I flipped the tables today. On my other podcast, @boobsbodsandbrains, I work with a cohost, @laurelcrossley. Today Laurel and I chat and she is interviews me about the upcoming queer family planning event that I am hosting in June @the519.

Ultimately, before I started this podcast, my focus was to bring together Queer professionals and Queer parents to speak to the questions that 2SLGBTQIA+ people have or may have as they think about a life that includes parenthood for themselves.

What do they need to know. How much will it cost? Where are the best resources found? Are there queer professionals who will hear what they have to ask and respect them for who they are?

Today Laurel and I also talk about the reality that I am deeply humbled by the work that I have had the honour of doing for so many years.

For more information about the show follow me on Instagram or TikTok @babyREADYlgbtq or visit my website: www.babyREADY.info

Having a massage can feel luxurious and frivolous to some people. Other people understand the physically therapeutic benefits. Whether you see a Registered Massage Therapist for relaxation and fun, or for therapeutic reasons to treat existing challenges and concerns there is no debate that this treatment can leave some people feeling vulnerable.

Today I have the opportunity to speak with Keeley Shantz, a Registered Massage Therapist from Ajax, Ontario. Keeley addresses the need for care providers to be conscious of their bias and their language when they're working with vulnerable populations. Keeley also talks about the work that they do to educate care providers.

You can learn more about Keeley and the work that they do by visiting: https://www.ontariomobilemassage.com and you can find them on Instagram @ontariomobilemassage

Meet Freya Lyon. She and her wife, Hannah, have two beautiful children that were created using IUI and open-donor sperm. In and of itself, not necessarily a new topic of conversation here on this show. What is new is that Freya herself is donor conceived. Her moms wanted children and used IUI and an anonymous donor to conceive both Freya and her sister.

Funny isn’t it? Sometimes we are so wrapped up in our own journeys of family creation that we let ourselves forget that this option has been available for decades.

Some of the rules have changes. Some have become more current. Others have not and have a long way to go. I am honoured to have the chance to speak with and learn from Freya; not just about how they created their family but also about the work the Freya continues to do to educate those in the reproductive health world in the UK.

Also, she was excited to share the names of two books she can’t recommend highly enough:

“The Queer Parent: Everything You Need to Know From Gay to Ze,” by Lott Jeffs and Stu Oakley (@lottejeffs & @mrstuoakley)

and

“Sperm Not Included: The Queer Couple’s Guide to Getting Pregnant in the UK,” by Sarah Wayne

PS - she also talks about being a donor herself . . . (@unicorndcp - IG and @thequeermama - TT)