Podcasts by Blessed Are the Binary Breakers

Emma Cieslik's Queer and Catholic Oral History Project from 2023-11-30T15:09:15

I sit down with public historian Emma Cieslik (she/her) to hear all about her Listen

From rejection to radical welcome: Isaiah 56 through a trans lens from 2023-09-29T23:19:41

Isaiah 56:1-8 shares God's message of not only tolerance but radical welcome for the ultimate Others of the biblical world: eunuchs. How did Isaiah 56's author come to understand Divine ...

Embodying Authenticity with Jayne X Praxis: Sex, Sigils, & Sacred Clowning from 2023-08-31T15:34:17

Jayne X Praxis (she/they) is many things — she’s Buddhist and a tantric witch; she’s an ordained minister and a Satanist; she’s a Sister of Perpetual Indulgence and a licensed therapist — but ab...

Our Pride is Not a Sin — A Queer & Disabled Christian Lens from 2023-07-16T23:42:40

June was Queer Pride Month, July is Disability Pride Month, and that means it's the prime time of year for certain people to remind us that "pride is a sin, didn't you know?" S...

Queer Sermon on Matthew 25's Queer Christ, the Outcast King from 2023-06-30T18:52:34

Matthew 25:31-46 is sometimes misused to preach hellfire & brimstone, but its focus is on compassion & community, mutual aid in the here & now.

In this sermon, minister Avery ...

Stopping Cop City: Água's Story from 2023-05-12T17:43:21

Água (they/them) shares the story of their lifelong relationship with Weelaunee Forest, whose leaves form the second half of the lungs that begin in Água's own body. After discussing the Sto...

Stopping Cop City: Shining Oak's Story from 2023-05-04T19:17:01

For Shining Oak (she/her), activism and queerness have been catalysts for reconnecting to her Jewish faith. Learn about Shining Oak's experiences with the movement to Stop Cop City, from org...

Stopping Cop City: Tov's Story from 2023-04-21T18:50:48

Learn about the Movement to Defend Atlanta's Forest through the stories of forest defenders for whom queerness and faith intertwine with activism. In this episode, Tov shares the dream that ...

Stopping Cop City: Coal's Story from 2023-04-13T19:35:29

Coal (he/they) is organizing a solidarity group in Springfield, Illinois, for the Movement to Defend Atlanta's Forest and Stop Cop City. He understands that what happens in Atlanta will have...

Stopping Cop City: Siihasin's Story from 2023-04-08T22:17:55

Learn about the Movement to Stop Cop City and Defend Atlanta's Forest through the stories of forest defenders for whom queerness and faith intertwine with activism. In this first episode, Si...

Hoping against Hope: What keeps us going in troubled times from 2023-03-31T21:23:06

The world is a scary place right now — particularly for trans people. Our youth are being targeted. Our bodily autonomy is under threat. We are made into scapegoats by extremists who want to era...

Uprooting Bitterness, Planting Trans Joy from 2023-03-01T00:27:52

In the anti-trans flood, I don't want my anger and hurt to wither into bitterness; I want to channel it into planting a garden of trans joy, queer rest, intersectional justice.

Listen

Our Lady of Disgrace: a queer Christmas story from 2022-12-23T20:15:46

In saying yes to bearing God Themself outside of marriage, Mary said yes to disgrace in the eyes of the world — not unlike the rejection LGBTQA+ persons can face when we accept God's call to liv...

Embracing “Messy” with K Kriesel — a chaplain & textile artist who blends Catholicism, Wicca, & queerness from 2022-11-01T03:20:18

K Kriesel (they/them or she/her) is not afraid of "messy," with a spiritual life that blends Catholicism and Wicca, and holds space for time adrift. 

K has broken away from a variety...

"The Good Kind of Weird" — Ynza Morgan Star: Genderqueer, Pagan, & so much more! from 2022-09-30T16:01:01

After growing up Southern Baptist and pressured to conform to gender norms, it took time for Ynza Morgan Star (she/her & zey/zeir) to live fully into her genderqueer, agnostic, pagan, game d...

