The legendary gender philosopher and scholar Judith Butler tells us about their personal relationship to non-binary identity. They also provide insight on the global rise of anti-trans ideology, the subject of their 2024 book "Who's Afraid of Gender?" Hosted by Ally Beardsley and Babette Thomas, Gender Spiral is a quest to explore the modern experience of being a human in our gendered world. Subscribe/follow/rate/review us to help us out, and support us on Patreon at patreon.com/GenderSpiralPodc...
Dec 15, 2025•54 min•Season 1Ep. 15
What are the practical skills you need to survive the apocalypse? Writer, podcast host, culture afficionado, and reiki practioner J Wortham has done the research (and watched a lot of Survivor). J shares what they learned during their survivalism crash-course on a remote island in Mexico, tells us about their reiki and breathwork practices, and examines why dissasociation might not always be a bad thing. Keep up with J Wortham on Instagram @jennydeluxe , and on Substack. Check out their first bo...
Dec 02, 2025•41 min•Season 3Ep. 14
Artist Zander Schlacter and his lawyer Carl Charles from Lambda Legal explain the effects of the Tr*mp administration's executive order barring trans folks from obtaining passports with their correct gender markers, and why Zander is suing the US State Department about it. For more information about Zander's case, visit lambdalegal.org . Find Zander on Instagram @zanderschlacter , and check out the reel he posted when his case was filed. Hosted by Ally Beardsley and Babette Thomas, Gender Spiral...
Nov 18, 2025•34 min•Season 3Ep. 14
You might already know Eoin from our live show in Chicago this past May, but you're about to get to know him even better! Before the show that day, we got a chance to talk with him in-depth about the world of powerlifting, having a cis identical twin, and why for Eoin, tattooing, sexuality and gender are all intricately connected. Then, we got tatted! Find Eoin on Instagram @eoin_mcgraw and book a tattoo if you're in the Chicago area, we highly recommend his work! He also travels for guest spots...
Nov 04, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 12
The multi-talented Sasha Fuentes tells us about developing his queer archival practice, collecting vintage gay p*rn, and the importance of print media in the age of digital censorship. And stick around to the end of the episode: our very special season finale guest, the legendary Judith Butler(!), joins in to discuss bridging intergenerational differences within the queer community. Follow Sasha on Instagram @three6sashiaa , and get their zines and screenprints on their webstore . Stay tuned for...
Oct 21, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 12
Everyone wants to run away from society and build a queer homestead with their polycule, but what does it actually take to make that happen? We talk to artist and organizer Kamra Hakim about the land they bought in upstate New York, the artist residency/community space they created on it, and why conflict management is actually the most important skill in an off-grid queer community (besides knowing how to fix a generator). Hosted by Ally Beardsley and Babette Thomas, Gender Spiral is a quest to...
Oct 07, 2025•55 min•Season 3Ep. 10
Twitter-queen-turned-fiction-novelist Rose Dommu talks about her new book Best Woman : a family drama Trojan-horsed into a rom-com loosely based on Rose's personal experiences. We also get her opinions about DIY hormone cocktails, bleaching your way out of a crisis, and what Fire Island is really like for trans folks. Best Woman is out NOW! Get your copy at a local bookstore or on Bookshop.org ! You can find all of Rose's fiction novel reccomendations on THIS LIST . And find Rose on Instagram @r...
Sep 23, 2025•53 min•Season 3Ep. 10
Missed us in Chicago? NEVER FEAR, THE RECORDING IS HERE! Two Chicago drag ICONS joined us for night 2 of our weekend at iO Theater in May. Irregular Girl and Mari De La Rua (AKA Stephanie) tell us about being in a drag family, how drag informed their gender identities, and why drag would suck without trans women. Find our incredible guests on Instagram @imirregulargirl and @dragmestephanie Hosted by Ally Beardsley and Babette Thomas, Gender Spiral is a quest to explore the modern experience of b...
Sep 16, 2025•1 hr 19 min•Season 3Ep. 9
We're continuing the thread on trans & queer parents in a conversation with scholar, writer, audio producer Cassius (Cass) Adair. He tells us about transitioning in the early days of Tumblr, getting baby fever in his late 20s, and the nitty-gritty of pregnancy and parenting as a trans dad in Minnesota. Check out Cass's work at his website cassiusadair.com . There, you can find links to his writing, audio work, and trans media consulting firm Sylveon Consulting (which he co-runs with our frie...
Sep 09, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Season 3Ep. 8
While recovering from surgery, comedian Marley Gotterer (who you probably already know from TikTok and Insta reels) made time to tell us about getting facial feminization (FFS) and chat about her love of sports, how she got to run social media for Cardi B, and lifting twinks live on stage. Check out Marley's work and get notified about her upcoming shows on her Instagram(s) @marleyismarley and @transsportsgirl . Hosted by Ally Beardsley and Babette Thomas, Gender Spiral is a quest to explore the...
