I'm Feeling Queer Today!

Welcome back to a very special bonus episode of IFQT! Earlier this season, we heard from queer youth in Utah about what it’s like to navigate faith and queer identity within the LDS Mormon community. To continue that conversation, we’re sharing an episode from our friend Persis Abraham’s podcast Room For Us, featuring therapist and theologian Ann Russo. Ann incorporates a Master’s in Theology into her social work practice to help people heal from religious trauma. In this episode, she talks about her own experiences with faith, growing up in a queer household, attending an ex-gay conference, and AMR, the evidence-based approach she’s developed to overcome religious trauma. This interview with Ann was originally published on July 17, 2025 by our friend Persis Abraham on her podcast, Room For Us. With permission from Persis, we are excited to share this impactful episode with our listeners. Hosted by Hannie Saba.⚠️ CONTENT WARNINGS:Please note that some resources may contain triggering content and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of, or the definitions used by, The Future Perfect Project. ⏱️ TIME STAMPS:0:48 Host, Hannie welcome3:19 Persis introduces Ann Russo4:31 Growing up in queer 80s household15:59 Common queer mental health challenges18:30 Did Ann grow up religious?20:00 Attending queer conversion conference 35:00 Trauma informed care41:16 Training professionals on queer inclusion46:48 Religious institutional harm51:16 Taking care of yourself54:30 Advice to Ann’s younger self56:28 Message to queer folks feeling isolated 58:00 Outro, credits & gratitude📝 RESOURCES/SHOW NOTES:Visit our site for full show notes on local queer info, history, and additional resources mentioned in this episode → https://thefutureperfectproject.org/podcast We want to hear from you! Send a voice note to our online voice message box →IFQT! Speakpipe - http://speakpipe.com/ifqt💬 TRANSCRIPT: https://share.descript.com/view/zuwFGyGZBxy 🚨 CRISIS RESOURCES:If you or a young person you know between the ages of 13-24 is currently in crisis, check out thetrevorproject.org for LGBTQIA+ specific support through text and chat, or call 1-866-488-7386

In this bonus episode of IFQT!, we’re back in Ohio—this time just outside Cleveland—at Albert Einstein Academy (AEA), Northeast Ohio’s first LGBTQ+ affirming public high school. Even in the face of hostile legislation, AEA’s community stands strong, making space to process new house bills together in real time. Hear from co-founder and superintendent Kristen Thomas on how the school began, join a roundtable on gender-affirming care, and listen to students share original poetry and messages of hope for queer youth to come. This is Part 1 of 2 from our visit to Albert Einstein Academy.📝 RESOURCES/SHOW NOTES:Visit our site for full show notes on local queer info, history, and additional resources mentioned in this episode → https://thefutureperfectproject.org/podcast We want to hear from you! Send a voice note to our online voice message box →IFQT! Speakpipe - http://speakpipe.com/ifqt⚠️ CONTENT WARNINGS:Please note that some resources may contain triggering content and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of, or the definitions used by, The Future Perfect Project. ⏱️ TIME STAMPS:0:41 Host intro about AEA1:38 HB68 update & reactions3:33 ⚠️ AEA co-founder Kristen Thomas interview w/ Trudy Poux (⚠️ CW: suicide)12:30 “The Moth” original poem by Leo13:24 Roundtable on “gender-affirming care”24:52 Message for next generation of young queers27:46 Outro, credits & gratitude💬 TRANSCRIPT: https://share.descript.com/view/PAlY49MvQKG 🚨 CRISIS RESOURCES:If you or a young person you know between the ages of 13-24 is currently in crisis, check out thetrevorproject.org for LGBTQIA+ specific support through text and chat, or call 1-866-488-7386

In this very special bonus episode of IFQT, we’re heading back to the place where Season 3 began: Spartanburg, South Carolina! We sat down with Stela Prado-Garrett and her mom, Dani, to talk about what it was like for Stela to come out to her family. Plus, how Dani’s untraditional Southern upbringing impacted her reaction, and why she thinks God has a sense of humor. To meet even more folks from the queer community in Spartanburg, check out Episodes 1 and 2 of Season 3.⚠️ CONTENT WARNINGS:Please note that some resources may contain triggering content and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of, or the definitions used by, The Future Perfect Project. ⏱️ TIME STAMPS:1:00 Intro w Host Hannie1:27 📞Speakpipe Debut! Listener call-in2:33 Stella and her mom, Dani11:04 Outro, Credits & Gratitude💬 TRANSCRIPT: https://share.descript.com/view/SYd2lg9xrjh 📝 RESOURCES/SHOW NOTES:Visit our site for full show notes on local queer info, history, and additional resources mentioned in this episode → https://thefutureperfectproject.org/podcast We want to hear from you! Send a voice note to our online voice message box →IFQT! Speakpipe - http://speakpipe.com/ifqt🚨 CRISIS RESOURCES:If you or a young person you know between the ages of 13-24 is currently in crisis, check out thetrevorproject.org for LGBTQIA+ specific support through text and chat, or call 1-866-488-7386

