Gender Stories

In Conversation with Dr Markie Twist on Digitality

Markie Louise Christianson (L. C.) Twist, PhD, MEd, MA, BS, LMHC, LMFT, CSE, CSE-S, RegCOSRT (dr./she/they) dr. Markie is Teaching Faculty and the Graduate Student Research Chairperson in the Doctoral and Masters Couple and Family Therapy (CFT) programs, as well as the Sexuality Studies Certificates program, in the Relational Therapy Division at Antioch University (New England and Seattle campuses) in the Graduate School of Counseling, Therapy, and Psychology. dr. Markie is also the Session Instructor in the University of Guelph Professional Sexuality Practices Clinical Training Program in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. dr. Markie is a registered psychosexual and relationship therapist member of the College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists (COSRT), a licensed marriage and family therapist (IA, NV) and mental health counselor (IA), as well as a clinical fellow and approved supervisor of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), and certified sexuality educator and supervisor through the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT). dr. Markie is co-author of the books, The Internet Family: Technology in Couple and Family Relationships, and The Couple and Family Technology Framework: Intimate Relationships in a Digital Age.  dr. Markie serves as the Editor-in-Chief of Sexual and Relationship Therapy: International Perspectives on Theory, Research and Practice. Some of dr. Markie’s honors include being the recipient of: the 2025 American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT) Sexuality Educator Award and a 2017 Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (SSSS) Rising Scholar Emerging Professional Award. Instagram: GenderStories [https://www.instagram.com/genderstories/] Hosted by Alex Iantaffi [https://www.alexiantaffi.com/] Music by Maxwell von Raven [https://soundcloud.com/maxwell-von-raven] Gender Stories logo by Lior Effinger-Weintraub

Transgender people belong to every community: in conversation with Leigh Finke

In this compelling interview, Dr. Alex Iantaffi interviews transgender pioneer and Minnesota State Representative Leigh Finke. They discuss cross-movement solidarity, the recent militarized occupation of Minnesota by ICE during Operation Metro Surge, the impact of the current political violence on trans communities, especially trans women, and on Leigh herself, and the importance of community organizing and political engagement in the fight for all our civil rights. Leigh Finke is honored to serve as State Representative for District 66A. Prior to holding office she worked as a journalist, media creator, and documentary filmmaker. In 2022, she became the first out trans woman elected to the Minnesota Legislature. During her first two terms in office, Leigh has advocated for 2SLGBTQIA+ equality, abortion rights, prison justice, and environmental equity. She chairs the House Reproductive Freedom Caucus and serves as Co-Vice Chair of the Judiciary Committee. In her personal time, Leigh enjoys writing, painting, traveling, skateboarding, and organizing community events, and exploring Minnesota’s parks with her kids. A few invitations and takeaways from the episode: * Cross-movement solidarity is essential because our liberation is tied to one another. * Trans, Two-Spirit, nonbinary, and/or gender expansive people are part of and belong in all communities. * Engage in local and state elections to support 2SLGBTQ+ rights. * Build community networks for mutual support and safety. * Advocate for policies that protect civil rights and gender-affirming care, especially for minors. * Educate yourselves and others about the systemic nature of injustice and resistance. Find out more about Leigh Finke at the following links: https://www.leighformn.com/about [https://www.leighformn.com/about]  https://linktr.ee/leighformn24 [https://linktr.ee/leighformn24]  https://www.instagram.com/leighformn/ [https://www.instagram.com/leighformn/]  Instagram: GenderStories [https://www.instagram.com/genderstories/] Hosted by Alex Iantaffi [https://www.alexiantaffi.com/] Music by Maxwell von Raven [https://soundcloud.com/maxwell-von-raven] Gender Stories logo by Lior Effinger-Weintraub

Roguish Goblin Stories: exploring gender through Shakespeare and beyond with Beks Roen.

Dr. Alex Iantaffi geeks out about Shakespeare, gender, and the power of theatre with Beks Roen, founder of Roguish Goblin Stories, an online queer art library where enbies and aspecs are the main characters. Alex and Beks discuss the joy of Shakespeare in the park, the power of exploring gender through acting, and the importance of queer representation.   Beks Roen (they/he) helps trans/aspec folks and allies who feel isolated and powerless to find chosen family through queer fantasy and Shakespeare. They run Roguish Goblin Stories (RGS), an independent, community-supported online queer art library. Roen’s goal for RGS is to grow it into a streaming platform that supports multiple queer artists full-time, freeing them to focus on the art they were born to share. RGS just launched their first Investor opportunity so, if you're passionate about supporting trans artists, and want a deep, personal connection to the positive impact you're making, you can join them here at this link [https://roguishgoblinstories.thrivecart.com/rgs-vip/].    RGS is about to release new episodes for their podcast "Our Lives Aren't That Interesting!" You can check it out here on YouTube [https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjp5q9xs54-5qTzuIMczwK2xwMraB3R40&si=ZpmsBXAGwbOYilaH].   They're also looking for aspec guests for their podcast, "An Aspec Guide to Shakespeare." If you know someone who's an aspec Shakespeare artist or scholar, they’d love to interview them! Email them directly at beks [at] beksroen [dot] org  Find out more about Roguish Goblin Stories and Beks Roen at the following links:  Website: beksroen.org/rgs Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roguishgoblinstories/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFQcPRsnqPpUuo79L7tOQQA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61584362608360 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@roguishgoblinstories Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/roguishgoblinstory.bsky.social Instagram: GenderStories [https://www.instagram.com/genderstories/] Hosted by Alex Iantaffi [https://www.alexiantaffi.com/] Music by Maxwell von Raven [https://soundcloud.com/maxwell-von-raven] Gender Stories logo by Lior Effinger-Weintraub

Transcendence Cabaret. In conversation with Eun Bee Yes.

