. We discuss the many losses that occur throughout a lifetime as a queer and trans person and how Felicia was able to transform those losses versus internalizing them by pursuing art, thus creating a legacy for herself and paving the way for others within the community to do the same.