The Priceless Podcast

Have you ever asked your self if you suffer from spiritual or religious trauma? As dr. Jamie Marich says, if you asked your self, you probably have. Dr. Jamie Marich talks about what spiritual and religious trauma is, how you can recognise it and what you can do. We also talked about what parents and churches can do about it even if you can't afford therapy or you don't have access to someone who could help you. If you have experiences something like "conversion therapy" you are probably certain about your trauma, but what about the rest of us who still suffered as part of the institutions and faith communities? Microaggressions, as dr. Marich says, also cut deep, especially when they are repeated. Often the harm done by churches hasn't been done just by the institutions, but by our families too. Still, there is hope and healing is out there!

Have you ever asked your self if you suffer from spiritual or religious trauma? As dr. Jamie Marich says, if you asked your self, you probably have. Dr. Jamie Marich talks about what spiritual and religious trauma is, how you can recognise it and what you can do. We also talked about what parents and churches can do about it even if you can't afford therapy or you don't have access to someone who could help you. If you have experiences something like "conversion therapy" you are probably certain about your trauma, but what about the rest of us who still suffered as part of the institutions and faith communities? Microaggressions, as dr. Marich says, also cut deep, especially when they are repeated. Often the harm done by churches hasn't been done just by the institutions, but by our families too. Still, there is hope and healing is out there!

It is not easy to be gay, especially if you grew up during the 19 hundreds. Add a disability and discrimination doubles. Maybe it even more than doubles as even the LGBTIQ community often doesn't make it easier. Lothar grew up in a village in East Germany, the former GDR. He was sent to a boarding school for blind people. In those times, it was not only a problem to be gay and blind, but being Christian in the communist part of Germany. Lothar likes to tell stories, and the stories he tells will make you cry and laugh. At least that's what they did to me. 

It is not easy to be gay, especially if you grew up during the 19 hundreds. Add a disability and discrimination doubles. Maybe it even more than doubles as even the LGBTIQ community often doesn't make it easier. Lothar grew up in a village in East Germany, the former GDR. He was sent to a boarding school for blind people. In those times, it was not only a problem to be gay and blind, but being Christian in the communist part of Germany. Lothar likes to tell stories, and the stories he tells will make you cry and laugh. At least that's what they did to me.

Once upon a time... I wish I could start the introduction with these words. Unfortunately, religious abuse and loosing family members are still realities for many LGBTIQ+ people to this day. Still, it does get better and we have better opportunities to come out and be free, more then ever. Lucija tells her story of how she lost and gained and how she discovered herself, her emotions and her identity. 

Once upon a time... I wish I could start the introduction with these words. Unfortunately, religious abuse and loosing family members are still realities for many LGBTIQ+ people to this day. Still, it does get better and we have better opportunities to come out and be free, more then ever. Lucija tells her story of how she lost and gained and how she discovered herself, her emotions and her identity.

Discrimination in the Balkans is still very high. This is true for many eastern-European countries. This is why it's often so hard to find people from the east as quests for the podcast. Fortunately, I came across Tanja, who is from Bosnia and Herzegovina. She is doing her PhD in Austria on the topic of LGBTIQ+ Catholics in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She is the first theologian in the SE European region doing her PhD on the LGBTIQ+ topic. In her study she came across a lot of pain and discrimination, but she still has hope for the future.

Discrimination in the Balkans is still very high. This is true for many eastern-European countries. This is why it's often so hard to find people from the east as quests for the podcast. Fortunately, I came across Tanja, who is from Bosnia and Herzegovina. She is doing her PhD in Austria on the topic of LGBTIQ+ Catholics in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She is the first theologian in the SE European region doing her PhD on the LGBTIQ+ topic. In her study she came across a lot of pain and discrimination, but she still has hope for the future.

