Life Uncloseted With Rick Clemons

Embracing your transgender child is hard enough for many parents, but then add to the mix that your child comes from Nigerian descent and is part of the people of color community, and that brings on a whole new set of challenges. Sharing her own journey as a queer parent of a black transgender child, Dr. Lulu - fierce LGBTQ+ advocate - talks truths about how your journey to being a parent of transgender black child is one of our greatest gifts you can have as a parent. In this episode: Discuss the POC challenges of being queer and transgender Learn how a parent can be the best parent to the transgender child Explore and challenge the myths about God and acceptance About Dr. Lulu Dr. Lulu is a queer Nigerian-born pediatrician, mom of a transgender daughter, former Lt. Col., Disabled US Air Force Veteran, TEDx Speaker, certified parent/life coach, corporate consultant and recently added “comedian” and “indie actress” to her echelon. She is the recipient of the 2021 San Antonio LGBT Chamber Youth Advoc

Fitness, looking good, wanting to be accepted for who you are as a Lesbian woman. It's all such hard work. Then add to the fact that being accepted as a Lesbian just compounds those feelings of acceptance from others and yourself, and life can really suck. Or does it? It's actually a mind game and a practice. To get you prepared to show off your stuff during Pride Season, I'm joined by Izzy Wagner, founder of Core Confidence Coaching who specializes in helping Lesbian women own their truth, their power, and make the most of their beautiful bodies. Let's go ladies! About Izzy Founder of Core Confidence Coaching, an online fitness business helping members of the LGBTQ+ community gain more clarity, freedom and confidence. I’ve had my own very tough upbringing around being gay and I’m just driven to help women not feel like they’re being held back in their future! Connect With Izzy Instagram

From coming out to losing people in life, grief is part of he equation. Yet you an rise above grief and move forward, if you choose. Helping us unpack the grief of coming out and moving on is author Kevin O'Connor who learned a lot about grief living two floors above it in his family's funeral business. These experiences helped him navigate is way forward through lose, life, and finally coming out of the closet after two marriages. About Kevin Kevin O’Connor enjoys chronicling the stories of families and friends through tracing genealogical histories, writing, and picture collections. His prior writing includes personal letters, articles in professional publications, dissertations, anthologies, and presentations delivered at conferences, seminars, and webinars. He brings people together personally and professionally. Collaborating with friends and relatives, he plans family and class reunions. ​He sings and performs in theaters near his home. He is active with SMART Ride, a bicycling group that rides annuall

Not sure monogamy is for you, but an open relationship scares you, but you do know something isn't working, and you know you just can't love only one person and make it work. Rather than assume it is all about sex, we're here today to have an open dialogue about all the ways to love and be in relationships. Deanna Fierman of All The Colors Counseling helps us see all the colors of the relationship rainbow in a healthy way. About Deanna Deanna Fierman is a licensed professional counselor in Colorado who established All The Colors Counseling and Consulting to provide a welcoming space for non-monogamous and LGBTQ+ individuals, couples, and polycules seeking support. Deanna has practiced psychotherapy in a wide variety of clinical settings since 2010, and has been an advocate, educator, consultant, and researcher in queer communities for decades. Connect With Deanna Website  

Shocking as it might sound, you can be gay, Christian, a drag queen and to write the 1st traditionally published Christian Devotional as a Drag Queen - Hallelujah! Speaking her truth, Jeza Belle shares Jeza's Jesus Juice: A Drag Queens Christian Devotional for all to consume. Cause who couldn't use a little good in their life? About Jeza Jeza Belle is a Drag Queen, Comedian, Screenwriter, Director, Producer, and Award-Winning Author. With her guest articles appearing everywhere from the Huffington Post to the Advocate, her former celebrity interview column, the hilarious comedic variety live shows, and her multiple award-winning trashy cookbook "The Harlot's Guide to Classy Cocktails," Jeza's wry humor and highly-charged opinions have delighted people around the globe. Connect With Jeza Website Book Website  

