Trandescendant

In this moving interview with Monica Skarban, she shares how her Catholic Church embraced her with full acceptance after the death of her wife. She discusses the rejection she experienced in some chu…

This episode delves into the origins and complexities of prejudice against LGBTQ+ individuals, specifically focusing on attitudes towards homosexuality. Homophobia extends beyond mere dislike or fear…

Have you ever tried to convince someone they are believing a lie? If you say something enough times with no proof at all, people start to believe it. A lot of what homophobes have been saying for dec…

Every love story is different. Ameera and Julia didn't plan to have a relationship. It just happened, and suddenly they realized they were together. Despite objections from conservative Muslims peers…

Rya had an emotional session with her therapist this afternoon. In this episode, Joe and Rya discuss what happened and why she felt so vulnerable. Joe asks about the value of seeing a therapist. We a…

As we near the end of Pride month, we want to keep looking for ways to strengthen our commitment to our LGBTQ loved ones. This episode gives a checklist for maximizing the good and minimizing the har…

Being an ally means more than just being accepting our gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, or other sexual- or gender-non-conforming loved one. We want to become fully affirming. How do we le…

You've heard from the Dad. You've heard from the Daughter. But you've never heard from the Mom... until now. In this episode, she shares her earliest struggles to accept the news that her adult child…

For over a decade, John Paulk was the most visible spokesperson for conversion therapy. He gave his testimony on Oprah, 60 Minutes, and everywhere he could about how God had changed him from gay to s…

We need to tell people that myths are just that. When we do not challenge ideas that have already been debunked, we allow falsehoods to perpetuate . Don't buy into the misinformation. This episode gi…

Maggie Williams joins us for a one-year update about her transition. A year ago, we explored the similarities and differences with Rya's transition. But this past year has brought some important mile…

When we hear transgender stories, we often encounter tragic elements and tales of difficult experiences. We frequently learn how gender dysphoria drives trans people to give up everything. But what a…

Joe has mentioned on this podcast in the past how he had a drinking problem. We wanted to explore the ways alcohol affected his life, and what brought him to the decision never to have another drink.…

We like to think we know what we're talking about. But the people who disagree with us think they are just as correct we think we are. How do we know who is right? When it comes to preserving relatio…

Everyone is different. Everyone is a minority, and minorities are good. Let's end the stigma against LGBTQ people being weird or odd. Committed allies understand that the majority is comprised of a c…

A year ago, we shared an update about the podcast and where things were headed. Now, one year later, the TranDescendant community has grown exponentially. Joe and Rya paint their vision for where the…

Brian McNaught, a prominent LGBTQ+ advocate, discusses his experiences coming out as gay in 1974 and his subsequent work promoting understanding and acceptance of LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly tra…

One of our most powerful episodes yet! In our March 11 podcast, we went through the  verses that anti-LGBTQ people use to say that it is wrong to be gay. We provided an approach that allows you to af…

Did you know that Rya is not the only transgender person in the family? Shortly after her transition, another younger member of the family also transitioned. Heather shares the heart wrenching story …

Society does not have any written rules for how men or women behave. The social aspect of gender is simply "how things are done." But what happens when someone is sending the "wrong" signals? Rya des…