Volunqueers

Episode 22 - Michael Varga (RPCV Chad) 

In this episode, we sit down with Michael Varga, the only nasara among 4,000 villagers in 1977 Chad, whose secret life came alive after dark.

When civil war broke out and a truck flying American flags arrived to evacuate him, Michael refused to leave. A woman in the village said she was carrying his child. Then, in the middle of the night, a stranger pounded on his door…

Tune in to find out what happened next, and why every unexpected knock still makes him wonder.

Read more from Michael:Under Chad’s Spell (his Peace Corps novel)

Michael’s website

Read the excerpt “A Path Out of the Rainforest,” based on Michael’s own real-life seduction in Chad

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A recording with a transcript of this episode is available via Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

If you enjoy this LGBTQI+ RPCV content please consider joining our growing community at ⁠www.lgbtqirpcv.org⁠. If you have questions about our community please contact us at ⁠[email protected]⁠.

All opinions presented in this podcast are those of the individual and do not represent official positions or statements by the US Peace Corps, the National Peace Corps Association, or any other affiliated organizations.

In this episode, we sit down with Ken Goughnour to talk about his time in Benin! He traded running water and electricity for 122 births, midnight knocks with fermented millet beer, and a quiet romance with an armed gendarme.

From royal namings to clandestine queerness in the village, Ken shares what happens when raw vulnerability meets unexpected connection.

Tune in for a candid, alluring look at finding love and kinship in the places you least expect.

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A recording with a transcript of this episode is available via Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

If you enjoy this LGBTQI+ RPCV content please consider joining our growing community at ⁠www.lgbtqirpcv.org⁠. If you have questions about our community please contact us at ⁠[email protected]⁠.

All opinions presented in this podcast are those of the individual and do not represent official positions or statements by the US Peace Corps, the National Peace Corps Association, or any other affiliated organizations.

In this episode, we sit down with living legend Dr. Don Kilhefner, whose journey began in 1962 among the very first wave of Peace Corps volunteers! Stepping straight from a Rose Garden blessing with JFK into the highlands of Ethiopia, all while harboring a truth that could have ended his service overnight.

Between hand-cranked stencils, a secret recipe for revolutionary school lunches, and a touch of Amharic-infused "witchcraft," Don’s time in Dessie sparked a lifelong fire. But that was just the prologue. From co-founding the Gay Liberation Front and attempting to take over a California county, to decades of radical community building and eldering, Don shares what happens when altruism meets unapologetic defiance.

Tune in for a spellbinding, provocative, and vibrant conversation on the magic of intergenerational wisdom, revolutionary identity, and why the real power has always lived at the grassroots.

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A recording with a transcript of this episode is available via Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

If you enjoy this LGBTQI+ RPCV content please consider joining our growing community at ⁠www.lgbtqirpcv.org⁠. If you have questions about our community please contact us at ⁠[email protected]⁠.

All opinions presented in this podcast are those of the individual and do not represent official positions or statements by the US Peace Corps, the National Peace Corps Association, or any other affiliated organizations.

In this episode, we sit down with Steph Shelton, an RPCV whose journey took her from post-recession job hunts to the Kingdom of Tonga, where female homosexuality was practically invisible and she was forced to step back into the closet.

Between navigating the "Beach Corps" myth and Tonga’s complex third-gender dynamics, Steph spent two years guarding her identity thousands of miles from home. But just as she reached the finish line, a single late-night slip-up threatened to blow her cover and ignite the island’s notorious "coconut wireless."

Tune in to hear Steph’s raw, funny, and deeply honest story on survival, identity, and why protecting your peace is the ultimate life lesson.

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A recording with a transcript of this episode is available via Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

If you enjoy this LGBTQI+ RPCV content please consider joining our growing community at ⁠www.lgbtqirpcv.org⁠. If you have questions about our community please contact us at ⁠[email protected]⁠.

All opinions presented in this podcast are those of the individual and do not represent official positions or statements by the US Peace Corps, the National Peace Corps Association, or any other affiliated organizations.

In this episode, we sit down with Alan Yount, an RPCV whose life path reads like an absolute masterclass in resilience and reinvention.

Long before he was a healthcare lawyer, lobbyist, NYC public school teacher, or novelist, Alan was a 24-year-old nurse arriving in Guatemala in 1985. But his decision to join the Peace Corps wasn't just about altruism, it was a heart-wrenching, urgent race against time due the early days of the AIDS epidemic.

How do you find your footing when you are running away from a crisis, only to find yourself on the frontlines of a completely different kind of history? Tune in to hear Alan’s incredibly raw, funny, and deeply vulnerable story about survival, systemic shocks, and the undeniable power of looking back at a younger version of yourself with ultimate grace.

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A recording with a transcript of this episode is available via Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

If you enjoy this LGBTQI+ RPCV content please consider joining our growing community at ⁠www.lgbtqirpcv.org⁠. If you have questions about our community please contact us at ⁠[email protected]⁠.

All opinions presented in this podcast are those of the individual and do not represent official positions or statements by the US Peace Corps, the National Peace Corps Association, or any other affiliated organizations.

In this episode, we sit down with T, a mid-career chemical engineer and RPCV who took a leap of faith to serve as a WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) volunteer in Peru.

Stepping out of a decade-long career in sustainability to live in rural Peru, T anticipated a journey focused entirely on clean water. Instead, navigating the shift into a conservative culture and moving back into the closet became a powerful catalyst for unexpected personal growth and deep vulnerability. Tune in to hear T’s incredibly candid story about cross-cultural communication, learning to meet people exactly where they are, and how three years in Peru completely redefined her understanding of both biological and chosen family.

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A recording with a transcript of this episode is available via Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

If you enjoy this LGBTQI+ RPCV content please consider joining our growing community at ⁠www.lgbtqirpcv.org⁠. If you have questions about our community please contact us at ⁠[email protected]⁠.

All opinions presented in this podcast are those of the individual and do not represent official positions or statements by the US Peace Corps, the National Peace Corps Association, or any other affiliated organizations.

In this episode, we are joined by Cai Thomas, an RPCV who served in Mongolia from 2011 to 2014.

While Cai’s role was to teach English, their most enduring legacy was a grassroots partnership with a local disability center. In a region where individuals with disabilities were often overlooked, Cai and a fellow volunteer helped break down barriers by launching awareness trainings and building a bridge between local youth and people living with disabilities, fostering a culture of empathy that changed the lives of everyone involved.

Tune in to hear how Cai navigated life in rural Mongolia, the pivotal relationship that supported their own coming-out journey, and how they turned a small community project into a powerful, lasting lesson on visibility, inclusion, and the resilience of the human spirit.

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A recording with a transcript of this episode is available via Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

If you enjoy this LGBTQI+ RPCV content please consider joining our growing community at ⁠www.lgbtqirpcv.org⁠. If you have questions about our community please contact us at ⁠[email protected]⁠.

All opinions presented in this podcast are those of the individual and do not represent official positions or statements by the US Peace Corps, the National Peace Corps Association, or any other affiliated organizations.

In this episode, we are joined by Katie Waldo, an RPCV who served in Rwanda as a Maternal and Child Health volunteer from 2018 to 2020.

Katie arrived with a plan to implement Rwanda's critical 'first 1000 days program,' leveraging her expertise as both a food scientist and a postpartum doula focused on the needs of the mother. But her most important project began when she had to abandon her Peace Corps mandate—building 787 kitchen gardens—to instead figure out what her community truly needed, rebuilding relationships along the way. 

Tune in to hear how Katie navigated the complexities of project misalignment, the isolating reality of being a queer volunteer in the field, and the dramatic, inside perspective of the evacuation during 2020, relying on the strength of the Peace Corps queer community to get home.

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A recording with a transcript of this episode is available via Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

If you enjoy this LGBTQI+ RPCV content please consider joining our growing community at ⁠www.lgbtqirpcv.org⁠. If you have questions about our community please contact us at ⁠[email protected]⁠.

All opinions presented in this podcast are those of the individual and do not represent official positions or statements by the US Peace Corps, the National Peace Corps Association, or any other affiliated organizations.

In this episode, we are joined by Lauren, an English Education volunteer whose service in Georgia was anything but "by the book."

After a snap decision on a train and a quick "Hey Siri" to find her destination on a map, Lauren arrived as a seasoned LGBTQIA+ advocate—only to find herself back in the closet in a country where the lines of safety were shifting daily.

When a landmark police raid on a queer-safe nightclub sparked nationwide protests, Lauren had to navigate a delicate dance: fielding blunt questions from her community while orchestrating a first-of-its-kind task force in Georgia to protect her fellow volunteers.

Tune in to hear how she helped turn a summer camp into a thriving international NGO and why Lauren believes the Peace Corps must evolve to protect its queer voices.

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A recording with a transcript of this episode is available via Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

If you enjoy this LGBTQI+ RPCV content please consider joining our growing community at ⁠www.lgbtqirpcv.org⁠. If you have questions about our community please contact us at ⁠[email protected]⁠.

All opinions presented in this podcast are those of the individual and do not represent official positions or statements by the US Peace Corps, the National Peace Corps Association, or any other affiliated organizations.

In this episode, we are joined by Syd Merz, a double-tour RPCV who served in both Armenia and the Philippines.

Syd’s journey began with a thick envelope and a country she couldn’t place on a map, landing in a Soviet-era airport that felt more like a scene from Star Trek than a welcome gate. But one service wasn’t enough. With only a whirlwind 11-day break, Syd swapped the snowy mountains of Armenia for the tropical heat of the Philippines, facing a whole new spectrum of challenges!

Tune in to hear how Syd managed two full tours back-to-back and why their advice on bringing your "Best Self" instead of your "Authentic Self" might completely change how you view advocacy abroad.

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A recording with a transcript of this episode is available via Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

If you enjoy this LGBTQI+ RPCV content please consider joining our growing community at ⁠www.lgbtqirpcv.org⁠. If you have questions about our community please contact us at ⁠[email protected]⁠.

All opinions presented in this podcast are those of the individual and do not represent official positions or statements by the US Peace Corps, the National Peace Corps Association, or any other affiliated organizations.