Coming out and being out is challenging enough. Then add to the mix your challenges with mental health and it could be potentially too much. So what do you do? You choose to thrive. A great example of this is our guest today, Dr. Zachary Stier who is thriving beyond his bi-polar diagnosis and embracing his life daily as a gay man, step-by-step, day-by-day. About Dr. Zachary Dr. Stier has been the director of Children's Services at Ericson Public Library in Boone, Iowa since October 2011. He has revolutionized services at the library for children and families through the expansion of early literacy programming, the redesign of space to emphasize play, family engagement initiatives, enhanced community partnerships with community, state, and national partners, after-school STEAM programming, to name a few. He was project director for NASA@My Library, is the Project Director for the library's equity project, Activating Community Voices, and Project Director for the library's piloted mobilized family engagement p

Inclusivity doesn't have to be hard, it just has to be human. But to0 many humans today, think inclusivity is just too woke. Well, let's wake them up with the truth about inclusivity and how to have those tough conversations. Inclusivity and workplace culture expert Nate Shalev shares their insights on how this can work without it breaking down systems and relationships. About Nate Nate Shalev is a leading expert on inclusivity helping to create workplace cultures where both businesses and people thrive. They were named a LinkedIn Top Voice and have been highlighted in the Harvard Business Review, the NY Times, the Wall St Journal, and more. Nate earned a BA from Barnard College of Columbia University and an MA from New York University. They are the founder of Revel Impact, a consultancy that specializes in social impact and diversity, equity, & inclusion Connect With Nate Website LinkedIn

You have to be hiding under a rock and not listening to not know that Trans voices are under attack which only means, the entire queer community is under attack. Giving voice to the Trans community, TJ Billard shares their new book Voices For Transgender Equality: Making Change In The Network Public Sphere. This is great episode to learn about why and how to support our trans brothers and sisters. About TJ TJ Billard is an Assistant Professor and William T. Grant Scholar in the School of Communication and, by courtesy, the Department of Sociology at Northwestern University, where they are affiliated with the Institute for Policy Research and the Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing. Outside of Northwestern, they are the founding Executive Director of the Center for Applied Transgender Studies in Chicago—the leading academic organization dedicated to scholarship on the social, cultural, and political conditions of transgender life—and Editor-in-Chief of the Center’s flagship journal, t

Imagine hiding your truth because of your work, your family, and more so out of your own fears of "Can this actually be me?" Today I have a candid conversation with Ron Thomas, actor, voice over professional, radio host, but overall a normal, everyday gay who was afraid to come out until he did. And if that sounds familiar then you will love this show as it is simply straight up truth talking about the fears of coming out. About Ron Ron Thomas a TV and Radio Host focusing on LGBTQ+ projects that deal with coming out later in life.  How to navigate that journey with support and positivity.

Were you raised to play it safe because you were afraid to cause others pain? Then, you decide to put on a happy face facade and instead of walking boldly through life, you held yourself back. Leaving the “unspeakable” feelings unspoken, until you finally decide to take a leap that might be your only chance to feel fully alive and to experience your new possibilities of what you are meant to be. In her new book, The Only Way Through Is Out, Suzette Mullen takes you on an introspective, bittersweet, and empowering, journey for coming-out and coming-of-age for every human who is longing to live authentically but is afraid of the cost. About Suzette Suzette Mullen (she/her) is a memoir and nonfiction book coach, retreat leader, and the author of the new memoir The Only Way Through Is Out, published by the University of Wisconsin Press. Her essays have appeared in the New York Times, today.com, among other outlets. As a book coach, Suzette focuses on amplifying the voices of LGBTQ+ writers as she guides them to

Imagine being 19, just coming out, and heading to NYC - broadway to be exact - and all those dreams turn into a different dream you never would have imagined. Now, fast forward 35 years later and you let that twist of dream guide you through all the other coming out journeys that life has to offer. That's where we are arriving today with author, screenwriter, filmmaker and actor, Gregory G. Allen as he shares his multiple coming out stories and a little gem of a book that any of those states that are banning books would have a hard time banning, because the subtext is all about just being yourself! About Gregory Gregory G. Allen is an award-winning author, screenwriter, filmmaker and actor. He has been in the entertainment industry for 35 years having acted in plays, musicals, TV, film and national tours. His short films have screened at 100 festivals around the world including twice at the American Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival (Hiding in Daylight: Writer/Producer & Reparations: Writer/Director)

