Who in the Bible transgresses and transcends gender? Ebed Malech in Jeremiah 38 is a foreigner and a sexual and gender minority--an Ethiopian eunuch.Peterson Toscano, a cisgender, gay Bible scholar unpacks this story then discusses it with Liam.

Then Liam reads "another text" by Yehuda Amichai. 

Mother and son are brought into the family then become outsiders. Liam shares the moving story of Hagar and Ishmael and compares their experiences in Genesis chapters 16 and 21 to experiences of LGBTQ people today. 

Peterson then shares "another text," and reads a passage from the ancient poem, The Epic of Gilgamesh. 

How does one learn about the alternatives to paying half your federal income tax to the military? Lincoln Rice, coordinator for the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee (NWTRCC.org) sent out a message about groups doing that kind of education around Tax Day 2019. We visit with Lincoln about that report, and his work with the Casa Maria Catholic Worker House in Milwaukee, and with Sue Barnhart of Eugene, Oregon's Taxes For Peace Not War.

Past/current religious/spiritual influences:
Catholic, Catholic Worker

Liam Michael Hooper, a Trans Bible scholar loves to dig deep into Bible texts, especially in the Hebrew Bible. As co-host of Bible Bash Podcast, he begins in the beginning in the Book of Genesis. He unearths an earth creature who is not assigned a gender at creation. 

Peter Phippen is best known, perhaps, as a master of the flute - actually many different types of flutes, including those of Native American origin. That is, in fact, what earned him a Grammy nomination back in 2010. But Peter is all about all music, so you'll also frequently encounter him rocking out on his bass and whatever other form of music and instrumentation the moment calls for. In particular, his ability to improvise soul-deep on his flutes is known to transport listeners young and old.

Tyler Norman and the folks of the Mutual Aid Disaster Relief network are exploring and implementing a new way to deal with the rising number of disasters that have been demanding rapid response, including those caused by climate change, like floods, hurricanes, and fires. Using a horizontal and co-conspirator model of organizing, they've leveraged lots of solutions to bring people together in strength. Their motto is Solidarity Not Charity.

Nicole Chatterson at the University of Hawaii and Dominic Scicchitano at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania have spent a lot of time in the water. Nicole talks about plastic pollution she has been hauling up in the Pacific Ocean while Dominic shares his findings regarding micro-plastics in the Susquehanna River. The segment helps listeners connect plastic production and pollution with climate change. What happens to our trash once we throw it out?

Our justice system is deeply flawed, and one of the forces working to repair the breaks is MOSES (Madison Organizing in Strength, Equality, and Solidarity), a congregation-based community effort to transform the criminal justice norms of Madison, WI, as part of a statewide organization, WISDOM, which is affiliated nationwide with Gamaliel. Eric Howland is President of MOSES, and, among other things, was a founder of station WIDE-LP FM.

Kora Feder paints the sky, beautifully, with her words and melodies. Drawing on years living around the world, notably in Asia, and nurtured by musically-gifted parents like Rita Hosking & Sean Feder, Kora creates her very own style and power of music, wrestling with life and meaning with heart, wisdom, & creativity.

Our democratic republic has been seriously undermined, particularly over the past 10-15 years, but fortunately there are people like Jay Heck, executive director of Common Cause - Wisconsin, working diligently to rebuild the structures of democracy. Common Cause works nationally for government of, by, and for the people by fighting against gerrymandering, voter suppression, & buying elections, and working for ethics, accountability, & voting rights.

Past/current religious/spiritual influences:
Catholic, Non-affiliated, Unitarian Universalist