Profiles in LGBTQ+ Courage: Real Stories of Identity & Acceptance

In this episode of Profiles in LGBTQ+ Courage, host Rick Koonce sits down with 16-year-old activist and student Bradley Forcier, whose story is both inspiring and timely. Bradley, a rising junior at Falmouth Academy, shares how coming out at age 12 sparked his passion for advocacy, community involvement, and political engagement. From leading in his school’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance to starting the process of launching a local chapter of the ACLU, Bradley is already creating meaningful change. He opens up about navigating high school as a young gay man, supporting transgender friends, and his vision for a more inclusive future. Bradley also talks about his deep interest in American politics, his science fair project on bias in public opinion polls, and his dream of becoming a civil rights attorney or elected official. This episode is a powerful reminder of the resilience and optimism of LGBTQ+ youth, and the difference they are making every day. Takeaways: Tune in for an inspiring conversation with one of tomorrow’s changemakers. Please click the button to subscribe so you don't miss any episodes and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. For more information, visit the PFLAG Cape Cod website: https://www.pflagcapecod.org/podcasts.html © 2020 - 2025 PFLAG Cape Cod

Have you ever wondered what courage looks like in the LGBTQ+ community? In my podcast series, Profiles in LGBTQ+ Courage, I share the powerful, authentic stories of individuals and families navigating the complex issues of sexual orientation, gender identity, self acceptance, and human love. From coming out journeys and gender transitions to parents learning how to support their children, these intimate conversations reveal the strength it takes for all of us to live and love authentically. I'm your host, Rick Koonce. With decades of experience as a journalist and interviewer, I'm here to share stories that will educate, inspire, and remind you that none of us walks this path of life alone. So today, I'm asking you to subscribe to Profiles in LGBTQ+ Courage wherever you listen to podcasts and and join us in celebrating the bravery it takes to live your truth and life authentically.

State Senator Julian Cyr represents Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket in the Massachusetts State Senate. First elected to office in 2016, Cyr is among the youngest senators in the 40-member body. He serves as the Senate Assistant Majority Whip, as Chair of the Joint Committee on Housing, and as Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on public health. A native of Cape Cod, Cyr spent 14 summers washing dishes and waiting tables at Adrian’s restaurant, a popular eaterie in Truro where his parents were the proprietors for many years. Cyr says that experience was character building, taught him a lot about life, and helped shape his commitment to serving constituents today. In this wide-ranging interview with PFLAG Cape Cod’s Rick Koonce, Cyr talks not only about his political career and aspirations, but also about his legislative priorities for the Cape and Islands – among them affordable housing, healthcare, and dealing with the reality of climate change. He also shares his personal back story – about “coming of age” as a young gay man in the 1990s… And about how being gay --- and a native of Cape Cod – forever shaped his approach to life, politics, and public service today. Please click the button to subscribe so you don't miss any episodes and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. For more information, visit the PFLAG Cape Cod website: https://www.pflagcapecod.org/podcasts.html © 2020 - 2025 PFLAG Cape Cod

Finn Allen (formerly Wanda Mae). Wanda Mae was a little girl raised in a household with an alcoholic mother, an abusive father, and two sisters. She never felt “at home” in her female body, even though at an early age she excelled at sports and was a stand-out school athlete. From the age of 4 or 5, Wanda Mae felt like a boy, not a girl. But in her childhood, she didn’t have a lot of time to dwell on all that. And there was nobody to talk to about her shame, discomfort, and confusion. At home, after her father left, Wanda Mae was beaten by her mother and her boyfriend, before eventually being sent to foster care, where she was abused again. In the years that followed, Wanda Mae TRIED to find herself. She married a man, became an alcoholic and took the occasional hit of cocaine. At times she was suicidal. And then, she got into recovery. Fast forward several decades to today. Today, Wanda Mae is Finn Allen, a 57-year-old transgender tax attorney for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. As he tells PFLAG Cape Cod’s Rick Koonce in this raw interview, at the age of 52 Wanda Mae finally embraced her masculine identity, changed her name, began the transitioning process, and came out publicly as a trans man in 2020. “I spent the first 50-something years of my life living someone else’s life,” he says. “Today, I’m finally feeling free to live my real life, and be my authentic self, free of shame and confusion. “What a gift it is to finally realize, “I finally get to be ME!” Please click the button to subscribe so you don't miss any episodes and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. For more information, visit the PFLAG Cape Cod website: https://www.pflagcapecod.org/podcasts.html © 2020 - 2025 PFLAG Cape Cod

