Ep 7: Who We Are Now, Who We’ve Always Been, Who We Will Always Be 🌈

The final chapter of our Pride Series is here.Joined by Ryan Oelrich, we talk about religion, identity, marriage, finding yourself, sword swallowing (yes, the literal kind… and unfortunately the other kind too), and the winding road it takes to become comfortable in your own skin.Over the last five episodes, we’ve explored what it means to be LGBTQ+ through the lens of P.R.I.D.E. — Pretending, Realizing, Identifying, Defining, and finally, Evolving. Together we’ve unpacked closets, survival mode, healing, chosen family, and the moments that shaped us into who we are today.For the first time this series, Jed and John Jacob answer the question: What does Pride actually mean to us?And maybe the answer isn’t found in a parade, a rainbow flag, or even the month of June.Because when Pride Month ends, there are still eleven other months left in the year. LGBTQ+ people don’t disappear when the decorations come down. We’ve been here long before we had labels for ourselves. We’ve existed in every generation, every culture, every community, and we’ll be here long after we’re gone.This episode is a reminder that while progress has been made, there are still places where our existence is criminalized, where our rights are limited, and where being ourselves comes with a cost. Even in our own backyards, there are people who would prefer we be quieter, smaller, easier to ignore.But we refuse to make ourselves smaller because the cage is small.This is a conversation about growth, authenticity, resilience, and the beautiful reality that who we are now, who we’ve always been, and who we will always be are all worthy of love.Happy Pride.And THAT’s a Pride Convo. 🌈Send us Fan MailRobert Thompson's TedTalk: Dragging Your Identity into Something Fabulous