Drake and Kamrah are trans masculine belly dancers who are paving a new path forward in the world of belly dancing – one that is more inclusive and that honors the historical accommodation of men in this dance discipline.
I’m talking to them about their origins in dance and their findings from research in this space. We’re also talking about some of the challenges that come from dealing with gender norms and expectations in dance, including how they deal with toxic masculinity on social media, or trans-exclusionary radical feminists, abbreviated as TERFS.
It’s a fabulous episode for anyone interested in making belly dancing more inclusive and for anyone from a traditionally underrepresented group in this space who is interested in jumping in and moving the environment forward towards a much richer and more supportive space.
Resources
Drake’s website: https://drakevontrapp.dance/
Drake's instagram: @drake.vontrapp
Kamrah's instagram: @kamrahdancer
Al's Instagram: @sexystacks
Pelvic Sanctuary website: https://www.pelvicsanctuary.org/
Pelvic Sanctuary on Instagram: @pelvicsanctuary
Music by Celeste: @xceleste.xx
Writer, actress and activist Mariah Darling joins us to talk about her experience as a black trans woman, the layers of privilege and intersectionality that exist within this community, and her work to give trans and gender non-conforming communities a voice. Whether you’re trans or enby yourself and need guidance or resources in the LA area, or a healthcare provider looking to provide more inclusive services for your patients on the gender spectrum, you’ll be sure to find some practical pearls of wisdom in this episode. It’s a fun conversation that gave me a window into some key pioneers and figures in the trans community that inspire Mariah – and even hearing about Mariah’s work with the only unionized strippers in America itself is inspiring and shows just how far you can go when you have the self-confidence and drive to make a meaningful impact.
Resources
Los Angeles LGBT Center: https://lalgbtcenter.org/services/transgender-services/transgender-wellness-center/
Latina Trans Coalition: https://www.translatinacoalition.org/
Cal Fresh (food benefits California): https://www.cdss.ca.gov/calfresh
Mariah’s TikTok: MariahDarling2020
Mariah’s X (formerly Twitter): MariahDarling6
Mariah’s Instagram: @mariahdarlingofficial
Al's Instagram: @sexystacks
Pelvic Sanctuary website: https://www.pelvicsanctuary.org/
Pelvic Sanctuary on Instagram: @pelvicsanctuary
Music by Celeste: @xceleste.xx
Dr. Alexandra Hill joins this episode to discuss inclusive and gender-affirming healthcare for trans and non-binary folks. We discuss the unique needs of trans and non-binary people beyond sexual health and how healthcare professionals can start providing care that is person-centered for this population. Dr. Hill even shares some practical tips and resources for both healthcare professionals and trans and enby folks.
Resources:
Dr. Hill’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@oncopelvicpt
Dr. Hill’s Instagram: @oncopelvicPT
Dr. Hill’s website: https://www.oncopelvicpt.com/
Al's Instagram: @sexystacks
Pelvic Sanctuary website: https://www.pelvicsanctuary.org/
Pelvic Sanctuary on Instagram: @pelvicsanctuary
Music by Celeste: @xceleste.xx
Nastya Valentine talks about her upcoming book “Cyberhorny: Navigating A Sexual Dystopia.” We talk about the inspiration for this book and how it supports a much-needed academic discourse of sex work and sex theory. It ties in nicely to our discussion about shadow bans on social media, stigma towards sex work, and the bias in AI, all of which continue to make the digital space frustratingly anti-feminist.
Resources:
Nastya’s website: https://www.cyber-horny.com/
Nastya’s Instagram: @nastyavalentine
Al's Instagram: @sexystacks
Pelvic Sanctuary website: https://www.pelvicsanctuary.org/
Pelvic Sanctuary on Instagram: @pelvicsanctuary
Music by Celeste: @xceleste.xx
Nastya Valentine joins me to talk about a broad range of health topics as they relate to sex work. Nastya talks about how she sets boundaries to protect herself and her mental health while at work. We also talk about the overlap between spirituality and sex work, plus the drastically changing landscape of digital sex work. Nastya doesn’t hold back in this episode, sharing how sex work empowers her to reclaim her sexual autonomy and heal trauma.