Joan and Rick Francolini are the parents of a bisexual daughter, Renee, who’s about to marry a transgender man. They’re also committed social justice advocates who recently organized the first-ever Lower Cape Pride celebration on Cape Cod. Dubbed, “Unity in Community,” the three-day event, a multi-generational celebration of LGBTQ+ pride, drew hundreds of people to the towns of Orleans and Brewster, Massachusetts in June 2025. Activities included a parade, an LGBTQ+ community resource fair, musical performances, and an exhibit about the history of drag. Also featured was a panel discussion on how the LGBTQ+ community can effectively combat the homophobia and transphobia, being fostered today, by many conservative political leaders and media influencers. As Joan and Rick tell PFLAG Cape Cod’s Rick Koonce in this interview, the couple got the idea for the event after seeing the transformative impact of small-town Pride celebrations in Maine, where their daughter and her fiancé live. They noticed that those events brought visibility, joy, and solidarity to the queer community there. As committed LGBTQ+ allies, Joan and Rick soon realized that Lower Cape Cod needed a Pride event of its OWN, separate from traditional pride activities staged each year in Provincetown. Planning Lower Cape Pride quickly became a labor of love for both Joan and Rick, who tapped many elements of their local community to support the event. Over the course of several months, they brought together neighbors, LGBTQ+ volunteers, local businesspeople, political and civic leaders, artists, musicians, and others to make Lower Cape Pride a crowd-pleasing event -- far exceeding what either Joan or Rick had initially anticipated. Please click the button to subscribe so you don't miss any episodes and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. For more information, visit the PFLAG Cape Cod website: https://www.pflagcapecod.org/podcasts.html © 2020 - 2025 PFLAG Cape Cod

The Trump Administration’s explicit animus toward transgender people is a well-documented and very public fact. Starting in his first term and now in his second, President Trump and his Administration have carried out a systematic, years-long effort to roll back protections for LGBTQ+ people. Beginning in January 2025, the Administration issued a series of executive orders specifically targeted at trans people. Trump’s directives include targeting transgender students, banning trans Americans from military service, and giving federal agencies the go ahead to overtly discriminate against their trans employees. While the Administration’s discrimination against transgender people is taking many forms, and fostering fear in people who identify as trans, it’s also impacting the friends and families of those who identify as transgender. Roger Smith is a novelist and retired history teacher who lives in Brewster, MA. He’s also the father of a transgender son, Alex, whom he loves dearly. In this poignant interview with PFLAG Cape Cod’s Rick Koonce, Rog describes the fear -- and outrage -- he feels at how the U.S. government is singling out and discriminating against transgender people today. But, discrimination against people who don’t fit neatly into certain social, ethnic, cultural, and sexual categories has a long, long history in America, says this former history teacher. Sadly and historically, Smith says, the “othering” of people seen as being on society's margins is part of our nation’s DNA. Please click the button to subscribe so you don't miss any episodes and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. For more information, visit the PFLAG Cape Cod website: https://www.pflagcapecod.org/podcasts.html © 2020 - 2025 PFLAG Cape Cod

