There's a contradiction at the root of our society.

The myth of rugged individualism, the image of the solo, self-sufficient person, is often

actually reinforced by sanctioned sameness, a fear of wild, raw, beautiful life, of the

vastness of difference.

We get reduced to replicated genders, uncurious narrow thinking, and stifled love.

Today we talk with Alok Manon about gender, but more than that we talk about living honestly

and openly, celebrating our bodies and brilliance and unleashing love in every encounter.

Alok is a writer, artist, performer, with work that explores trauma, belonging, and the

human condition.

They are the author of Beyond the Gender Binary, Fem and public, and your wound my garden.

We really hope you enjoy this conversation.

I'm so grateful that we get to be in conversation today.

Alok, thank you for saying yes to this podcast and to this conversation.

Welcome.

Thanks for having me.

So this podcast is finding our way, and the question that we're holding in this podcast

is basically what do we need to know to face into this moment, the unknown of this moment,

and we have brought together thinkers, artists, political organizers, all kinds of people

that we feel like have some element, some piece of the puzzle that helps us find our way

forward in this moment.

And so I begin every conversation with this question of how would you define where we are,

just from your vantage point, from your work, where are we?

...