The Queer Family Podcast – LGBTQ Families & Queer Parenting Stories

Jaimie Kelton – Queer Parenting & LGBTQ Families'.
  • 4.7 (348)
  • Parenting
  • Updated Weekly

The show all about family; but with gay! A hilarious and heartfelt dive into LGBTQ family life, parenting, and the challenges queer families face. Hosted by queer mom Jaimie Kelton, The Queer Family Podcast brings you weekly interviews with LGBTQIA+ guests exploring how they made their families and how they navigate a world that wasn’t necessarily built for them. The mission? To normalize, elevate, and celebrate queer family life—while proving we’re just like other parents... trying (and often failing) not to lose it when our kid still isn’t wearing shoes and we’re 25 minutes late. Through laughter, honesty, and representation, this show tackles inclusive parenting, family-building journeys, and the age-old question: What’s it really like to raise a family as an LGBTQ person in a world built for the straights?

  1. 3d ago

    From Lesbian Community to Trans Elder: Reid Vanderburgh’s Story

    Reid Vanderburgh spent more than 20 years living in lesbian community before realizing he was trans. More than 30 years later, he's a retired therapist, author, stepfather, chosen grandfather, and proud trans elder. Reid joins Jaimie to talk about finding the language to understand yourself, becoming the therapist he once needed, and why younger generations give him hope. They also explore chosen family, the power of representation, and what Reid calls the most important relationship he ever found—the one with himself. It's a conversation about identity, belonging, empathy, and the gift of becoming who you are. 🏳️‍🌈 Key Takeaways Representation gives us the language to understand ourselves.There's no one "right" way—or timeline—to know who you are.Believe people when they tell you who they are.Sometimes the most important relationship is the one you build with yourself.Our identities can be gifts, not burdens.Chosen family can change—and save—lives.Younger generations aren't creating new identities; they have more freedom to name what's always existed.Progress isn't linear, but Reid's 50+ years in the community give him real hope for what's ahead. 🏳️‍🌈 About the guest(s) Reid Vanderburgh is a retired therapist, author, trans elder, and longtime LGBTQ+ advocate who transitioned more than 30 years ago. After his own experience with therapists who didn't understand what he was going through, Reid became one of the early openly trans therapists dedicated to serving the trans community, working with hundreds of clients throughout his career. He's also an author, longtime member of the Portland Gay Men's Chorus, stepfather, and proud chosen grandfather. 🏳️‍🌈 Resources Mentioned https://reidvanderburgh.com/ 🏳️‍🌈 Interested in advertising? Email thequeerfamilypodcast@gmail.com 🎧 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  🏳️‍🌈 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 Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    From Lesbian Community to Trans Elder: Reid Vanderburgh’s Story

  2. Aug 10

    Parenting Ourselves While Raising Our Kids

    Not every episode about queer families is about making a family. Sometimes it's about healing the person who became one. This week, Jaimie sits down with Bronwin Parks and Elinor Svoboda, hosts of the Late in 88 podcast, to explore the "baby gay" still living inside all of us. Together they unpack growing up queer in the 80s and 90s, the importance of queer history, how today's political attacks echo the past, and why doing our own healing helps us raise more confident, resilient kids. Whether you're a parent or simply someone still unlearning shame, this conversation is a reminder that our stories—and our history—matter. 🏳️‍🌈 Key Takeaways Healing ourselves is part of raising healthy kids.Queer history helps us understand ourselves—and how far we've come.We all have an inner "baby gay" who deserves compassion.Simply living authentically can change hearts and minds.Community and representation matter for every generation.The world we're creating for our kids starts with how we show up today. 🏳️‍🌈 About the guest(s) Bronwin Parks and Elinor Svoboda are lifelong friends and the hosts of Late in 88, a podcast that explores queer history through the lens of their own childhoods growing up in conservative Alberta during the late 1980s and 1990s. Blending personal storytelling with queer history, child psychology, and cultural context, they invite listeners to reconnect with—and heal—their own "baby gay." 🏳️‍🌈 Resources Mentioned Website: https://latein88.com/ Late in 88 Social Media Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/late.in.88/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@late.in.88 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Late.in.88 🏳️‍🌈 Interested in advertising? Email thequeerfamilypodcast@gmail.com 🎧 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  🏳️‍🌈 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 Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    Parenting Ourselves While Raising Our Kids