Susanne Bennett describes herself as a white, queer, cis-gender, able-bodied, and educated elder woman. At 78, this former college professor and retired clinical social worker also describes herself as a questioner, a doubter, and someone who’s always sought to better understand herself as a sexual and spiritual person. These are just a few of the topics Susanne explores in a new memoir, Evolving: Faith, Sexuality and Aging. The book chronicles a life that’s been full of unexpected twists and turns, moments of doubt and uncertainty, followed by hard-won personal clarity --- about the interrelationship of sexuality, spirituality, and the aging process. Growing up in the south, the daughter of a Southern Baptist minister, Susanne considered herself straight and religiously conservative for many years. She married a man, became a mother to two children, and settled down to married life. But then her husband announced he was gay, and her daughter came out as a lesbian at 17. All this rocked Susanne’s world. And prompted her to ask a lot of questions; to become curious about herself and her faith, and to embark on a path of learning and self-discovery that changed her life forever. Today, Susanne’s happily married to her wife, Cay and lives in Brewster, MA. She’s also a grandmother with three grandkids who identify as trans or non-binary. In this thoughtful interview with PFLAG Cape Cod’s Rick Koonce, Susanne opens up – about faith, family, her unique life journey, and her fluid sexuality. She talks too about her life today on Cape Cod, as a member of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Barnstable, MA. And, about how her religious faith has evolved, just as her understanding of her sexuality has evolved over more than seven decades of living. Please click the button to subscribe so you don't miss any episodes and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. For more information, visit the PFLAG Cape Cod website: https://www.pflagcapecod.org/podcasts.html © 2020 - 2025 PFLAG Cape Cod

Lindsey Straus is a 73-year-old trans woman who’s also the biological father of three sons -- triplets -- now in their early 40s. The story of Lindsey’s transition --- from husband, devoted dad, and little league coach to trans woman, social activist, and lay minister at her church in Brewster MA --- is truly inspiring and courageous. But that transitional journey did not come easily or without pain. After more than 20 years of heterosexual marriage, Lindsey decided to transition and become a woman at the age of 50 in 2001. Years of separation and estrangement from her family then followed. Lindsey moved out of the house, while remaining the family's sole breadwinner. But, she was excluded from major family events including vacations and graduations. All that said, as she tells PFLAG Cape Cod’s Rick Koonce in this interview, eventually, reconciliation with her family DID take place. Even with Lindsey’s ex-wife, with whom she now talks almost every day. As for her three sons? Surprisingly, a common love of the Boston Red Sox by both Lindsey and her grown sons helped heal family wounds and bring her and her boys back into each others’ lives. Lindsey even remembers the exact date: October 18, 2004. It was the day after Game 4 of the American League Championship series, when the Red Sox scored a major comeback against the New York Yankees. Please click the button to subscribe so you don't miss any episodes and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. For more information, visit the PFLAG Cape Cod website: https://www.pflagcapecod.org/podcasts.html © 2020 - 2025 PFLAG Cape Cod

Sarah Messeck and Avery Condon are a young couple very much in love. The two met at a Cape Cod Pride event in June 2022 and soon afterwards began dating. Eventually they plan to marry. Sarah, an animal welfare advocate and horse riding enthusiast, identifies as a cisgender woman and uses the pronouns she and her. In the past, she had relationships with people of different genders. Avery, who’s passionate about environmental and social justice issues, and was previously married to a woman, today identifies as transgender and non-binary and uses they and them pronouns. In this fascinating interview with PFLAG Cape Cod’s Rick Koonce, Sarah and Avery talk in depth about their relationship – how they met, and the basis of their attraction to one another on many levels… They offer illuminating insights into how the dynamics of physical and emotional attraction, gender identity, and gender presentation operate for them in the context of a non-traditional relationship… But that relationship is traditional in at least one sense, as the two plan to tie the marriage knot – most likely in the fall of 2025 - with both their families and friends lovingly looking on. Please click the button to subscribe so you don't miss any episodes and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you! For more information, visit the PFLAG Cape Cod website: https://www.pflagcapecod.org/podcasts.html © 2020 - 2024 PFLAG Cape Cod