Joseph and the Amazing Original Neuroqueer Pride Flag (Crossposted) from 2022-08-12T21:48:30

This episode is a slightly abridged version of part 1 of ...

Refuting TERF/anti-trans rhetoric with Leslie Feinberg from 2022-07-17T20:50:42

Avery reads more passages from Leslie Feinberg's 1996 work Transgender Warriors — this time ones that respond to the same tired arguments people have been making against the trans commu...

Leslie Feinberg on Trans Liberation & Solidarity from 2022-06-30T23:39:33

Avery reads excerpts from Leslie Feinberg's Transgender Warriors. Though the book was first published in 1996, the history it relates could not be more pertinent. In the shared passages...

"We’re in this for the liberation” — More from Rev. Krissy on transforming the Church from 2022-05-31T21:22:09

UCC pastor Rev. Krissy imagines a Body of Christ that moves beyond the institutional Church. We are called to confront corruption and power, and to unite in solidarity with all who work towards ...

Marginalized Bodies as Spectacle & the Good News in Jesus's Disabling Wounds from 2022-05-02T14:40:20

In Jesus, God rose with wounds that would have impaired his mobility and fine motor skills. In John 20, Jesus allows his disciples to gaze at his impaired body, and even lets Thomas touch his wo...

Queering the Cross, Tomb, and Resurrection from 2022-04-16T04:43:09

Now are the days that God lies dead — the God who, in dying, expressed ultimate solidarity with all who have been unjustly killed across the ages. Let's explore how various queer theologians bet...

Making Space for Gethsemane: two disabled & trans theologians discuss what people in pain actually need from 2022-04-12T16:11:39

For Holy Week, Avery joined Laura Sommer on their Autistic Liberation Theology Podcast to discuss two Gospel stories through a disabi...

What's in a Name Change? — How I became Avery Arden and made it through the legal process from 2022-03-30T18:13:32

Avery brings their wife on to reminisce about Avery's name journey — from picking out Avery several years ago, to choosing new middle & last names in time for the legal name change ...

O Beautiful Dust — Lenten Prayers & the Gospels’ genderqueer water bearer from 2022-03-18T21:44:30

In O Beautiful Dust, RW Walker explores what difference traditional, queer, and Christ-centred common prayer might make in a chaotic and divided world. Avery had the honor of narrating ...

Coming Back to Life — Rev. Krissy is a politically queer UCC pastor from 2022-02-16T03:15:15

Like Lazarus resurrected by Jesus, Rev. Krissy has moved from a stifling tomb — a church where they could not be openly queer & politically active — into the abundant life of authentic self ...

Naming Faith — Eric Sharp is a Pluralist Agnostic & Systemic Therapist from 2022-01-31T18:42:03

I sit down with my fellow seminary grad Eric Sharp (degree in Marriage & Family Therapy) for the story of how he came to call himself a Pluralist Agnostic who draws from Womanism and Postmod...

Revisiting Nativity: Was Jesus born in a barn or a house, and why does it matter? from 2021-12-24T05:33:53

Sometimes the stories we think we know by heart are the ones most worth revisiting, and examining from new angles. In this episode, Avery focuses on a version of the Nativity that will likely be...

The Binary Breaking Transness of Jesus — Clip from an interview with Joseph Peterson from 2021-12-14T15:52:42

I was honored to be invited onto Kings and Queens, a podcast hosted by Joseph & Nicole Peterson, to talk about Jesus through a trans lens! Listen

Numinous Names: Stories of name changes across genders, cultures, and faiths from 2021-11-30T20:48:46

Let's hear some stories from various people — trans & cis, Jewish, Christian, & Sikh — about how gender, faith, and culture have played a role in the names they use. How do names isolate...

"His Name Is John": magnAUtism & allyship in Luke 1 from 2021-10-31T21:37:52

A clip from a full episode of Laura Sommer's Autistic Liberation Theology podcast in which Avery and Laura discuss John the Baptist a...

The Blending of Pagan & Christian Belief: Black Book's tour of nineteenth-century Russia from 2021-10-15T17:55:37

The spiritual landscape of nineteenth-century rural Russia blended native traditions and beliefs with Christianity; this is the world in which Black Book, an independent video game prod...

