Jonny is back from a meditation retreat this week while Heather is off at a writer's conference in Chicago. Still, they put together a show. Jonny recounts how flashfloods in Missouri resulted in a traumatic end to the retreat. This sets the stage for a reimmersion into the news, where nominally related stories of trauma and allegations impacting politcians caught his raw attention. In the back half of the show, Heather interviews local LGBTQ+ community advocate, Carrie Vine, about her own medical traumas and how they have and also are not impacting her work for the community. They end the episode with a promo for this coming weekend's Community Restroom Access Project (CRAP) rally on Saturday, July 18th from 11-3 at the Lost Forest Coffeehouse and Pub in Carbondale, IL (concurrent with a similar event at The Hideout in Chicago).

Heather and Jonny confront two stories of mass shootings this week, one in Canada with a confirmed transgender assailant and one in Rhode Island with an alleged transgender shooter. They approach this difficult topic with a couple of key reminders: First, an inventory of their local organizations and meeting groups available to help people struggling to know that they have support and a community. Second, they review the crime statistics which have not changed significantly even if these are acts of violence by transgender people.Finally, they examine this phenomenon as something profoundly exacerbated by disconfirmations, interpersonal and institutional. They review an inventory of this week's LGBTQ+ disconfirmations. 

Age UK Richmond’s Rainbow Café has become a cherished space for LGBTQ+ elders. It’s a gentle, agenda-free space to meet others with shared experiences, enjoy good conversation over coffee and build lasting friendships.