Resources:
Nastya’s website: https://www.cyber-horny.com/
Nastya’s Instagram: @nastyavalentine
Al's Instagram: @sexystacks
Pelvic Sanctuary website: https://www.pelvicsanctuary.org/
Pelvic Sanctuary on Instagram: @pelvicsanctuary
Music by Celeste: @xceleste.xx
Gay life coach Kevin Kasir is here with me today. We delve into some of the most common topics that come up in Kevin’s session, sex and substance use. He shares some of the most common substances that his clients need support with. He has some really interesting and practical suggestions for re-orienting a problematic relationship with substances and how to begin addressing dependencies. We also talk about issues porn can cause and how in some cases it impairs people’s ability to show up authentically and openly in sex. We talk about an alternative approach to porn that involves harnessing and channeling our sexual energy towards manifesting health, wellness, and growth in other areas of our life. It’s a fun and sexy conversation that may even leave you wanting to masturbate to yourself. You may even get a little laugh from my confession about being attracted to cartoon mice – stay tuned until the end to know what that’s all about.
Photographer and performance artist Sheree Rose is best known for her collaborative work with performance artist Bob Flanagan and her photography documenting a wide range of Los Angeles subcultures, especially in relation to BDSM and body modification. I sat down with Sheree to hear her takes on new anti-feminist policies emerging in government, her own liberation and deprogramming from the patriarchy, and the fascinating experiences with sex and dating that followed. The conversation covers the full, beautiful arc of her life–from her discovery of BDSM with a life partner of 16 years, to her hopes for the next chapter.
Guest bio:
Sheree Rose is American photographer and performance artist. She is best known for her collaborative work with performance artist Bob Flanagan, and her photography documenting a wide range of Los Angeles subcultures, especially in relation to BDSM and body modification. Rose was raised in a Jewish family in Los Angeles. She was married in 1964, and she and her first husband both worked as teachers. In the 1970s, after divorcing, she earned a master's degree at California State University, Northridge and became active in socialist feminism, consciousness-raising groups, and the punk scene.
Resources:
Rated Rx Book: https://ohiostatepress.org/books/titles/9780814214480.html
Al's Instagram: @sexystacks
Pelvic Sanctuary website: https://www.pelvicsanctuary.org/
Pelvic Sanctuary on Instagram: @pelvicsanctuary
Music by Celeste: @xceleste.xx
Songe Riddle is a multidisciplinary visual artist who has taught me so much about Tourettes syndrome. He joins us to give a quick rundown of his experience living with Tourettes, but to also share his experience as a black man with Tourettes. The intersectionality of all our identities can be so consequential in our lived experience and my conversation with Songe really highlights this. We’re also talking about his amazing art, his artsy family origins, and his early experiences in the punk scene.
Guest bio:
Songe Riddle is a multidisciplinary visual artist, working in fine art, illustration, and animation, with the occasional toe dipped into screenwriting.
He studied at Parsons school of Design in New York City, earning a BFA in illustration n 2000, and has worked primarily in film and television since, providing animation, motion graphics,and visual effects.
Bills gotta get paid.
If he was independently wealthy, he’d spend his time painting, swimming in the ocean, and reading comic books.
Oh, and watching General Hospital. He’s so sick of Carly and Josselyn right now.
Links and Resources:
Songe’s website: https://songeriddle.com/
Songe’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/songeriddle__/
Al's Instagram: @sexystacks
Pelvic Sanctuary website: https://www.pelvicsanctuary.org/
Pelvic Sanctuary on Instagram: @pelvicsanctuary
Music by Celeste: @xceleste.xx
Zoë Nissen (she/they) is a fellow belly dancer who identifies as genderqueer and pan-aromantic grey-asexual. She joins the show today to talk about her orientation as a grey-asexual, her experiences dating as she came to recognize her orientation on the asexual spectrum, and how some of the harmful stereotypes of asexuals she saw in the media influenced her perception early on. It’s a fun discussion where we find a lot of common ground, including the lessons learned in intimacy beyond sexual intimacy, though I’ll keep it sexy by including a few funny tales from my youth. Zoe and I also both have a deep love for horses and belly dancing, so we’re also talking about our time as horse girls and our belly dancing origin stories and the joy and pleasure we get out of it.