Dr. Jane Fleishman is an accomplished sexuality educator, writer, program developer, and researcher. In 2016, at the age of 62, she received her doctorate in Human Sexuality from the Widener University Center for Human Sexuality Studies after a successful career as a consultant for a large public mental health system. In this fascinating interview with PFLAG Cape Cod’s Rick Koonce, Fleishman delves deeply into the challenges LGBTQ+ seniors face as they navigate the passages of advancing age, and must deal with issues of health and wellness, self-esteem, companionship and intimacy, and continued sexual vitality and identity. Fleishman has long believed that it’s important for members of the LGBTQ+ community to redefine their ideas of sexual vitality, beauty, and desirability, and to debunk old but enduring myths about sexuality and aging. “Wrinkles and gray hair are as beautiful as a face without wrinkles,” she says, adding, “I’m a campaign to invite people to love their aging queer bodies and to upend the narrative that the only kind of beauty is associated with youth.” "That," she says, "is a binary way of looking at the world that doesn’t serve you, me or anybody else in the LGBTQ+ community.” Please click the button to subscribe so you don't miss any episodes and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you! For more information, visit the PFLAG Cape Cod website: https://www.pflagcapecod.org/podcasts.html © 2020 - 2024 PFLAG Cape Cod

Brett Smiley is the married, gay mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, the first in the city's 400-year history. Elected to office in 2022 on his second try for the job, Smiley got his start in Rhode Island politics years before, serving as Chief Operating Officer for Providence and Director of Administration for the Ocean State, as well as Chief of Staff to former Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo. In this revealing interview with PFLAG Cape Cod’s Rick Koonce, Brett talks about coming out as a gay man, and about being a political science and public policy nerd, even as a teenager, who developed an early passion for politics. He talks, too, about the mark he hopes to make on Providence as mayor, and about the high school teacher and coach who helped him believe in himself. Finally, he talks about being an uncle to his nephews, his love of running, his recovery from alcoholism in his early 20’s, and about meeting his husband, Jim, a prominent real estate agent in Rhode Island, and now the first First Gentleman of Providence. Please click the button to subscribe so you don't miss any episodes and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you! For more information, visit the PFLAG Cape Cod website: https://www.pflagcapecod.org/podcasts.html © 2020 - 2024 PFLAG Cape Cod

Rick Miller is a psychotherapist who works extensively with gay men. Gay himself, he has pioneered the use of mind-body experiential therapy to assist gay men, and other members of the LGBTQ+ community, in dealing with early life trauma. Through doing such work, Rick has helped many in the community discover inner strength, build personal resiliency, embrace self-love, and build strong and healthy relationships with others. In this thought-provoking interview with PFLAG Cape Cod’s Rick Koonce, Rick talks about where his motivation to do this work comes from ... about the challenges gay men still face in today’s world ... And, how therapy can help anyone to overcome pain and find happiness and self-empowerment in the process. Please click the button to subscribe so you don't miss any episodes and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you! For more information, visit the PFLAG Cape Cod website: https://www.pflagcapecod.org/podcasts.html © 2020 - 2024 PFLAG Cape Cod

Mara Betti is a successful, 50-something architect, working for one of the leading architectural firms in Boston. She’s also a transwoman and biological father of two sons, ages 18 and 22. In this deeply personal interview with PFLAG Cape Cod’s Rick Koonce, Mara talks emotionally about coming out and accepting herself as trans; a journey that has taken her decades, and which has put tremendous strain on her heterosexual marriage to her wife – whom she met in college and still describes as “my best friend.” She talks about the dark times she’s lived through and the steps she’s now taking, with the help of a therapist, to build a new identity, and to navigate a personal and social world she never imagined she’d be encountering at this stage of her life. And finally, she talks lovingly about her relationships with her two boys, with whom she wants to remain close, though she understands that this will take time, patience, and love on everyone’s parts. Especially, as her boys focus on discovering their own identities as young adults. As this intimate interview reveals, Mara, like other transgender people struggling to be themselves, displays tremendous resolve and resilience; qualities that indeed make her a compelling profile in LGBTQ+ courage. Please click the button to subscribe so you don't miss any episodes and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you! For more information, visit the PFLAG Cape Cod website: https://www.pflagcapecod.org/podcasts.html © 2020 - 2023 PFLAG Cape Cod

