Dr Alex Iantaffi interviews Eun Bee Yes, the fabulous founder, show director, and producer for Transcendence Cabaret, a trans, genderqueer, two-spirit, and gender expansive drag troupe that centers BI&POC artists in the Twin Cities. They discuss the importance of representation and mentorship in the drag scene, the evolving nature of drag as a form of artistic expression, and safety concerns in the current socio-political climate. Listen for an uplifting conversation on the nourishing aspects of trans community, queer art, and the transformative power of drag in the face of oppression.

Transcendence Cabaret is an amazing troupe with some of the best well-known and up and coming artists in the Twin Cities. They are transgender, genderqueer, gender non-conforming, two spirit and truly all along the spectrum of gender and sexuality. Transcendence Cabaret’s artists are primarily BI&POC and they are one of a handful of transgender troupes who center artists of color on Turtle Island, in the so-called United States. They offer an up and close personal experience and a spotlight on often overlooked talent within the unique drag, music, and art community. Their aim is not only to entertain their audiences, but to push themselves as artists, in a rare opportunity to challenge the perceptions of our communities, and to make art from their heart and soul. You haven’t seen anything yet until you’ve spent an evening with them! Transcendence Cabaret invites you to join them each month in a constantly evolving show. Ready to go above and beyond the binary? Allow them to be your guide! All shows are hybrid and can be enjoyed from anywhere in the world, if you’re not a local.

Find out more about Transcendence Cabaret, including upcoming shows, at the following links:

www.transcendencecabaret.com

Facebook- Transcendence Cabaret

Instagram- Transcendence Cabaret

Instagram: GenderStories
Hosted by Alex Iantaffi
Music by Maxwell von Raven
Gender Stories logo by Lior Effinger-Weintraub

Drs. Mackenzie Steiner and Alex Iantaffi discuss their collaborative program, The Collective Alchemy of Gender Liberation. This is a new, somatic-based program created by trans people for trans people in service to our collective liberation. In this episode, they talk about how the program started, the values it’s rooted in, and how gender is an embodied experience. Mackenzie and Alex also talk about how their collaborative process is heart-centered and based in relationality, rather than product-focused and treating the collaboration as a mean to an end, as is often the case in dominant culture. While the program is by and for trans people, the episode has much to offer to cis folks as well in relation to a deeper understanding of gender and to what a collaborative process centered in decoloniality might look like.

Mackenzie Steiner is a reformed clinical psychologist with over 20 years of clinical experience specializing in attachment, gender identity and socialization, as well as addictions and trauma recovery. For 20 of those years, she worked with veterans facing just about every possible type of concern related to their identities, relationships and mental health, but particularly at the interface of addictions and complex post-traumatic stress. Mackenzie transitioned into private practice at the beginning of 2023 to stretch her wings and be free to practice with communities and in ways unencumbered by organizational constraints. At the heart of her work is building an attuned, compassionate and safe relational base from which to explore the challenging aspects of one’s history and how it intersects with the present moment. Mackenzie accomplishes this through a mosaic of attachment, mindfulness, emotionally and somatically focused approaches as well as parts-work perspectives that she has found most efficiently and humanely promote long-term change and deep healing. And she has found that nature can be a profound ally for this process!

On the more personal side, she is an avid outdoors-person who is most nourished by activities ranging from landscaping to hiking, climbing and backpacking. She is also a seeker of mysteries, having an insatiable curiosity to discover the knowledge and wisdom underlying our physical, psychological, relational and spiritual realities in service of promoting our health and authentic evolution.

Find out more about the Collective Alchemy of Gender Liberation and Dr. Mackenzie Steiner at the following links:

Website: https://www.gender-alchemy.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/collectivegenderalchemy/ @collectivegenderalchemy

Dr. Mackenzie Steiner’s website: https://naturesmosaictherapy.com/

Instagram: GenderStories
Hosted by Alex Iantaffi
Music by Maxwell von Raven
Gender Stories logo by Lior Effinger-Weintraub

Drs Dulcinea Alex Pitagora and Alex Iantaffi discuss academic journeys, the complexities of aging as a queer person, and the importance of community and intergenerational connections. They discuss the challenges faced by the queer and trans communities in the current socio-political climate, the experience of being an openly queer therapist, and the impact of capitalism on mental health, while emphasizing the need for self-compassion, joy, and connection in navigating it all.

Dr. Dulcinea/Alex Pitagora is a NY-based psychotherapist and sex therapist (also licensed in NJ, PA, and CO). They have a brick-and-mortar private practice in NYC that includes individual, couples/multi-partner relationship, and poly/leather family therapy, as well as supervision and mentorship. Dr. Pitagora is an out and proud member of the queer, trans, kink, and polyamory communities, and is equally proud to be a former sex worker, as well as an anti-racist/-oppression/-exploitation activist. Dr. Pitagora holds a Master of Arts in Psychology from the New School for Social Research; a Master of Social Work from New York University; a Master of Education and a Doctorate in Clinical Sexology from Widener University; and is an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist, CST Supervisor, and CE provider along with their colleague Dr. Jillien Kahn. Dr. Pitagora teaches sexual health at New York University; has published articles and chapters in peer-reviewed journals and books; and presented at conferences on the topics of alternative sexuality and gender diversity. Dr. Pitagora is the founder of ManhattanAlternative.com, a nationwide alternative lifestyle affirmative provider listing; and was a co-founder and -organizer of the AltSex NYC Conference.

Find out more about Dr Dulcinea’s work at the following links:

https://www.dulcineapitagora.com/
https://kinkdoctor.com/
@kinkdoctor

Instagram: GenderStories
Hosted by Alex Iantaffi
Music by Maxwell von Raven
Gender Stories logo by Lior Effinger-Weintraub