Guest bio:
Zoë Nissen (she/they) is a multi-hyphenate in every sense of the word. By day she works as a metadata librarian, but after hours she is a bellydancer, musician, and writer. They identify as genderqueer and pan-aromantic grey-asexual, but that's a mouthful so they're fine if you just say "queer." Zoë is also a tattoo enthusiast, eating disorder recovery advocate, voracious reader, forever horse girl at heart, and she believes that community is the most important resource that we have. You can check out their dancing at @zoederose_dance on Instagram or read their writing in LIS, Interrupted, an anthology of mental health narratives by library workers.
Links and Resources:
Music by Celeste: @xceleste.xx
#healthqueery #queerhealth #divinefeminine #gaylosangeles #sexualorientation #lgbtqiawellness #lgbtwellness #pride2023 #AsexualityExplained #DatingWithoutDesire #QueerDating #UnderstandingAsexuals #NavigatingAsexuality #AsexualityAndIntimacy #AsexualDatingAdvice #DemystifyingAsexuality #AsexualVisibility #AsexualityInModernDating #BreakingAsexualStigmas #ExploringAsexualAttraction #AsexualityAwareness #AsexualityIsValid #AsexualAndHappy #DiverseLoveStories #pelvicsanctuary #pelvichealth #LGBTQIA+health #Lgbtqhealth #lgbthealth #LGBTQLosAngeles #LGBTLosangeles #LGBTLA #LgbtqLA #gaylosangeles #queerla #queerlosangeles #sexwitch #pelvichealthforeverybody #sexeducation
Peter Dewitt joins us to talk about Gay Wellness and Gaywellnes.com, a platform that brings together LGBTQ+ practitioners and specialists to help LGBTQIA+ folks access health, healing, and growth that fit their needs. Peter shares how building this community was Inspired by his many years of experience in his own healing and wellness journey, in addition to 18 years of practicing various forms of wellness modalities, including yoga, meditation, somatic therapy, nutrition, and massage.
We also delve into the stereotypes and tropes perpetuated by the media that have shaped the gay identity, the impact this has on performing sexuality, and how we can begin to live authentically by returning to self. This dovetails into the importance of embracing the divine feminine within all of us—a part of self that can be honored to create beauty and harmony in the world. And of course our talk discusses pelvic floor health and how it intersects with somatic therapy, highlighting how healing and reconnecting with our bodies can profoundly transform our overall well-being. We’re also briefly talking about sex magic and how you can tap into a practice of your own to improve pelvic health, or even to manifest changes you seek.
Guest bio: Peter grew up in Mexico City, Nashville, and California, and Spain, and has dedicated the last 18 years to practicing various forms of wellness modalities: yoga, meditation, somatic therapy, nutrition, and massage. He came out as a gay man in his mid-20’s, and sought out gay mentors, therapists, and wellness providers of all kinds on his own healing journey. He knows firsthand how important it is that gay men have access to other gay practitioners, as he’s experienced his share of anxiety around his queer identity.
This has been fuel that motivated him to create Gay Wellness – that all gay people all over the world could benefit from the same. He loves connecting with all kinds of people and loves being of service to the LGBTQ+ community!
Links and Resources:
#gaywellness #divinefeminine #gaylosangeles #gaypride #prideevents #pridelosangeles #gaymen #gaymenshealth #divinefeminine #sexualorientation #masturbation #lgbtqiawellness #lgbtwellness #pride2023
Subcultures collide in this episode, as Pleasant Gehman tells us about her experiences in the wild and wonderful 1970s punk scene in Los Angeles. You’ll hear how it often overlapped with gay and queer spaces, how the sexual freedom and exploration of the era fueled early unofficial experiences as a safer sex advocate, and how that all plays into her work as a healer and artist now.