The Transcendent Tale of Brigid of Ireland: Celtic Goddess, Catholic Saint, and Voodoo Lwa from 2021-10-01T18:27:56

Brigid's intimate relationship with a fellow nun is not the only queer thing about her — her story also transcends any one religion, period, or place. How did a Celtic deity of forge and hearth ...

Sex Work and Satanism with Azura Rose from 2021-08-28T20:43:34

Despite growing up in a heavily conservative Christian town, Azura Rose (they/she) was raised by parents who encouraged them to ask questions and explore religion on their own. They are now a Sa...

Manlike Babies, Cuckolded Joseph, & the Sex Worker Madonna — More from Neville on Morality in Renaissance Art from 2021-07-27T20:38:31

Neville and Avery talk about the weird Renaissance tendency to depict babies as small men; how stereotypes about cuckolded husbands influenced artists' depictions of Joseph; why the Church was s...

"I am God and not a man" - Exploring God's gender in the Book of Hosea with Liam Hooper & Peterson Toscano from 2021-06-29T15:54:50

This episode is a sharing of an episode that first aired on the Bible Bash Podcast on November 30, 2020...

God Gets Vulnerable: A trans & autistic look at Elijah and the "still small voice" from 2021-06-15T16:26

Avery was delighted to be on their friend Laura's Autistic Liberation Theology podcast; this episode features a clip from a longer conversation on Listen

When a trans traveler and an autistic apostle cross paths: Reading Acts 8 in community from 2021-05-31T14:34:06

When we delve into any holy text together, we all come away the richer for it — just as Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch enriched one another during their odd desert encounter, each sharing what ...

"God's love should not be tainted by the fear of earthly hatred" - April is a proud Catholic Latina trans woman from 2021-04-29T16:01:20

April Willow Castillo knows what it is to believe yourself to be the only queer person in all of Peru; to question your sexuality while in Catholic youth group in the US; and to finally grow int...

Goodness Embodied: An intersex, nonbinary first human and a disabled risen Christ from 2021-04-14T22:06:35

Avery shares their sermon from a recent worship service centered around the goodness of all bodies - particularly those the world labels broken or less...

Combatting Antisemitism on Good Friday: An Alternative to the "Solemn Reproaches of the Cross" from 2021-04-01T22:27:03

The scriptures and liturgy that Christian communities read during Holy Week, the week we commemorate Jesus's arrest and crucifixion, have borne violent antisemitic fruit across the centuries. Pa...

Finding the Power in Our Queerness and Rebellion in Our Love: Neville studies and creates queer Catholic art from 2021-03-30T18:56:36

Amy Neville (he, she, or they pronouns) is a 21-year-old Australian art historian & artist whose work celebrates being both Catholic & queer. In this episode, Avery and Neville discuss N...

No end to transphobia without uprooting ableism: exploring embedded forms of oppression from 2021-03-15T16:22:27

In this first episode focusing on the interconnections between trans & disability communities & theologies, Avery draws from Mel Baggs' theory of embedded forms of oppression to describe...

Solaris Baldwin is Christian not out of fear, but out of love for a co-suffering God from 2021-02-23T19:14:41

Solaris Baldwin is a 21-year-old Black, genderfluid Methodist who first learned about Jesus as a watchful judge ready to throw people into hell. However, as they explored their identity and soug...

Transgender Mental Health: with affirmation, community, and purpose, we thrive from 2021-02-15T14:57:02

Trans persons experience drastically higher rates of mental illness and suicide attempts - when they are denied support and safety. In this episode, five trans and/or nonbinary persons of faith ...

How Shiva gave Rudra their name: the life of a disabled nonbinary Fijian-Canadian from 2021-01-26T16:19:19

For an episode transcript and more info about this show, visit blessedarethebinarybreakers...

Interfaith and Interracial Solidarity in the Georgia Elections from 2021-01-14T23:54:40

For an episode transcript and more info, visit blessedarethebinarybreakers.com/podcast.

