EQ: How much of our sexuality, relationships, and sense of self are truly our own and how much are shaped by the families, histories, and identities we inherit?
Guest: Laura Rademacher, Director of the Human Sexuality Certificate Program at Southwestern College/New Earth Institute; author of The Principles of Pleasure; Online classes, social media, and more
She was recently on Ep 233: Sex, Identify & The Stories We Inherit and we are so pleased to have her back!
In this episode, we welcome back Laura Rademacher for Part 2 of our wide-ranging conversation about sexuality, relationships, identity, and what it actually means to know yourself. We kick things off with another of Laura’s roadside attraction adventures before catching up on what’s new in her work as a therapist and coach and the conversations currently shaping her field. We dive deeper into her passion for supporting LGBTQ+ individuals and families, exploring identity, acceptance, stigma, parenting, and the pressures queer communities navigate that others may not fully understand. We consider how race and culture shape conversations about sexuality, the conversations society needs to have more honestly, and why understanding ourselves means looking beyond the individual to the families and systems that shape us. Plus, we report back on Laura’s homework to notice the things that bring us pleasure beyond the sexual. Honest, thoughtful, and deeply human, this conversation challenges us to think more openly about intimacy, pleasure, identity, and the ways we relate to ourselves and each other.
Do Your Fudging Homework:
Hope: Continue to chat with your safe group of friends about topics of sex, sexutality and our journeys; consider running for school board!
Annie: Finding things that give you pleasure–doing it! Book!
Laura: Think about an ancestor who, what you wish they had you are guessing they didn’t have (sex ed, ability to say no, etc.). Imaginary descendent of you. One or two things you want for them and their sexual selves. We’re in the in-between. Go back to you and think about what you wish for you now!