Episode 17: An Interview with TJ Konesky

I have a discussion with my friend Sattvik Basarkod about religion and desire. We explore some of the overlap between relgious dogma and philosophy, desire, and shame.

Using TJ (from Episode 17) as an example, I take a dive into some aspects of identity that may not be overtly sexual, but they have implications for the sexual self.

Poised for a comeback, TJ Konesky reflects on the past couple years. TJ's public life is not about sex, but this interview uncovers how gender and sexuality norms can influence all parts of life.

This episode summarizes a content analysis I did based on responses to the Lil Nas X video "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" released a couple months ago. The proud queer black artist made waves with this video ripe with religious symbolism, allegory, and allusion. Yet, notably, his identity was not roundly rejected.

Sometimes the only way we can talk about a sexual topic is to joke about it. Jake helps me break down the merits of this approach.

There is a presumption of heterosexuality in our culture, which means that everyone is straight until proven otherwise. I mean, when was the last time you saw someone come out as straight?

Civil commitment is used to hold people who might commit crimes in the future. Black and queer people suffer the most.

Queer people have more mental health problems than their hetero friends. Why? Is it because there's something bad about being gay? Or is there a problem with the way we think about sex and sexual identities? Kenneth takes a queer theory approach to this mental health issue.

Flip Rodriguez announced to the world that he is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. It was a weight lifted from him, and now he can help others navigate trauma by talking about his own.

In this episode, I share some thoughts about a recent lawsuit involving Pornhub. I also mention Section 230 protections, since there have been recent calls to roll back this provision of the Communications Decency Act.