Gender Stories

'Profound and vulnerable. An essential gift for all of us that relate' - Anne MauroWhat do we mean when we say 'relationship'?How do we separate our needs and desires from norms and expectations?How can we approach our relationships with mutuality, care and compassion?This down-to-earth guide is the ultimate companion for anybody who wants to examine their place in the world -- how we relate to ourselves, and others.With considerations of historical, cultural, and developmental contexts; explorations of relationship diversity as it manifests in queerness, the ace and aro spectrum, non-monogamy and neurodivergence ; and a look towards deeper, compassionate, interdependent ways to relate - this book will help people of all ages, backgrounds and identities explore their relational world.Order a copy of the Book: How to Understand Your Relationships: A Practical Guide Support the showInstagram: GenderStoriesHosted by Alex IantaffiMusic by Maxwell von RavenGender Stories logo by Lior Effinger-W

Anne Mauro (she/her) is a Licensed Couples and Family therapist, American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapist (AASECT) certified sex therapist, sexuality educator, sex therapy supervisor, and American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) clinical supervisor. Her private practice is nestled in the interwebs on the unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples in Washington State. She has two publications: More Than Ebony and Ivory: Complexities of sex therapy with interracial couples, can be found in An Intersectional Approach to Sex Therapy: Centering the lives of indigenous, racialized, and people of color and The Colonization of Black Sexualities: A clinical guide to relearning and healing. Anne is in continued service to the sexuality community by serving as the AASECT Western Representative to the nominating committee.   Links: www.annemauro.com https://www.routledge.com/The-Colonization-of-Black-Sexualities-A-Clinical-Guide-to-Relearning-and/Mauro/p/book/9781032233

MAEVE CHEVONNE DUVALLY Maeve is a transgender multi-cultural communications specialist, storyteller and LGBTQ+ advocate.  She spent the bulk of her career as a journalist and corporate spokesperson, most recently at Goldman Sachs. After a lifetime of working for large companies, she now consults for corporations and other organizations on communications strategy and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Maeve also mentors transgender people, is a public speaker and a frequent subject of press interviews on LGBTQ+ workplace issues. She was a managing director in corporate communications at Goldman Sachs over an 18-year career. Prior to joining Goldman, Maeve worked in media relations at Merrill Lynch.  Before that, she was a financial journalist and editor at Bridge News for nearly 15 years with stints in Tokyo, Washington D.C. and New York. She spent ten formative years in Japan in the 1980s and is fluent in the language.  Maeve serves on the boards of GLAAD; the Knight-Bagehot Fellowship, a journalism non-profit

Renée Yoxon is a queer, nonbinary, and disabled gender-affirming voice teacher with a passion for voice education, creativity, and vocal curiosity. Since 2010, they have taught thousands of students how to love their voice. Their strength as a teacher is explaining complicated concepts in plain language that anyone can understand, as well as anticipating student problems before they occur. They are the creator of a suite of online courses that provide concise and easy-to-follow trans voice education to trans and nonbinary people all over the world. Renée is a creative thinker, and a deep listener, and their favourite thing in the world is helping people just like you to reach their voice goals. Find them at reneeyoxon.com Links: http://reneeyoxon.com http://tiktok.com/@reneeyoxon http://instagram.com/reneeyoxon http://youtube.com/reneeyoxon http://facebook.com/reneeyoxon  Support the showInstagram: GenderStoriesHosted by Alex IantaffiMusic by Maxwell von RavenGender Stories logo by Lior Effinger-Weintraub

Oliver Radclyffe is part of the new wave of transgender writers unafraid to address the complex nuances of transition, examining the places where gender identity, sexual orientation, feminist allegiance, social class and family history overlap. His work has appeared in The New York Times and Electric Literature. He currently lives on the Connecticut coast where he is raising his four children. He has two books: ADULT HUMAN MALE, a monograph, released by Unbound Edition Press in 2023, and FRIGHTEN THE HORSES, a memoir, forthcoming from Roxane Gay Books in 2024.  Preorder Frighten the Horses: https://bookshop.org/p/books/frighten-the-horses/20490972?ean=9780802163158 https://oliverradclyffe.substack.com/ https://www.oliverradclyffe.com/ https://www.instagram.com/oliverradclyffe/ https://linktr.ee/OliverRadclyffe    Support the showInstagram: GenderStoriesHosted by Alex IantaffiMusic by Maxwell von RavenGender Stories logo by Lior Effinger-Weintraub

