010 - A fresh look at gender identity w/Madi Brooks, Andy Grossmeyer & Amy McDonald

The Visibility Project Podcast

With the Great Lakes Bay Pride Month in June, we will be speaking with three guests on the topic of LGBTQ+ youth. We want to encourage support for Pride Month. You can learn more at greatlakesbaypride.org. Today, our guests are Andy Grossmeyer and Madi Brooks who are a couple and Amy McDonald who is a therapist with expertise in support for LGBTQ+ youth. Andy Grossmeyer is a non-binary, transgender, and pansexual individual who uses he/him and they/them pronouns. He recently graduated from SVSU with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with minors in Gender Studies and Psychology. In the future, they plan to get their Master of Social Work to further learn about and help LGBTQ+ individuals. In his free time, he enjoys reading, watching cartoons, and hanging out with his cat, Beans. Madi Brooks is a non-binary and pansexual individual who uses they/them pronouns. They are planning to finish their Bachelor’s degree in Business Management at SVSU. While still trying to figure out what to do in the future, they are working as a florist designer at a small business in Midland. They have always been passionate about the LGBTQ+ community, and will be pursuing that passion in the future. Amy McDonald is one of two American Association of Sex Education Counselors and Therapists certified in the Great Lakes Bay, Michigan region. She is currently the Counseling Services Director at The Shelterhouse of Midland. Amy is also working at Connections for Mental Health as an outpatient therapist. As a therapist employed by Family & Children’s Services, she developed and ran two LGBTQ+ psycho-educational support groups for teens and adults and provided counseling for individuals and their partners. She was instrumental in the formation and development of Gay-Straight Alliance student groups at high schools in Midland County. After spending a career in advocating for victims of abuse, Amy strongly believes that openly discussing sexual health will lead to stronger relationships while mitigating sexual abuse and trauma.EPI 010 Resource Document | http://bit.ly/tvp010rdTo learn more about The Visibility Project, follow us!Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/thevisibilityprj/Contact us at [e-mail] podcast was produced by Push Productions | https://pushpromi.com/---Spearheaded by members of the Cultural Awareness Coalition the Project is the brainchild of several organizations and individuals with shared values who sit on the Project Steering Team. The current Team includes staff from Northwood University, Midland Kid’s First, the Midland County Inclusion Alliance, The Legacy Center for Community Success, Our Community Listens, the Midland Wellbeing Task Force, and several Employee Resource Group member from Dow; the intention is to expand this Team to include other like-minded groups in the region.The Project’s vision is to create a more connected, empathetic, and inclusive community by listening to and learning from individuals whose stories are too often unheard.