How do you step into an an attitude of being less hateful and more grateful when it comes to Christianity and LGBTQ+ individuals? You step beyond your diversity bias and stop practicing moral exclusions. Out and proud bisexual Amanda Udis-Kessler provides us with insights on how loving others and ourselves is the truest expression of floursing and being more christ like as LGBTQ+ individuals. All of this is explored through the lenses of her new books and spiritual music. About Amanda Amanda Udis-Kessler is a sociologist, writer, songwriter, progressive sacred music composer, and antiracism trainer. She came out as bisexual in 1982 and more recently has been coming out as a progressive Christian, an experience given more urgency by the upcoming (May 2024) publication of her book Abundant Lives: A Progressive Christian Ethic of Flourishing by Pilgrim Press. Find her writing at amandaudiskessler.com and her free-use music at queersacredmusic.com.   Connect With Amanda Website Music Website   &nbs

What do you do when you move from NYC to the Connecticut burbs to create LGBTQ+ Community? You literally create it yourself. Showing us the path on how to do that in any community, is Brian P. McGunagle founder of Westport Pride. Learn how he, his husband and kids are living out loud and proud in a small town community that has even battle the wars of book bans. About Brian Brian is the founder of Westport Pride.  Having moved to Westport with his husband in 2016, he was curious about what the LGBTQ+ community looked like and moreover where they were.  In the fall of 2020, during COVID, he posed these questions to the residents of Westport through a story featured on the popular 06880 blog.  The outpouring was overwhelming, and in 2021, Westport Pride was born. Brian is an active volunteer in Westport and serves on the Board of Directors at Positive Directions, Downtown Plan Implementation Committee, Aspetuck Health District Community Needs Advisory Committee, and The Westport Library Common Ground Initiativ

From a very young age he knew he was different in spirit, two-spirits to be exact. Yet, he pushed through, did the things that were expected of him, and yet, never lost sight of the essence of who he was. While he left the world of music for a time, the music never left him and the kaleidoscope of his life finally caught back up to him, nudging him back into his passion of music, story telling, and writing about the beauty of being an Indigiqueer artist and creative. Roger Kuhn talks about his two-spirit roots and being as well as talks about his new pop single Kaleidoscope and his new book Somacultural Liberation. About Roger Roger Kuhn’s new single, “Kaleidoscope” - his first since signing with music label, So Fierce Music - is a dance song rooted in classic house and progressive EDM that asks listeners: what do you believe? and what does it mean to be free? For the artist, freedom is pursing his dreams and living his truth, which is why after working as a psychotherapist for the past decade, Kuhn decided

When you know, you know, but when you act on what you know could take years. Transition Mentor, Wendy Cole shares her story of transitioning into her truth at age 67 to be the woman she always knew she was. Now she guides others to step into their rightful self, and take the journey of transition so that they can be authentically who they are meant to be and live a life filled with happiness. About Wendy As a Transition Mentor, Wendy Cole helps her clients face any significant life changes. Since 2017, Wendy has guided others through transitions. Her life experiences are the tools she uses. She believes in the mind’s powers; she practices mindfulness, shifting her beliefs and energy to support herself going forward, making profound changes in her life, health, and finding joy in being. Knowing who you are, and not BEING who you are: this is the starting point of every Transitional situation. You KNOW who you truly are, in every aspect, but the outside is what matters. That is what people see. Taking that fir

