Send us a text Many states and school districts are threatening to defund libraries and are challenging books at an increasing rate. Removing books from library shelves reduces public access to information and is often part of an attempt to control what can be taught or discussed in public spaces, usually done under the guise of protecting children. Public libraries are often targeted for their inclusion of queer and transgender authors and books that address any subject matter that relates to g...
Jul 15, 2024•53 min•Ep. 78
Send us a text Gender and sexuality have been understood and expressed in a wide variety of ways in different parts of the world, in different cultures, and throughout history. As we learn more about other worldviews, our understanding expands, and we can become more compassionate and wise in our interactions with the LGBTQ+ community. Our guests today join Jen In the Den to deconstruct and reconstruct ways of looking at sexuality and gender through an Indigenous lens of intersectionality. Speci...
Jul 01, 2024•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 77
Send us a text When they find out that their child is somewhere on the LGBTQ+ spectrum, parents are often forced to examine their faith in entirely new ways, and it’s hard stuff–earth shifting, ground shaking, life changing, relationship destroying sort of hard. Today’s In the Den guest is an expert at courageous conversations in the religious realm, because it isn’t just the individuals that are wrestling with the topic of religion and spirituality, but many religious organizations themselves. ...
Jun 24, 2024•46 min•Ep. 76
Send us a text A recurring concern that we hear from parents when their child comes out as LGBTQ+ involves family, and more specifically the fear of losing the possibility of future family. Parents are sometimes worried when they find out they have a queer child, because they feel like they’re losing their chance to be a grandparent, or they just really knew their child would make a great parent, but they don’t think they’ll get to actually experience parenthood as a queer person. So, in an effo...
Jun 17, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 75
Send us a text In a perfect world, all parents would be prepared to welcome news of a queer child with love and affirmation. As we all know, we aren’t there yet, and sometimes one parent is ready to do what has been shown to be best practices while another isn’t. Good and loving parents often have some learning and unlearning to do, and it can be challenging when parents aren’t on the same page. In today’s episode, guest host Wendy VonSosen visits with special guests Brooke Caldwell, Lisa Dame, ...
Jun 10, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 74
Send us a text Parents often worry about the future of their children. And sometimes that intensifies for a bit when their child comes out. They wonder if their child will be able to find love and relationship. They wonder if their child will be held back in their careers. Today In the Den , Jen talks with special guests Seth Anderson and Michael Ferguson about their personal experiences of coming out, falling in love, and finding happiness. Listening to their personal narratives is a glimpse in...
Jun 03, 2024•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 73
Send us a text Words with Friends 12 Words with Friends episodes are bonus episodes where different members of Mama Dragons provide definitions for LGBTQ related topics. This episode includes the following definitions: Deadname shared by Roxy Rich in Temecula, California Binding shared by Tracey in Edinburgh, Scotland Misgender shared by Betania in Indiana Pronoun Usage shared by Mel in Southeast Idaho In the Den is made possible by generous donors like you. Help us continue to deliver quality c...
May 31, 2024•6 min
Send us a text Pride events happen around the calendar all across the country, but June is officially Pride month, and the entire month is filled with opportunities to celebrate with our LGBTQ+ loved ones. With the party on the horizon, some of us might have questions about how to show up and participate. In this episode of In the Den , Jen sits down with three other moms to tackle some of the most common questions around attending Pride. Special guests Chrysteil Hunter, Dez Weyburn, and Diane O...
May 27, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 72
Send us a text Content Warning: This episodes has mentions of suicidal ideation. In this week’s episode of In the Den , Jen visits with special guests Alex and Christy Florence about their individual journeys that led them to meet and eventually marry each other. Alex shares his unique experiences as a Latino adoptee and trans man from a conservatively religious family. Christy talks about her experience as an actively religious mother whose child came out as gay and later trans, and the events ...
May 20, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 71
Send us a text There are similarities and differences between all of our individual stories as Mama Dragons. We come from diverse religious backgrounds, political parties, family dynamics, and geographic areas. Each of us started at different levels of acceptance, but we all relate to the desire of wanting to protect our children over our own biases. This week, we continue our new series of telling Mama Dragons stories. In this episode of In the Den , we meet Chelsea. Special Guest: Chelsea Hans...
May 13, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 70
Send us a text Queer youth are overrepresented in the foster care system, meaning that the percentage of youth in foster care who are LGBTQ is significantly larger than the percentage of LGBTQ youth in the general population. Choosing to become a resource in the foster care system may seem overwhelming or complicated, but it can be an important lifeline for these kids. This week, Celeste Carolin guest hosts In the Den , and special guest Dr. Gwen Bass joins us again to discuss some of the import...
May 06, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 69
Send us a text On this week’s episode of In the Den , Jen visits with TikTok mother/daughter duo Monica Gupta Mehta and Asha Lily Mehta about a range of topics from how to maintain good parent/child communication to understanding gender, neurodiversity, and queer sexuality. It’s a conversation you won’t want to miss! Special Guest: Monica Gupta Mehta Monica (she/her) is a teacher, educational psychologist, author, nonprofit director, mom, and now an artist! She started teaching 20 years ago in a...
Apr 29, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 68
Send us a text This week In the Den , Jen visits with Nigerian born pediatrician and LGBTQ+ educator Dr. Lulu about parenting queer children. They talk about a range of topics from what to do and not do when we learn about our children’s queer identities to unlearning preconceived ideas about the queer community to refining our advocacy to best serve our children. Special Guest: Dr. Lulu Dr. Lulu is a multiple award-winning Queer, Nigerian-born pediatrician, LGBTQ+ educator, corporate consultant...
Apr 22, 2024•58 min•Ep. 67
Send us a text EPISODE 66–Coming Out When You’re a Mom On this podcast, we often have conversations addressing parenting issues with experts, and we talk about parenting with parents. Today’s episode explores an example of a mom realizing she was queer as an adult parent with grown children, and the impacts that had on her family. In this episode of In the Den , Jen visits with Jamie Michaels, her daughter Lauryl Armstrong, and Jamie’s partner Celeste Carolin about navigating a coming out later ...
Apr 15, 2024•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 66
Send us a text Therapy is such a wonderful gift for so many of us that need support. This week In the Den , Jen joins three therapists from Flourish Counseling to talk about the things that mental health providers wish parents of LGBTQ kids understood. Special Guest: Lisa Hansen Lisa Tensmeyer Hansen (PhD, LMFT, Clinical Director) is the clinical director and founder of Flourish Therapy, Inc., (Flourish), a behavioral health clinic located in Provo, Utah, which she founded in February 2017 to me...
Apr 01, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 65
Send us a text Words with Friends 11 Words with Friends episodes are bonus episodes where different members of Mama Dragons provide definitions for LGBTQ related topics. This episode includes the following definitions: Homophobia shared by Clare in England Transphobia/Transmisia shared by Sarah M. in Fargo, North Dakota TERF shared by Connie W. in Canberra, Australia NOT Pedophilia shared by Yani Vega, Puerto Rico In the Den is made possible by generous donors like you. Help us continue to deliv...
Mar 29, 2024•6 min0
Send us a text Families come in all shapes and sizes, and that’s a wonderful thing. In this week’s episode of In the Den , Jen visits with Dr. Gwen Bass about her unique experiences growing up in the 80’s, the child of two women who broke norms by using artificial insemination to create a family. Gwen also discusses her later experiences as a queer person creating a family through foster care and adoption. Gwen shares her beautifully expansive understanding of family and demonstrates that biolog...
Mar 25, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 64
Send us a text In this episode of In the Den , Jen joins three moms whose trans kids came out and transitioned as young adults. They’ll answer a handful of frequently asked questions regarding the unique experiences of parenting an adult trans child. Special Guest: Chrysteil Hunter Chrysteil Hunter lives in Mill Creek, Washington, and is a single mom of four incredible adult kids, one 10 year old son, and has a 5 year old grandson. She works full time, one-on-one, with kids on the autism spectru...
Mar 18, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 63
Send us a text Dating these days can be daunting for anyone, but dating as a queer person comes with unique challenges. The parents in our Mama Dragons groups ask a lot of questions about how to help their queer kids with dating when the time comes. In this episode of In the Den , Jen tackles the topic of dating and turns to the experts–four young, queer, Gen Z adults. They discuss their experiences, share ideas, and give advice for how to handle the potential obstacles of dating as young queer ...
Mar 11, 2024•57 min•Ep. 62
Send us a text This week’s episode of In the Den kicks off a new series! There are similarities and differences between all of our individual stories. We come from diverse religious backgrounds, political parties, family dynamics, and geographic areas. Each of us started at different levels of acceptance, but we all relate to the desire of wanting to protect our children over our own biases. So a few times a year, we will be sharing a Mama Dragon’s story. Today, we meet Jasmine. Special Guest: J...