We’re closing out our big queer roadtrip by taking you to the gayest town in America: Provincetown! 🌈In our season finale, we travel to Cape Cod, a peninsula off the southeast part of Massachusetts. You’ll meet some friendly folks who call Cape Cod their home year round. Plus, we’ll introduce you to The Summer of Sass, a local non-profit providing queer youth ages 18-20 the opportunity to spend the summer living and working in Provincetown. Find out why this place is a dream destination for the LGBTQ+ community and the ways that Ptown still needs to grow in order to become a truly intersectional queer utopia. This podcast episode was developed last summer through a workshop at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, MA.📝 RESOURCES/SHOW NOTES:Visit our site for full show notes on local queer info, history, and additional resources mentioned in this episode → https://thefutureperfectproject.org/podcast We want to hear from you! Send a voice note to our online voice message box →IFQT! Speakpipe - http://speakpipe.com/ifqt⚠️ CONTENT WARNINGS:Please note that some resources may contain triggering content and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of, or the definitions used by, The Future Perfect Project. ⏱️ TIME STAMPS:0:00 Intro w Hosts Lily & Trinity2:43 Intro to P-Town w Hazel - 14 yo local 6:59 Intro to SASS w Kristen Becker, Founder and Director9:48 House of SASS tour 12:15 Kristen Becker21:41 Ad: The Queer Family Podcast22:55 “Bird Bath” short story by Robby Piper29:20 Cody interviews Patience “growing up summer-camping on the Cape”35:58 Messages for Queer Youth from Ptowners38:52 Outro, Credits & Gratitude💬 TRANSCRIPT: https://share.descript.com/view/w28n3MP1aLh🚨 CRISIS RESOURCES:If you or a young person you know between the ages of 13-24 is currently in crisis, check out thetrevorproject.org for LGBTQIA+ specific support through text and chat, or call 1-866-488-7386

It’s part two of our visit to Columbus, Ohio and we’re back with the queers at the Kaleidoscope Youth Center (KYC), the largest and longest-standing organization in Ohio solely dedicated to serving and supporting LGBTQIA+ youth since 1994. Today’s episode is an ode to special interests: from Dungeons and Dragons to Monster High dolls; from a queer tarot deck to a guitar named Sasha. The youth at KYC show us that our favorite things and hobbies can be portals to exploring and accepting who we are. We suggest listening to Part 1 of this episode first. 📝 RESOURCES/SHOW NOTES:Visit our site for full show notes on local queer info, history, and additional resources mentioned in this episode → https://thefutureperfectproject.org/podcastWe want to hear from you! Send a voice note to our online voice message box →IFQT! Speakpipe - http://speakpipe.com/ifqt⚠️ CONTENT WARNINGS:Please note that some resources may contain triggering content and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of, or the definitions used by, The Future Perfect Project. ⏱️ TIME STAMPS:0:55 Intro w Hosts Ky & Trudy2:34 Felix’s Advice Column: Queer solutions to losing things5:19 Felix’s Advice Column: Transmasc style tips8:03 Queer Crushes: Nate & Kai10:37 Ad: The Queer Family Podcast11:40 Queer & Tell: Nate’s ukelele14:00 Queer & Tell: Felix’s queer tarot 16:42 Queer & Tell: Blaine’s guitar18:04 DnD interview w Kyros24:57 Outro, Credits & Gratitude🚨 CRISIS RESOURCES:If you or a young person you know between the ages of 13-24 is currently in crisis, check out thetrevorproject.org for LGBTQIA+ specific support through text and chat, or call 1-866-488-7386

