The E(Queer)ity Podcast

(Pride month may be over 🏳️‍🌈) but season 3 of the podcast isn't! And now I want to share another incredible episode featuring the impressive Lee Mariño Clyne (they/he/elle/él), co-founder of @queercareinc! The organization has been reshaping the recovery and support options that LGBTQ+ people, particularly who are transgender identifying, can have related to their surgical care. We talk about the growth of the volunteer network supporting the organization, how staying in community is important for recovery, and the value of trans-led activism for trans folx. ...Citations: Queercareinc.org...Thank you for listening in! If you would like to visit the QueerCare website, visit queercareinc.org. I want to highlight that if you are a person who requires post-operative care needs, please reach out as they not only have direct and remote volunteer support, but can offer financial assistance. You can find references for our conversation in this episode’s biography. And if you want to hear more content, watch clips of our conversation, or keep up with the show, let’s push the conversation more on Instagram @EQueerityPodcast or on TikTok @theeqpod. Full video podcast episodes are posted on YouTube which is also linked in bio, or you can type The E(Queer)ity Podcast in the search bar. If you liked what you heard today, please give the show a quick star rating, follow, and/or subscribe on your preferred listening platform. Take care and see you in the next episode! 😊...If you have any ideas on another segment, yourself or someone you know who would like to come on as a guest, or any feedback/comments/questions, email [email protected] views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker's and guest's own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the organizations they are apart of or the people with whom they collaborate...#health #healthcare #medicine #publichealth #queerpride #lgbtq🌈 #podcast #healthdisparities #queerinmedicine #blackownedbusiness #latinxownedbusiness #queerownedbusiness #intersex #healthcare #lgbtqia #nonbinary #telehealth #plume #healthequity #hrt #mentalhealth #community

It's been a while since the last Lived Experiences episode.. and we're back! I had the joy of sitting and speaking with the incredibly passionate and inspiring queer pediatrician, also known as Mama Beast, Dr. Lulu 😊 (she/her)..Dr. Lulu and I discuss her experiences: writing the book, About Your Black, Transgender Childbeing involved in consulting and public speaking efforts related to LGBTQ+ matterswhat it means to be an allystarting a podcast herself titled Moms 4 Trans Kids (which I find very sweet 🥹).I think this episode will be especially appealing to parents of queer youth who are in different stages of understanding their child. Hope you enjoy!!...References: 2022 US Trans Survey...Thank you for listening in! If you’d like to hear more from Dr. Lulu, visit her Instagram @drlulutalkradio or find her on the website dr.-lulu.com. She offers consulting to other parents looking to affirm their transgender child in addition to trainings for healthcare professionals on ways to improve their interactions with queer patients. If you are in the market for an LGBTQ+ affirming provider, please visit the lgbtqhealthcaredirectory.org to find a welcoming provider or facility near you....If you want to hear more content, watch clips of our conversation, or keep up with the show, let’s push the conversation more on Instagram @EQueerityPodcast or on TikTok @theeqpod. Full video podcast episodes are posted on YouTube which is also linked in bio, or you can type The E(Queer)ity Podcast in the search bar. If you liked what you heard today, please give the show a quick star rating, follow, and/or subscribe on your preferred listening platform. Take care and see you in the next episode! 😊...If you have any ideas on another segment, yourself or someone you know who would like to come on as a guest, or any feedback/comments/questions, email [email protected] views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker's and guest's own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the organizations they are apart of or the people with whom they collaborate...#health #healthcare #medicine #publichealth #queerpride #lgbtq🌈 #podcast #healthdisparities #queerinmedicine #blackownedbusiness #latinxownedbusiness #queerownedbusiness #livedexperiences #honest

