Laura Skaggs (she/her)
In this episode, we interview Laura Skaggs. Laura’s been on a long journey within church; initially coming out and working for change in the church for many years before deciding to divorce her former husband and withdraw her membership. Laura also provides some insight into the trauma that queer Mormons experience, per Brian Simmon’s dissertation and uses beautiful scripture metaphors (including the story of Moses) to speak about the complexity of queer Latter-day Saint experiences.
Laura Skaggs is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who specializes in treating spiritual trauma at the intersection of LGBTQ+ experiences and religion. Laura earned her master’s degree in marriage and family therapy at San Diego State University with an emphasis in LGBTQ+ mental health within conservative religious social contexts. She went on to serve for two years on the board of directors of Affirmation LGBT+ Mormons, Families and Friends with a focus on responding to spiritual trauma and suicide prevention. Laura is also the co-creator of CWEERS Empowerment groups: a practice designed to help LGBTQ+ individuals and their supporters confront social discrimination and internalized stigma. Laura is the mother of two daughters and presently sees clients full time in Provo, UT as part of Flourish Therapy Inc: a non-profit mental health clinic committed to expanding access to affordable, culturally competent, evidence-based behavioral and mental health services for LGBTQIA+ individuals, couples, and families.
Kyle Ashworth (he/him)
In this episode, we interview Kyle Ashworth. We talk to him about his own experience coming into his queerness (including his mixed-orientation marriage and his marriage to his now husband) and becoming the host of a queer podcast. We also talk extensively about On the Record, a document Kyle has compiled to help establish a historical accounting of the official statements provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through the Church’s education, policy, disclosure, and messaging regarding LGBTQ+ topics. This document is vital in understanding where we’re at today in regards to queer messaging within the Church.
Kyle Ashworth is the voice behind Latter Gay Stories. Latter Gay Stories is an LGBTQ podcast and website resource for those in—and adjacent to the intersection of LGBTQ Street and LDS Avenue. Kyle has developed resources to bring visibility to the LGBTQ+ community and establish the value of queer experiences and queer people in society. Kyle actively supports many local LGBTQ+ organizations, sits on multiple boards, and has previously served as president of the Affirmation Intermountain Region and in other community and civic positions. He is the father of four children. Kyle and his husband Jay, live in Heber City. You can follow Latter Gay Stories on Instagram and Facebook @LatterGayStories.
Souksavanh T. Keovorabouth (they/them)- part 2
In part 1 of this episode we learned about the Lamanite Placement Program. In part 2 we learn about how Latter-day Saints can help support Native homes and communities, especially through ICWA. Souksavanh offers history and generously provides a blueprint going forward. It is not enough to just know what has happened, but to consider where we go from here. Souksavanh shares their knowledge and research about gender and how gender has been shaped by colonialism.
Souksavanh T. Keovorabouth, Diné is a Ph.D. candidate at Oregon State University in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies with a minor in Queer Studies and concentration in Indigenous Urban Studies and a Ph.D. Candidate at Macquarie University in Indigenous Studies. Their concentrated area of research is on Indigenous urban experience, Two-Spirit wellbeing, Relocation Act of 1950, and Native and Queer urbanization. Souksavanh is originally from Diné (Navajo) Nation but grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, is second generation Laotian, and Queer/Trans/Two-Spirit. You can connect with them on Instagram @souksavanh.t.keovorabouth.
Souksavanh Keovorabouth (they/them)
Kate: Hello, welcome to Called to Queer, where we hold space for the queer Mormon women, gender queer, and intersex experiences. I’m Kate and my pronouns are she/he/they. Colette: And I’m Colette, and my pronouns are she/her. Kate: Today we are talking with Souksavanh Keovorabouth. and we’re so excited for this conversation. But before we […]
Lin Flores (she/they)
Kate: Hello and welcome to Called to Queer, where we hold space for the queer Mormon women, gender queer intersex experiences. I’m Kate and my pronouns are she/he/they. Colette: And I’m Colette. My pronouns are she/her. Kate: Today we’re talking with Lin Flores. We’re so excited for this conversation, but we, before we jump into […]
Sadi Rogers (she/her)
In this episode, we interview Sadi Rogers. Some things we talk about include:
The realities of “leadership roulette” on how church discipline is carried out for queer individuals
Being in a mixed-orientation marriage and then going through a divorce
Marrying her now wife and figuring out where she now fits in the church
Sadi is a queer woman currently living in Southern California. She was raised LDS and is a wife, mother, substitute teacher, and EMT. She has 3 kids and a really awesome wife. When she’s not spending time with family or working she likes being outdoors, playing sports, or scrolling TikTok. Her love languages are taking naps and tacos. She believes that diversity is God’s gift to us to become more Christlike and hopes that sharing her story will inspire others to share their stories too.
ruth Gonzalez-Muhlestein (she/her)
In this episode, we interview ruth González-Muhlestein. Some topics we cover include:
Realizing she was asexual earlier this year, after already being married and having kids
The tendency some people have to pathologize or infantilize those that asexual
What compulsory sexuality is and how people are impacted by it
ruth González-Muhlestein is an Orem-born, first generation Mexican-American. She’s passionate about antibias/anti-racism and enjoys reading, writing, making music and collages. She is a parent and partner, and works as a social media content creator for RISE Virtual Academy and Utah Educational Equity Coalition. You can connect with her on Instagram @asexualfeelings.
Maddison Tenney (she/her)
In this episode, we interview Maddison Tenney. Some topics we cover include:
-How disability advocacy, queer advocacy, and all types of advocacy for the marginalized interconnect
-How the RaYnbow Collective came to be and the things they’ve accomplished
-The pushback the RaYnbow Collective received and how they dealt with it
Maddison Tenney is a Queer Latter-Day Saint, artist and activist. She is the executive director of the RaYnbow Collective, an off-campus non-profit for LGBTQ+ students at BYU. She is also a staff member at Equality Utah. Maddi grew up in Oregon and Utah and is currently finishing her degree in English Literature with minors in Art and Global Women’s Studies. You can connect with her on Instagram @maddi_10e.
Bonus episode! Bradley Talbot (he/him)
Colette: Hello, and welcome to Called to Queer, where we hold space for the queer Mormon women, genderqueer and intersex experiences. I’m Colette and my pronouns are she/her. Kate: And I’m Kate and my pronouns are she/they, Colette: Today we’re talking to Bradley Talbot, and we’re so excited for this conversation. But before we jump […]
Taking a Break
Kate: We would like to provide a short preface to this episode. We rely on the work of disability advocates and Black and Indigenous creators and advocates who speak about communities of care in this episode. We acknowledge our extensive privilege as white folks with non-visible disabilities in this conversation, and we know our backgrounds […]