Aug 26, 2025•59 min•Season 3Ep. 7
Lou Sullivan, arguably one of the first out gay trans men, kept diaries from age 11 until his death in 1991. Decades later, Zach Ozma and Ellis Martin compiled those diaries into "We Both Laughed in Pleasure" (aka the Pink Butt Book) which tells the story of Lou's full, freaky, fascinating life. Zach and Ellis talk to us about painstakingly parsing through Lou's Catholic school cursive and learning that the trans experience is really on a historic loop. Get your copy of "We Both Laughed in Pleas...
Aug 12, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Missed us in Chicago? NEVER FEAR, THE RECORDING IS HERE! On night one of our two-night extravaganza at iO Theater in May, Ally and Babette were joined by drag artist/DJ/rapper Lynzo the Heartthrob and tattoo artist/overall lovely human being Eoin McGraw for a hilarious and thoughtful convo. Then, they answer some audience questions! Stay tuned- night two will be posted soon exclusively on our Patreon! Hosted by Ally Beardsley and Babette Thomas, Gender Spiral is a quest to explore the modern exp...
Jul 29, 2025•1 hr 35 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Is it possible to get out of my mountain of credit card debt? How do I budget for mutual aid? Should I be buying stocks? What even IS life insurance?! Anti-capitalist financial planner River Nice answers these questions and more, and Babette and Ally learn a thing or two about financial literacy. Find River on Instagram @financewithriver and check out their financial literacy programs, free budget templates and more at their website beintentionalfinancial.com Hosted by Ally Beardsley and Babette...
Jul 15, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Hosted by Ally Beardsley and Babette Thomas, Gender Spiral is a quest to explore the modern experience of being a human in our gendered world.
Jul 10, 2025•2 min
Ericka Hart and and Ebony Donnelly are partners in love and podcasting, and co-parents to a toddler. We asked them to share their queer & trans pregnancy story, and give Ally some parenting pointers! Check out their podcast Hoodrat to Headwrap : A Decolonized Podcast and find Ericka and their other work as a speaker and sex educator on Instagram @ihartericka . Hosted by Ally Beardsley and Babette Thomas, Gender Spiral is a quest to explore the modern experience of being a human in our gender...
Jul 01, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Season 3Ep. 3
A little bonus episode just to check in! More new season 3 interviews rolling out next week, and biweekly after that. And check us out at patreon.com/GenderSpiralPodcast for more bonus content like this! Hosted by Ally Beardsley and Babette Thomas, Gender Spiral is a quest to explore the modern experience of being a human in our gendered world. Subscribe/follow to get notified when we post new episodes! And follow us on Instagram and TikTok to keep up with all things Gender Spiral. Find transcri...
Jun 24, 2025•27 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Artist, activist and author (and swimsuit designer!?) Tourmaline kicks off Season 3 of the podcast with a conversation about her connection to Marsha P. Johnson that led to multiple artworks and two recent books. Hosted by Ally Beardsley and Babette Thomas, Gender Spiral is a quest to explore the modern experience of being a human in our gendered world. Find Tourmaline on Instagram @tourmaliiine , and find "Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson" and "One Day in June" wherever you get...
Jun 17, 2025•44 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Babette and Ally take a look back on some highlights from season 2 of the podcast. We also hear some voicemails from listeners who tell us what queer media means to them. Thanks to our guests from season 2 featured in this episode (in order): Bay Davis, River Ramirez, Honey Pluton, Daria Lourd, Massima Bell & Dust Reid, Thomas Page McBee, Halo Perez-Gallardo, Pascal Stevenson, Alima Lee, Alys Aurora, Dr. Crystal Beal and Nori Reed. And thanks to all of our other incredible season 2 guests! A...
Feb 08, 2025•52 min•Season 2Ep. 20
Brooklyn-based hairstylist Alys Aurora of Studio Botanicum helps us answer some age-old questions, like: Is there such thing as a queer haircut that isn't a mullet? How can a haircut help affirm your presentation? What does "queer" hair look like for folks with textured/kinky hair? Hosted by Ally Beardsley and Babette Thomas, Gender Spiral is a quest to explore the modern experience of being a human in our gendered world. Find Alys @studio.botanicum on Instagram, and book an appointment! Follow ...
Jan 21, 2025•42 min•Season 1Ep. 19
If you love Gender Spiral, you'll also love the TransLash Podcast with Imara Jones! Check out this featured episode (originally released on June 6, 2024) then go on over to the TransLash feed and binge the rest of their catalogue, starting with the latest episode "Trans Comedy as Resistance" featuring our own Ally Beardsley! "Imara Jones first made an impact in a 2018 online docuseries about her transition and life and four years later, the podcast is just one part of TransLash Media, a fast-gro...
Jan 14, 2025•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 18
In a hilarious and chaotic episode, comedian Honey Pluton talks the "they/them to he/him pipeline," French parents, and the derogatory C-word (customer). Hosted by Ally Beardsley and Babette Thomas, Gender Spiral is a quest to explore the modern experience of being a human in our gendered world. Find Honey on Instagram @honeypluton for info on his upcoming show dates. Also, listen to Honey's podcast "Up Good with Honey Pluton" and support him on Patreon . Follow Gender Spiral on Instagram and Ti...