Starting off SEASON 3 with a spotlight on an outstanding person, Dr. Jerrica Kirkley, chief medical office and co-founder of @plume_clinic. The company serves 1,000s of trans and gender diverse people over the age of 18 by offering gender affirming care in the form of provision of hormones, creating community threads, and supporting mental health needs....Reference: 1) getplume.co...Join our conversation as we discuss how gender affirming care is ANY care informed by the lived experiences of trans and gender diverse people. We also talk about how Plume is improving ways for this care to be more equitable and easier to reach people in the midst of barriers that may limit this access at the state and/or federal level....Thank you for listening in! If you would like to visit the Plume Health website, visit getplume.co You can find references for our conversation in this episode’s biography. And if you want to hear more content, watch clips of our conversation, or keep up with the show, let’s push the conversation more on Instagram @EQueerityPodcast or on TikTok @theeqpod. Full video podcast episodes are posted on YouTube which is also linked in bio, or you can type The E(Queer)ity Podcast in the search bar. If you liked what you heard today, please give the show a quick star rating, follow, and/or subscribe on your preferred listening platform. Take care and see you in the next episode! 😊...If you have any ideas on another segment, yourself or someone you know who would like to come on as a guest, or any feedback/comments/questions, email [email protected] views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker's and guest's own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the organizations they are apart of or the people with whom they collaborate...#health #healthcare #medicine #publichealth #queerpride #lgbtq🌈 #podcast #healthdisparities #queerinmedicine #blackownedbusiness #latinxownedbusiness #queerownedbusiness #intersex #healthcare #lgbtqia #nonbinary #telehealth #plume #healthequity #hrt #mentalhealth #community

In our final installment for season 2, I speak w/ Dr. J Whitehead and Dr. Jackie Papadakis, a pediatric endocrinologist and child psychologist working at @luriechildrens SPROUT clinic (Supportive Program for a Range of Urogenital Traits), to highlight care for youth born intersex. Every year, children may be born with intersex traits. In addition, a person may discover they are intersex later in life after experiencing puberty or experiencing infertility. We discuss the need to lessen stigma in healthcare regarding intersex traits as well as the expansion of autonomy for intersex people to live in their bodies. Intersex traits are not medical problems. They often are a result of larger diagnoses that may affect bodily development, but are not necessary harmful or need correction. Join us as we discuss these topics and, as I learned, how the SPROUT clinic received its name!..References: 1) Intersex Care at Lurie Children’s and Our Supportive Program for a Range of Urogenital Traits (SPROUT), 2) We Must Stop Forcing Conformity on Intersex Bodies, 3) 9 Young People on How They Found Out They Are Intersex, 4) What is intersex?..Thank you for listening in! If you would like to read more about the Supportive Program for a Range of Urogenital Traits, type in “Lurie Children’s SPROUT” into your web browser. Also, to understand more about the meaning of intersex, visit isna.org/faq/what_is_intersex/. You can find references for our conversation in this episode’s biography. If you want to hear more content, watch clips, and more, let’s continue to push the conversation more on Instagram @EQueerityPodcast, Twitter @EQueerityPod or on TikTok @theeqpod. If you liked what you heard today, please give us a quick star rating on your preferred listening platform, and definitely subscribe if you’re on the YouTube. Take care and see you in the next episode!😊..If you have any ideas on another segment, yourself or someone you know who would like to come on as a guest, or any feedback/comments/questions, email [email protected] views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker's and guest's own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the organizations they are apart of or the people with whom they collaborate...#health

Hey y'all! Today drops our newest episode with founder of @theventureoutproject, Perry Cohen (he/him), where we discuss his incredible work regarding embracing the outdoors among LGBTQ+ people. I was driven to speak w/ Perry after reading about the incredible hiking trips, some of which are days long, that are inviting and exploratory for queer folx to meet other people and be themselves outside of judgment or stigma. Join in our conversation as we discuss this important way of forming community that is both healthy & sustainable...Reference: 1) 3 ways getting outside into nature helps improve your health..Thank you for listening in! If you would like to read more about today’s featured organization, please visit ventureoutproject.com. You can find references for our conversation in this episode’s biography. If you want to hear more content, watch clips, and give your thoughts, let’s continue to push the conversation on Instagram @EQueerityPodcast, Twitter @EQueerityPod or on TikTok @theeqpod. If you liked what you heard today, please give us a quick star rating on your preferred listening platform, and definitely subscribe if you’re on the YouTube. Take care and see you in the next episode! 😊..If you have any ideas on another segment, yourself or someone you know who would like to come on as a guest, or any feedback/comments/questions, email [email protected] views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker's and guest's own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the organizations they are apart of or the people with whom they collaborate. ..#health #lgbtq🌈 #podcast #outdoors