Mar 04, 2024•54 min•Ep. 61
Send us a text It’s common to hear teenagers complain, “My parents just don’t understand me.” When your child is LGBTQ, and your experience is that of a straight and/or cisgender person, that may actually be more true than we realize. We surveyed queer youth and gathered their feedback to learn what they most wish their parents understood. Jen sits down with queer and trans therapist Cole Brennan to discuss a handful of the things that LGBTQ teens submitted as potential understanding growth poin...
Feb 26, 2024•56 min•Ep. 60
Send us a text Mama Dragons supports, educates, and empowers mothers of LGBTQ children, but we also celebrate and acknowledge the importance of affirming fathers. In this episode of In the Den , Jen talks with three dads of LGBTQ kids about their experiences and learned wisdom from raising their queer kids. Special Guest: Lance Sweeten Lance Sweeten holds a bachelor's degree in engineering and works as a façade designer in Salt Lake City, UT. He’s a husband and proud father of four children. His...
Feb 19, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 59
Send us a text “If it’s not fun for everyone, then it’s not actual fun.” When schoolyard banter crosses into harassment and bullying, what can we do to keep our kids safe at school? This week In the Den , Jen and special guest Dr. Roni Jo Draper discuss how to recognize and respond to bullying whether our child is being bullied or has become a bully within the public school system. Special Guest: Roni Jo Draper Roni Jo Draper, Ph.D. (Yurok|she.her) is an educator, storyteller, filmmaker, and act...
Feb 12, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 58
Send us a text This week In the Den , Jen talks with seven moms of queer children about their honest feelings around parenting queer children. Our guests share how they felt when their child came out and how they feel now about having an LGBTQ child. Special Guest: Rhonda Hill Rhonda is a mother of four from Utah who loves to cook, craft, and play the piano. Special Guest: Lisa Glad Lisa is a Mormon mama of three (two Queerdos!) and a proud Mama Dragon! Special Guest: Erin Lee Erin is a Canadian...
Feb 05, 2024•54 min•Ep. 57
Send us a text Episode 56–All Things Gender In this week’s episode of In the Den , Jen sits down with special guest Erik VonSosen and her mother Wendy to chat about all things gender related. They cover everything from gender performance, gender expression to gender experience, gender transition, and more. Special Guest: Wendy VonSosen Wendy joined Mama Dragons in 2016. She's the mother of 4 grown kids, including a transgender daughter. She and her husband recently relocated to Salt Lake City af...
Jan 29, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 56
Send us a text Words with Friends 10 Words with Friends episodes are bonus episodes where different members of Mama Dragons provide definitions for LGBTQ related topics. This episode includes the following definitions: Questioning shared by Maria Fergus in Washington Butch shared by Kellie in West Texas Femme shared by Michelle in Boise, Idaho Androgynous shared by M’Lisa E. in Idaho In the Den is made possible by generous donors like you. Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming ...
Jan 26, 2024•6 min0
Send us a text The power that can come from seeing your own experiences reflected in stories cannot be understated. This week In the Den , Jen chats with New York Times bestselling author Mackenzi Lee about the importance of representation, and queer representation in particular, in literature. Representation matters because what we see in the media doesn't just reflect reality. It has the potential to shape it. Books that depict and normalize queer relationships, queer identities, and queer sto...
Jan 22, 2024•59 min•Ep. 55
Send us a text EPISODE 54–Just the FAQs–Moms of Trans Minors In this episode of In the Den , Jen joins two mothers of young transgender children to answer a handful of frequently asked questions regarding actively parenting an underage trans child in today’s political climate. Because it isn’t currently safe to be a transgender child, and because we don’t wish to put trans children or their families at increased risk, we will be using pseudonyms and changing identifying information for this epis...
Jan 15, 2024•57 min•Ep. 54
Send us a text In 2023, a record-breaking 586 bills were introduced across the United States that specifically targeted transgender people and their right to exist. From removing trans people's access to healthcare to their access to public bathrooms, sports, books, or simply the use of their names and pronouns, efforts to erase trans people were intense. The 2024 legislative season is around the corner, and there will undoubtedly be another onslaught of anti-LGBTQ bills up for debate. Neca Allg...
Jan 08, 2024•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 53
Send us a text In the Den is one year old! To celebrate a full year of episodes, we’re turning the spotlight back onto our intrepid host Jen Blair. Mama Dragons Executive Director Celeste Carolin guest hosts and asks Jen about her experiences of having a child come out as gay and finding Mama Dragons in its earliest years of existence. We hope you enjoy this chance to get to know Jen better and to glimpse the source of her endless passion for creating a better world for parents of LGBTQ children...
Jan 01, 2024•47 min•Ep. 52