Guest bio: Pleasant Gehman is a lifelong multi-disciplinary artist, she is a writer, professional dancer, actor, psychic, musician and painter– a real; she has often been called “a force of nature”.
A Hollywood rock ‘n’ roll icon, during the 1970’s, she was one of the first punks in Los Angeles, documenting the scene she helped create in her fanzine Lobotomy, which lead to writing for the top mainstream rock publications. Since the early 1990’s, under the stage name Princess Farhana, she has appeared internationally as a professional belly dance and burlesque performer and teacher. A practicing witch, her work as a psychic, intuitive Tarot reader and energy healer has been life-long; she currently shares her gifts with clients worldwide.
From the age of sixteen onwards, Pleasant has been a journalist and cultural commentator with literally thousands of articles published nationally and internationally on everything from rock ‘n’ roll to the paranormal, from magic to homeless teenagers.
In March 2020, she launched the popular podcast The Devil’s Music, which explores the intersection of rock’n’roll and the occult.
Pleasant is the author and/or editor of eight books, including The Belly Dance Handbook and the memoir Showgirl Confidential: My Life Onstage, Backstage And On The Road. She authored her own chapters in John Doe and Tom Desavia’s Under The Big Black Sun: A Personal History Of LA Punk and More Fun In The New World: The Unmaking And Legacy Of La Punk
Pleasant lives in Hollywood, California, with four spoiled rescue cats.
Links and Resources:
#PleasantGehman #JoanJett #DavidBowie #BelindaCarlisle #JaneWeildin #TheGogos #LanceLoud
Disclaimer: This podcast is for raising awareness and sharing ideas and information. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult a physician before making decisions about your mental or physical health.
Page Person
Page Person (she/they) is an interdisciplinary artist whose work incorporates drawing, painting, sculpture, storytelling, music and performance. Their ongoing project is based on the deceptively simple statement I AM A PERSON; mining lived experience as a trans person in the downtown Los Angeles drag scene as well as the contemprary art market. Their goal is to cohabitate seemingly oppositional genres and spaces to create a new language of freedom and liberation. Taking their name from the now defunct queer party PERSON created by Bashir Naim, Page Person advocates not just for transgender rights but for all persons to exist as whole and equal. With human rights under attack at an unprecedented level, we as people must be celebrated, loved, respected, seen as beautiful. I AM A PERSON is an anti-othering concept explored visually and through live interaction. We can dismantle the language that divides and oppresses people by asserting our personhood as visibly as possible. I AM A PERSON AND I EXIST.
Website: Pageperson.net
Insta @page_person
Support this podcast and Pelvic Sanctuary in increasing pelvic health awareness and support for LGBTQIA+, Sex Worker, and BIPOC populations.
Paypal: info@pelvicsanctuary.org
Venmo: @pelvic_sanctuary
https://www.pelvicsanctuary.org/
Follow AL: @sexystacks
Resources for Trans Folx
Pelvic Sanctuary does not endorse or condone the use, sale, and/or distribution of illicit substances. The opinions discussed on Health Queery do not necessarily reflect those of Pelvic Sanctuary.
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Welcome to Health Queery, where I talk to everyone from Doctors to Dominatrixes because that’s who I hang out with. I'm your host AL and on this episode, I give an overview of what HQ is about, and what kinds of EXCITING guests you should get ready for!
Please check out our nonprofit organization PelvicSanctuary.org to learn more about pelvic health and our work to support LGBTQIA+, BIPOC and Sex Workers. Donations are tax-deductible.
#LGBThealth #Queer #PelvicHealth #LGBTQHealth #GayHealth #QueerHealth #LGBTQHealthcare #Bellydance #SexWorkers #SexWork