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In October, Mama Dragons was invited to participate in an annual event in Hollywood called “A Day of Unreasonable Conversation.” This day-long event is an invitation-only gathering of our culture’s most influential storytellers — writers, producers, content creators, and executives — with activists, thought leaders, and individuals with lived experience. The gathering is framed around a simple but urgent question: “In the face of today’s biggest challenges, how can storytelling move us forward?” Mama Dragon Shauna Jones was part of a panel discussion on trans rights which asked, “What if we trusted our kids?” Today In the Den, Sara talks with Shauna and Mama Dragons Executive Director Liz Welch about their experience at the event and what it can mean to trust our children when they tell us who they are.

Special Guest: Liz Welch

Liz has extensive advocacy and lobbying experience in LGBTQ+ and religious freedom at the federal, state, and local levels. While at the ACLU, Liz led a National Faith Coalition that supported efforts to advance protections for LGBTQ+ communities while preserving the rights of faith communities. She also co-facilitated a transgender education and advocacy project, working to train and support trans activists in advocating for their rights across the country. Additionally, Liz is a trained mediator, experienced facilitator, and event coordinator for everything from hyper-local Pride events to coordinating the rallies at the Supreme Court of the United States for the biggest cases of our time. She is the proud mother to Mariah, who is a public defender and an avid baker.

Special Guest: Shauna Jones

Shauna Jones grew up in a small, conservative potato farming town in Idaho in a devoutly religious Mormon family. When Shauna's oldest child came out as bisexual and transgender as a teenager, her worldview was challenged and changed. She joined Mama Dragons in 2015 and has been helping to create queer-affirming homes through LGBTQ+ parent education through the group ever since. Shauna loves gardening, running, and rainbows. She is a firm believer in the power of choosing kindness and love.

Links from the Show:

• Subscribe to the Fix the News Substack
• Learn More About A Day of Unreasonable Conversation
• Listen to Shauna’s Speech at the Supreme Court
• Listen to Shauna’s Unreasonable Day of Conversation panel
• Caitlin Seida’s Hope Is a Sewer Rat poem
• Join Mama Dragons today

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Today we’re inviting you to be part of some real talk with moms. Sara is joined In the Den by two other moms of trans kids, Melissa and Sarah, and together the three moms will share with you what’s on their hearts–the fears, the doubts, the anger and the joys–in hopes to offer you all some solidarity and connection. Because we know that being the mom of trans or queer kids right now can be really hard, but none of us are alone in the journey.

Special Guest: Melissa

Melissa is the mother of two wonderfully brilliant teen daughters. A 16 yo cisgender and 14 yo trans kiddo, currently living in a red state where gender affirming care is banned. Melissa works in healthcare which can be both a blessing and a curse when navigating the systems needed to keep her kids thriving. When not navigating the healthcare system, you can find her roaming the hills behind her home with her two fur babies and finding joy within nature (preferably with a backpack on her back).

Special Guest: Sarah

Rev. Sarah (she/they) lives with her family in the Southwest where she enjoys hiking and sunsets when she’s not working. They live in a multi generational household with her mom and 16 old, her spouse and their dog and cat. Sarah has worked as an organizer, an educator and now as a minister where she does all three!

Links from the Show:

• Join Mama Dragons today

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Many of us want the holiday season to be a time of connection and celebration, but this time of year can also be complicated. Family gatherings can come with unspoken tension, old dynamics resurface, expectations rise, and the pressure to “keep the peace” can collide with our deep desire to protect and affirm our kids. And for some, this season can bring loneliness, depression, or grief—not warmth. We know you’re navigating all of that. And you don’t have to do it alone. Today In the Den, Sara is joined by therapist David Zealy-Wright to talk honestly about what the holidays can stir up, how to prepare for tough conversations, how to set boundaries with love, how to care for ourselves while caring for our kids, and how to find moments of joy and grounding even in challenging spaces.

Special Guest: David Zealy-Wright

David is a Licensed Professional Counselor (Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor), a Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist, and a Clinical Supervisor Intern(Certified Clinical Supervisor). He graduated from Catawba Valley Community College in 2005 earning an Associate in Arts, Lenoir-Rhyne University in 2008 earning a BA in Psychology, and in 2010 an MA in Agency Counseling. He enjoys working with diverse populations, but specifically has experience with teens, adults and couples. His specialty areas include addiction, depression, anxiety, life changes, men’s issues, relationships, and LGBTQIA issues. As an addictions specialist, he believes that addiction is a disorder, not a moral failing. David is a native of Greensboro, North Carolina, but has lived in Hickory for over 23 years with his spouse.

Links from the Show:

• Join Mama Dragons Today

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Over half of states have severely restricted or banned healthcare for trans kids, so many families find themselves having to cross state lines to get their kids the healthcare they need. But there is a group of unlikely heroes, dedicated to the belief that access to healthcare saves lives and that access to that care is a right. Elevated Access is a network of volunteer pilots who use their wings to protect bodily autonomy and dignity. Today, Sara talks with Mike Bonanza, the executive director and founder behind this quiet, radical form of care that is making the impossible possible—one flight at a time.

