Interview with Jordan Willow Evans, a trans woman who is a political analyst and a former elected official. We discuss her previous involvement in a far right group, how her previous activism is so different than her current political outlook, her recognition of tactics from the far right, conspiracy theories, police presence in library board meetings in Worcester County Massachusetts, the unfortunate politicization of mask wearing, book banning in public schools, how the libraries stayed open during the peak of covid, the role of libraries in lifetime learning, her work with Mass Equality and why this organization moved from Boston to Worcester County, extending trans healthcare competency out into rural areas, gatekeeping and how people are pushed toward DIY healthcare, including the Pink Pistols gun club in LGBT events, her plans for more activism in New Hampshire, the spread of Trump's influence in Massachusetts, Geoff Diehl, her run for a state office as a Republican trans woman, the Butterfly chorus, and her religious practice.

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Links to topics mentioned in our interview.

Jordan Willow Evans

Personal page: https://jwevans.co/about-jordan/

Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan_Evans_(politician)

Advocate article about the Log Cabin Republicans:

https://www.advocate.com/commentary/2019/8/19/trans-republican-log-cabin-lost-all-credibility-endorsing-trump

Articles on the Independent Political Report:

https://independentpoliticalreport.com/author/jordan-willow/

Freedom for All Americans profile:

https://freedomforallamericans.org/massachusetts-elected-official-being-transgender-and-being-republican-are-compatible/

The Butterfly trans chorus

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_Music_Transgender_Chorus

Fantasia Fair in Provincetown MA

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantasia_Fair

Mass Equality

https://massequality.org/

The Equality Federation

https://www.equalityfederation.org/

Jennifer Williams on Freedom for All Americans

https://freedomforallamericans.org/transgender-conservative-woman-bridges-the-gap-between-republican-party-and-lgbtq-community/

Octavia E. Butler

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octavia_E._Butler

https://www.octaviabutler.com/

Charlie Baker

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Baker

Geoff Diehl

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoff_Diehl

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Other Conversations is an independent oral history project. I am interviewing transgender, nonbinary, agender, gender non-conformist, and intersex people who are anarchist, independent, conservative, egalitarian, progressive, free speech and gun rights enthusiasts, rural, religious, atheist, voluntaryist, mutualist, apolitical, skeptical, constitutionalist, classic liberal, libertarian, objectivist, small political party members, socialist/DSA, communist, radical, revolutionary, or have a mixture of right/left views etc.

Interview with Jordan Willow Evans, a trans woman who is a political analyst and a former elected official. We discuss some of the industrial history of Worcester County MA, being an openly transgender and a Republican, her previous work with the Log Cabin Republicans (LCR) and education policy, the shift of the LCR to being an anti-trans org, creating a wedge issue with trans rights, the demise of the Libertarian Party, the alt-right group known as the Mises Caucus, the elected offices she's held (library trustee, town constable, school board/committee), her career as a social worker, problems with food insecurity and internet connectivity during the peak of covid, accessing remote education, contentiousness in school and library board meetings, her previous background with a far right group (Liberty Preservation Association), an equity committee and exploring the definition of critical race theory/CRT, the expansion of remote accessibility and telehealth, the reasons why she's a Republican, being a liaison between communities, her family's business and their charity work, the NRA and the Pink Pistols, and the recall effort against her.

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Links to topics mentioned in our interview.

Jordan Willow Evans

Personal page: https://jwevans.co/about-jordan/

Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan_Evans_(politician)

Advocate article about the Log Cabin Republicans:

https://www.advocate.com/commentary/2019/8/19/trans-republican-log-cabin-lost-all-credibility-endorsing-trump

Articles on the Independent Political Report:

https://independentpoliticalreport.com/author/jordan-willow/

Freedom for All Americans profile:

https://freedomforallamericans.org/massachusetts-elected-official-being-transgender-and-being-republican-are-compatible/

