The Queer Family Podcast – LGBTQ Families & Queer Parenting Stories

HIV treatment and prevention have come a long way, but stigma, misinformation, and outdated beliefs continue to shape how we talk about HIV and AIDS. What should parents and families know, and how can we better prepare our children to advocate for their own health?
This week on The Queer Family Podcast, Jaimie Kelton welcomes HIV advocates Masonia Traylor, founder of Lady Burgundy, and Jerrell Hartnett of GLAAD for an eye-opening conversation about HIV awareness, sexual health education, and raising informed, empowered children.
Through their lived experiences with HIV, Masonia and Jerrell challenge common misconceptions, explain HIV testing and prevention, discuss U=U (undetectable equals untransmittable), and explore why HIV stigma continues despite decades of medical progress.
The conversation also tackles HIV criminalization, pregnancy, bodily autonomy, medical self-advocacy, and the importance of age-appropriate conversations with children. Plus, a powerful connection between HIV stigma, anti-LGBTQ bullying, and Spirit Day reminds families that supporting LGBTQ youth requires action all year long.
Because raising informed, compassionate children starts with being willing to learn alongside them.
Topics: HIV awareness, HIV stigma, HIV and AIDS, LGBTQ parenting, queer families, sexual health education, HIV testing, HIV prevention, U=U, bodily autonomy, medical self-advocacy, HIV and pregnancy, LGBTQ youth, Spirit Day, LGBTQ bullying.

🏳️‍🌈 About the guest(s)/ Resources Mentioned
Masonia Traylor is an Emmy-nominated producer, mother of two, HIV advocate, and founder and executive director of Lady Burgundy, a nonprofit serving women and youth across the southeastern United States through HIV prevention and intervention. Living with HIV for 16 years, Masonia has spent much of that time publicly sharing her experience and advocating for better education, resources, and support.
Jerrell Hartnett is Associate Director of Education and Advocacy at GLAAD and lead author of the organization's 2026 HIV Stigma Report. Living with HIV for 13 years, Jerrell combines personal experience with research and media advocacy to challenge misinformation, increase visibility, and help reshape the public conversation about HIV.

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🏳️‍🌈 Resources Mentioned
GLAAD — HIV advocacy, media representation, and LGBTQ inclusion
Spirit Day — Resources for supporting LGBTQ youth
2026 HIV Stigma Report
CDC HIV Resources — HIV testing, prevention, and treatment information
HIV.gov — Information about HIV and U=U

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🏳️‍🌈 Edited by: Jerson Barajas 🏳️‍🌈 Theme Song by: Tiffany Topol 🏳️‍🌈 Logo by: Daneen Stevenato 
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The information shared in this episode is for educational purposes only and not a substitute for professional advice. Always consult a trusted professional for your specific situation!

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What happens when the sperm donor you never expected to know suddenly becomes someone you could text?
Jaimie is joined by her wife, Anne, for a candid, funny, and occasionally heated conversation about a surprising new chapter in their family's donor-conception journey. What started as a simple question about their daughter's medical history led to something neither of them anticipated: their sperm donor's phone number and an open invitation to reach out.
But just because they can contact him, does that mean they should? Jaimie and Anne have different feelings about it, and their kids have opinions of their own.
Plus, the two moms take on misogyny, school dress codes, victim-blaming, and what it means to raise a daughter and a son in a world still steeped in patriarchy.
It's a little family update, a little feminist rant, and a very real look at how LGBTQ+ families continue to evolve long after the kids arrive.
Topics: Donor conception, LGBTQ families, lesbian parenting, sperm donors, donor siblings, Open ID donors, donor-conceived children, medical history, two-mom families, misogyny, school dress codes, parenting, consent

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Support The Queer Family Podcast on Patreon for exclusive bonus content and help keep these stories alive!
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🏳️‍🌈 Order the If These Ovaries Could Talk book 
🏳️‍🌈 Edited by: Jerson Barajas 🏳️‍🌈 Theme Song by: Tiffany Topol 🏳️‍🌈 Logo by: Daneen Stevenato 
🏳️‍🌈 Shop merch here. 🏳️‍🌈 Full transcript & episode info available on our website

