Hey, fam, it's me, Amara. Welcome to the TransLash podcast, a show where we tell

trans stories to save trans lives. Not surprisingly, parenting is full of expectations,

about gender roles and what a family is supposed to look like.

And this can be even more challenging for parents who exist outside of the binary, of motherhood

and fatherhood. That's why in this episode we're talking about what it means to parent as a non-binary

person, the language, the joy, the struggles

of raising kids while also claiming your truth.

To guide us through this first conversation of its kind here on the TransLash podcast, I'm

joined by artist, educator, and parent, Johnny Blazes.

Even people who called me by the right pronouns really consistently, there was this gap,

this jump in their thinking where they would automatically then call me mom.

But before we dive in, I just want to give you a heads up that I am recording this interview while on the road,

so I probably will sound slightly different than I do

when we're all meat and tidy and crisp in a studio. Now with that, let's get started as always

with some trans joy. Have you wondered what it would be like to grow up in a world that embraces all children for exactly who they are?

Well, based in Philadelphia, Kai Yangni is a non-binary illustrator and muralist,

whose radiant, justice-driven art imagines a freer world for people of all ages.

Their colorful illustrations appear in books like

not he or she, I'm Me, as well as Ibram X. Kendi's adaptation of the making of butterflies.

You can also find their work on murals and billboards that transform public space into visions of love, resistance, and

collective care.

Here's Cod to tell us about how being the illustrator of the award-winning children's book,

...