  3. Aug 3

    She Grew Up With Two Gay Dads in the 70s—Here's What She Wants Parents to Know

    Melissa Pas Blake grew up with two dads—but not in the way many queer families exist today. After losing her mother to cancer at just six years old, Melissa was raised by her father and his lifelong partner, Ken, throughout the 1970s and 80s, long before LGBTQ+ families had visibility or legal protections. In this heartfelt conversation, Melissa shares what it was like growing up in a loving home while her dads remained largely closeted, why their relationship wasn't something anyone talked about, and how she eventually came to understand the extraordinary family she'd always had. Together, Jaimie and Melissa explore what children actually need to thrive, how family is built through consistency and love—not gender—and why representation matters so deeply for the next generation. They also discuss second-parent adoption before it even had a name, coming out as the child of queer parents, and the lasting impact of growing up in a home filled with safety, joy, and unconditional love. 🏳️‍🌈 Key Takeaways Love—not gender—is what makes a family.Children don't need a "perfect" family; they need to feel safe, loved, and significant.Melissa's childhood offers a rare look at queer family life decades before marriage equality.Second-parent adoption existed long before it became common because queer families have always found ways to protect each other.Growing up with queer parents gave Melissa a broader understanding of love, acceptance, and family.Visibility matters because children of LGBTQ+ parents shouldn't have to carry shame or secrecy about the people they love.Even in difficult historical moments, queer families have always existed—and have always been raising wonderful kids. 🏳️‍🌈 About the guest(s) Melissa Pas Blake is a clinical hypnotherapist, heart-healing practitioner, and Parkinson's wellness specialist. Raised by her father and his lifelong partner after losing her mother to cancer at age six, Melissa brings the unique perspective of someone who grew up in a loving gay household during the 1970s and 80s. Today, she helps others heal emotional wounds while sharing her family's story to inspire and support LGBTQ+ families everywhere. 🏳️‍🌈 Resources Mentioned Instagram: @pasitivesolutions/ LinkedIn: Melissa Pas Blake https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissablake2/ Website: pasitivesolutions.com https://pasitivesolutions.com/homecoming/ 🏳️‍🌈 Interested in advertising? Email thequeerfamilypodcast@gmail.com 🎧 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  🏳️‍🌈 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 Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    She Grew Up With Two Gay Dads in the 70s—Here's What She Wants Parents to Know

  4. Jul 20 ·  Bonus

    Why We Need to Reclaim “Lesbian Bed Death”

    When a clip from one of our earlier Tea Time episodes sparked a heated debate online, we knew we had to dedicate an entire episode to it. This week, we're unpacking the history of "lesbian bed death"—where the term came from, why many researchers now reject it, and whether it's time for queer women to reclaim it altogether. We talk about intimacy, consent, long-term relationships, aging, emotional connection, and why comparing queer relationships to heteronormative standards misses the point entirely. Whether you're in a decades-long partnership or just moved in together, this is one of our most thoughtful (and funniest) Tea Time conversations yet. Why You'll Love This Episode This isn't just a conversation about sex—it's a conversation about how queer relationships are often misunderstood. Jaimie and Dianni challenge decades of assumptions, share personal experiences from opposite ends of long-term relationships, and ultimately ask a bigger question: What if we've been measuring intimacy all wrong? 🏳️‍🌈 Key Takeaways The surprising (and problematic) origins of the term "lesbian bed death."Why measuring queer relationships through a heteronormative lens misses the point.How consent, changing bodies, and life stages naturally affect intimacy.Why emotional intimacy often looks different in queer relationships.Jaimie's case for reclaiming "lesbian bed death" as something empowering instead of shameful.A thoughtful discussion about comparing relationships—and why frequency isn't the same as satisfaction. 🏳️‍🌈 About the guest(s) Dianni is Jaimie’s friend, fellow queer human, and co-host of Tea Time with Jaimie & Dianni, a short-form bonus series featuring casual, unfiltered conversations about their very different queer little lives. Together, they spill the tea on what’s happening behind the scenes, compare notes across generations and life stages, and talk about the things that don’t always make it into a regular episode of The Queer Family Podcast. Funny, curious, and always ready to ask the follow-up question, Dianni helps turn Tea Time into the kind of conversation that feels like eavesdropping on two friends catching up. 🏳️‍🌈 Interested in advertising? Email thequeerfamilypodcast@gmail.com 🎧 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: Dianni Hall 🏳️‍🌈 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 Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    Why We Need to Reclaim “Lesbian Bed Death”