🗳️ VOTE. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ ADVOCATE. 🍼 BUILD QUEER FAMILIES.
The information shared in this episode is for educational purposes only and not a substitute for professional advice. Always consult a trusted professional for your specific situation!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-queer-family-podcast/exclusive-content

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What does it take for two gay dads to build a family through foster care? Psychologist and author Dr. Kevin Nadal shares how he and his husband went from newly approved foster parents to raising three biological siblings, all adopted through New York City's foster care system.
From receiving a call about a newborn with less than a day's notice to navigating adoption during a global pandemic, Kevin opens up about the emotional realities of foster-to-adopt parenting, the importance of biological family connections, and the challenges of raising Black children in a transracial adoptive family.
He also explores the isolation of gay fatherhood, the importance of LGBTQ+ parenting communities, and why he believes his family came together exactly as it was meant to.

Topics: gay dads, LGBTQ families, foster care, foster-to-adopt, adoption, transracial adoption, biological siblings, queer parenting, gay fatherhood, LGBTQ family building

🏳️‍🌈 About the guest(s)/ Resources Mentioned
Dr. Kevin Nadal is a psychologist, professor, author, and father of three. His work explores the intersections of psychology, social justice, and identity, with books addressing queer psychology, microaggressions, Filipino American psychology, and Asian American psychology. His latest creative venture is Nothing but Net, a queer romance novel that combines basketball, love, and psychology.
Kevin lives in Harlem, New York, with his husband and their three children, all adopted through the New York City foster care system.

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🎧 Loved this episode?
Support The Queer Family Podcast on Patreon for exclusive bonus content and help keep these stories alive!
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🏳️‍🌈 What resonated most with you?
Drop a comment, DM us, or email thequeerfamilypodcast@gmail.com—we love hearing your stories!

🏳️‍🌈 Let’s Connect!
Find us on IG, TikTok, Bluesky, & YouTube: @thequeerfamilypodcast 🏳️‍🌈 Watch full episodes on YouTube
🏳️‍🌈 Order the If These Ovaries Could Talk book 
🏳️‍🌈 Edited by: Jerson Barajas 🏳️‍🌈 Theme Song by: Tiffany Topol 🏳️‍🌈 Logo by: Daneen Stevenato 
🏳️‍🌈 Shop merch here. 🏳️‍🌈 Full transcript & episode info available on our website

🗳️ VOTE. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ ADVOCATE. 🍼 BUILD QUEER FAMILIES.
The information shared in this episode is for educational purposes only and not a substitute for professional advice. Always consult a trusted professional for your specific situation!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-queer-family-podcast/exclusive-content

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B.J. Woodstein is a queer mom, doula, lactation consultant, author, and LGBTQ+ specialist who knows firsthand how much the right support can change a family’s experience. After difficult pregnancies, birth complications, painful breastfeeding, and healthcare providers who didn’t always understand her two-mom family, B.J. became the kind of provider she wished she’d had.
Jaimie and B.J. talk about queer family building, birth trauma, feeding, advocacy, inclusive language, and why LGBTQ+ people deserve healthcare that sees and respects who they actually are.
Topics: LGBTQ families, queer parenting, lesbian parenting, queer family building, donor conception, sperm donation, pregnancy, hyperemesis gravidarum, birth trauma, breastfeeding, chestfeeding, lactation, doulas, inclusive healthcare, LGBTQ healthcare, nonbinary birth, gender-affirming care
🏳️‍🌈 About the guest(s)/ Resources Mentioned
B.J. Woodstein is a writer, translator, former academic, LGBTQ+ specialist doula, lactation consultant, counselor, and bibliotherapist. She lives in the UK with her wife and their two children.
B.J. is also the author of We’re Here: A Practical Guide to Becoming an LGBTQ+ Parent, which combines practical family-building information with the experiences of LGBTQ+ parents, as well as Be Fruitful, which focuses on family building in the Jewish community.
She also co-runs Queer Wayfinder, which offers counseling, coaching, and bibliotherapy for LGBTQ+ people.