Many minorities, but also others (like women) know what it's like to experience disrespect. There are constantly new groups of people who go through that experience, even from those who went through the same hardships. Of course, behind that, there is often fear, misinformation and prejudice. It is not different for ARO-ACE people. Elin tells her story of figuring our her orientation when she was 37 years old. She tells us what she went through as a person, believer, pastor and how she found pride in her identities.

Many minorities, but also others (like women) know what it's like to experience disrespect. There are constantly new groups of people who go through that experience, even from those who went through the same hardships. Of course, behind that, there is often fear, misinformation and prejudice. It is not different for ARO-ACE people. Elin tells her story of figuring our her orientation when she was 37 years old. She tells us what she went through as a person, believer, pastor and how she found pride in her identities.  

Paul's story is heartbreaking but full of optimism at the same time. Living in a time where being gay was absolutely taboo. He was pastoring people through the AIDS crisis. As a pastor he was in search of how to put his passion for ministry into practice and be openly gay. But his passion for ministry had a cost. One being his marriage. Paul tells his story with such honesty and vulnerability. He lives his truth and shares it with all of us with an optimism that can only be described as inspirational.

Paul's story is heartbreaking but full of optimism at the same time. Living in a time where being gay was absolutely taboo. He was pastoring people through the AIDS crisis. As a pastor he was in search of how to put his passion for ministry into practice and be openly gay. But his passion for ministry had a cost. One being his marriage. Paul tells his story with such honesty and vulnerability. He lives his truth and shares it with all of us with an optimism that can only be described as inspirational.

Relationships are a fragile thing. At the same time, they can be such a big resource of inspiration and strength. As my guests said 'Love is a roller coaster.' It is beautiful, but not always easy. Sometimes we need to keep in mind that there is an amazing view, once we manage to climb the mountain. But, of course, there are certain qualities relationships need to sustain. Respect, an open hand and some friends along the way. Unfortunately, there is no recipe for a long-lasting relationship, but hearing someones story can be a huge encouragement and inspiration.

Relationships are a fragile thing. At the same time, they can be such a big resource of inspiration and strength. As my guests said 'Love is a roller coaster.' It is beautiful, but not always easy. Sometimes we need to keep in mind that there is an amazing view, once we manage to climb the mountain. But, of course, there are certain qualities relationships need to sustain. Respect, an open hand and some friends along the way. Unfortunately, there is no recipe for a long-lasting relationship, but hearing someones story can be a huge encouragement and inspiration.

The World Council of Churches is a world fellowship of churches. Many of those are still very conservative and not near any inclusion of many people on the margins. This includes LGBTIQ people. An international group is dedicating their time and energy that the voices of LGBTIQ people are heard within this fellowship. Every 7 to 8 years an international conference takes place where this group, called Rainbow Pilgrims of faith try to get closer to the delegates of different churches, share stories and invite them to different happenings. This episodes brings the work of those people closer to you.

The World Council of Churches is a world fellowship of churches. Many of those are still very conservative and not near any inclusion of many people on the margins. This includes LGBTIQ people. An international group is dedicating their time and energy that the voices of LGBTIQ people are heard within this fellowship. Every 7 to 8 years an international conference takes place where this group, called Rainbow Pilgrims of faith try to get closer to the delegates of different churches, share stories and invite them to different happenings. This episodes brings the work of those people closer to you.

For almost two years I was mentioning that this podcast is made in partnership with the European Forum of LGBT Christian Groups. But what is this Forum? What is it doing? Who is it for?... Interested? Find out more about what this Forum is and what it does. Also, you can hear personal experiences from people who attended the Annual conference in Zurich this year. If you are not a member and would like to find out how to become one, it is also explained in the video and audio version, or you can click the link and find out more on the website.

I must admit that I have a positive prejudice of many developed countries that LGBT+ people have it easy. Talking to people from these countries makes me aware that this isn't true. Oliver tells his story of coming to terms with being trans, about the physical and mental challenges, and about his experience and pain inflicted by the church. Though he already experienced a lot of healing he still fights the inner voices of the past.