Jan 07, 2025•56 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Babette and Ally do a little stream-of-conciousness reflecting on 2024. Thank you for spiraling with us all year! A new full episode will be out next Tuesday, 1/7/25. Hosted by Ally Beardsley and Babette Thomas, Gender Spiral is a quest to explore the modern experience of being a human in our gendered world. Follow Gender Spiral on Instagram and TikTok , and support us at patreon.com/GenderSpiralPodcast . Find transcripts and leave us a voicemail at genderspiralpod.com ....
Dec 31, 2024•17 min•Season 2Ep. 16
Musician Pascal Stevenson aka Fashion Club talks to us about writing her first album since transitioning, how getting sober helped her come out, and her taste in, well, fashion. Hosted by Ally Beardsley and Babette Thomas, Gender Spiral is a quest to explore the modern experience of being a human in our gendered world. The new Fashion Club album "A Love You Cannot Shake" is out now. Follow Pascal on Instagram @fashion.club.la . Follow Gender Spiral on Instagram and TikTok , and support us at pat...
Dec 17, 2024•46 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Dust Reid and Massima Bell are the producers of the new album TRANSA, "a spiritual journey celebrating trans people." They talked to Ally and Babette about creating the album, compiling both covers and new work, and working with artists like Hunter Schafer and Sade. Hosted by Ally Beardsley and Babette Thomas, Gender Spiral is a quest to explore the modern experience of being a human in our gendered world. TRANSA is out now. Find more info at transa.world . Follow Gender Spiral on Instagram and ...
Dec 03, 2024•56 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Ally & Babette get into some post-election catharsis, then our guest Nori Reed provides some much-needed laughter as she shares stories about growing into herself as both a trans woman and comedian. Hosted by Ally Beardsley and Babette Thomas, Gender Spiral is a quest to explore the modern experience of being a human in our gendered world. Find Nori Reed on Instagram @norireed Follow Gender Spiral on Instagram and TikTok Support us at patreon.com/GenderSpiralPodcast . Find transcripts and le...
Nov 19, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Content Warning (genital anatomy, surgeries). This is part 2 of 2 episodes where we get the answers to some FAQs about medical transition from medical professionals. In this episode Kayla McLaughlin, a Physician Assistant and surgery education liaison, gets into nitty-gritty details about trans surgeries and what it looks like to get one, especially bottom surgeries like vaginoplasty and phalloplasty. Hosted by Ally Beardsley and Babette Thomas, Gender Spiral is a quest to explore the modern exp...
Nov 05, 2024•51 min•Season 2Ep. 12
TRIGGER WARNING (anti-trans healthcare bans, suicide, death threats): 8:52-10:22 This is part 1 of 2 episodes where we get the answers to some FAQs about medical transition from medical professionals. In this episode, Dr. Crystal Beal (founder of Queer Doc) tells us all about hormone replacement therapy (HRT), how it's prescribed, and all the various ways it can help folks reach their transition goals. Hosted by Ally Beardsley and Babette Thomas, Gender Spiral is a quest to explore the modern ex...
Oct 22, 2024•51 min•Season 2Ep. 11
Twitch streamer and YouTube star Charlotte McDonnell joins us to talk about digital footprint as a Trans Person on the Internet™, how taking a break from YouTube helped her get in touch with herself, and which video games are the most trans-coded. Hosted by Ally Beardsley and Babette Thomas, Gender Spiral is a quest to explore the modern experience of being a human in our gendered world. Find Charlotte @coollike on Twitch and Instagram. Follow Gender Spiral on Instagram and TikTok , and support ...
Oct 08, 2024•47 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Artist and DJ Alima Lee talks about claiming Black femininity as a nonbinary person, how DJing helps with social anxiety, and how we can make club culture more accessible and equitable. Hosted by Ally Beardsley and Babette Thomas, Gender Spiral is a quest to explore the modern experience of being a human in our gendered world. Check out Alima Lee on their Instagram @alima_lee and website Follow us on Instagram and TikTok , and support us at patreon.com/GenderSpiralPodcast Find transcripts at gen...
Sep 24, 2024•45 min•Season 2Ep. 9
We had a blast with Honey Pluton, Rose Dommu, Cherry Jaymes and River Ramirez at The Bell House in Brooklyn, NY for our first East Coast live show! We talked all about our gender journeys, the trans community in New York, and sharing HRT on the Coney Island Ferris Wheel. Thanks to everyone who came out! Hosted by Ally Beardsley and Babette Thomas, Gender Spiral is a quest to explore the modern experience of being a human in our gendered world. Check out Honey's podcast "Up Good with Honey Pluton...
Sep 10, 2024•1 hr 26 min•Season 2Ep. 8
