Gender Spiral with Ally Beardsley and Babette Thomas

Ally Beardsley & Babette Thomas
  • 4.7 (217)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Gender Spiral is an award-winning podcast about being a varied, ever-changing human in a world built around categories. Through interviews with trans and queer guests - the experts on reinvention and evolution- hosts Ally Beardsley (Dropout) and Babette Thomas (Yale University) investigate how we as humans relate to, reject, and reimagine the boxes society puts us in. Support us at patreon.com/GenderSpiralPodcast. Gender Spiral with Ally Beardsley and Babette Thomas is an Audiation Original production.

  1. Season 3 Highlights (w/ Ally & Babette)

    FEB 12

    Season 3 Highlights (w/ Ally & Babette)

    It's been a month since season 3 ended, so we decided to catch up and reflect! Here are some of our favorite moments from this season, plus an update on what's going on in our own lives. Here are the clips you heard in this episode (in order): Ericka Hart & Ebony Donnelly, "Parenting on Purpose" Kamra Hakim, "Community Care in the Catskills" Cass Adair, "A Baby? In This Economy?" Judith Butler, "Judith Butler Talks About Their Gender" J Wortham, "There is No Solo Future" River Nice, "Money Sucks -And- You Can Do It" Judith Butler (again), "Judith Butler Talks About Their Gender" Make sure to go back and re-listen to these and all of our other episodes from season 3 during our hiatus! And sign up for our Patreon for bonus content including video interviews and more. Hosted by Ally Beardsley and Babette Thomas, Gender Spiral is a quest to explore the modern experience of being a human in our gendered world. Subscribe/follow/rate/review us to help us out. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok to keep up with all things Gender Spiral. Find transcripts at genderspiralpod.com/episodes, and check out our merch store at genderspiralpod.com/merch!

    36 min
  2. Kiki (and Bouba) with Ally & Babette

    JAN 1

    Kiki (and Bouba) with Ally & Babette

    Happy New Year! We took some time to catch up with each other, look back on season 3, and discuss Sandra Bullock's secret lesbian club (and Heated Rivalry, ofc). We also responded to some listener voicemails! Thanks for spiraling with us in 2025! Season 3 was our biggest season yet, but we've got so much more spiraling to do in 2026. Stay tuned! Hosted by Ally Beardsley and Babette Thomas, Gender Spiral is a quest to explore the modern experience of being a human in our gendered world. Subscribe/follow/rate/review us to help us out, and support us on Patreon at patreon.com/GenderSpiralPodcast. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok to keep up with all things Gender Spiral. Find transcripts at genderspiralpod.com/episodes, and check out our merch store at genderspiralpod.com/merch!

    46 min
  3. Judith Butler Talks About Their Gender (w/ Judith Butler)

    12/15/2025

    Judith Butler Talks About Their Gender (w/ Judith Butler)

    The legendary gender philosopher and scholar Judith Butler tells us about their personal relationship to non-binary identity. They also provide insight on the global rise of anti-trans ideology, the subject of their 2024 book "Who's Afraid of Gender?" Hosted by Ally Beardsley and Babette Thomas, Gender Spiral is a quest to explore the modern experience of being a human in our gendered world. Subscribe/follow/rate/review us to help us out, and support us on Patreon at patreon.com/GenderSpiralPodcast. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok to keep up with all things Gender Spiral. Find transcripts at genderspiralpod.com/episodes, and check out our merch store at genderspiralpod.com/merch!

    54 min
  4. There is No Solo Future (w/ J Wortham)

    12/02/2025

    There is No Solo Future (w/ J Wortham)

    What are the practical skills you need to survive the apocalypse? Writer, podcast host, culture afficionado, and reiki practioner J Wortham has done the research (and watched a lot of Survivor). J shares what they learned during their survivalism crash-course on a remote island in Mexico, tells us about their reiki and breathwork practices, and examines why dissasociation might not always be a bad thing. Keep up with J Wortham on Instagram @jennydeluxe, and on Substack. Check out their first book "Black Futures," their article "My 10-Day Crash Course on Surviving the Apocalypse," and their podcast "Still Processing." Hosted by Ally Beardsley and Babette Thomas, Gender Spiral is a quest to explore the modern experience of being a human in our gendered world. Subscribe/follow/rate/review us to help us out, and support us on Patreon at patreon.com/GenderSpiralPodcast. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok to keep up with all things Gender Spiral. Find transcripts at genderspiralpod.com/episodes, and check out our merch store at genderspiralpod.com/merch!