Assigned female at birth, Jake Wanamaker is a 2023 graduate of Nauset High School on Cape Cod who today identifies as a Transman. For Jake, the awareness that he was born into a body of the wrong-gender for him came early, when he was only a few years old. But he didn’t have the knowledge or vocabulary with which to understand the feelings and emotions deep within him. So, he went online, at an early age, to learn more about the Transgender world and later found help from both a sensitive guidance counselor and a gifted therapist – who helped him better understand and claim his true gender identity. In this intimate and revealing interview with PFLAG Cape Cod’s Rick Koonce, which took place just weeks before his scheduled top surgery in July of 2023, Jake talks about the struggles he endured as a child and adolescent, trying to come to terms with who he is. He reveals the challenges he faced coming out to his parents, and how, with the help of friends, supportive and caring teachers, and healthcare professionals he began to fully embrace his gender identity. Jake also talks about the enthusiasm he feels today for the future… his excitement about attending college in the fall… and his desire to pursue a career as a scientific illustrator, combining his deep interests in both art and nature. Please click the button to subscribe so you don't miss any episodes and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you! For more information, visit the PFLAG Cape Cod website: https://www.pflagcapecod.org/podcasts.html © 2020 - 2023 PFLAG Cape Cod

Ann Burke is a registered nurse and long-time advocate for Transgender people who live on Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha's Vineyard. She serves as a board member of the Cape and Islands Transgender Resource Fund, and also acts as a counselor and facilitator of Transgender social support meetings, held twice monthly on he Cape, under the auspices of Fenway Health of Boston. In this insightful interview with PFLAG Cape Cod's Rick Koonce, Ann, who is NOT Transgender herself, explains why she took on a role as a committed advocate for Transgender people. With a Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology, Ann shines a critical spotlight on the many challenges Transgender people face -- be it in navigating the legal and healthcare systems of Massachusetts, or dealing with discrimination in housing and employment. "When a Transgender person comes out, they often lose their entire support system," says Ann. "This often includes a person's family, partner, friends, neighbors and job." Despite those challenges, Ann says,"I have found Transgender people to be incredibly resilient in navigating legal, financial and healthcre obstacles as well as a modern world that is often hostile, intolerant, and ignorant about who they REALLY are. Please click the button to subscribe so you don't miss any episodes and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you! For more information, visit the PFLAG Cape Cod website: https://www.pflagcapecod.org/podcasts.html © 2020 - 2023 PFLAG Cape Cod

Rikki Bates is a rock and roll drummer who has struggled much of her life with gender dysphoria. For years, like many Transgender people, she lived with deep depression, and a lack of adequate employment. Then, she managed to get gender reassignment surgery which changed her life. In the process, she also brought about precedent-setting changes in how Transgender health care is provided to people in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In this fascinating and wide-ranging interview with PFLAG Cape Cod’s Rick Koonce, Rikki describes the bullying she encountered as a kid, the internal psychological confusion that she experienced as a child and adolescent, her struggles with depression as she entered adulthood, and the turn-around in her life that began to occur following gender affirming surgery and personal therapy. She also reveals the fascinating components of gender-affirming surgery itself, the challenges of dating as a Transwoman, and offers advice to others who may think they are Transgender. Please click the button to subscribe so you don't miss any episodes and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you! For more information, visit the PFLAG Cape Cod website: https://www.pflagcapecod.org/podcasts.html © 2020 - 2022 PFLAG Cape Cod