Avery shares their plans for this podcast f...

A Queer Nativity: God’s transition, Mary’s trans-gressive yes, and Joseph's trans-formation into an ally from 2020-12-22T22:13:36

For an episode transcript and more info about this show, visit blessedarethebinarybreakers...

“It’s good to have wings, but you have to have roots too”: Cultivating your own faith while embracing religious pluralism from 2020-12-17T22:10:53

For an episode transcript and more info about this show, visit blessedarethebinarybreakers.com/podcast.

This is the second o...

"No one owns God" - readying yourself for respectful interfaith encounters from 2020-11-26T19:33:20

This is the first of two episodes featuring excerpts from authors who speak on religious pluralism, interfaith relationships, and how diverse identities and cultures enrich religion. In this fir...

Halloween is a Queer Thing - from Celtic peasants to LGBT communities in the US from 2020-10-30T21:10:09

Avery draws from multiple sources to discuss Halloween as a holiday that has elevated gender diversity since its origins deep in the ancient Celt observance of Samhein. As a holiday that has und...

“Marginalized people should know not to marginalize people” - Andy’s research into bi and trans exclusion from 2020-10-16T17:06:11

Andy Thornton shares their research into the exclusion experienced by bi and trans persons not only in Christian spaces, but also in LGBT/queer spaces. They found that many persons are made to f...

"Helping each other be whole": trans insights into intersectionality and solidarity from 2020-09-28T21:07:46

In this special episode, 8 trans and/or nonbinary persons share their insights on solidarity and allyship, intersectionality and wholeness. How do we resist assimilation and recognize our interd...

"It's an honor to be trans" - Andy is a queer Quaker from 2020-08-27T15:54:44

Andy Thornton (they / he, age 23, England) is an autistic artist and scholar, excitingly gendered, and passionate about expanding our inclusion within faith spaces and queer spaces ever wider. T...

Gender Diversity Pre-Patriarchy: what Genesis 24 reveals from 2020-07-29T18:20:41

Avery brings the story of Rebekah and her mother's household told in Genesis 24 into conversation with social anthropologists' understandings of the communal, cooperative societies that preceded...

Hagar and the Caravan - the Abrahamic God sides with the oppressed from 2020-06-29T17:27:31

Avery brings the story of Hagar - a figure shared by the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions - into conversation with the story of Charlotte and other trans women who were part of a caravan...

As if their battle were my own - solidarity in current protests against police antiblackness from 2020-06-02T17:39:40

This special episode centers around the current protests against police murders of Black persons in the United States. In the fight against antiblackness, I see an urgent need to break down the ...

Mx Chris Paige is an OtherWise holy hybrid from 2020-05-26T16:08:06

Chris Paige has been compiling resources for trans persons of faith since the late 1990s, when the word "OtherWise" came to them on a mountaintop to describe those who do not fit into Western bi...

How are trans people like Shiva, Joseph, and Joan of Arc? from 2020-04-28T14:24:06

Instead of an interview, this episode dives into faith history to present three stories that may resonate with trans and nonbinary people today. I draw from others' research to share accounts of...

Sacred body, sacred space - stories of trans spirituality across faiths from 2020-03-24T15:52:27

The spiritual lives of trans persons are as rich and varied as anyone's - and indeed, are often enriched by their transness. In this episode, 14 trans and nonbinary persons from a variety of fai...

Washing off Cisheteronormativity: Dr. S.J. Crasnow on centering LGBTQ persons in faith communities from 2020-02-25T16:07:33

Dr. S.J. Crasnow is a 35-year-old Jewish Californian who has made a home with their spouse in Kansas City, Missouri, where SJ teaches and researches in the religious studies department of a smal...

Taylor's faith evolution into a seminary-bound Christian witch from 2020-01-27T20:15:06

Taylor's faith is constantly evolving, from Presbyterian to atheist and back again, with their Christian faith expanding to include witchcraft. Learning from their family from a young age that p...