The Pink Pistols, an LGBT gun club and second amendment advocacy organization

https://www.pinkpistols.org/

Neil Marcus

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Marcus

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/28/arts/neil-marcus-dead.html

https://disabilityvisibilityproject.com/2022/01/09/reading-storms-embracing-life-a-remembrance-of-neil-marcus/

Log Cabin Republicans

https://logcabin.org/

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Other Conversations is an independent oral history project. I am interviewing transgender, nonbinary, agender, gender non-conformist, and intersex people who are anarchist, independent, conservative, egalitarian, progressive, free speech and gun rights enthusiasts, rural, religious, atheist, voluntaryist, mutualist, apolitical, skeptical, constitutionalist, classic liberal, libertarian, objectivist, small political party members, socialist/DSA, communist, radical, revolutionary, or have a mixture of right/left views etc.

Interview with a trans activist in NW Ohio. We talk about the many interesting projects she's working on, her own coming out process and transition, and her plans for the future.

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Links to organizations mentioned in our interview.

Spectrum of Findlay (Ohio)

https://spectrumoffindlaylgbt.org

The Cocoon

https://thecocoon.org

Brown Bag Food Project of Northwest Ohio

https://www.brownbagfoodproject.org

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Other Conversations is an independent oral history project. I am interviewing transgender, nonbinary, agender, gender non-conformist, and intersex people who are anarchist, independent, conservative, egalitarian, progressive, free speech and gun rights enthusiasts, rural, religious, atheist, voluntaryist, mutualist, apolitical, skeptical, constitutionalist, classic liberal, libertarian, objectivist, small political party members, socialist/DSA, communist, radical, revolutionary, or have a mixture of right/left views etc.

Interview with a Leftist trans woman with a very eclectic religious background. We talk about how she and I came out to our parents, how she left the Masons, her involvement in Hari Krishna temples and the Episcopal Church, how anti-trans laws will be used against everyone, pronoun usage, her support of the DSA and Bernie Sanders, some of our disappointments with the Democratic Party, in-fighting on the Left, UBI (universal basic income), free college tuition, student loans, and her shift from Rightist to Leftist politics.

------------------

Other Conversations is an independent oral history project. I am interviewing transgender, nonbinary, agender, gender non-conformist, and intersex people who are anarchist, independent, conservative, egalitarian, progressive, free speech and gun rights enthusiasts, rural, religious, atheist, voluntaryist, mutualist, apolitical, skeptical, constitutionalist, classic liberal, libertarian, objectivist, small political party members, socialist/DSA, communist, radical, revolutionary, or have a mixture of right/left views etc.

Interview with a Leftist trans woman with a very eclectic religious background. We talk about her education, career and her coming out process. We also discuss her involvement with the Masons, Hari Krishna temples, Mormonism (LDS, Latter Day Saints), and the Episcopal Church.

------------------

Other Conversations is an independent oral history project. I am interviewing transgender, nonbinary, agender, gender non-conformist, and intersex people who are anarchist, independent, conservative, egalitarian, progressive, free speech and gun rights enthusiasts, rural, religious, atheist, voluntaryist, mutualist, apolitical, skeptical, constitutionalist, classic liberal, libertarian, objectivist, small political party members, socialist/DSA, communist, radical, revolutionary, or have a mixture of right/left views etc.

Interview with an older trans man and his cisgendered wife. We talk about trans and partners support groups, a partner's struggle during transition, why they changed churches, the good work their church is doing in the greater OKC community (e.g. feeding and housing homeless LGBT+ people), adjacent organizations that help the community (e.g. YWCA), conservative churches that participate in the horrors of conversion therapy, the Free Mom Hugs organization, gentrification in Oklahoma City, how city and state officials criminalize mental illness and homelessness, how local politicians diverted money from mental health and housing programs toward police departments, abortion restrictions in Oklahoma, why OU Medical Center stopped offering trans related healthcare to trans youth, and their advice for other couples.

___________

Links to topics mentioned in parts 1 and 2 of our interview.

