We take a bite out of queer and trans affirming healthcare with Asher Wickell (they/he) a family & marriage therapist based in Wichita, KS. We get philosophical in our exploration of what healing looks like in the face of perpetual harm, how the pandemic has unearthed realizations about the flaws in our healthcare systems, and what a future of affirming care could look like when the current system becomes obsolete. 

Additional resources & references from this episode: 

• The Care We Dream Of by Zena Sharman– through a series of essays this book offers possibilities for more liberatory and transformative approaches to LGBTQ+ health and healing. 
• The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism– journalist and author Naomi Klein investigates how corporate, governmental and private interests are moved forward in the aftermath of major disasters. 
• Dean Spade on the Promise of Mutual Aid– an interview with Dean Spade, author of Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During this Crisis (And the Next)
• “Can therapy solve racism?” – a recent episode on the podcast Code Switch exploring if therapy is a useful tool for addressing the impacts of anti-Blackness. 
• The Nonlinearity of Healing with Spenta Kandawalla– a recent episode of the Emergent Strategy podcast about centering our material well-being in movement work 

For questions, comments or feedback about this episode: lastbite@sgdinstitute.org 

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Host: R.B. Brooks, they/them, director of programs for the Midwest Institute for Sexuality & Gender Diversity 

Cover art: Adrienne McCormick