I am happy to spotlight another episode featuring the amazing work of @cemarrpeterson (she/her), Safe Harbor Division Director at The Link Minnesota, involved in protecting youth, particularly who are LGBTQ+ and/or BIPOC, from sexual exploitation. You'll hear us discuss the reasons explaining why queer youth may be at risk of being trafficked given:being more likely to be unhousedrunning away or being kicked out by unaffirming families and institutionsrelying on sex as a means of income, in some casesCeMarr's work directly ties into Safe Harbor programs meant to protect youth from being criminalized for being involved in sex trafficking. Join us as we discuss the benefits of Safe Harbor programs that fund the work of The Link Minnesota and how we can all protect queer youth form being sexually exploited...References: 1) Study Revealed Safe Harbor Laws Increased Protections for Sex-Trafficked Youth, Identified Needs for Agency Support and Judicial Training, 2) Safe Harbor Minnesota, 3) Safe Harbor Laws: Changing the Legal Response to Minors Involved in Commercial Sex..Thank you for listening in! You can find references written in the biography. Let’s push the conversation more on Instagram @EQueerityPodcast, Twitter/X @EQueerityPod or on TikTok @theeqpod. Also, please subscribe here on YT! Full video podcast episodes are posted on YouTube which is also linked in bio or you can type The E(Queer)ity Podcast in the search bar. Take care and see you in the next episode! 😊..If you have any ideas on another segment, yourself or someone you know who would like to come on as a guest, or any feedback/comments/questions, email [email protected] views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker's and guest's own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the organizations they are apart of or the people with whom they collaborate. *This episode contains sensitive content for viewers/listeners, so please engage how you feel comfortable.

We have another exciting episode coming your way, featuring book author and LGBTQ+ academic scholar, @kevin.guyan (he/him), where we discuss the value of queer data. Gender, sex and sexual orientation, also known as SSOGI in some contexts for sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity, tells us the basic demographics, though not all, regarding the LGBT community and can be very influential in moving forward knowledge, policy and action for queer people. Tune in as Kevin and I discuss:benefits and pitfalls of tracking LGBTQ+ demographicscollection of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity data across different contextsunderstanding outness in the relationship between data stewardship and privacyimportance of SSOGI data collection in health registries (ex. cancer, heart disease, infectious disease, etc.)Avoiding stigmatization of the community during dissemination of results..Dr. Kevin Guyan is a writer and researcher whose work explores the intersection of data and identity. He is the author of Queer Data: Using Gender, Sex and Sexuality Data for Action (Bloomsbury Academic), which examines the collection, analysis and use of gender, sex and sexuality data, particularly as it relates to LGBTQ people in the UK. He is based in Edinburgh, Scotland and works as a Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Edinburgh. Kevin is currently writing his second book, which explores queer encounters with different classification systems in the UK, from hate crime reporting to dating apps....Thank you for listening in! You can find references written in the biography. Let’s push the conversation more on Instagram @EQueerityPodcast, Twitter/X @EQueerityPod or on TikTok @theeqpod. Also, please subscribe here on YT! Full video podcast episodes are posted on YouTube which is also linked in bio or you can type The E(Queer)ity Podcast in the search bar. Take care and see you in the next episode! 😊...If you have any ideas on another segment, yourself or someone you know who would like to come on as a guest, or any feedback/comments/questions, email [email protected] views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker's and guest's own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the organizations they are apart of or the people with whom they collaborate.

As we approach half of our season 2, I had the honor of speaking with the incredibly smart and kind, Khye Tyson (they/them), who works as a sacred transition guide, leader in the birth work space, and passionate consultant and teacher on reproductive health needs of ALL patients based in Atlanta, GA (my hometown 🌆)! Tune into our conversation where we break down:the origin and meaning of the reproductive justice movementbirthwork for same sex and queer individuals/couplesaddressing inequities in fertility treatments and ART (assisted reproductive technology)the impact of abortion restrictions on family planning and bodily autonomy...Khye Tyson (they/them) is an unapologetic southern queer Black femme who enjoys yoga, building community, laughing, subverting the gender binary, and reminding people that they can fire their doctors. Khye is a sacred transition guide, entrepreneur, healer, consultant, and educator working toward a world in which Black queer and trans people, women, and femmes can live, thrive, and raise healthy families freely within a healthy community....Thank you for listening in! If you would like to read more about the charity we discussed today, please visit kuluntu.center. You can find references written in the biography. Let’s push the conversation more on Instagram @EQueerityPodcast, Twitter/X @EQueerityPod or on TikTok @theeqpod. Also, please subscribe here on YT! Full video podcast episodes are posted on YouTube which is also linked in bio or you can type The E(Queer)ity Podcast in the search bar. Take care and see you in the next episode! 😊...If you have any ideas on another segment, yourself or someone you know who would like to come on as a guest, or any feedback/comments/questions, email [email protected] views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker's and guest's own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the organizations they are apart of or the people with whom they collaborate.

