Outspoken Voices - a Podcast for LGBTQ+ Families

Join Family Equality for an important conversation about navigating race in the Texas school system, with special guests Stacey and Cheralyn Stevenson, Melanie Maine, Jackie Juarez, and Sonya Parker Goode, facilitated by Luna Malbroux. In this hour-long “roundtable” discussion, these amazing advocates share their experiences as LGBTQ+ parents and allies raising children of color in Texas—from deciding which neighborhoods to live in to advocating for their children in school and everything in between. To watch this podcast as a video, click here. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSNh1Jv9W8M] About our guests: * Stacey Stevenson (she/they) is the CEO of Family Equality. They are an experienced business leader who has worked in Defense, Technology, and Finance senior roles, where they tirelessly advocated for creating a safe and inclusive space for all in the workplace. Stacey has been active in the fight for equality in Dallas through leading community projects and non-profit board service. She and her wife Cheralyn have been married 14 years and reside in Dallas with their 6-year-old twin boys Duke and London. * Sonya Parker Goode’s passion for helping people led her to pursue a dual career in education and non-profit work almost 25 years ago. As a certified life coach and anger management specialist, Sonya enjoys developing and teaching tools that help people increase their confidence, set and respect boundaries, develop resilience, and engage with others using effective communication and conflict resolution techniques. She has successfully managed a number of community education programs in Dallas County and has almost 10 years of experience in teaching at the secondary and post-secondary levels.  * Jackie Juarez is a mom, wife, and psychotherapist of color who thoroughly enjoys raising her 5-year-old son and 3 puppies. Jackie’s work reminds her that we need to stop and pay more attention to our inner voices and collectively strive for more love, care, and advocacy to improve our collective and personal spaces.  * Melanie Maine is a mother, a wife in a same-sex marriage, a parent to non-white, adopted children and a therapist in Texas schools; projects like this are important to her, families like hers and future generations. “The first step to progress is sharing our stories and collaborating with people that understand,” she says. She is a fierce advocate for her children, and other marginalized students. * Luna Malbroux is the Chief Vibe Officer of Joy Channel [http://www.joychannel.org] an org that brings together a team of creatives and change agents to create tailored experiences, workshops, and content that help us grow and heal. * Cheralyn Stevenson is the CEO of The Changists, a legal operations consulting agency dedicated to modernizing law firms for the future. With 20 years of experience in the legal industry, Cheralyn’s expertise informs her work-ethic and creativity just as much as her pride and identity inform her values and leadership. Cheralyn and her wife, Stacey, live in Dallas, TX with their adopted twin boys, Duke and London. Links to Learn More * Explore Family Equality’s Inclusive Schools Resources [https://www.familyequality.org/resources/creating-safe-inclusive-schools-for-lgbtq-families-2/] * Learn more about Stacey and Cheralyn’s experiences as LGBTQ+ parents in Texas [https://www.familyequality.org/out-in-texas-marriage-equality/] * Learn more about Black Lives Matter in Schools [https://www.blacklivesmatteratschool.com/] * Learn more about the Joy Channel [http://www.joychannel.org]

In this episode host Emily McGranachan and co-host Dakota Fine meet with Sunu Chandy and discuss her recently completed book of poetry My Dear Comrades. On the pod, Sunu reads three poems and gives careful thought to her work and life as a lawyer, mom, wife, daughter, and outspoken member of the LGBTQ+ community. We discuss: being the child of immigrants, fertility issues, adoption, misassumptions about identity, and being a parent and a caretaker. About Our Guest Sunu is an activist, civil rights attorney, creative writer, and parent. She is the Legal Director for National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) [https://nwlc.org/] and is a boardmember of the Transgender Law Center [https://transgenderlawcenter.org/]. Her book of poetry is titled My Dear Comrades, to be published by Regal House Press in 2023. Follow Sunu on Twitter [http://twitter.com/sunuchandy] and sign up to receive more information about her book here [https://www.sunuchandy.net/].  Links to Learn More 1. Single Mothers by Choice  [https://www.singlemothersbychoice.org/] 2. Split this Rock [https://www.splitthisrock.org/poetry-database] 3. Terry Boggis, LGBTQ Center (NY)  [https://www.adl.org/resources/tools-and-strategies/terry-boggis-and-lgbt-family-rights-interview]

Whether you're searching for your child's first picture book or striving to diversify your neighborhood library, it's not always easy to discover books that represent diverse families in a loving and respectful way. In today's episode, we're joined by Alli Harper, founder of Ourshelves: Diverse Book Boxes for Children, to talk more about the impact of diverse storytelling and how we can come together to advocate for more LGBTQ+ representation in #KidLit. About Our Guest Alli Harper is the founder and owner of OurShelves [https://www.ourshelves.com/], a diverse children’s books subscription service and advocacy effort. She is also a lawyer and community organizer who believes in fairness. She and her wife, Jenn, are "Mommy" and “Mama” to Anna (ages 8), Isaac (age 2). Links to Learn More 1. Learn more about Ourshelves.  [https://www.ourshelves.com/] 2. Check out the Mombian Database of LGBTQ+ Family Books, Media, and More [https://mombian.com/2021/01/11/announcing-the-mombian-database-of-lgbtq-family-books-media-and-more/]. 3. Visit Family Equality's Book Nook [https://www.familyequality.org/family-support/lgbtq-books/].  4. Explore the Diverse BookFinder [https://diversebookfinder.org/] to identify and explore multicultural picture books.  5. Discover Stonewall Award-winning books [https://www.ala.org/rt/rrt/award/stonewall/honored] and books on the ALA's Rainbow List [https://glbtrt.ala.org/rainbowbooks/].  6. Read, "Inclusive Bedtime Stories: Finding Books that Celebrate Trans, Nonbinary, and Gender Nonconforming Identities. [https://www.familyequality.org/2021/04/16/childrens-books-nonbinary/]"  7. Check out our Back to School resources  [https://www.familyequality.org/resources/?fwp_topic_checkboxes=schools]

LGBTQ+ families, adoption, and identities intersect in many ways. Previous guest Nishta and Tatiana return to discuss how adoption factors into their family stories and how discrimination and unequal systems for parental recognition continue to harm our families. Learn and laugh with these two rockstar parents of color, from the south, in multiracial families. About our guests Tatiana Quiroga is the Director of Family Equity and Diversity for Family Equality, and also previously served as Director of National Family Networks and Southern Regional Manager. Tatiana has an extensive background in the non-profit sector, mental health counseling field, and higher education. She earned her Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling from Rollins College and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Central Florida. Originally from La Paz, Bolivia, Tatiana grew up in the Boston area. Now, she resides in Orlando, FL with her wife, Jen, and their sons, Lukas and Gabriel. Nishta Mehra is the first-generation daughter of Indian immigrants, born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. She is a proud alumna of St. Mary’s Episcopal School, Rice University (B.A. in Religious Studies), and the University of Arizona (M.F.A. in Creative Writing). Nishta is also a partner, parent, teacher, and writer. Her publications include two books, The Pomegranate King, and Brown White Black, published in February 2019. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her wife, Jill, and their kids Shiv & Jesus.

Matthew Ramsey shares his story of fostering to adopt 2 brothers with his husband. Matthew offers wise and insightful advice for anyone considering adoption and for all parents who want to make sure their kids feel loved and supported. They also discuss the work Family Equality is doing to ensure that as many kids in the child welfare system as possible can find loving homes.  This episode is Episode 33 of the Today We Tried Podcast by Colugo.