Transgender activist and first-time state legislator Zooey Zephyr made national headlines in April 2023 when she spoke out in support of Transgender rights in the Montana state legislature and was banished from legislative debate on the topic as a result. Courageous leadership is often defined by four compelling traits: Confidence in oneself, commitment to one’s values and beliefs, the ability to persist, and a warrior spirit! By those metrics, Transgender activist and first-time state legislator Zooey Zephyr is a rare leader with few peers in the social justice arena. The first-ever Transgender member of the Montana state legislature, Zooey, a newcomer to politics in 2022, made national and international headlines in April 2023 when she stood in opposition to Montana state legislation that would prohibit gender-affirming healthcare for Transgender youth. Her statements in support of Transgender people caused her to be banished from the statehouse floor, denied the opportunity to debate, and forced to operate, as a duly elected representative of her state, from a public bench in a hallway of the Montana statehouse. In this moving interview with PFLAG Cape Cod’s Rick Koonce, Representative Zephyr talks about the furor her presence caused on the statehouse floor, the passion she brings to her advocacy of transgender people, and how her experience as a champion high school wrestler helped prepare her for the nasty rough and tumble world of partisan politics. Please click the button to subscribe so you don't miss any episodes and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you! For more information, visit the PFLAG Cape Cod website: https://www.pflagcapecod.org/podcasts.html © 2020 - 2022 PFLAG Cape Cod

At the age of 23, Felice Cohen was, like many other college graduates, hesitant about entering the real world, and at the same time, uncertain about her sexuality. Focused on landing her first job as a writer, falling in love was the last thing on Felice’s mind. But fall in love she did -- with her boss, Sarah, a woman 34 years older than she. It was a relationship that lasted 9 years. And for Felice, it was the first taste of true love and deep intimacy. But the affair took place in secrecy and ultimately ended in heartbreak. Now, Felice has written a book about her experience called Half In: A Coming of Age Memoir of Forbidden Love. When it was released in late September 2022 Felice’s book raced to the top of Amazon’s best seller lists in six categories. As Felice tells PFLAG Cape Cod’s Rick Koonce in this moving interview, writing this memoir proved a therapeutic experience that helped Felice to mend her hurting heart, and bring her deep love for Sarah out of the closet for the first time. Please click the button to subscribe so you don't miss any episodes and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you! For more information, visit the PFLAG Cape Cod website: https://www.pflagcapecod.org/podcasts.html © 2022 PFLAG Cape Cod

Jere Mahaffey is a 35-year-old former Evangelical Christian. He’s also an out, married gay/bisexual man who has retained many of the tenets of his early Christian faith, while leaving other elements of evangelical doctrine behind him. As an adolescent, Jere was drawn initially to girls, and even had girlfriends while he was in junior high school. But eventually he discovered he found boys attractive as well. Today, he and his partner, Jesse, have been together for nine years and married for four. In this fascinating interview with PFLAG Cape Cod’s Rick Koonce, Jere talks about growing up in an Evangelical Christian household, about his love of God, his journey toward embracing his bisexual identity, and about being both Queer and Christian. Please click the button to subscribe so you don't miss any episodes and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you! For more information, visit the PFLAG Cape Cod website: https://www.pflagcapecod.org/podcasts.html © 2022 PFLAG Cape Cod

Connor Ryan is an 18-year-old transgender male and 2022 graduate of Bourne High School in Bourne, MA. He’s also one of three recipients of the 2022 Anne Toran scholarship, an award given annually by PFLAG Cape Cod to high school seniors from the Cape in recognition of their courage and work on behalf of LGBTQ+ rights. In this insightful interview with PFLAG Cape Cod’s Rick Koonce, Connor talks about the time during his high school career when he boldly confronted a school committee member at a school board meeting about her transphobic remarks on social media. He also talks about his gender identity “journey of discovery” that has taken him, in his words, from “one end of the LGBTQ+ spectrum to the other.” Assigned female at birth, Connor thought, at one point in his life, that he was a “demi-girl” – somewhat like a girl, but not entirely. He later determined he felt more like a “demi-boy” who identifies mostly with things masculine. As he prepares in the fall of 2022 to go off to college at the University of New Hampshire, Connor describes himself as a Transman and says he’s focused these days on keeping a sense of humor about his gender identity and learning to be his own best friend in the process! Please click the button to subscribe so you don't miss any episodes and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you! For more information, visit the PFLAG Cape Cod website: https://www.pflagcapecod.org/podcasts.html © 2022 PFLAG Cape Cod