The Forbidden Apple: LGBTQ+ SPIRITUALITY

Jamie Jones is the artist behind the pride flag mural at the entrance of the "Church of the Village". Jamie overcame a rough childhood,  drug dependency, and depression. She is now committed to being…

Garrard Conley is a conversion therapy survivor and author of the New York Times best-selling memoir "Boy erased", now a major motion picture. Garrard talks about the so-called "straight savior" and …

James Schwartz shares what it was like to grow up Amish as a little gay boy. James shares how trips to the library, drag queens, and poetry gave him a fresh start. Now living in Hawaii, he reflects o…

Melissa and Pelayo discuss how their views on religious jargon have changed. They discuss concepts like miracles, angels, and choice over our own fate. We debate the difference between spirituality a…

Madison Hatch talks about her experience within the Mormon church. She shares about receiving contradicting answers regarding polygamy, the women’s role in the church, and the lack of transparency wi…

In this bonus episode our guest Jen Slumac reads an excerpt of her book "Soulnotskin"

@soulnotskin

www.theforbiddenapplepodcast.com

 Jen Slumac, daughter of a pastor, shares how she struggled with her sexuality and abused alcohol to numb the pain.  Jen discusses her road to recovery, reconnecting with God, and learning to trust h…

As a producer of queer events and promoter of LGBTQ culture, Sarose organized her most important event yet: her parent's interfaith wedding.

Growing up Irish Catholic with a Jewish father, Sarose tal…

In our very first podcast collaboration we have the hosts of the Qurated podcast. Alex and Sam share how representation in the media helped them with their coming out, how they reach catharsis throug…

The most charming minister of worship, Jorge Lockward shares how he has been encouraging the church to not just affirm LGBTQ but celebrate them.

Church of the village is leading the way of healing PT…

Our favorite interfaith minister, Chani Getter, teaches us the meaning of spiritual counseling and the importance of being witnessed in life's celebrations. She shares about coming out with the help …

Catherine Montesi talks about the struggle of coming to terms with her sexuality while living in the bible belt. She shares how her Catholic school made her watch videos about purity and sexuality wi…

After 26 years as an orthodox male, Josephine  Altzman decided to transition while remaining religious.

Listen to learn more about the process and how her community and her family reacted. We also ex…

How does a Hasidic "Mishpacha" compare with a Catholic "Familia"?

Melissa shares what was it like growing up as a woman in the Hasidic world as Pelayo opens up about his patriarchal grandfather and h…

Today we are joined by Brick City Native, Sontaia Briggs. Sontaia shares what lead her from public administration to theology. We learn about her experiences in seminary and her work as a queer faith…

Your hosts Pelayo Alvarez & Melissa Weisz discuss ancient concepts of good and evil. We revisit and reimagine religious concepts from our upbringings to filter what's useful for personal growth.

We d…

Jeremy Lentz shares his journey from a young boy nervously preparing for his bar mitzvah - to an out and proud gay man called upon to read “the twilight people”, at a pride Shabbat, in his reform tem…

We discuss how prayer helped us soothe as children and made us feel safe and connected to our families and communities.

Today we go beyond the traditional understanding of prayer to include meditatio…

Screenwriter and director, Matilde Ascheri discuss her search for the right church as an 11-year-old  Siena, Italy.  Matilde created queer characters as a way to explore her sexuality and come out to…

Moshe Henderson, a musical theatre director, explores his upbringing attending a non- denominational church in Seattle’s suburbs. He transformed the faith of his church into a passion for musical the…