  5. Jul 13 ·  Bonus

    Tea Time: What Comes After Cancer?

    Anne has officially finished her final cancer treatment. In this special Tea Time episode, Jaimie sits down with her pal Dianni for an honest conversation about what comes next for her family after a year and a half of chemotherapy, surgeries, radiation, targeted treatment, and caregiving. Jaimie talks about how cancer changed their family, what it was like watching their children navigate the journey, rebuilding intimacy after illness, and the unexpected routines that helped her stay grounded through it all. It's a quieter, more vulnerable conversation than usual—one about hope, healing, and finding your way forward after surviving something life-changing 🏳️‍🌈 Key Takeaways Anne reaches the end of her cancer treatment journey.What healing looks like after months of surviving.How caregiving changes a marriage.Supporting children through a parent's illness.Finding routines that provide comfort during difficult seasons.Holding onto tenderness after trauma. 🏳️‍🌈 About the guest(s) Dianni is Jaimie’s friend, fellow queer human, and co-host of Tea Time with Jaimie & Dianni, a short-form bonus series featuring casual, unfiltered conversations about their very different queer little lives. Together, they spill the tea on what’s happening behind the scenes, compare notes across generations and life stages, and talk about the things that don’t always make it into a regular episode of The Queer Family Podcast. Funny, curious, and always ready to ask the follow-up question, Dianni helps turn Tea Time into the kind of conversation that feels like eavesdropping on two friends catching up. 🏳️‍🌈 Interested in advertising? Email thequeerfamilypodcast@gmail.com 🎧 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 🏳️‍🌈 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. 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

    Tea Time: What Comes After Cancer?

  6. Jul 6 ·  Bonus

    The Secret Test I Give Every Podcast Guest

    What really happens behind the scenes of The Queer Family Podcast? 👀 In this special preview of Tea Time with Jaimie & Dianni, Jaimie is spilling the tea on podcast guest pet peeves, the secret ways she can tell whether someone pitching themselves for the show has actually listened, and what happens when people come on with an agenda of their own. Yes, there are secret tests. Yes, Jaimie knows when you’ve only watched a few social clips. And yes… she has feelings. 😬 This is just a preview. Listen to the full episode—and binge more short, fun, unfiltered Tea Time with Jaimie & Dianni episodes—on the exclusive subscriber feed or Patreon. 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