"Start from a place of 'I don't know everything'": prabhdeep singh kehal on queerness, colonialism, and interfaith dialogue from 2019-12-31T14:16:20

prabhdeep singh kehal's identities as a Sikh and as an educator motivate them to share knowledge wherever they can -- in classrooms, online, through resources for LGBTQ Sikhs and their families,...

Enrique is cultivating the fruits of the Spirit from 2019-11-26T14:01:32

After realizing that they did not have to try to be the cishet man their Catholic church and family expected them to be, and that God is bigger than any one institution, Enrique Cintrón explored...

"We just want to be heard": Dee on Chile, race, disability, and trans rights from 2019-10-29T18:15:28

Dee Garnica shares their experience as a 19-year-old nonbinary Chilean, discussing issues of disability, race, and transgender rights in Chile. 

While the country does offer universa...

How are trans people like Jonah? - A Jewish trans woman's perspective from 2019-08-14T00:46:51

Announcement: Blessed Are the Binary Breakers is going on a hiatus until October!

This is the last episode of season 1 of this ...

Rev. Jo Inkpin is flourishing with a trans-ing God from 2019-07-24T00:58:58

After coming out several years ago, Josephine Inkpin became the first openly transgender priest in the Anglican Church of Australia. Born in England, where she and her wife were part of the figh...

Luca is making their community stronger from 2019-07-07T19:21:09

Luca Alexander is passionate about raising the voices of marginalized women and LGBTQ+ individuals, doing so through their job at the Boston-based consulting team VISIONS, through their scholars...

From End Times to a new beginning: Adi is reconstructing their faith from 2019-06-23T14:28:48

Adi McNally's life is looking up. For one thing, they've just gotten top surgery! Adi's also moved from a church that kept them isolated and fearful to a church that welcomes all that they are; ...

Alex is a Haitian Vodou Priest from 2019-06-09T17:08:53

There are fewer than 5 known transgender priests in the Haitian Vodou religion, and as far as he knows Alex Batagi (initiated under the name Bonkira Bon Oungan, "what is good is rare") is the on...

When faith hurts: Sharing stories of transphobic violence from 2019-05-12T14:35:16

In this episode, five people share their stories of religious hurt.
Bryce winces when he hears church music. Neko worries about her family finding out she's LGBT, but dreams of leaving Indon...

Hanka is a Polish cryptid from 2019-04-28T14:36:33

Hanka (he/him or she/her) is a 19-year-old bigender lesbian who was born in Warsaw, has lived in places like Belgium and Israel, and is back in Warsaw again. In this interview, Hanka talks about...

"God's not gonna leave you": Christian Witchcraft with Phoenyx from 2019-04-14T17:23:56

Phoenyx (they or she pronouns) is 30 years old, bisexual, working towards becoming a national certified counselor, and has been exploring different religions for the past few years. Raised Catho...

Eli and the prophet Elijah from 2019-03-31T14:23:14

Eli Rosenberg used to think that being trans was incompatible with faith.  But with help from their rabbi, transtorah.org, and the prophet Elijah, they discovered that Judaism has room for ...

Adam is a lifelong Methodist from 2019-03-17T13:00

In a previous episode, Adam Richards talked to us about the United Methodist Church's general conference, but we didn't get to hear much about their own life! Adam has a deep love for Wesleyan t...

Derek loves his family from 2019-03-03T16:17:29

Derek Guy has a lot of love to give: for his family, for the youth he's worked with, and for communities where he can fully be himself as a Black trans man. 

In this episode, Derek d...

The UMC General Conference: a nonbinary Methodist's hopes and fears from 2019-02-22T01:50:45

From February 23-26, 2019, the United Methodist Church is holding a special general conference specifically for the discussion of "human sexuality." The outcome will impact all members of the UM...

Willow errs on the side of grace from 2019-02-17T14:53:41

Join me and Willow Hovingh as she shares her experiences as a trans woman transitioning in her fifties. Coming out has brought Willow an abundance of blessings in her personal well-being, her wo...

Avery’s genderqueer calling from 2019-01-21T23:20:46

In this first episode, Avery discusses what made them start up this podcast. They then explore how genderqueerness is part of the vocation they have been discerning since their childhood days of...