Found Family with MaryB. Safrit MaryB. Safrit

Today's episode is the story of a celibate gay man who finds family through committed friendship and embracing clarity and different convictions in the LGBTQ+ Christian community. 
Art Pereira (he/him) was born in Minas Gerais, Brazil, and immigrated to the United States at the age of four. Having navigated marginalization from a young age both as an immigrant and a gay man, Art has a heart for community-building across cultural divides. After earning a BS in Youth Ministry from Nyack College, Art spent the last ten years working in youth ministry, growing his own heart for discipleship and pastoral care. 
Art has spoken at Revoice conferences and several podcasts on the topics of sexuality, faith, and community. He currently resides in Bernardsville, NJ, where he shares an apartment with his chosen brother and 60+ houseplants.
In this episode, you'll hear Art and I discuss
How to navigate differences in conviction and theology with nuance and inclusivityMaking and keeping friends through life changesThe found family of immigrant churches Why we can retire from being the morality policeand trusting the Holy Spirit will do their thing with others. You can learn more about revoice and get your tickets to the June conference at revoice.org. Use code REVOICEPOD for $10 off your ticket. Follow @ revoiceorg on the 'gram for updates and encouragement, and follow @ art_per for pictures of coffee and plants. 

Today's episode is the story of a 40-year-old intentional community in San Francisco, as told by a self-professed granny queer who's seen the LGBTQ Christian scene evolve since she came out in her thirties. 
Lin Melone (she/her) is a member of the Church of the Sojourners, an intentional Christian community in San Francisco, California. She has spoken at LGBTQ Christian conferences such as Q Christian Fellowship, Revoice, and E3, and presented workshops at children's ministry conferences on how to make churches more welcoming for LGBTQ youth and families. She also serves on the QCF EDI Advisory. She is the queer mom of a grown son from a former mixed-orientation marriage, and after retiring from a career as a Montessori teacher, she currently works for Catholic Charities in homelessness prevention.
In this episode, you'll hear Lin and I discuss 
Creating inclusive, empowering spaces for diverse beliefs, convictions, and experiences Tips for keeping your community from veering into cult territoryHow to structure a flexible community that works for its peopleand the importance of having non-negotiable and negotiable values--and knowing what yours are! You can learn more about Lin's church and community at churchofthesojourners.org. If you'd like to support Red Letter Christians, head to redletterchristians.org. Their Gaza Peace Pilgrimage has already happened, but Red Letter Christians and the organizations that also organized the pilgrimage are still active in calls for a ceasefire. Lin particularly recommends checking out and supporting Freedom Road. You can find ways to do so at freedomroad.us

Welcome to our very first episode as Found Family! I can't think of a better conversation to kick things off. Today, I'm talking to Nia and Katie Chiaramonte.
Nia Chiaramonte holds a BA in psychology from the University of Northern Iowa and an MBA in Human Resources from Northwest Missouri State. She is currently the Executive Director of Human Resources for a non-profit near Washington DC. Nia spent the first thirty-five years of her life hiding in plain sight, scared to be who she is and scared of what it might cost her. While the cost has been high, the reward of being free has been worth it. She is cofounder of Love in the Face, an organization to help and support other transgender and LGBTQIA+ individuals on their own journeys of self-discovery.
Katie J. Chiaramonte holds a BA in family services from the University of Northern Iowa and is a sendee of The LivingSchool. In addition, she is a certified reproductive doula. After over fifteen years of formal and informal lay ministry in the Christian tradition, Katie has found that love has brought her out into a more spacious place where tradition melts away and all things connect in a wide and endless web
Y'all are going to love Nia and Katie. In this episode, you'll hear us talk about:
What is queer family, and how to embrace itNavigating the coming out journey with family and communityA nontoxic practice of forgiveness The generative synergy of queer community and creative community and more!!Thanks for listening! Embracing Queer Family is available wherever you buy books. Nia and Katie are on Instagram @finding.nia and @katiechiaramonte. You can listen to their podcast, Love in the Face wherever you get podcasts. Learn more about their work at loveintheface.com

Many of us have been sold the idea that family is a matter of blood and legally binding agreements. But something in you knows that can't be all there is. But what is the alternative to the model we've been given? 
Welcome to Found Family. Every Tuesday, I have honest conversations with our dynamite guests, celebrating the creative ways they make community in their actual lives and providing tips about how you can do the same. 
Our first episode drops next Tuesday, so make sure to hit that follow button wherever you're listening so you don't miss any of the dynamite interviews we have coming up! That's all for now. Catch you on the flippity flop. 

After 11 seasons, 127 episodes, and 99 interviews with single Christians, Unsuitable is evolving. I use the word "evolve" very intentionally here. While we will be operating under a new name and fresh branding, our beating heart will remain the same. All existing episodes will stay up and available. If you're following us on your fav podcast app, you won't have to re-follow us when we re-launch. We will continue to center single folks creating community in their actual lives. We will also center queer folks and others whose stories and wisdom have not been cherished by the white evangelical church. We will also no longer be an exclusively Christian podcast, as we believe there are glimmers of God's goodness everywhere. And it's often those who have been cast aside by institutions like the church who have the clearest vision for creating spaces of inclusion and belonging.
Exciting changes are coming in just a few short weeks. However, this is a sort of ending. To honor what we've built over the past five years and thank our faithful listeners, I've written y'all a love letter. You know I think the world of you, so sit back and relax as I attempt to put my feelings into words.

To all my Unsuitable pals, stay tuned for what's coming up. I'm never not grateful for you. Thank you for listening, whether you are new to these parts or you've been following us for years. We truly appreciate how you've hung with us as we've grown and particularly as I've come out. You are open and curious and always prove me right when I believe the very best about you. You can follow along with what's coming up on my Instagram @ maryb.safrit, or by getting on the email list at marybsafrit.com/links. Cannot wait to share what's next for Unsuitable.

Meg Baatz is the co-founder of Kaleidoscope, a New York–based organization helping provide LGBTQ+ people with tangible expressions of Jesus. Meg is a bridge-builder and ministry educator whose desire is to see people grow personally and engage locally in diverse communities – particularly at the intersection of sexuality, gender, and spiritual life with Jesus. Prior to launching Kaleidoscope, Meg spent 6 years educating ministry leaders on enhancing LGBTQ+ inclusion and care. Meg holds a degree in Social Work from Colorado State University.


In today's episode, you'll hear Meg and I talk about: 
why church folks need to let go of our need to appear righteousrefocusing how we use our privilegewhat aspiring allies to the LGBTQ+ community need to know when starting that journey, how to not pass on false gospels and despairand the barriers queer people face when trying to stay with JesusYou can follow Kaleidoscope on Instagram and TikTok @kaleidoscope.usa. Check out the episode description for all the links to the amazing resources Meg talked about. You can follow Meg on Instagram @kaleidomeg

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It's no secret that many singles feel like outsiders in the church. That's why we've created a Patreon community. For a small monthly fee, you can get access to bonus content, plus a community where your voice and presence are valued. Tiers start at just $5/month. Sign up at patreon.com/unsuitable. I can't wait to see you there! 

The Single Christian's Church Survival Guide isn’t a book about how to get un-single. It's about how to navigate a culture obsessed with marriage as a human who is not married. Each chapter breaks down a common scenario, why it’s weird, and contextual options on how to respond. If you’re done accepting the same tired interactions that leave you discouraged and disempowered, head to Amazon and get your copy of The Single Christian's Church Survival Guide now!