Show Notes
Children’s writer and educator, Lindz Amer (they/them), is our special guest this week! We ask Lindz about their experiences making both indie and mainstream children's media, their goal to make more LGBTQ+ inclusive children’s content and how Queer Kid Stuff came from a desire to create resources they wish they had when they were a kid. Lindz then helps us answer a voicemail from our listener Jasper (they/them), on how to approach talking with and challenging kids on gender essentialist ideas that may pop up in time constrained contexts like team sports.
Recommendations this week include queeryouthassemble.org, Lindz’s Singing Storytime programming on their Patreon, A World Worth Saving by Kyle Lukoff, and The Witch Boy by Molly Ostertag. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Gender Playground
In this final episode of Gender Playground Season Two, the GP team gives listeners a peek behind the curtain! Marcelle and Raimi are joined by Coach and Associate Producer, Reese Carr, for a conversation about the making of this podcast! We also tackle two additional voicemails we didn't get to in our other episodes and then, as always, end on some recommendations!
In our penultimate episode of Season two, we are joined by friend of the pod, Elio Colavito (he/they)! Elio chats with Marcelle and Raimi about their doctoral research on the history of trans community-building and mutual aid. The group chat about the importance of being connected to community from the past into the present. In response to this week's listener voicemail, Marcelle, Raimi and Elio think through how to support kids when someone in their life comes out or transitions, including changing the pronouns used.
Very special friend and parental teammate of the pod, Trevor Chow-Fraser (he/him) joins us this week. The conversation includes a great reminder that while we may see room for growth, that does not mean that we aren’t currently doing a good job! This week's listener voicemail covers the decisions that can arise when kids enter into new administrative spaces, like kindergarten, and the tricky navigation between gender presentation and passing, filling out forms, and identity.
Join us on the playground with fellow ‘gender nerd’ and this week's guest, S. Bear Bergman (he/him). In this episode, we chat about Bear's new book, Special Topics In Being A Parent: A Queer and Tender Guide to Things I've Learned About Parenting, Mostly the Hard Way, and answer a listener-submitted voicemail from Steph! We talk to Bear about the benefits of leading with personal experience rather than a position of expertise when it comes to parenting advice, and his desire to write a book about caretaking that didn't gender the parenting experience. We then dive into Steph's voicemail all about gender neutral parenting.
We are back with just as touching and insightful of a conversation in part II of our interview with Kai Cheng Thom (she/her). In this episode, we respond to listener voicemail, from Fig, seeking insight on how to support kids when they enter school and start facing broader societal pressures and gendered expectations. Marcelle, Raimi and Kai Cheng chat about the parental desire to fix problems and make a safe and easy world for kids, especially when the world and its problems feel big and overwhelming. While we can't immediately rid the world of its problems, the group discusses the value in maintaining the home as a safe place; for exploration and self-expression for your kids and their friends, as well as a place for kids to find the self-love and courage to navigate difficult situations.