Dr Alex Iantaffi interviews Eun Bee Yes, the fabulous founder, show director, and producer for Transcendence Cabaret, a trans, genderqueer, two-spirit, and gender expansive drag troupe that centers BI&POC artists in the Twin Cities.  They discuss the importance of representation and mentorship in the drag scene, the evolving nature of drag as a form of artistic expression, and safety concerns in the current socio-political climate. Listen for an uplifting conversation on the nourishing aspects of trans community, queer art, and the transformative power of drag in the face of oppression. Transcendence Cabaret is an amazing troupe with some of the best well-known and up and coming artists in the Twin Cities. They are transgender, genderqueer, gender non-conforming, two spirit and truly all along the spectrum of gender and sexuality. Transcendence Cabaret’s artists are primarily BI&POC and they are one of a handful of transgender troupes who center artists of color on Turtle Island, in the so-called United States. They offer an up and close personal experience and a spotlight on often overlooked talent within the unique drag, music, and art community. Their aim is not only to entertain their audiences, but to push themselves as artists, in a rare opportunity to challenge the perceptions of our communities, and to make art from their heart and soul. You haven’t seen anything yet until you’ve spent an evening with them! Transcendence Cabaret invites you to join them each month in a constantly evolving show. Ready to go above and beyond the binary? Allow them to be your guide! All shows are hybrid and can be enjoyed from anywhere in the world, if you’re not a local.  Find out more about Transcendence Cabaret, including upcoming shows, at the following links:  www.transcendencecabaret.com [https://www.transcendencecabaret.com] Facebook- Transcendence Cabaret [https://www.facebook.com/TranscendenceCabaret] Instagram- Transcendence Cabaret [https://www.instagram.com/transcendencecabaret/] Instagram: GenderStories [https://www.instagram.com/genderstories/] Hosted by Alex Iantaffi [https://www.alexiantaffi.com/] Music by Maxwell von Raven [https://soundcloud.com/maxwell-von-raven] Gender Stories logo by Lior Effinger-Weintraub

The Collective Alchemy of Gender Liberation

Drs. Mackenzie Steiner and Alex Iantaffi discuss their collaborative program, The Collective Alchemy of Gender Liberation. This is a new, somatic-based program created by trans people for trans people in service to our collective liberation. In this episode, they talk about how the program started, the values it’s rooted in, and how gender is an embodied experience. Mackenzie and Alex also talk about how their collaborative process is heart-centered and based in relationality, rather than product-focused and treating the collaboration as a mean to an end, as is often the case in dominant culture. While the program is by and for trans people, the episode has much to offer to cis folks as well in relation to a deeper understanding of gender and to what a collaborative process centered in decoloniality might look like.   Mackenzie Steiner is a reformed clinical psychologist with over 20 years of clinical experience specializing in attachment, gender identity and socialization, as well as addictions and trauma recovery. For 20 of those years, she worked with veterans facing just about every possible type of concern related to their identities, relationships and mental health, but particularly at the interface of addictions and complex post-traumatic stress. Mackenzie transitioned into private practice at the beginning of 2023 to stretch her wings and be free to practice with communities and in ways unencumbered by organizational constraints. At the heart of her work is building an attuned, compassionate and safe relational base from which to explore the challenging aspects of one’s history and how it intersects with the present moment. Mackenzie accomplishes this through a mosaic of attachment, mindfulness, emotionally and somatically focused approaches as well as parts-work perspectives that she has found most efficiently and humanely promote long-term change and deep healing. And she has found that nature can be a profound ally for this process!  On the more personal side, she is an avid outdoors-person who is most nourished by activities ranging from landscaping to hiking, climbing and backpacking. She is also a seeker of mysteries, having an insatiable curiosity to discover the knowledge and wisdom underlying our physical, psychological, relational and spiritual realities in service of promoting our health and authentic evolution.  Find out more about the Collective Alchemy of Gender Liberation and Dr. Mackenzie Steiner at the following links:  Website: https://www.gender-alchemy.org/ [https://www.gender-alchemy.org/]  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/collectivegenderalchemy/ [https://www.instagram.com/collectivegenderalchemy/] @collectivegenderalchemy  Dr. Mackenzie Steiner’s website: https://naturesmosaictherapy.com/ [https://naturesmosaictherapy.com/]  Instagram: GenderStories [https://www.instagram.com/genderstories/] Hosted by Alex Iantaffi [https://www.alexiantaffi.com/] Music by Maxwell von Raven [https://soundcloud.com/maxwell-von-raven] Gender Stories logo by Lior Effinger-Weintraub