Colleen and Janice examine the 2026 Midterm Elections and Indiana's role in the national conversation.

Following their conversation is a re-air of their first episode examining the history and politics of LGBTQ+ rights over the past decade with the newly elected U.S. Congressman for Indiana's Fifth District, (and outgoing Indiana state senator), J.D. Ford.

J.D. Ford - In 2018, the voters of Indiana Senate District 29 elected J.D. Ford to the Indiana Senate Since then, he was elected as Minority Caucus Chair and appointed to serve as ranking member on a number of important committees, including Education, Veterans Affairs and Family and Children Services.

Senator Ford is the first, and so far only, openly LGBT+ member of the Indiana General Assembly. As one of the youngest members of the Indiana Senate, he is proud to represent Hoosier Millennials.

Hosts: Colleen Brennan and Janice V. Rodriguez
Co-Producers: Colleen Brennan and Janice V. Rodriguez
Theme Music: Michael Miltenberger
Sound Editing: Michael Miltenberger

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Stay in Touch with Defending Indiana
defendingindiana@gmail.com
Defending Indiana Website
Defending Indiana on Facebook
Defending Indiana on Instagram
Defending Indiana on Twitter

In our Season Four Finale, we break down the surprising, inspiring and unexpected delights that came out of Indiana in 2025 proving, once again, that you should never dismiss the Hoosier State. We touch upon Indiana University Football, the Heisman Trophy Winner, and Democracy! Joined by our guest and sound editor, Michael Miltenberger, we share our favorite things that impacted not only Indiana but, just maybe, the entire nation.

Stay in Touch with Defending Indiana
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There simply was not enough time for Colleen and Janice to ask Dr. Justin Garcia everything they wanted to know about sex! But this conversation was a good start. We cover the history and impact of the Kinsey Institute, sex research, sex in relationships, dating apps, sex education and a whole lot more.

****This episode contains content that may not be suitable for all listeners. Parental discretion is advised.****

Dr. Justin R. Garcia Dr. Justin R. Garcia is an evolutionary biologist and international authority on the science of sex and relationship. He is Executive Director & Senior Scientist at the KinseyInstitute, and Ruth Halls Professor of Gender Studies at Indiana University, where he is also Founding Co-Director of Human Sexuality and Health at the IU School of Medicine.

Dr. Garcia is the Chief Scientific Advisor to Match.com, where he provides expertise to the annual Singles in America study. Dr. Garcia has consulted with a variety of industry partners and his research has been featured widely in the press. His research focuses on people’s romantic and sexual lives throughout the life course, especially on integrative biopsychosocial models of variation in courtship, intimacy, and sexual behavior. His forthcoming book is The Intimate Animal: The Science of Sex, Fidelity, and Why We Live for Love.

• 13:28 Dr. Garcia Introduction
• 14:40 History and Mission
• 21:00 Sex in Politics and Pop Culture
• 28:30 Sex in Relationships
• 33:09 Dating Apps
• 43:34 Dick Picks
• 50:15 Sex Education

For more information about the Kinsey Institute:https://kinseyinstitute.org/

Stay in Touch with Defending Indiana
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