    41 min
  5. Suing the Government (w/ Zander Schlacter)

    11/18/2025

    Suing the Government (w/ Zander Schlacter)

    Artist Zander Schlacter and his lawyer Carl Charles from Lambda Legal explain the effects of the Tr*mp administration's executive order barring trans folks from obtaining passports with their correct gender markers, and why Zander is suing the US State Department about it. For more information about Zander's case, visit lambdalegal.org. Find Zander on Instagram @zanderschlacter, and check out the reel he posted when his case was filed. Hosted by Ally Beardsley and Babette Thomas, Gender Spiral is a quest to explore the modern experience of being a human in our gendered world. Subscribe/follow/rate/review us to help us out, and support us on Patreon at patreon.com/GenderSpiralPodcast. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok to keep up with all things Gender Spiral. Find transcripts at genderspiralpod.com/episodes, and check out our merch store at genderspiralpod.com/merch!

    34 min
  6. Transitions and Tattoos (w/ Eoin McGraw)

    11/04/2025

    Transitions and Tattoos (w/ Eoin McGraw)

    You might already know Eoin from our live show in Chicago this past May, but you're about to get to know him even better! Before the show that day, we got a chance to talk with him in-depth about the world of powerlifting, having a cis identical twin, and why for Eoin, tattooing, sexuality and gender are all intricately connected. Then, we got tatted! Find Eoin on Instagram @eoin_mcgraw and book a tattoo if you're in the Chicago area, we highly recommend his work! He also travels for guest spots, so keep an eye out in case he comes to your city. Hosted by Ally Beardsley and Babette Thomas, Gender Spiral is a quest to explore the modern experience of being a human in our gendered world. Subscribe/follow/rate/review us to help us out, and support us on Patreon at patreon.com/GenderSpiralPodcast. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok to keep up with all things Gender Spiral. Find transcripts at genderspiralpod.com/episodes, and check out our merch store at genderspiralpod.com/merch!

    1h 1m
  7. The Revolution Will Be Self-Published (w/ Sasha Fuentes)

    10/21/2025

    The Revolution Will Be Self-Published (w/ Sasha Fuentes)

    The multi-talented Sasha Fuentes tells us about developing his queer archival practice, collecting vintage gay p*rn, and the importance of print media in the age of digital censorship. And stick around to the end of the episode: our very special season finale guest, the legendary Judith Butler(!), joins in to discuss bridging intergenerational differences within the queer community. Follow Sasha on Instagram @three6sashiaa, and get their zines and screenprints on their webstore. Stay tuned for our full episode with Judith Butler in December! Hosted by Ally Beardsley and Babette Thomas, Gender Spiral is a quest to explore the modern experience of being a human in our gendered world. Subscribe/follow/rate/review us to help us out, and support us on Patreon at patreon.com/GenderSpiralPodcast. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok to keep up with all things Gender Spiral. Find transcripts at genderspiralpod.com/episodes, and check out our merch store at genderspiralpod.com/merch!

    1h 1m
  8. Community Care in the Catskills (w/ Kamra Hakim)

    10/07/2025

    Community Care in the Catskills (w/ Kamra Hakim)

    Everyone wants to run away from society and build a queer homestead with their polycule, but what does it actually take to make that happen? We talk to artist and organizer Kamra Hakim about the land they bought in upstate New York, the artist residency/community space they created on it, and why conflict management is actually the most important skill in an off-grid queer community (besides knowing how to fix a generator). Hosted by Ally Beardsley and Babette Thomas, Gender Spiral is a quest to explore the modern experience of being a human in our gendered world. You can find Kamra on Instagram @almostkarmabutnotquite, and Activation Residency @activationresidency. Check out Kamra's music on Bandcamp and their book Care Manual: Dreaming Care Into Being at Flower Press. Subscribe/follow/rate/review us to help us out, and support us on Patreon at patreon.com/GenderSpiralPodcast. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok to keep up with all things Gender Spiral. Find transcripts at genderspiralpod.com/episodes, and check out our merch store at genderspiralpod.com/merch!

    55 min
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4.7
out of 5
217 Ratings

About

Gender Spiral is an award-winning podcast about being a varied, ever-changing human in a world built around categories. Through interviews with trans and queer guests - the experts on reinvention and evolution- hosts Ally Beardsley (Dropout) and Babette Thomas (Yale University) investigate how we as humans relate to, reject, and reimagine the boxes society puts us in. Support us at patreon.com/GenderSpiralPodcast. Gender Spiral with Ally Beardsley and Babette Thomas is an Audiation Original production.

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