Church of Open Arms in OKC

https://www.openarms.org/

Free Mom Hugs

https://freemomhugs.org/

Freedom Oklahoma

https://www.freedomoklahoma.org/

YWCA of Oklahoma City

https://www.ywcaokc.org/

Cathedral of Hope ---- https://www.cohokc.com/

Sisu Youth Services - A Low-Barrier, Identity-Affirming Space in Oklahoma City --- https://www.sisuyouth.org/

Red Rock Behavioral Health Services in Oklahoma City --- https://www.red-rock.com/

United Church of Christ (UCC)

https://www.ucc.org/

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Other Conversations is an independent oral history project. I am interviewing transgender, nonbinary, agender, gender non-conformist, and intersex people who are anarchist, independent, conservative, egalitarian, progressive, free speech and gun rights enthusiasts, rural, religious, atheist, voluntaryist, mutualist, apolitical, skeptical, constitutionalist, classic liberal, libertarian, objectivist, small political party members, socialist/DSA, communist, radical, revolutionary, or have a mixture of right/left views etc.

Interview with an older trans man and his cisgendered wife. We talk about this area of Oklahoma, their career change to the trucking industry, how they met at church, their exploration of 2SLGBTQ+ affirming church congregations, the differences between NW Arkansas and Oklahoma, growth and gentrification in Oklahoma, his wife's struggles with her own identity, state oppression of LGBT people, lesbian separatism and the distance between gay and lesbian communities, how the larger community sometimes doesn't recognize or respect bisexuals and nonbinary people, his very long transition process and struggles with family and partners, their experience with peer support groups, and his knowledge of his being an intersex person.

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Links to topics mentioned in parts 1 and 2 of our interview.

Church of Open Arms in OKC

https://www.openarms.org/

Free Mom Hugs

https://freemomhugs.org/

Freedom Oklahoma

https://www.freedomoklahoma.org/

YWCA of Oklahoma City

https://www.ywcaokc.org/

Cathedral of Hope ---- https://www.cohokc.com/

Sisu Youth Services - A Low-Barrier, Identity-Affirming Space in Oklahoma City --- https://www.sisuyouth.org/

Red Rock Behavioral Health Services in Oklahoma City --- https://www.red-rock.com/

United Church of Christ (UCC)

https://www.ucc.org/

------------------

Other Conversations is an independent oral history project. I am interviewing transgender, nonbinary, agender, gender non-conformist, and intersex people who are anarchist, independent, conservative, egalitarian, progressive, free speech and gun rights enthusiasts, rural, religious, atheist, voluntaryist, mutualist, apolitical, skeptical, constitutionalist, classic liberal, libertarian, objectivist, small political party members, socialist/DSA, communist, radical, revolutionary, or have a mixture of right/left views etc.

Interview with a political radical who identifies as gender-fluid, gender nonconforming or nonbinary. We discuss the word radical, being anti-capitalist and anti-fascist, slavery, the way that people prep and how this reflects their worldview, magical realism vs realism, a little 90's nostalgia, female artists who are harassed (e.g. Courtney Love, Leslie Jones), human ecology and intersectionality, how power maintains itself, the failure and distraction of electoral politics, their support of street activism, the anti-authoritarianism, radical pacifism and egalitarianism in early Christianity, being Jewish and how they link this to their politics, God as a verb and our collective goodness, God speaking to a people rather than individuals, how they support Starbucks employee strikes and unionization, their work as an editor, the radical redistribution of resources and also not considering the land as a resource (e.g. the Land Back movement), neoliberal language, and some of the problems with prescriptivist politics and visions.

We also talk about pronouns, although we had to cut this short due to time pressure.

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Links to topics mentioned in our interview.