In our 2nd episode under Lived Experiences, we have our joyful, SUPER funny, and amazing host of the @bottumsup.pod, Ms. Taylor Eyo (she/her)! We talk about the following:life in South Florida as a podcast creator herself and LGBTQ+ community advocate with a primary focus on uplifting local and regional queer folxplacing an ❌ on terms like "gold star" and "coming out".healthcare visits that have been unaffirming and what providers should know to change their assumptions and be more inclusive of sexual and gender minorities....Taylor Eyo (she/her) is originally from Salisbury, MD and is now living in South Florida. Her full-time career is as an architect and in her free time she enjoys featuring queer voices and having everyday chats on her show titled Bottoms Up Podcast....References: Supporting the Health of Sexual Minority Women by National LGBTQ Health Education Center...Thank you for listening in! If you would like to check out roe of Taylor's content, please follow the Bottoms Up Podcast Instagram @bottumsup.pod or find the channel name on YouTube. You can find references for our conversation in this episode’s biography. Let’s push the conversation more on Instagram @EQueerityPodcast, Twitter/X @EQueerityPod or on TikTok @theeqpod. Full video podcast episodes are posted on YouTube which is also linked in bio or you can type The E(Queer)ity Podcast in the search bar. If you liked what you heard today, please give the show a quick star rating, follow, and/or subscribe on your preferred listening platform. Take care and see you in the next episode! 😊.If you have any ideas on another segment, yourself or someone you know who would like to come on as a guest, or any feedback/comments/questions, email [email protected] views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker's and guest's own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of anyone, thing or place affiliated with the speaker or guest...#health #medicine #publichealth #healthdisparities

We have another exciting episode coming your way focusing on the housing crisis impacting LGBTQ+ communities. The realities of being unhoused that impact LGBTQ+ youth and older adults, in particular, are manifold. Many queer people are either denied, rejected or can’t afford housing related to their identity or work circumstances. Join Jim Harvey (pronouns he/him) and I as we discuss the following:housing as a form of physical, emotional, and psychological securityencouraging intergenerational discussion between youth and older adultsthe creation of One Roof Chicago meant to house LGBTQ+ individuals living in the South Side of Chicago...References: 1) Healthy People 2030 (https://health.gov/healthypeople/priority-areas/social-determinants-health/literature-summaries/quality-housing) 2) LGBT People and Housing Affordability, Discrimination, and Homelessness (https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/lgbt-housing-instability/#:~:text=Compared%20to%20non%2DLGBT%20people,%2C%20safe%2C%20and%20affordable%20housing.) ....Jim Harvey is Executive Director for One Roof Chicago, a Chicago based development non-profit that is currently building intergenerational housing and services for LGBTQ+ seniors and young adults. He is a Masters level Public Health professional with more than 35 years of service to Community Health programs funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Bureau of Primary Health Care. He oversaw the development of the Capacity Building Assistance Program and managed a division of CDC’s National Prevention Information Network for several years. He also consulted for the Chicago Department of Public Health and the Georgia Department of Human Services Minority Health Division. Jim is a native of Chicago where he resides with his spouse of 24 years and their four dogs and a cat. He is also an avid collector of art from the African diaspora....Thank you for listening in! If you would like to read more about the charity we discussed today, please visit oneroofchicago.org. You can find references written in the biography. Let’s push the conversation more on Instagram @EQueerityPodcast, Twitter/X @EQueerityPod or on TikTok @theeqpod. Also, please subscribe here on YT! Full video podcast episodes are posted on YouTube which is also linked in bio or you can type The E(Queer)ity Podcast in the search bar. Take care and see you in the next episode! 😊...If you have any ideas on another segment, yourself or someone you know who would like to come on as a guest, or any feedback/comments/questions, email [email protected] views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker's and guest's own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the organizations they are apart of or the people with whom they collaborate....#health #medicine #publichealth #queerpride #lgbtq🌈 #podcast #healthdisparities #queerinmedicine #blackownedbusiness #latinxownedbusiness #queerownedbusiness #hiv #socialjustice #research #honest #dialogue #discussion #housing #affordablehousing #homeless #bronzeville #chicago #BIPOC #southside #intergenerational #intergenerationalhealing