    The Secret Test I Give Every Podcast Guest

  7. Jul 6 ·  Bonus

    The Secret Test I Give Every Podcast Guest

    Tea Time with Jaimie & Dianni is a subscriber-only bonus series where Jaimie and her friend Dianni sit down for short, fun, unfiltered conversations about their very different queer little lives. It’s casual, behind-the-scenes, and a little messy—in the best way. This week, the tea is hot. ☕️ Jaimie and Dianni are pulling back the curtain on what really happens behind the scenes of The Queer Family Podcast—from the secret ways Jaimie can tell whether a potential guest has actually listened to the show to people who come on just to push their wares, and one particularly frustrating mansplaining interview. Jaimie opens up about what it takes to produce the show, why she feels so protective of her audience, and what happens when a guest confidently pushes back with information she knows isn’t right. Plus: the very specific question hiding in Jaimie’s guest questionnaire that tells her almost everything she needs to know. 👀 Short, messy, unfiltered, and a little feisty. Just how Tea Time should be. 🏳️‍🌈 Key Takeaways Jaimie has a few sneaky ways of figuring out whether potential guests have actually listened to The Queer Family Podcast.A great pitch doesn’t always mean someone understands the show—or the assignment.Behind every episode is a lot of time, care, research, and money, which makes it especially frustrating when guests show up unprepared.Jaimie shares what happens when a guest confidently pushes back with information she knows isn’t right.Protecting the audience sometimes means challenging misinformation, even when it creates an uncomfortable moment.The heart of The Queer Family Podcast will always be everyday LGBTQIA+ families sharing stories that deserve to be heard. 🏳️‍🌈 About the guest(s) Dianni is Jaimie’s friend, fellow queer human, and co-host of Tea Time with Jaimie & Dianni, a short-form bonus series featuring casual, unfiltered conversations about their very different queer little lives. Together, they spill the tea on what’s happening behind the scenes, compare notes across generations and life stages, and talk about the things that don’t always make it into a regular episode of The Queer Family Podcast. Funny, curious, and always ready to ask the follow-up question, Dianni helps turn Tea Time into the kind of conversation that feels like eavesdropping on two friends catching up. 🏳️‍🌈 Interested in advertising? Email thequeerfamilypodcast@gmail.com 🎧 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 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

    The Secret Test I Give Every Podcast Guest

  8. Jun 29

    They Raised a Family While Hiding Their Love | The Rainbow Aunties

    Wilma and Marilyn—better known as The Rainbow Aunties—have loved each other for more than four decades. But for much of that time, they couldn't live openly as a couple. In this moving conversation, they share how they fell in love in college while Marilyn was in a relationship with a man, why they spent years hiding their relationship, and how military policies, religion, fear, and the threat of losing their children shaped every decision they made. Despite every obstacle, they quietly built a family together, raised two daughters, became grandparents, and eventually found the courage to tell the world the truth about their love. This episode is a powerful reminder that Pride exists because generations before us fought simply to love openly. Wilma and Marilyn's story is one of resilience, sacrifice, family, and a love that never let go. 🏳️‍🌈 Key Takeaways Love can survive extraordinary circumstances when rooted in commitment.LGBTQ elders paved the way for the freedoms many queer families experience today.Family building doesn't always follow traditional paths.Living authentically sometimes takes decades—and that's okay.Protecting children often meant remaining closeted for older generations.Representation matters at every age.Pride is both a celebration and a remembrance of those who couldn't safely live out loud.🏳️‍🌈 About the guest(s) Wilma and Marilyn, known online as @therainbowaunties_, are authors, content creators, grandparents, and longtime advocates for LGBTQ visibility. Together for more than forty years, they share stories about love, aging, family, and queer history with warmth, humor, and honesty. Through their social media and their memoir, From Pain to Love: Our Journey Outside the Rainbow, they remind people of every generation that it's never too late to live authentically. 🏳️‍🌈 Thanks to our sponsors California Cryobank Use code QUEERFAM26 for a free level 3 subscription to their donor catalogue! 🏳️‍🌈 Interested in advertising? Email thequeerfamilypodcast@gmail.com 🎧 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  🏳️‍🌈 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 Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

    They Raised a Family While Hiding Their Love | The Rainbow Aunties
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4.7
out of 5
348 Ratings

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The show all about family; but with gay! A hilarious and heartfelt dive into LGBTQ family life, parenting, and the challenges queer families face. Hosted by queer mom Jaimie Kelton, The Queer Family Podcast brings you weekly interviews with LGBTQIA+ guests exploring how they made their families and how they navigate a world that wasn’t necessarily built for them. The mission? To normalize, elevate, and celebrate queer family life—while proving we’re just like other parents... trying (and often failing) not to lose it when our kid still isn’t wearing shoes and we’re 25 minutes late. Through laughter, honesty, and representation, this show tackles inclusive parenting, family-building journeys, and the age-old question: What’s it really like to raise a family as an LGBTQ person in a world built for the straights?

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