I must admit that I have a positive prejudice of many developed countries that LGBT+ people have it easy. Talking to people from these countries makes me aware that this isn't true. Oliver tells his story of coming to terms with being trans, about the physical and mental challenges, and about his experience and pain inflicted by the church. Though he already experienced a lot of healing he still fights the inner voices of the past.

Looking at the happenings within the Catholic Church it is sometimes so discouraging. It seems like it will never change. Although there are some steps forward, it seems like there are several steps backward. Talking to the first woman president of the Syondal council in Zurich was encouraging for several reasons. First of all to se a woman as the head of this council. Second, she is fighting for rights on several fronts, but she is also showing us that the church can be different and we can move away from the old ways of the hierarchical functioning of the RCC. She is a voice for the discriminated and a voice for a more just church with shared power.

Looking at the happenings within the Catholic Church it is sometimes so discouraging. It seems like it will never change. Although there are some steps forward, it seems like there are several steps backward. Talking to the first woman president of the Syondal council in Zurich was encouraging for several reasons. First of all to se a woman as the head of this council. Second, she is fighting for rights on several fronts, but she is also showing us that the church can be different and we can move away from the old ways of the hierarchical functioning of the RCC. She is a voice for the discriminated and a voice for a more just church with shared power.

Before I start to write about the podcast itself, I have to share how moved I was throughout this interview. Small Luk, her vulnerability in sharing her story, her experience and drive to help intersex people around the world is inspiring and I find it hard to believe that it will leave you indifferent. Small dives into details of what she had to go through as an intersex person where others made the choice of what she is going to be. I strongly recommend listening to the full version, as you will only get part of the story, her emotion and depth she goes to.

Before I start to write about the podcast itself, I have to share how moved I was throughout this interview. Small Luk, her vulnerability in sharing her story, her experience and drive to help intersex people around the world is inspiring and I find it hard to believe that it will leave you indifferent. Small dives into details of what she had to go through as an intersex person where others made the choice of what she is going to be. I strongly recommend listening to the full version, as you will only get part of the story, her emotion and depth she goes to.

The European Forum of LGBT Christian groups had its annual conference in Zurich, Switzerland where I used the opportunity to interview some people. One of them was Csongor Kozma who is the director of the Paulus Akademie. The Paulus Akademie is a Catholic centre for dialogue and yet its director is gay, with husband and daughter. I wanted to know how this works, what are the challenges and how accepted he is as an openly rainbow family man. As a theologian with a focus on Ethics, I wanted to know how much his identities influenced this choice. Well, Csongor is much more than this. To find out, take a look!

The European Forum of LGBT Christian groups had its annual conference in Zurich, Switzerland where I used the opportunity to interview some people. One of them was Csongor Kozma who is the director of the Paulus Akademie. The Paulus Akademie is a Catholic centre for dialogue and yet its director is gay, with husband and daughter. I wanted to know how this works, what are the challenges and how accepted he is as an openly rainbow family man. As a theologian with a focus on Ethics, I wanted to know how much his identities influenced this choice. Well, Csongor is much more than this. To find out, take a look!

Kerstin is once again our guest. This time she talks about her personal life, how she became a pastor, an activist, writer, counsellor. She tells the story of her and her wife, their journey towards marriage after 16 years together. She finishes with what she is up to now and sharing her dreams.

Kerstin is once again our guest. This time she talks about her personal life, how she became a pastor, an activist, writer, counsellor. She tells the story of her and her wife, their journey towards marriage after 16 years together. She finishes with what she is up to now and sharing her dreams.

Drag has not always been celebrated like it is now. Drag was more an expression of protest to social norms and for many it meant to be free for a few hours. But it was dangerous. Today it is easier, it is more accessible. But how is it for a person of faith to do drag and when others find out they are a person of faith, or even more specific, Catholic?! Mark tells us his story of being Mark Ashton, but also his persona Matron. Listen to Mark and meet him as Mark and as Matron, find out the and see the difference and how he discovered Drag and the joy of making people laugh.

