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For so many LGBTQ+ people—and for the parents who love them—the church has been a place of deep wounds rather than deep belonging. Too often, the message has been that to be loved by God, you first have to change who you are. So many have walked away from faith altogether, believing they had to choose between their spirituality and their authentic selves. But every once in a while, someone comes along who refuses that false choice. Instead of abandoning faith, they reclaim it. They reinterpret it. They reshape it into something expansive enough to hold their whole, beautiful selves—and in doing so, they create room for others to come home, too. Today In the Den, Sara talks with drag artist, songwriter, and musician Flamy Grant, whose bold blend of gospel, folk, country, and unapologetic queerness is challenging assumptions about who belongs in sacred spaces. They talk about reclaiming spirituality after harm, the healing power of music and drag, what it means to plant a stiletto in sacred space, navigating both praise and backlash, and why joy itself can be an act of resistance. Whether you've left religion behind, found your way back, or are still figuring out what you believe, this conversation is an invitation to imagine a faith that celebrates you exactly as you are.

Special Guest: Flamy Grant

Flamy Grant is a trailblazing drag queen and musician from Asheville, North Carolina with over 1.5 million streams on digital music platforms. Beautifully blending her Appalachian roots with drag artistry and musical excellence, Flamy has stormed stages from Los Angeles to London, from New York to the Netherlands, racking up over 1.5 million streams on digital music platforms. This powerhouse vocalist, intrepid songwriter, and shame-slaying drag queen serves up a therapeutic, theatrical experience that is fearless, flamboyant, and full of heart.

Links from the Show:

• Flamy on TikTok
• Flamy on IG
• Flamy on FB
• Flamy on Threads
• Flamy on YouTube
• Flamy on BlueSky
• Join Mama Dragons today

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What does it mean as a queer person to love a place deeply when that place has so often tried to make queer people disappear? Today In the Den, Sara visits with author, activist, and former Idaho legislator Cole LeFavour to talk about their powerful new memoir In the Arms of Mountains: A Story of Land, Love, and Queer Resistance in Red America. In 2004, Cole made history as the first openly LGBTQ+ member of the Idaho Legislature, serving four terms as an Idaho State Senator and leading multiple acts of civil disobedience in the State Capitol. In addition to their being a legislator and activist, Cole has also been a long-time writer and an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in publications including The North American Review, Idaho Wilderness Considered, and Sawtooth-White Cloud. They write from deep in Idaho about conscience, wildness, belonging, and what it means to build a life rooted in both place and resistance. Part memoir, part love letter to Idaho’s wild places, and part testimony of queer resistance, Cole LeFavour’s story explores what it means to be shaped by a place that doesn’t always know how to love you back.

Special Guest: Cole LeFavour

Cole Nicole LeFavour writes about conscience and the wild from deep in Idaho. An activist, award-winning journalist and writer Cole’s stories and essays have appeared in The North American Review, Idaho Wilderness Considered, Sawtooth-White Cloud, among others. In 2004, LeFavour became the first openly LGBTQ+ member of the Idaho Legislature, elected four times, serving as an Idaho State Senator and leading multiple acts of civil disobedience in the State Capitol. Cole's book, IN THE ARMS OF MOUNTAINS: A STORY OF LAND, LOVE, AND QUEER RESISTANCE IN RED AMERICA was published by Beacon Press in May.

Links from the Show:

• Find Cole’s Book In the Arms of Mountains here
• Cole on FB
• Cole on IG
• Join Mama Dragons today

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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Today’s In the Den episode is a rerun and one that cuts right to the heart of our Mama Dragons mission — we’re diving into the truth that parenting is political. Whether we like it or not, the choices we make as parents, how we show up for our kids, what we teach them, how we advocate for them, all ripple out into the world around us. When you’re parenting queer kids, those ripples can have a far reach and significant impact. Sara talks with special guest Jasmine Banks about the importance of nurturing a community committed to collective growth and support, because raising children is to actively participate in societal change, and the way we parent today directly influences the world our children will inherit tomorrow.

Special Guest: Jasmine Banks

Jasmine Banks (she/her) has more than 10 years of progressive advocacy, movement building, and organizing experience. She spent the last five years dedicated to leading an intervention campaign, UnKoch My Campus, addressing the impact of far-right billionaires leveraging their philanthropic donations in higher education to erode democracy. During the campaigns she organized multiple campuses, coalitions, and provided movement support to hundreds of students, educators, and community activists. Jasmine has traveled to a number of higher ed institutions to speak with students and faculty about donor transparency and academic freedom. She was most recently honored to give a keynote for the Higher Education division of the American Federation of Teachers. Jasmine is also a former licensed therapist, Chief Marketing Officer, and small business owner.

Links from the Show:

• Generation Common Good: https://generationcommongood.org/
• Parenting Is Political podcast: https://www.parentingispolitical.org/episodes
• 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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