Whiplash with Maxwell Kuzma

When Teresa Thompson sat down with Emma and me, we talked about religious trauma, global perspectives on Catholicism, and how queer people survive in systems not built for us. Teresa encourages us to see healing not only as repair but as a reclamation of our stories and our faith. Together, we explore the weight of trauma without losing sight of joy, community, and the liberating power of spirituality remade on our own terms.

Teresa Thompson is a New York-based psychotherapist specializing in religious trauma and a Bernardin Scholar at Catholic Theological Union (where Pope Leo XIV studied!). She also writes on faith and social justice on her Substack, Liturgy of the Ours. With clarity and compassion, Teresa helps us examine how theology can wound—but also how it can be reclaimed and reimagined for healing.

In this episode, we look at the systems that deepen religious harm—from colonialism and purity culture to the control of queer bodies and spirits. We also share grounding tools, reflect on our own journeys, and affirm that seeking help is a sacred act. Your story is sacred. Your healing is holy. And your queer, questioning, evolving faith is already enough.

Just weeks after the death of Pope Francis, the Catholic Church has elected its first-ever U.S. pope: Leo XIV. But instead of celebration, his election has ignited a firestorm across the far-right Catholic internet—from memes and AI-generated propaganda to conspiracy theories and calls for “making the Church great again.”

In this episode of Whiplash, hosts Max Kuzma and Emma Cieslik trace the rise of Catholic nationalism in the United States and explore how Pope Leo’s election collides with the political and spiritual agendas of the MAGA movement. What does it mean for Catholicism to be at a crossroads? What role is doctrine playing in these ideological battles? And how do we hold both hope and honesty as the Church enters this new chapter?

Whether you're a cradle Catholic, an exvangelical, or just deeply curious about the future of religion and politics—this episode is for you.

What if joy isn’t just a feeling, but a form of resistance—and a theological truth?

In this episode of Whiplash, Max and Emma dive deep into the power of queer Catholic joy: not as a feel-good add-on, but as a sacred, embodied response to a Church and world that too often marginalize LGBTQ+ people. They share personal stories, theological reflections, and liturgical moments that celebrate what it means to be queer and beloved by God.

This episode sets the stage for a broader community celebration of queer Catholic life, which we will also be launching throughout Pride Month on Substack. Max and Emma reflect on incarnation, resurrection, and the liberating spiritual journeys of LGBTQ+ Catholics—and why our full inclusion isn't just a matter of justice, but of Gospel truth.

Listen now to be reminded that God delights in queer joy, and the Church needs our voices more than ever.

When Francis stepped onto the balcony in 2013, he focused on mercy, inclusion, and care for the marginalized. He washed the feet of prisoners, met with trans people, and embraced refugees. He called for a "poor Church for the poor." And for many of us, he seemed to open a door.

But behind that door? Vatican documents that fail to respect the dignity of transgender and intersex people. The usage of an Italian slur for gay men. A refusal to name the violence done to LGBTQ+ people in the Church. In this episode, we talk about what Pope Francis really meant to queer Catholics—in ways both hopeful and complicated.

We explore:

• His roots in a post-Conciliar Church shaped by radical traditionalists (Emma has her history hat on for this one!)

• The impact of John Paul II and Benedict XVI on queer Catholic life prior to Pope Francis

• The contradictions of Francis's papacy—from gestures of radical welcome to calling gender ideology the “ugliest danger of our time”

• Why his death marks more than the end of a papacy—it marks a reckoning

Plus, Max shares what it felt like to meet Pope Francis as a trans man—and the quiet, unresolved ache that moment still holds for him.

Alana Chen wanted to be a nun. She was 24 when she died by suicide.

Her journals were filled with prayers—and with shame. She had spent years in secret conversion therapy, urged by a priest to keep it from her family.

Simon Kent Fung never met Alana.

But when he read about her death, something broke open. He’d also been a devout Catholic. He’d also undergone conversion therapy. Her story felt eerily familiar.

He reached out to her mother. Then, he started asking questions.

What happened to Alana? Why had no one stopped it? Why do queer Catholics still have to suffer in silence?

That search became the podcast Dear Alana. And in this week’s episode of Whiplash, Simon joins us to talk about what he uncovered—and what it cost.

We talk about purity culture, Catholic guilt, and the terrifying line between devotion and self-erasure. The more faithful you are, the more you’re asked to disappear.

This story isn’t just about one girl. It’s about all of us who were told that holiness means hiding. That God wants our silence. That sacrifice is love.

Content warning: This conversation includes discussion of suicide, religious trauma, and purity culture. Please take care as you listen.

Simon reminds us: the act of telling the truth—about who we are, and what we’ve been through—isn’t just healing.

It’s holy.

What happens when Catholic identity gets tangled up with far-right politics? It's not just happening—it's gaining ground.

In this episode, Max and Emma unravel the rise of Catholic nationalism: how it echoes and extends Christian nationalist ideology, how it’s fueled by traditionalist movements like SSPX, and how it’s amplified through conservative media outlets like EWTN and Fox News. From the co-opting of sacred symbols like the rosary to questioning the legitimacy of Pope Francis, we examine how faith is being weaponized in the name of power and control.

Alongside critique, there’s care. We share parts of our personal stories of leaving conservative Catholicism behind, embracing queer identities, and building an expansive, affirming vision of faith rooted in justice and liberation. Also: a completely necessary digression about Cate Blanchett (trust us—it fits).

This episode is an invitation to question, to resist, and to imagine something better.

Today we're on a deep dive into the intersections of faith, gender, and radicalization. Emma and I explore Catholic masculinity, the rise of tradwives, and the troubling discourse around empathy as a supposed weakness—as well as chronicling our own journeys as young people growing up in fundamentalist Catholic spaces.

From the resurgence of Latin Mass to the ways traditionalist gender roles are shaping modern faith communities, we unpack the historical and cultural trends fueling these movements. We also discuss media literacy, the role of fundamentalism, and how these ideologies are making their way into mainstream culture—including through shows like Adolescence and books like The Sin of Empathy.

On this first episode of Whiplash with Maxwell Kuzma, Max and Emma discuss their process of deconstruction to reconstruction as queer Catholics, including the time before, during, and after deconstruction, and reflect on the ways their lives have changed (for the better!).