Drag has not always been celebrated like it is now. Drag was more an expression of protest to social norms and for many it meant to be free for a few hours. But it was dangerous. Today it is easier, it is more accessible. But how is it for a person of faith to do drag and when others find out they are a person of faith, or even more specific, Catholic?! Mark tells us his story of being Mark Ashton, but also his persona Matron. Listen to Mark and meet him as Mark and as Matron, find out the and see the difference and how he discovered Drag and the joy of making people laugh.

How does the war in Ukraine effect LGBT+ people? Florin Buhuceanu talks about his work with refugees from Ukraine and how this war creates specific challenges for the LGBT+ community. He calls us to action and one of the ways are finances. Please donate!  

In the very beginnings of the gay liberation movement, there was one church that recognised the need to be there for the outcasts of the time. Of course, not everything was rosy and the road ahead was a challenging one to travel on. But brave people took matters into their hands to create a church for all. There are still challenges to be mastered, there are changes to be made and there are shortcomings to recognise and resolve. Get to know how the Metropolitan Community Church started, what it had to do with the Pride Marches and how it took on the challenges since its beginnings. I talked to rev. dr. Axel Schwaigert about MCC about the good and hard.

In the very beginnings of the gay liberation movement, there was one church that recognised the need to be there for the outcasts of the time. Of course, not everything was rosy and the road ahead was a challenging one to travel on. But brave people took matters into their hands to create a church for all. There are still challenges to be mastered, there are changes to be made and there are shortcomings to recognise and resolve. Get to know how the Metropolitan Community Church started, what it had to do with the Pride Marches and how it took on the challenges since its beginnings. I talked to rev. dr. Axel Schwaigert about MCC about the good and hard.

A few weeks ago, Renato was my guest where we talked about his book. This interview is about his personal life and how a sentence said by a professor haunted him through his life. Through learning and a few meaningful experiences he found his way towards healing.

A few weeks ago, Renato was my guest where we talked about his book. This interview is about his personal life and how a sentence said by a professor haunted him through his life. Through learning and a few meaningful experiences he found his way towards healing.   

Fighting discrimination against LGBT+ people, we often forget that there is discrimination even within the LGBT+ spaces. There are people living on the intersectionality of different identities that are out of our vision. Sometimes it is important to stop and look around and identify is some being left out. There are topics we need to discuss and one of those is being LGBT+ and living with a disability. Adding to that, we are often oblivious to the challenges they are facing and how the Bible is often used to dehumanise them and treat them as not being whole. Their LGBT+ identity is adding to their impression that wholeness is even more out of their reach. What was it like to grow up with a disability in a faith community? What can faith communities and groups do to make a better job in including people with disability? How do we approach the topic of disability? How can we do better? These and other questions I  discussed with Sian Jones.

Fighting discrimination against LGBT+ people, we often forget that there is discrimination even within the LGBT+ spaces. There are people living on the intersectionality of different identities that are out of our vision. Sometimes it is important to stop and look around and identify is some being left out. There are topics we need to discuss and one of those is being LGBT+ and living with a disability. Adding to that, we are often oblivious to the challenges they are facing and how the Bible is often used to dehumanise them and treat them as not being whole. Their LGBT+ identity is adding to their impression that wholeness is even more out of their reach. What was it like to grow up with a disability in a faith community? What can faith communities and groups do to make a better job in including people with disability? How do we approach the topic of disability? How can we do better? These and other questions I  discussed with Sian Jones.  

How is it to live on the intersection of so many identities? Farah tells us her story of leaving her homeland to find a life without discrimination. Still, with all her identities it is hard to avoid it. Still, even with all the discrimination and challenges she tells us about her blessings and awareness of having privilege in some aspects. It is an encouraging story of finding a new life, new hope and using past experiences to help others around the world.

