Blaire Ostler talks with Dr. Jordan Roberts about the basics of COVID-19: how it may have originated, how it spreads, what families can do about containing it, and hopeful scenarios for the future. Listen to this episode here.
Podcast: Sunstone Firesides
Episode 34: BYU Whiplash: A Conversation with Danny Dawson
Though he loves BYU, as a gay student, Danny Dawson was never able to be himself there until the recent honor code revisions seemed to make homosexual dating and displays of affection acceptable. But the later clarification blasted any sense of safety he had. Blaire Ostler talks with Dawson about his experience. Listen to this …
Episode 33: LDS Theology and the Transgender Experience: A Conversation with Kelli Potter
The latest LDS Handbook update about transgender members shows promise for the future but also has some theological and scientific problems. Blair Ostler talks with philosophy professor Kelli Potter about the complexities of gender and how it can affect LDS theology and practice. Listen to this episode here.
Episode 32: Trans and Mormon: A Conversation with Samantha Richardson
Samantha Richardson transitioned to being a woman in her 40s, and—to her great surprise—the Utah ward she moved into immediately embraced her. In this episode, Blaire Ostler and Richardson talk about the recent additions to Handbook 1 regarding transgender people, and how they impact those, like Richardson, who want to be a part of the …
Episode 31: From Asylum Seeker to Soldier to Advocate: A Conversation with Marta Vázquez
Marta Vázquez came to the United States from Honduras at 17 years old, pregnant and with a small daughter in tow. Her goal was to join the U.S. Army. Now she is an advocate for asylum seekers in the Phoenix, Arizona area. Vázquez talks with Sara Bybee Fisk about her fascinating life. Listen to this …
Episode 30: Race and Divorce in the LDS Church: A Conversation with Laura Ruiz
The stresses of race, patriarchy, politics, and sexual shame all contributed to the collapse of Laura Ruiz’s marriage. Cristina Gonzalez Cole talks with Ruiz about her journey. Listen to this episode here.
Episode 29: How Community of Christ Expanded Its Priesthood: A Conversation with Kay Fletcher
Community of Christ started ordaining women to the priesthood in the mid-1980s and then (in the United States) members of the LGBTQ community in 2013. Kay Fletcher, a lifelong member of the Community of Christ and a member of its Quorum of Seventy, talks with host Kimberly Anderson about how these changes transpired. Listen to …
Episode 28: Allies to End Detention: An Interview with Jennifer Gonzalez
One day, Jennifer Gonzalez found out that there was a refugee detention center just 20 miles from where she lived. Her life changed when she and some friends wrote to the people who were being held there, including a man named Nephi. In this episode, she shares her story with Cristina Gonzalez Cole. Listen to …
Episode 27: Mormonism, Nietzsche, and the Ostlers
Two hundred years before John Fowler’s Stages of Faith, the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche had already come up with a few stages his own. And the best part is, he represented them with animals! Join Blair Ostler and Drew Ostler as they talk about why you might be a camel, a lion, or a child. Listen …
Episode 26: Queer Meals and Safe X-mas: A Conversation with Jerilyn Pool
Answering a spiritual call to move from Oregon to Utah, Jerilyn Pool has been feeding, housing, and partying with Utah’s LGBTQ community for years now. Blaire Ostler talks with Pool (and her pigeons) about her journey. Listen to this episode here.