I am very happy to share our next episode this season on the topic of embracing neurodivergence within the queer community. We are all neurodiverse as a people; it's neurodivergence, differences in sensory processing, motor abilities, and communication impacting how we manifest in the world, which we unfortunately can stigmatize. Neurodivergence can appear as being autistic or ADHD as well as being dyslexic or bipolar, as examples. Pasha (pronouns she/they) @neuroqueercoach & I discuss, that queer people are more likely to be neurodivergent and that neuroqueering is a way of viewing the world that anyone can practice....Pasha Marlowe (she/they) brings 30 years of professional experience as a mental health professional and coach for neurodivergent adults. She speaks on virtual and live global stages on issues of neurodiversity, disability inclusion, and LGBTQIA+ advocacy. She also brings 53 years of lived experience as a multiply-neurodivergent, disabled, and queer person....References: 1) "Neurodiversity & Gender-Diverse Youth: An Affirming Approach to Care 2020" by the National LGBT Health Education Center, 2) "LGBTQIA+ and neurodiversity: the links between neurodivergence and being LGBTQ+" by The Brain Charity ....Thank you for listening in! If you would like to learn more about what Pasha does, listen to their podcast: Neuro Queering: Beyond the Intersection of Neurodiversity and Queerness, available on most streaming platforms. You can find references written in the biography. Let’s push the conversation more on Instagram @EQueerityPodcast, Twitter/X @EQueerityPod or on TikTok @theeqpod. Also, please subscribe here on YT! Full video podcast episodes are posted on YouTube which is also linked in bio or you can type The E(Queer)ity Podcast in the search bar. Take care and see you in the next episode! 😊 ....If you have any ideas on another segment, yourself or someone you know who would like to come on as a guest, or any feedback/comments/questions, email [email protected] views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker's and guest's own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the organizations they are apart of or the people with whom they collaborate...#health #medicine #publichealth #queerpride #lgbtq🌈 #podcast #healthdisparities #queerinmedicine #blackownedbusiness #latinxownedbusiness #queerownedbusiness #hiv #socialjustice #research #honest #dialogue #discussion #neurodivergence #autism #adhd #mentalhealth

We are kicking off Season 2 with our first significant topic in the LGBTQIA+ health disparity space: cancer. Join me and Stewart as we discuss the important work of the UK cancer charity, OUTPatients UK, focused on providing social and emotional support for queer individuals or their loved ones such as friends and family affected by cancer. Topics discussed include:importance of cancer charity worksupport for queer individuals w/ a cancer diagnosisfighting misconceptions on cancer risk impacting queer populationsStewart O'Callaghan (they/them) is the award-winning Founder and CEO of OUTpatients, the UK's LGBTIQ+ cancer charity. Building upon their personal experience as a cancer patient, the charity is proudly patient-led and working to improve the representation, information and support available to LGBTIQ+ people affected by cancer...Reference: A case-control study of healthcare disparities in sex and gender minority patients with breast cancer...Thank you for listening in! If you would like to read more about the charity we discussed today, please visit outpatients.org.uk. You can find references for our conversation in this episode’s biography. Let’s push the conversation more on Instagram @EQueerityPodcast, Twitter/X @EQueerityPod or on TikTok @theeqpod. Full video podcast episodes are posted on YouTube which is also linked in bio or you can type The E(Queer)ity Podcast in the search bar. If you liked what you heard today, please give the show a quick star rating, follow, and/or subscribe on your preferred listening platform. Take care and see you in the next episode! 😊.If you have any ideas on another segment, yourself or someone you know who would like to come on as a guest, or any feedback/comments/questions, email [email protected] views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker's and guest's own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of anyone, thing or place affiliated with the speaker or guest...#health #medicine #publichealth #healthdisparities

Introducing the newest segment of The E(Queer)ity Podcast titled... Lived Experiences! Hope you enjoy these conversations going forward.

