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Gender and sexuality have been understood and expressed in a wide variety of ways in different parts of the world, in different cultures, and throughout history. As we learn more about other worldviews, our understanding expands, and we can become more compassionate and wise in our interactions with the LGBTQ+ community. Our guests today join Jen In the Den to deconstruct and reconstruct ways of looking at sexuality and gender through an Indigenous lens of intersectionality.

Special Guest: Celeste Namba

Celeste Namba, a queer woman of Navajo and English-German descent, grew up in Ganado, Arizona, as the youngest of seven. She now resides in Provo, Utah, and works in fintech, focusing on improving financial services for low-income communities. In addition to her career, Celeste and her wife, Keisha, are in the process of adopting their son. Her work aims to create a more inclusive and accepting society for all.

Special Guest: Sam Perez

Sam is a member of the Navajo Nation who has spent a good chunk of his life working in film and television production. The other part of that is spent raising his kid and trying to be a better person.

Special Guest: Roni Jo Draper

Roni Jo Draper, Ph.D. (Yurok|she.her) is an educator, storyteller, filmmaker, and activist. Roni began her career as a high school mathematics and science teacher where she worked primarily with children at risk of not completing high school. She is professor emeritus from Brigham Young University where she taught courses in literacy education, multicultural education, and global women’s studies. She is currently on a one-year appointment at Utah Valley University where she teaches courses in multicultural education and classroom management. Roni Jo is also the writer, producer, and director of the documentary short film Fire Tender, which centers the lives of Yurok fire practitioners as they return cultural fire to heal land. Fire Tender will air on PBS in April in conjunction with their Earth Day celebrations.

Links from the Show:

• Information about Fire Tender: https://www.wmm.com/sponsored-project/fire-tender/
• Find whose land you live on: https://www.npr.org/2022/10/10/1127837659/native-land-map-ancestral-tribal-lands-worldwide
• Join Mama Dragons today at www.mamadragons.org
• Mama Dragons on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mamadragons
• Mama Dragons on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themamadragons/

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