How is it to live on the intersection of so many identities? Farah tells us her story of leaving her homeland to find a life without discrimination. Still, with all her identities it is hard to avoid it. Still, even with all the discrimination and challenges she tells us about her blessings and awareness of having privilege in some aspects. It is an encouraging story of finding a new life, new hope and using past experiences to help others around the world.  

It has been long due to talk on the Priceless Podcast from the Orthodox perspective. Natallia Vasillevich is an Orthodox theologian and considers herself to be part of the LGBT+ identity. With her words, if you cant find a letter for her, she is the +. Through her personal story, she tells us about her journey of discovering herself in a very gender defined world and what she discovered in Orthodoxy for herself. She also talks about what it means to be a LGBT+ person in the Orthodox church, what the challenges are, but also the possibilities.

It has been long due to talk on the Priceless Podcast from the Orthodox perspective. Natallia Vasillevich is an Orthodox theologian and considers herself to be part of the LGBT+ identity. With her words, if you cant find a letter for her, she is the +. Through her personal story, she tells us about her journey of discovering herself in a very gender defined world and what she discovered in Orthodoxy for herself. She also talks about what it means to be a LGBT+ person in the Orthodox church, what the challenges are, but also the possibilities.   

There are many Christmas stories, so we wanted to talk to an author who wrote and published some. I'm talking to the author of several books who published Christmas stories he made up during many years. He read one of the stories for the Priceless Podcast and you can watch it or listen to it: https://youtu.be/mOcK78i2dqU.  

This is one of the interviews with Axel Schwaigert, the next will follow sometime in 2022. Here we talk about his books that contain the Christmas stories. One is in English and the other has yet to be translated. For now you can only find it in German. You can find the titles of both books below.

This Christmas we bring you another Christmas special. We are giving you a story of the Little Saint, written by Axel Schweigert, and also read by him for you. We wish you a marry Christmas / happy holidays, and a happy new year!  

Poland remains a hot topic. Especially people from the eastern part of Europe are watching the situation closely and it makes us scared how fast and easy things can turn difficult for LGBT+ people. Recently a new law was proposed in Poland which prohibits representing or talking about anything other than relationships between one man and one woman and families other then the hetero-normative ones. This pushes the who whole visibility of LGBT+ people even further into the shadows. I talked to Ushi about her story, about the RCC in Poland, her Activism and this proposed law, as well as the so called "LGBT free zones", and its consequences.

Poland remains a hot topic. Especially people from the eastern part of Europe are watching the situation closely and it makes us scared how fast and easy things can turn difficult for LGBT+ people. Recently a new law was proposed in Poland which prohibits representing or talking about anything other than relationships between one man and one woman and families other then the hetero-normative ones. This pushes the who whole visibility of LGBT+ people even further into the shadows. I talked to Ushi about her story, about the RCC in Poland, her Activism and this proposed law, as well as the so called "LGBT free zones", and its consequences.   

Polyamory is still an obscure topic. When meeting someone polyamorous we  might be scared to ask questions because they can sound weird and clumsy. I'm happy to have had two guests who were willing to answer all those weird and clumsy questions. Being polyamorous, they were open to share their own stories, as well as challenges, joys, hopes...

Polyamory is still an obscure topic. When meeting someone polyamorous we  might be scared to ask questions because they can sound weird and clumsy. I'm happy to have had two guests who were willing to answer all those weird and clumsy questions. Being polyamorous, they were open to share their own stories, as well as challenges, joys, hopes...

Polyamory is still an obscure topic. When meeting someone polyamorous we  might be scared to ask questions because they can sound weird and clumsy. I'm happy to have had two guests who were willing to answer all those weird and clumsy questions. Being polyamorous, they were open to share their own stories, as well as challenges, joys, hopes...

Polyamory is still an obscure topic. When meeting someone polyamorous we  might be scared to ask questions because they can sound weird and clumsy. I'm happy to have had two guests who were willing to answer all those weird and clumsy questions. Being polyamorous, they were open to share their own stories, as well as challenges, joys, hopes...