Meet Seda: a fellow Christian who identifies as a transgender woman. Today, we’ll not only hear Seda’s story, but about how Abby and Seda first crossed paths and became friends. This episode is about what lies beyond the obstacles of fear that keep us from one another.

How can we accompany people if we don’t understand what they are experiencing? When cultural forces are eager to put a label on everything, what do we do with experiences that don’t fit neatly into one particular box? And what should Christians do about the question of preferred pronouns? Fr. Raphael Mary Salzillo, O.P., Dr. Julia Sadusky, and Ollie help us find out.

We are into the final four episodes of our series. While we have learned key terms and witnessed powerful stories, a big question still remains: when it comes down to it, what does authentic accompaniment actually look like, for those seeking to serve persons with gender discordance? And what sorts of alienating pitfalls do we need to avoid?

In this episode we’ll hear from lay minister Marlyn Batista about her research into this very topic. Later, Dr. Julia Sadusky and Fr. Raphael Mary Salzillo join us to share their perspectives on accompaniment. We’ll also hear Marie’s story, and identify actions that ultimately do little more than alienate.

Special thanks to Marlyn Batista, Dr. Julia Sadusky, Fr. Raphael Mary Salzillo, O.P., and Marie for being part of today’s episode.

Additional Links:

• The Us Versus Us Study: https://www.amazon.com/Us-versus-Untold-Religion-Community/dp/1631466194

• Learn more about Julia’s work here: https://www.juliasadusky.com/about