Where I'm At Now

Not an official episode, but ya.....

About Last Night....

I tried to burn it, bury it, and drown it

but MoFo still survived….

and now I published it…

The Legend of MoFo

It’s a highly problematic book

so why now? Why at all? What is this?

Find out in this week’s episode of Where I’m at Now:

“I published a highly problematic book (For MoFo)”

A documentary from Netflix on Trans representation:

Disclosure

https://www.netflix.com/title/81284247

Amazing film about social class, perspective and more:

Anora

https://youtu.be/_0Gq4Vh9RfI?si=UUMF36sAecgBybfW

A poem about this all:

https://medium.com/@drmorrisfranco/for-mofo-e9b59d7df5d6

My Song Wrong Turns (feels appropriate here):

https://open.spotify.com/track/2tN5zCKzidpbLgkgByv2gE?si=f3bb9325ea934b8b

Songs of the week:

American Hero- Rainbow Kitten Surprise

Super Rich Kids- Frank Ocean

You Found Me- The Fray

Other Side- Macklemore/Ryan Louis

Never Really Good at Sports- Sledding with Tigers

“Ma nishtana ha laila ha zeh”

Why is this night different than the other nights?

UNCLE MOMO ATE BREAD ON PASSOVER!

Find out why in a discussion between Momo and his “dude”

We discuss faith, sex, gender, and all the biggest questions a 5-9 year old might ask…

This week on Where I’m at now…

Songs of the week:

You’ll Be in My Heart- Glenn Close, Phil Collins

Go the Distance- Roger Bart, Disney

We Don’t Talk About Bruno… - Disney’s Encanto

Dissect the Bird- John Cragie

Follow the Sun- Xavier Rudd

What’s Not Yours to Hold- Morris Franco

Links:

Dutch model for sex-ed:

https://rutgers.international/themes/sexuality-education-and-information/

https://rutgers.international/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Sexuality-education-in-the-Netherlands-2022-Digitaal_LowRes.pdf

https://aeon.co/videos/what-does-the-dutch-model-of-comprehensive-shame-free-sex-ed-look-like

https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2018/08/the-benefits-of-starting-sex-ed-at-age-4/568225/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaIBjSZTDxE

https://youtu.be/il8HIi7wqQE?si=ndMtxJYzM0TK8RVr

https://youtu.be/QNZFDNPj3QM?si=A2dYEB0MEcNm9xir

https://youtu.be/Yz59The52xU?si=vNdrZfxu5lu-vN6b

Helpful interactive sex-ed website for teens/adults who didn’t get adequate sex-ed because they went to a yeshiva:

https://sense.info/en

Welcome to Phase 2. Season One. Where I'm at Now

It's Episode 6....

And we're getting real on the porch.

I was once looking for a lake to swim in...

and a wise man at a campsite told me...

"They're ain't no lake here in Kittatinny...Oh you mean the river... for swimin' it's over down there..."

We can't always get what we want... 

or find what it is we're looking for

but if you try sometime...

you might just find...

you get what you need...

or at least some solid advice from a man from the east coast putting on a southern accent for some reason....

So turn off your backpacks and leaf blowers... 

And don't forget.... 

We're All Gonna Die.....

Credit Chatgpt for helping with the art...

Songs:

Words of Joy- Morris Franco

I Still Haven't Found What I'm looking for- U2

You Can't Always Get What You Want- Rolling Stones

The Worms Crawl In- Harley Poe

Episode 5 part 2 Links:

Link to Power Point:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1TFQUiHxHkJOsGP9nME3bbTpJwGMTUQ2xBPxK28dONWo/edit?usp=sharing

Dr. Gay Hendriks:

The Big Leap

https://a.co/d/aBlPKAM

Ten-Second Miricale:

https://a.co/d/dYT9PbB

Malcolm Gladwell’s David vs. Goliath Explanation….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziGD7vQOwl8

Important movie scenes:

My dinner with andre:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWZk24MA7TE