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🎧 Loved this episode?
Support The Queer Family Podcast on Patreon for exclusive bonus content and help keep these stories alive!
OR become a paid subscriber through our RedCircle page for bonus episodes and one-time or recurring donations:
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🏳️‍🌈 What resonated most with you?
Drop a comment, DM us, or email thequeerfamilypodcast@gmail.com—we love hearing your stories!
🏳️‍🌈 Let’s Connect!
Find us on IG, TikTok, Bluesky, & YouTube: @thequeerfamilypodcast 🏳️‍🌈 Watch full episodes on YouTube

🏳️‍🌈 Order the If These Ovaries Could Talk book  🏳️‍🌈 Shop merch here. 🏳️‍🌈 Full transcript & episode info available on our website
🏳️‍🌈 Edited by: Jerson Barajas 🏳️‍🌈 Theme Song by: Tiffany Topol 🏳️‍🌈 Logo by: Daneen Stevenato 

🗳️ VOTE. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ ADVOCATE. 🍼 BUILD QUEER FAMILIES.
The information shared in this episode is for educational purposes only and not a substitute for professional advice. Always consult a trusted professional for your specific situation!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-queer-family-podcast/exclusive-content

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description 
Sydney and Gina knew they wanted to build a family—and they knew, as a lesbian couple, it would take planning. What they didn’t expect was a stage-three endometriosis diagnosis right as they began trying to conceive.
In this episode, they walk Jaimie through their queer fertility journey: choosing a known sperm donor, navigating the legal agreements, three failed IUIs, the emotional and financial toll of fertility treatment, and finally moving to IVF. They also talk about grieving differently as partners, advocating for yourself in the medical system, and what it means to parent without a genetic connection.
Their experience ultimately inspired them to create WeFertility, an app designed to help people manage the paperwork, appointments, finances, and endless logistics of family building.
A candid conversation about queer parenting, LGBTQ families, IVF, known donors, endometriosis, and finding something meaningful on the other side of a difficult fertility journey.

Topics: queer parenting, LGBTQ families, lesbian parenting, queer family building, IVF, IUI, known sperm donors, fertility treatment, endometriosis, donor conception, LGBTQ parenting

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🏳️‍🌈 Resources Mentioned
WeFertility - the app designed to help people manage the paperwork, appointments, finances, and endless logistics of family building.
WeFertility Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wefertilityapp
WeFertility TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wefertilityapp?_r=1&_t=ZP-99ePpNsDHEU
WeFertility Website: https://wefertilityapp.com
Gina Brickey Instagram: @ginabrickey_
Sydney Brickey Instagram: @sydneybrickey94

🎧 Loved this episode?
Support The Queer Family Podcast on Patreon for exclusive bonus content and help keep these stories alive!
OR become a paid subscriber through our RedCircle page for bonus episodes and one-time or recurring donations: 🔗 redcircle.com/thequeerfamilypodcast/exclusive-content

🏳️‍🌈 What resonated most with you?
Drop a comment, DM us, or email thequeerfamilypodcast@gmail.com—we love hearing your stories!

🏳️‍🌈 Let’s Connect!
Find us on IG, TikTok, Bluesky, & YouTube: @thequeerfamilypodcast 🏳️‍🌈 Watch full episodes on YouTube
🏳️‍🌈 Order the If These Ovaries Could Talk book 
🏳️‍🌈 Edited by: Jerson Barajas 🏳️‍🌈 Theme Song by: Tiffany Topol 🏳️‍🌈 Logo by: Daneen Stevenato 

🗳️ VOTE. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ ADVOCATE. 🍼 BUILD QUEER FAMILIES.
The information shared in this episode is for educational purposes only and not a substitute for professional advice. Always consult a trusted professional for your specific situation!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-queer-family-podcast/exclusive-content

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy