Sometimes when the world cannot accept the way we're born into our stupid human suits, it conspires to change us... with disastrous results. This is what happened to Maris Ehlers' older brother, Kirk. Maris was only a baby when Kirk was "cured" of his homosexuality, so she didn't understand the damage that had been done to him until much later. On this episode of Stupid Human Suits, she shares Kirk's story and offers some important advice to parents about accepting who your children are and who they love.

For the full story of what happened to Kirk (at the hands of people who have very strong ties to the current administration), visit boxturtlebulletin.com.

And if you are struggling with depression and thoughts of suicide, please reach out to the people at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-8255. If you would rather not call, you can also go to their web site, suicidepreventionlifeline.org, for an online chat option.

When The 'Cure' Is Sick (with Maris Ehlers)

You are a completely insignificant, totally random evolutionary accident who could die any moment for no discernible reason. Fun, right? 

Nearly everyone, at one time or another, has looked down at their body and thought, “What is this thing? How the hell did I get in here? What is an ‘I’ anyway and how much pizza can I put in it?” But almost no one asks those questions out loud for fear of making others uncomfortable. 

Well, good news. Stupid Human Suits is all about that uncomfortable...ness. Each week, life/comedy partners Carol and Sean chat with a different guest about their obsessions with death, aging, the limitations of being in these bodies, our relative insignificance in the universe and other light topics. Sometimes it’s gross. Sometimes it’s sad. Sometimes it’s hopeful. And curiously, a lot of times it’s funny.

Music: Kevin MacLeod, incompetech.com  Illustration: William Cheselden, Skeleton Praying, Osteographia, 1733

Comedy

Does the idea of permanently altering your stupid human suit excite or terrify you? Does body alteration make you feel like you have more control or does it simply remind you that you are temporary and easily damaged? Tattoo artist Bob joins us this week to talk about his work, the lost art of naughtiness and why so many of us fall in love with turning our bodies into canvasses.

Tattoos Are Forever, We Are Not (with Bob Hodge)

Part of the deal with these stupid human suits is they come from somewhere. Sometimes, that somewhere has its own stupid human suit issues. This week, Phillip Betts joins us to talk about what happens when your parents aren't quite up to parenting.

Finding Family (with Phillip Betts)

Chances are, if this week's guest was called to your house for a cleanup, you and your stupid human suit had a very bad day. On this episode of SHS, Lupe Rodriguez regales Sean and Carol with tales from a job neither of them would be capable of doing.

Crime Scene Cleanup (with Lupe Rodriguez)

What happens when you experience a loss so great you know nothing can ever hurt you to that degree again? This week's guest, writer and editor Kimberly Steele, experienced a kind of freedom in personal tragedy, though that freedom also came with a decades-long flirtation with self-destruction. She joins Carol and Sean to talk about surviving loss and the eating disorder that plagued her teens and twenties.

The Freedom Of Loss (with Kimberly Steele)

This week, Carol and Sean sit their stupid human suits down with one of their favorite humans and actors, James Urbaniak. They talk character, what "making it" looks like, and that moment when you start to realize that yes, you are getting older.

When The 'Cure' Is Sick (with Maris Ehlers)

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