We’ve made it to the fourth stop on our queer roadtrip: Columbus, OH! In this episode, you’ll meet the queer youth at the Kaleidoscope Youth Center (KYC), the largest and longest-standing organization in Ohio solely dedicated to serving and supporting LGBTQIA+ youth since 1994. You’ll hear directly from the members of KYC’s Summer Institute, a paid program for queer youth to develop as leaders and build community. Learn what it’s really like to be a queer young person living in a “cornfield state.” Plus, an interview between a KYC regular and the center’s Civic Engagement and Advocacy Manager. This is Part 1 of 2 of our visit to Columbus, Ohio.📝 RESOURCES/SHOW NOTES:Visit our site for full show notes on local queer info, history, and additional resources mentioned in this episode → https://thefutureperfectproject.org/podcast#s3e7 We want to hear from you! Send a voice note to our online voice message box →IFQT! Speakpipe - http://speakpipe.com/ifqt⚠️ CONTENT WARNINGS:Please note that some resources may contain triggering content and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of, or the definitions used by, The Future Perfect Project. ⏱️ TIME STAMPS:0:55 Intro w Hosts Ky & Trudy1:56 Hosts introduce KYC3:19 Youth Random Roundtable7:52 Queer in the Cornfield State9:47 Kaleidoscope Youth Center, an audio tour11:27 Kyros on Growing Up Queer14:55 Politics & Pride w Nate & Mallory25:23 Outro, Credits & Gratitude💬 TRANSCRIPT: https://share.descript.com/view/qJVK8Hwecg3 🚨 CRISIS RESOURCES:If you or a young person you know between the ages of 13-24 is currently in crisis, check out thetrevorproject.org for LGBTQIA+ specific support through text and chat, or call 1-866-488-7386

It’s part two of our visit to Philadelphia, PA and we’re back with the queer youth actors, theater makers, visual artists, and filmmakers at The Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA.) You’ll hear original writing about what it’s like being a trans woman in Philly from two of CAPA’s artists. Then, an original poem written by a young trans actor about his experience as a first generation American born to parents who grew up in the Soviet Union. Finally, the CAPA GSA imagines themselves as queer ancestors, and offer messages of hope to the next generation. We suggest listening to Part 1 of this episode first.📝 RESOURCES/SHOW NOTES:Visit our site for full show notes on local queer info, history, and additional resources mentioned in this episode → https://thefutureperfectproject.org/podcast#s3e6 We want to hear from you! Send a voice note to our online voice message box →IFQT! Speakpipe - http://speakpipe.com/ifqt⚠️ CONTENT WARNINGS:Please note that some resources may contain triggering content and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of, or the definitions used by, The Future Perfect Project. ⏱️ TIME STAMPS:0:00 Intro w Hosts Josephine & Eden1:43 Sam’s Poem: “First”3:55 Sam on getting involved, activism and what trans women want7:29 Brooklyn’s Poem: “The Day I Spoke With Death” ⚠️CW: death, unaliving, suicide themes8:51 Brooklyn on her influences, death  9:35 Midge Poem: “Golubój”13:40 Midge post-poem interview15:29 “I Am An Ancestor Medley” — a message to the people who come after us19:33 Outro, Credits & Gratitude💬 TRANSCRIPT: https://share.descript.com/view/Ipx8a5DyJxC 🚨 CRISIS RESOURCES:If you or a young person you know between the ages of 13-24 is currently in crisis, check out thetrevorproject.org for LGBTQIA+ specific support through text and chat, or call 1-866-488-7386

Welcome to the third stop on our queer roadtrip, Philadelphia, PA! Go Birds! 🦅In this episode, we meet the queer youth actors, theater makers, visual artists, and filmmakers at The Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA.) You’ll hear from queer CAPA students in a roundtable discussion about life in Philadelphia at an arts high school. Then, you will hear some original writing from members of CAPA’s theater program and GSA. Finally, we go back into the (costume) closet with a CAPA theater major who has been out as queer since he was nine years old. This is Part 1 of 2 of our visit to Philadelphia, PA. 📝 RESOURCES/SHOW NOTES:Visit our site for full show notes on local queer info, history, and additional resources mentioned in this episode → https://thefutureperfectproject.org/podcast#s3e5 We want to hear from you! Send a voice note to our online voice message box →IFQT! Speakpipe - http://speakpipe.com/ifqt⚠️ CONTENT WARNINGS:Please note that some resources may contain triggering content and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of, or the definitions used by, The Future Perfect Project. ⏱️ TIME STAMPS:0:00 Intro w Hosts Josephine & Eden1:11 Introducing CAPA 2:55 Roundtable: Queer Life at School & In Philly11:48 Ad: The Queer Family Podcast12:55 Lonnie’s Poem: “Happily Never After”14:02 Lonnie on writing 14:53 Lance & Trudy Talk Theater & Identity21:32 Kodi’s Poem: “She Put The Earrings Down”23:06 Outro, Credits & Gratitude💬 TRANSCRIPT: https://share.descript.com/view/1j0p02Az7YM 🚨 CRISIS RESOURCES:If you or a young person you know between the ages of 13-24 is currently in crisis, check out thetrevorproject.org for LGBTQIA+ specific support through text and chat, or call 1-866-488-7386