It's Valentine's Day and time for some love and rejection. Let's hope more love than rejection. But, if have no agenda, and you learn to master rejection, then you can be happy and in love with yourself. Helping us give ourselves a little love this Valentine's Day is pop artist, Jaime Adrian, sharing his story of major pop star rejection and how he's learned to rebound to love himself. Plus he shares all about his new new single - If You Could Read My Mind! About Jaime Jaime Adrian’s explosive new album, No Agenda, dips into multiple genres of dance music from Latin beat to country twists, house tracks and euro pop.  “I didn’t want people to say it all sounds the same,” the artist reflects, with a grin.   Releasing with the album is Jaime Adrian’s cover of “If You Could Read My Mind”. “That song was an anthem for me and my friends growing up,” he explains of the house music version, released in 1998 for the film 54.  “I jumped at the opportunity to record and put my own spin on it.  I hope I do it justice.” 

Love and connection. Who doesn't desire those things? Very few. So why is it so hard for us as humans, and especially LGBTQ+ beings to find it and keep it. It's starts by deliberately choosing to live authentically and doing the internal work so that love can show up. Guiding us today to that truth, is Moe Ari Brown, Hinge's (online dating app based on the premise that anyone looking for love should be able to find it) Love and Connection Expert. Take a listen and let's explore love and connection. About Moe Moe is Hinge’s first ever Love and Connection Expert. They are a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and one of the leading mental health experts in the realm of Transgender Identity. Over the past decade, Moe has worked with LGBTQIA+ individuals, couples, and families on their journey to love their authentic selves and establish meaningful connections. They are also a Diversity & Equity Consultant and former Adjunct Professor at Adler University. Moe graduated from Northwestern University with a

You can't turn on the news these days without white supremacy and racism being part of the headline news. Yet, how we define both these things isn't just about the color of one's skin. And then, how we choose talk, or not talk about them is what is causing more strife on the planet. Roxy Manning, PhD and Sarah Peyton share with us in today's podcast how to have antiracist conversation and how to truly understand our own biases, even when we think we don't have them. Plus they talk about their books -  How to Have Antiracist Conversations: Embracing Our Full Humanity to Challenge White Supremacy, and the companion workbook - The Antiracist Heart: A Self-Compassion and Activism Handbook. About Roxy and Sarah Roxy Manning, PhD is a clinical psychologist and certified Center for Nonviolent Communication (CNVC) trainer. She brings decades of service experience to her work interrupting explicitly and implicitly oppressive attitudes and cultural norms. Dr. Manning has worked, consulted, and provided training across

Every day seven hundred children enter the foster care system in the United States, and thousands more live on the brink. In his new “truly revealing” (Hilary Clinton) memoir, SAFE: A Memoir of Fatherhood, Foster Care, and the Risks We Take for Family, longtime activist Mark Daley traces his, and his husbands unlikely journey to parenthood through the American foster care system, shining a spotlight on how we treat the most vulnerable among us and sounding a vital call to overhaul a thoroughly broken system. About Mark MARK DALEY is a social activist, entrepreneur, and foster-turned-adoptive father. Daley has over two decades of experience in message development, communication strategy, and public policy, including as a communications director and spokesperson for then-Senator Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign. He has worked with more than thirty members of Congress, numerous governors, and other elected officials. He is the founder of One Iowa, the state’s largest LGBTQ+ equality organization, an

Do you really want to cheat on your spouse, significant other, boyfriend, or girlfriend? Maybe you love them but you need to venture out of the script of monogamy. It's time to step into the juicy, exciting, and scary world of coloring outside of the lines of your relationship while avoiding playing with fire. Dr. Joli Hamilton takes on a candid stroll through how to make your unhealthy relationship a better open relationship. About Joli Dr. Joli Hamilton is the relationship coach for couples who color outside the lines. She is a research psychologist, TEDx speaker, best-selling author, and AASECT (pronounced ay-sect) certified sex educator. Joli also co-hosts the Playing with Fire podcast with her anchor partner, Ken. Joli’s been featured in The New York Times, Vogue, and NPR. She’s spent the past two decades studying and reimagining what love can be if we open our imaginations to possibility. Joli helps people create non-monogamous partnerships that are custom-built for their authentic selves, no more shrin