100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Hundred_Years_of_Solitude

Gabriel García Márquez - Nobel Lecture

https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1982/marquez/lecture/

General strike

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_strike

Starbucks unions

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starbucks_unions

Reconstructionist Judaism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstructionist_Judaism

The Land Back movement ---- #landback

https://landback.org/

"What is the Land Back movement? A Call for Native Sovereignty and Reclamation"

from Teen Vogue

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/what-is-the-land-back-movement

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Other Conversations is an independent oral history project. I am interviewing transgender, nonbinary, agender, gender non-conformist, and intersex people who are anarchist, independent, conservative, egalitarian, progressive, free speech and gun rights enthusiasts, rural, religious, atheist, voluntaryist, mutualist, apolitical, skeptical, constitutionalist, classic liberal, libertarian, objectivist, small political party members, socialist/DSA, communist, radical, revolutionary, or have a mixture of right/left views etc.

Interview with a religious trans man in rural Ohio. We talk about his experience with Quaker meetings, safe communities, accessing therapy and other medical care in a city, his earring collection, enjoying our singing voices and singing in choirs, how he advocates for trans healthcare and helps medical students understand trans issues.

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Links to topics from part 1 and 2.

Food Not Bombs

http://foodnotbombs.net/new_site/

The Breadline (Fairbanks, AK)

https://breadlineak.org/

Dykes to watch out for

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dykes_to_Watch_Out_For

Firebrand Books

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firebrand_Books

Minnie Bruce Pratt, author of S/HE

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnie_Bruce_Pratt

Friends Journal article "Transforming Prejudice into Love". It was one of the featured articles in the September 2012 issue. https://www.friendsjournal.org/transforming-prejudice-into-love/

"Toledo Magazine: Transgender people share their stories" from the Toledo Blade

https://www.toledoblade.com/Culture/2016/08/28/Toledo-Magazine-Transgender-people-share-their-stories.html

"For transgender people, a difficult but liberating journey to becoming their true selves" from the Toledo Blade

https://www.toledoblade.com/culture/2016/08/28/For-transgender-people-a-difficult-but-liberating-journey-to-becoming-their-true-selves.html

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Other Conversations is an independent oral history project. I am interviewing transgender, nonbinary, agender, gender non-conformist, and intersex people who are anarchist, independent, conservative, egalitarian, progressive, free speech and gun rights enthusiasts, rural, religious, atheist, voluntaryist, mutualist, apolitical, skeptical, constitutionalist, classic liberal, libertarian, objectivist, small political party members, socialist/DSA, communist, radical, revolutionary, or have a mixture of right/left views etc.

Interview with a religious trans man in rural Ohio. We talk about his spiritual journey from Catholic to Episcopalian and then finally to Quaker. We also talk about the rural farming area where he lives, the Appalachian mountain dulcimer, his transition process, the hidden history of LGBT people in Christian religious orders, we talk about Quaker process and cultural clashes with visitors to meetinghouses, and his participation in a peer support group in Toledo.

___________

Links to topics discussed in part 1 and 2.

Food Not Bombs

http://foodnotbombs.net/new_site/

The Breadline (Fairbanks, AK)

https://breadlineak.org/

Dykes to watch out for

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dykes_to_Watch_Out_For

Firebrand Books

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firebrand_Books

Minnie Bruce Pratt, author of S/HE

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnie_Bruce_Pratt

Friends Journal article "Transforming Prejudice into Love". It was one of the featured articles in the September 2012 issue. https://www.friendsjournal.org/transforming-prejudice-into-love/

"Toledo Magazine: Transgender people share their stories" from the Toledo Blade

https://www.toledoblade.com/Culture/2016/08/28/Toledo-Magazine-Transgender-people-share-their-stories.html

"For transgender people, a difficult but liberating journey to becoming their true selves" from the Toledo Blade

https://www.toledoblade.com/culture/2016/08/28/For-transgender-people-a-difficult-but-liberating-journey-to-becoming-their-true-selves.html

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Other Conversations is an independent oral history project. I am interviewing transgender, nonbinary, agender, gender non-conformist, and intersex people who are anarchist, independent, conservative, egalitarian, progressive, free speech and gun rights enthusiasts, rural, religious, atheist, voluntaryist, mutualist, apolitical, skeptical, constitutionalist, classic liberal, libertarian, objectivist, small political party members, socialist/DSA, communist, radical, revolutionary, or have a mixture of right/left views etc.