Learning to address identity
Feb. 2—Two queer podcasters will host their next episode in a church, discussing gender identity and inclusivity in a spiritual space.
The Community Congregational United Church of Christ (CCUCC) has invited two local podcasters to discuss LGBTQ+ topics. Holly Greystone and Gary Thoren, co-hosts of the podcast "Queernundrum," will be educating the community on gender identity and how they can become a better ally during a discussion on "Identity: What's my Crisis?" The event can be attended for free at the church at 7 p.m. today.
Greystone and Thoren began their longtime friendship after bonding over their shared queer identity. They saw a lack of education on LGBTQ+ issues on the Palouse and wanted to make a change. Debuting their first podcast episode in December 2020, the two have gathered a following exploring the "full spectrum" of queer history, terminology and culture.
"Queer is the spectrum — it's the whole spectrum," Greystone said. "It's not just one individual, we're a whole community. Right now, we've been so siloed for so long and not had a voice that we've created this opportunity to have a voice."
"Queernundrum" is a space where Greystone and Thoren feel they can to be passionate. Greystone said the podcast covers a range of current issues, from the overturning of Roe v. Wade to queer representation in Star Trek. But more importantly, she said, it's a space for people to share their stories.
"We cover almost ... everything, but of course we don't market ourselves as experts," Greystone said. "We bring people on who have their own experiences that are unique to them in the queer community, and we want to respect that community as a whole."
Officials with CCUCC discovered Greystone's and Thoren's work, and invited them to speak at the church. As an open and affirming church, members wanted to know more about how they can best support the LGBTQ+ community, said Ginny Hauser, chairperson of the justice and witness team at CCUCC.
A part of CCUCC's mission is to support everyone along their personal and spiritual journeys — there's nobody who doesn't fit, Hauser said. The congregation became an open and affirming church in 1993 after learning of the emotional and spiritual injuries that LGBTQ+ people of faith have experienced. As part of adopting the open and affirming covenant, the church promises it is a welcoming and safe place for LGBTQ+ people seeking a spiritual home, Hauser said.
"We're not educating the church, this just happens to be a church that we're educating the community in general," Greystone said.
For two months, the congregation provided a question box to gather prompts for Greystone and Thoren's conversation. During the discussion panel, they will talk about a number of topics including gender identity, how to address queer people and their pronouns, how to handle making mistakes, the history of the pride flag, and self advocacy in the medical system.
"These are human beings who want to connect with their community and a specific group in that community," Greystone said. "(People) want to be inclusive, they want to approach everyone, of every ethnicity and identity, and they want to do better. That's a great human goal, right?"
For those who cannot attend the in-person discussion panel, Queernundrum will upload the conversation to their podcast within the next week.
To learn more about "Queernundrum Podcast," visit its website at queernundrum.com. To learn more about the Community Congregational United Church of Christ, view pullmanucc.org.
Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com,