Eli Lawliet, Ph.D., (he/him) is the dreamer and weaver of The Gender Doula. In addition to a decade of experience researching trans healthcare, law, policy, and history, he has formal training as a full spectrum doula, breathwork facilitator, and tarot reader, as well as many years of surviving the world of poverty wages and retail work. The broad scope of his experience directly informs the equally broad spectrum of his work as The Gender Doula. Eli has been seeing clients since January of 2020 and has worked with hundreds of trans folks nationally and internationally in sessions, classes, and workshops. Though he was born in Oklahoma and raised in Missouri, Eli currently lives in Los Angeles (Gabrieliño-Tongva, Chumash, & Kizh land) with his partner, three cats, a dog, and four snakes. Website: https://www.thegenderdoula.com/ TikTok, IG, FB: @TheGenderDoula All links:  https://linktr.ee/TheGenderDoula  Support the showInstagram: GenderStoriesHosted by Alex IantaffiMusic by Maxwell von RavenGender Storie

Justine Mastin, LMFT (she/her) is a pop culture psychology expert and so much more. She literally wrote the book on Therapeutic Fanfiction—Starship Therapise: Using Therapeutic Fanfiction to Rewrite Your Life—and she offered support to healers in The Grieving Therapist: Caring for Yourself and Your Clients When it Feels Like the End of the World. Justine is proud to nurture future therapists as an AAMFT-Approved Supervisor and educator. You can find out more about Justine at http://justinemastin.com/ & follow her on Instagram & TikTok: @mindbodyfandom  You can also follow the links below to find out more about parts of Justine’s work mentioned in this episode! Fearless Leader: YogaQuest Podcast co-host: Starship Therapise Podcast co-host: Dark Side of the Mat TEDx Speaker: Harnessing the Healing Power of Therapeutic Fanfiction   Support the showInstagram: GenderStoriesHosted by Alex IantaffiMusic by Maxwell von RavenGender Stories logo by Lior Effinger-Weintraub

Dean FM (Dean-Fraser Milford) is a Boston Massachusetts based non-binary rapper, activist and influencer. His music encapsulates eclectic thoughts that scat over percussive rhythms and exotic sounds. His performances exude drag culture and satiric expression. In 2016, Dean released his debut EP “Watch It”, which received local and national coverage. In 2020, Dean FM released his EP entitled “SISSY.” The music video for his lead single “Bottom Bit” shines a light on the exploitation of prostitution. Dean FM stands for compassion, courage, and equality. In his activism, he supports the awareness and acceptance of gender neutrality. He refuses to deny his true identity — identifying himself with both he and her pronouns. Dean also advocates for the awareness of minority mental health and the prevention of animal abuse. As an influencer, Dean utilizes his platforms to further promote his art and advocacy work.  https://deanfmofficial.com/  Support the showInstagram: GenderStoriesHosted by Alex IantaffiMusic by Ma

Damon Constantinides, PhD, LCSW, CSTDamon is a queer trans man and sex nerd who loves being a dad, teaching and talking about queer and trans pleasure, and growing plants as a way to connect with magic and the sacredness of the earth. He is trained as both a clinical social worker and a sex therapist and has worked for more than 20 years in the fields of trans and queer health. He owns a private therapy and coaching practice where he offers virtual groups and services to trans and queer folks all over the world.Damon is a trainer for the sex therapy certificate program at the California Institute of Integral Studies and an adjunct progressor at Widener University. He is also the co-author of the book Sex Therapy for Erotically Marginalized Clients: Nine Principles of Clinical Support and his writing can also be found in the newest edition of Trans Bodies, Trans Selves. You can learn more about his work at www.drdamonc.com or on his IG @dr.damonc.Links:Individual and Relationship Therapy and Coaching -  www.dr

Laura Scarrone Bonhomme (she/her), is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist who specialises in Gender, Sexual, and Relationship Diversity. She provides assessment, psychotherapy, and training to other professionals through www.affirm.lgbt.https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-scarrone-bonhomme-3749087a laurascarrone.com  Skye Davies (she/they) is a Peer Support Worker at TransPlus, a gender dysphoria service. They also work as a Volunteer Counsellor at Metro, helping LGBTQ+ people. Dr Michael Beattie (he/him) is a Counselling Psychologist in private practice with research interests in the psychology of men and masculinities. In addition to psychotherapy, Michael provides training in Gender, Sexual, and Relationship Diversity through www.affirm.lgbt. Purchase the book at bookshop.org. Social: https://www.linkedin.com/company/affirm-lgbt/  Support the showInstagram: GenderStoriesHosted by Alex IantaffiMusic by Maxwell von RavenGender Stories logo by Lior Effinger-Weintraub