Links From the Show:

• Visit Elevated Access
• Get help from Elevated Access
• Get involved with Elevated Access
• Join Mama Dragons today

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Drag queens are living proof that courage can come in sequins, heels, and unapologetic self-expression. They show us every day that bravery isn’t just about facing danger—it’s about showing up fully as yourself, even when the world might not be ready for it, and that sometimes courage looks like meeting hate with humor, compassion, and a touch of glitter. Today In the Den Sara sits down with the one and only Cookie Pusss, whose video of her powerful and surprisingly tender exchange with an anti-LGBTQ Christian protester outside the Canyon County Pride Festival went viral earlier this year. What could have been just another confrontation turned into a moment of connection, curiosity, and radical grace that captured the Internet’s attention.

Special Guest: JD Hawley

JD Hawley, aka Cookie Pusss, is a performer and producer living in Salt Lake City, Utah, and is known for campy, irreverent drag and connecting with audiences on a more personal level. JD grew up in Arco, Idaho, and has been performing across the Pacific Northwest for over 5 years. His favorite topping of pizza is mushrooms.

Links From the Show:

• Find Cookie Pusss on IG
• Find Cookie Pusss on TT
• Watch the viral Pride interaction
• Join Mama Dragons

In the Den is made possible by generous donors like you. Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today at www.mamadragons.org.

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Since the inauguration, the Trump administration has issued near-nonstop attacks on the trans community. From the first executive order declaring that “sex” will be defined strictly as male or female, fixed at birth; eliminating official recognition of transgender or non-binary identities on passports, visas, and other federal documents; to a ban on transgender people serving in the military; to a recent declaration that he wants to issue a total ban on healthcare for trans people across the board–just to name a few. It seems like every day there is a new wave, and yet, in the face of those attacks and legislative hostility, powerful waves of resistance are rising. Today In the Den, Sara and her guests take a deeper dive into what that resistance looks like with one coalition of trans organizers, mutual-aid groups, progressive faith communities, queer associations, and dedicated allies committed to trans joy, freedom, and safety.

Links from the Show:

• Pink Haven Coalition: https://www.pinkhaven.org/
• Join Mama Dragons today: www.mamadragons.org

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When it comes to healthcare, trust can mean everything—especially for transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people who too often face discrimination, misunderstanding, and sometimes outright harm in medical settings. Affirming healthcare isn’t just about using the right name or pronouns—it’s about safety, dignity, and the difference between being seen as a whole person or reduced to a diagnosis. Today In the Den, Sara is joined by Josh Blakesly, Executive Director of The Welcome Project PA, an LGBTQIA+ community center in Hatboro, PA, that’s redefining what affirming community care can look like.

Special Guest: Josh Blakesly

Josh, a Midwest native, holds a B.A. in Theatre at Northwestern College [IA] and a Masters of Divinity [M.Div.] at Princeton Theological Seminary [NJ] and is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. Josh, along with the Welcome Project PA’s founding Board Members, founded the organization in early 2020. His main focuses include: fundraising and development; diversity, equity, inclusion, affirmation and belonging education and training; interfaith immersion; event planning; workplace development and mentoring; media production; and the arts. Josh is also Pastor of Love In Action UCC, an open and affirming congregation. Josh has 26+ years of nonprofit experience, is a fellow of Interfaith Philadelphia, a founding member of The Society for Faith & Justice, and a Collaborator for Nurturing Justice. He also has written and directed various stage or film productions, and has developed theatre arts curriculum for use in religious and secular settings. Josh enjoys running, playing music, traveling, learning languages, or making strange and funny faces. He lives in Philly where there is typically GOOD trouble to be had.

Links from the Show:

• The Welcome Project website: https://welcomeprojectpa.org/
• Donate to the Welcome Project here: https://welcomeprojectpa.org/welcomeprojectpa.org/?page_id=16/
• See Me, Hear Me, Know Me Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo6Sxh5JA24&t=2s
• Join Mama Dragons here: www.mamadragons.org

In the Den is made possible by generous donors like you. Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today at www.mamadragons.org.

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With the recent Supreme Court order that allows the Trump administration to enforce discriminatory policies regarding gender markers on passports, we wanted to bring you a short episode that unpacks the case, the ruling, and provides answers to some of the questions we’ve been hearing. Sara is joined In the Den today by Bill Mitchell, an attorney with Legal Voice, a gender justice organization that works in the Northwest’s courtrooms, legislatures, and communities creating and enforcing strong, equitable laws and empowering people to know their rights.

Special Guest: Bill Mitchell

William “Bill” Mitchell (he/him) joined Legal Voice in 2023, following the Dobbs decision and its aftermath. With a hometown in Bellingham, Washington, Bill previously had a career as a Marine Corps officer and as a private practice attorney focusing on immigration, disabilities, and Veteran benefits. He has held both elected office and adjudicative appointments. He is a graduate of Boston College and Gonzaga University School of Law.

Links From the Show:

• Find Legal Voice here: https://legalvoice.org/
• Join Mama Dragons today: www.mamadragons.org

In the Den is made possible by generous donors like you.

Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today at www.mamadragons.org.

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