Truman show:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZMZYrdXtP0

The Awakening of Motti Wolkenbruch (Scene begins at 3:30 into movie)

https://www.netflix.com/watch/81110383?source=35

Enmeshment explained:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AL4Nrlq8Qw4&t=416s

Emeshment in immigrant communities:

https://youtu.be/ezpGf5KLTXU?si=1ZavMi_-_KgnV019

Part 2 songs:

Not Afraid- Eminem

When You Believe- Michelle Pfeiffer, Sally Dworsky

Last Dance- Donna Summer

The Times They Are A-Changin'- Bob Dylan

My Heart Will Go On- Céline Dion

Dayenu- Morris Franco

Down to the Earth- Peter Gabriel, Soweto Gospel Choir

New Start- Weary Friend

Welcome to the Syrian Community:

Link to the power point:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1XHzDKjgSPE93wVVMOhgydDYHJApRutaDDfTNDnsa7OY/edit?usp=sharing

SYs in the News:

https://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/14/magazine/14syrians-t.html

Ad Hominem:

https://youtu.be/IVFK8sVdJNg?si=0_mIztxy8o_1w969

Middle Ground Fallacy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmf6bWl-Hco

Stockholm Syndrome and the fear of posting (Identifying with the Opressor):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MJx0_YAxF8

Johnny Harris on the Mormon Church:

https://youtu.be/aTMsfOcHiJg?si=zFPxfsDvD1jh7GuZ

https://youtu.be/kieCFwMqKtE?si=lwVJ93rdSC6a57iu

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell:

(see the chapter on the Jewish people in New York… They aren’t SY but the SY community did benefit from many of the same dynamics):

https://a.co/d/iBoXInH

Illness Identity and internalized stigma:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15487761003756860https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5560600/https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/internalized-transphobiaDemon of Reason:“Slipper slope”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qt4f7QrfRRcMiddle-ground fallacyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmf6bWl-Hco“Burden of Proof”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9rkQJ91VOE“Correlation does not equal Causation”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HLtFv_KqoEGreat long form video on both sides of Pro-natal debate:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4Xhx4BH-qA&t=2772s“No Bad Parts:” by Dr. Richard Shwartzhttps://a.co/d/3pZQrYyIFS meditation:https://insighttimer.com/drrichardschwartz/guided-meditations/ifs-one-part

1. Another Brick in the Wall pt. 2 - Pink Floyd

2. Welcome to the machine- Pink Floyd

3. We will Meet Again- Vera Lynn, Sailors, Soldiers & Airmen of Her Majesty’s Forces, Roland Shaw And His Orchestra

4. We’ve Got the Music - Abie Rotenburg5. Ain’t No Bishul - Abie Rotenburg, Tali Yess (original by Moshe Yess)

Episode 3 description:

If you or someone you love is in danger of harming themselves or others, please reach out to the appropriate professionals for support.

Suicide Hotline- 988

For those looking for a local therapist

Psychology Today- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists

Support for LGBTQ+

Jewish Communities:

JQY (Jewish Queer Youth) – Supports LGBTQ+ youth and young adults from Orthodox, Hasidic, and Sephardic/Mizrahi backgrounds. They provide crisis support, peer groups, and financial aid JQY.org

Eshel – Focuses on LGBTQ inclusion in Orthodox Jewish spaces, supporting those who wish to stay within their communities and those who leave. https://www.eshelonline.org/

Footsteps – While not specifically LGBTQ-focused, it helps people leaving ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities, including many LGBTQ individuals.https://www.footstepsorg.org/

Muslim Communities:

Queer Crescent – Supports LGBTQ+ Muslims through healing justice, community building, and advocacy.https://www.queercrescent.org/

MASGD (Muslim Alliance for Sexual and Gender Diversity) – Provides resources and community for LGBTQ+ Muslims navigating religious and cultural tensions. https://www.themasgd.org/

Christian & Evangelical Communities:

Q Christian Fellowship – Offers support groups for LGBTQ+ people from Christian communities, including ex-evangelicals and fundamentalists. https://www.qchristian.org/about

General & Multifaith Organizations:

Rainbow Railroad – Helps LGBTQ+ people facing persecution worldwide, including those fleeing fundamentalist religious environments. https://www.rainbowrailroad.org/

The Ali Forney Center – Primarily for homeless LGBTQ+ youth, but many come from religiously strict backgrounds. https://www.aliforneycenter.org/

New Alternatives – Offers direct support for LGBTQ+ young adults leaving hostile home environments in NYC. https://www.newalternativesnyc.org/about_us

My poem:

https://medium.com/@drmorrisfranco/learning-to-love-the-skin-im-in-a4e35a882362

10 things not to say when someone comes out in your orthodox communitty:

https://jqy.org/video/10-things-not-to-say-when-someone-comes-out-in-your-orthodox-community/

Extremely detailed election map from the times:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/us/elections/2024-election-map-precinct-results.html?unlocked_article_code=1.pk4.dJLP.VQksZFd1C5In&smid=re-nytimes

Free map:

https://www.electionatlas.nyc/maps.html

Trans-sucide rates:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37429172/

Pew-data:

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/06/23/5-key-findings-about-lgbtq-americans/sr_2023-06-23_lgbtq-americans_1-png/

Anti-trans laws impact:

https://www.thetrevorproject.org/blog/anti-transgender-laws-cause-up-to-72-increase-in-suicide-attempts-among-transgender-and-nonbinary-youth-study-shows/

Munchausen (short film)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ClNjQ2g148

Daniel Mackler videos:

1. “Most parents care a lot less…..”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54q9PEtvWT8

1. “My mom liked me better when I was sick…”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVkHzzgXEwg

“Dude your a Fag” by C.J. Pascoe

https://www.ucpress.edu/books/dude-youre-a-fag/paper

This weeks songs:

1. IT’s only sex- Car Seat Headrest
2. Hide- Rainbow Kitten Surprise
3. The Kids will be alright, eventually- Sledding Tigers
4. Beach life in death- Car Seat Headrest

If you or someone you love is in danger of harming themselves or others, please reach out to the appropriate professionals for support.

Suicide Hotline- 988

Remember, these are just theories and thoughts for consideration—other mental health professionals may have different perspectives on the topic.

This video linked here does a much better job, in a much shorter time than i did regarding talking to a friend who may be experiencing suicidal thoughts or feelings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7dKgg4Z9tg&rco=1

For those looking for a local therapistPsychology Today- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists

The poem i read (and one for last week)https://medium.com/@drmorrisfranco/the-view-from-halfway-down-inspired-by-a-poem-from-bojack-horseman-66211265ec0e

https://medium.com/@drmorrisfranco/and-ode-to-truman-and-anyone-whos-ever-left-home-426232e71dd7

No Bad Parts by Dr. Richard Schwartz: (IFS)https://a.co/d/30PL1w1

The view from Halfway Down (BoJack Horseman spoilers):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1_EBSlnDlU

An interesting news report on assisted suicide in the Netherlands:https://youtu.be/DC5Dis-uZgs?si=lPFXUxlDVHXDDfTi

Here is a Brené Brown clip on empathy and validation because why not:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Evwgu369Jw

Link to Good will hunting scene:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv7eeMikM_w

Songs of the week:

1. Under pressure- David Bowie

2. Bohemian Rhapsody- Queen

3. Wishing Well- The Airborne Toxic Event

4. Cynicism- Nana Grizol

The content on this channel is for general educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed are my own and are based on my personal experiences and understanding. The information provided is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical, psychological, or legal advice, diagnosis, or treatment.If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, substance use issues, or emotional distress, I encourage you to seek help from a licensed professional or contact appropriate support services in your area.I am not a licensed therapist, counselor, or medical professional. Any actions you take based on the information presented here are your own responsibility.Here is link to Psychology today for more info on finding local mental health professionals https://www.psychologytoday.com/us