Alex Papale PT, DPT (they/them) is a pelvic health physical therapist, consultant, sex educator and international speaker based in Boston MA. They specialize in queer and trans health, and treating patients of all genders at Flourish Physical Therapy. Alex especially loves to help patients with pelvic pain, difficulties around sex, peripartum care, pelvic floor support with HRT, orthopedic support for pain related to chest binding or genital tucking, and healing from gender affirming surgeries. When they’re not in the treatment room, you can find them writing and teaching gender affirming, sex positive, kink-informed courses for current/future healthcare providers, or for anyone who wants to learn more about sexuality, their bodies, and pelvic health. Alex has also created the course “Physical Therapy Care of Trans/Gender Diverse Patients: Multi-Day Con-Ed for Pelvic Health Providers”. PT Website: https://flourishphysicaltherapy.com/ Website: https://alexpapale.com (Under Construction)Substack: https://alexpa

Enfys J. Book (they/them) is an author, priestx, blogger, teacher, performer, singer, songwriter, and comedian. They wrote the Gold COVR award-winning Queer Qabala: Nonbinary, Genderfluid, Omnisexual Mysticism & Magick (Llewellyn, June 2022); co-authored (with Ivo Dominguez, Jr.) Sagittarius Witch (Llewellyn, 2024); and wrote the forthcoming Queer Rites: A Magickal Grimoire to Honor Your Milestones with Pride (Llewellyn, 2025). They are also a founding member of the "funny, filthy, feminist, fandom folk" band The Misbehavin' Maidens, the creator of a website on queer magick called majorarqueerna.com, and the host of a podcast called "4 Quick Q's: Book Talk with Enfys," where they interview pagan authors using questions determined by a roll of the dice. They have taught many classes on tarot, Hermetic Qabala, magickal rites of passage, and queering one’s magical practice at conferences and events around the world. By day, Enfys is a technical account manager at a tech company,

Miah Jeffra is author of The Fabulous Ekphrastic Fantastic! (Sibling Rivalry 2020), The Violence Almanac (Black Lawrence 2021), the chapbook The First Church of What’s Happening (Nomadic 2017), and co-editor, with Arisa White and Monique Mero, of the anthology Home is Where You Queer Your Heart (Foglifter 2021). Awards include the New Millennium Prize, the Sidney Lanier Fiction Prize, The Atticus Review Creative Nonfiction Prize, the Alice Judson Hayes Fellowship, Lambda Literary Fellowship, and 2019 finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Outstanding Anthology. Most recent work can be seen in StoryQuarterly, Prairie Schooner, The North American Review, The Pinch, The Greensboro Review, DIAGRAM, jubilat and Barrelhouse. Miah is a founding editor of Whiting Award-winning queer literary collaborative, Foglifter Press, and teaches writing and antiracist studies at Santa Clara University.  Support the showInstagram: GenderStoriesHosted by Alex IantaffiMusic by Maxwell von RavenGender Stories logo by Lior Effin

Nicoz Balboa is an Italian visual artist, using his life events as inspiration for works ranging from painting, drawing, tattoo, to pyrography, graphic journal and sketchbook. He reveals his hopes, failures and successes in candid and, at times, excoriating work that is frequently both tragic and humorous. The themes of provocation and sexuality repeatedly surface in Nicoz’s work, as his oeuvre is firmly rooted in the tradition of transfeminist discourse. website https://www.nicozbalboastudio.com/ substack: https://nicozbalboa.substack.com/ patreon: https://www.patreon.com/graphicjournalclub  Support the showInstagram: GenderStoriesHosted by Alex IantaffiMusic by Maxwell von RavenGender Stories logo by Lior Effinger-Weintraub