Tune into this first segment of Lived Experiences as we discussIntersectional experiences being Black and queer in academiaThoughts about affordable action and its recent overturnCurrent status of diversity, equity and inclusion across higher educationMoses' passion for addressing HIV health disparities within the LGBTQ+ community.Nephyri Akhenaten (she/her) is a first-year immunology PhD student at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. Nephryi's research primarily investigates a cure for HIV and identifies ways to augment our immune system to regulate HIV infection. In addition to finding a cure for HIV, his dream is to make medicine accessible to all communities around the world, especially historically marginalized communities...Reference: Experiences of LGBTQ People In Four Year Colleges and Graduate Programs: Report from The Williams Institute..Thank you for listening in! If you would like to follow more of Moses’s content, he’s on Instagram @nephyrii. Let’s continue to push the conversation more on Instagram @EQueerityPodcast, Twitter @EQueerityPod or on TikTok @theeqpod. Take care and see you in the next episode! 😊..If you have any ideas on another segment, yourself or someone you know who would like to come on as a guest, or any feedback/comments/questions, email [email protected] views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker's and guest's own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of anyone, thing or place affiliated with the speaker or guest...#health #medicine #publichealth #healthdisparities

Did you know that Illinois was the second state in the US to accomplish a gender-affirming surgery for a transgender person in prison? When barriers limiting gender-affirming care for transgender people already exist plentiful on the outside, this process carries even more challenges, questions, and even litigation when considering individuals in prison. I speak with Dr. Lamenta Sweetie Conway, Deputy Chief of Medicine for the Illinois Department of Corrections, about her impactful work pioneering and advocating for the care of transgender individuals within the penal system as an ally and physician. In this final episode of season 1, join our discussion as we reflect on creating equitable healthcare for this marginalized group in our society.

In this episode, we discuss the most stark health inequity affecting transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people, mortality. In 2022, the Human Rights Campaign reported that 41 people in the US who were TGD-identifying died by means of gun violence or otherwise murder. These numbers are likely underreported due to stigma or misinformation. The existence of tdor.translivesmatter.info, founded by our guest today, Anna Jayne Metcalf, sheds light on the number of killings worldwide involving anti-transgender violence. We talk about the website's utility in uncovering important, undiscovered data points that governments should be collecting and how the death reports serve as the basis for understanding the public health crisis of increased mortality of TGD people.

In this episode, we praise the incredible life-saving work of community health organizations intervening in LGBTQ+ health disparities. Our case example, EmPower Global, started as a community-serving, nonprofit organization in Indianapolis that now serves on a global scale to empower TGNC and LGBTQIA+ disenfranchised communities with a focus on health and social services. I speak with Gregory Williams, one of the organization's executive leaders, about the organization's growth, the intersection of faith, identity, and health, and the need for healthcare workers to reduce bias by interacting more with their community.

In this episode, we discuss the recent attacks in media and legislation regarding the harms of drug culture, but with a positive spin. How has drag uplifted the lives of millions of queer people experiencing depression? What have drag performers done to promote healthy sex habits, such as condom usage? Drag should be a celebrated example for promoting health equity for LGBTQ+ people. I have the pleasure of speaking w/ local Tennessee drag star and activist, Vidalia Anne Gentry, whose voice and fearlessness have stood out in the spotlight.

In this episode, we discuss the threat of viruses to our understanding of humanity, and how HIV has been the case example of a virus that has and continues to be used as a causative agent for stigmatizing and excluding queer communities from healthcare. Dr. Steven Thrasher, transdisciplinary scholar and journalist, speaks with us about his work investigating the systemic sociodemographic conditions that negatively skew our treatment of people with HIV and other viruses mentioned within his book, The Viral Underclass.

In this episode, we discuss the essential parameters of healthy, equitable healthcare visits for LGBTQ+-identifying patients, and what implications and misunderstandings result from negative interactions between patients and providers. Dr. Lauren Beach, an expert in chronic conditions related to sexual and gender minority health and translational research into improving health equity systems, informs us of their background working in research and nonprofit spaces to uplift marginalized queer populations, in particular bisexual individuals, and improve sex, sexual orientation and gender identity collection practices overall.