Marissa Stein is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the state of Washington (LMHC), an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist (CST), and a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC). They are a non-binary, neuroqueer, kinky, and queer, Pagan, practitioner of magic, who lives with chronic pain and disability. Given these lived experiences, they have felt the impact of intersectional marginalization. As a white person, they do their best to be aware of their privilege and biases as part of dominant euro-centric descendant culture. Marissa endeavors to do their best to do anti-oppression work that is trauma aware as they believe every person deserves to enjoy their life free from shame and oppression. They strive for cultural humility, and to be an accomplice in the continued fight against white supremacy wherever they can.  https://www.taravenerysextherapy.com/  Support the showInstagram: GenderStoriesHosted by Alex IantaffiMusic by Maxwell von RavenGender Stories logo by Lior Effinger-Weintraub

Alice O'Callaghan is a transgender community activist and CEO for the queer production company Zenith City Horror. She is a "20 under 40" award winner for her queer community and artistic leadership which spans over a decade in the Twin Ports. She is a modern day House Mother, providing advocacy and safe spaces for vulnerable queer youth and artists in the Twin Ports area. She prioritizes her fight against discrimination and exploitation of trans artists in the entertainment industry.Zenith City Horror: https://www.zch.gay/Miss Cupcake: https://www.instagram.com/ms.cupcake.drag/ Support the showInstagram: GenderStoriesHosted by Alex IantaffiMusic by Maxwell von RavenGender Stories logo by Lior Effinger-Weintraub

Aydian Dowling is the co-founder and CEO at TRACE. With the support of just 1 person, a trans or nonbinary youth’s risk of suicide goes down by 40%. This is why Aydian co-founded TRACE, the app created to foster a brighter and more gender-affirming future for transgender and non-binary individuals. He has been a transgender activist and influencer for more than 12 years and has been featured on the Ellen Degeneres Show as well as on the cover of Men’s Health. As the founder of Point of Pride, a global nonprofit that has generated over $2.5M in aid for the trans community, he is committed to equity and access to medical and wellness care for the most vulnerable members of the transgender and nonbinary community.  Point of Pride: https://www.pointofpride.org/ TRACE: https://www.thetrace.app/ Follow Aydian on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alionsfear  Support the showInstagram: GenderStoriesHosted by Alex IantaffiMusic by Maxwell von RavenGender Stories logo by Lior Effinger-Weintraub

Born in a small pentecostal coal-mining town in the Appalachian Mountains, October Ryan struggled to express her true self from a very early age. When her femininity was met with hate, anger, & abuse, she retreated into a series of approval-seeking fake personas. The pentecostal pastor-in-training, the meek academic bookworm, the rebellious grad school party boy, the small town psychology professor... none of her false identities gave October any sense of peace. When she moved to the diverse haven of LA, she finally came out as a proud transgender woman. While healing her traumas & beginning her transition, she wrote & published her first novel, The Beginning Of October, heavily inspired by the pain in her post & her hopes for the future, and has recently released a new murder mystery novel, The Book of Monahan. October has also co-written and released her debut album, Homecoming, co-written and produced by American Idol runner-up and chart-topping artist Blake Lewis. For more on October, chec

PJ Desrochers is a visual artist who explores their nonbinary humanness through art. PJ creates images, builds sculptural installations and immersive experiences of theirgender and a life well-lived. Their media originates with photographic self portraits printed on transparency film. PJ then builds creations by layering the transparent images and connecting them quite often using fingerprinted scotch tape and fishing line to found objects. These Photographic Assemblages can often be found installed within the natural beauty of central Vermont where they photograph and film these beloved creations to become gallery accessible and presented for your viewing pleasure.Project website: https://www.11toseeandbeseen11.com/Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/toseeandbeseen/to-see-and-be-seen-nonbinary-tarotPJ Derochers website: http://www.pjdesrochersart.com/ Support the showInstagram: GenderStoriesHosted by Alex IantaffiMusic by Maxwell von RavenGender Stories logo by Lior Effinger-Weintraub

K. Allison Hammer is assistant professor and coordinator of women, gender, and sexuality studies at Southern Illinois University. Masculinity in Transition traces the roots of “toxic masculinity,” showing that while toxic strains of masculinity are mainly associated with straight, white men, trans and queer masculinities often reiterate similar patterns of behavior. Arguing that these malignant forms of masculinity can be displaced, K. Allison Hammer’s bold rethinking lays bare the underlying fragility of normative masculinity.Link to more information about the book or to order: https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/masculinity-in-transition   Support the showInstagram: GenderStoriesHosted by Alex IantaffiMusic by Maxwell von RavenGender Stories logo by Lior Effinger-Weintraub