All Out in the Open
All Out in the Open is a resource for LGBTQ Latter-day Saints and those who love them. Our goal is to help listeners connect with themselves, with their families, with their community, and with God. Hosts Charlie Bird and Ben Schilaty help listeners open up to themselves and those around them. Clare Dalton digs into the scriptures and teaches how they can be a catalyst for personal revelation. Iese Wilson takes listeners on a tour of LGBTQ Latter-day Saints all over the Church and introduces us to modern day pioneers. Michael Soto and Liz Macdonald highlight the amazing work of those who are building and strengthening their communities. Learn more at www.alloutintheopen.org.
Episodes
213 episodes
Why a Queer Asian Nonmember Showed Up At an LDS Institute
This OUT and About episode features Atlas Nocturne (he/they). While at Arizona State University, Atlas began attending the Church’s Institute of Religion—even though they’re not a member.They share what it was like to navigate faith spa...
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Season 7
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Episode 46
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47:43
Building Bridges over Obstacles Together (with Bree and Kit Borrowman)
This week in our ALL Together episode, Bree and Kit Borrowman share their powerful journey of love, identity and community. Bree, a high school science teacher, lived with gender incongruence and dysphoria for about 50 years before coming out. ...
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Season 7
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Episode 45
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57:47
How a Gay Catholic is Making Space to Stay (with Justin Telthorst)
This week in our OPEN Up episode, Ben Schilaty and Charlie Bird talk with Justin Telthorst, a gay Catholic and founder of Empty Chairs, a nonprofit working to build belonging between LGBTQ+ individuals and the Catholic Church.Justin sha...
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Season 7
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Episode 44
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1:18:36
Gather Conference Live Q&A
How can I be a good ally? How do you stay hopeful in a difficult world? Who is Ben’s celebrity crush?Learn the answers (and more) in this THE Exclusive episode: a live Q&A from the 2025 Gather Conference featuring Ben Schilaty, Char...
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Season 7
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Episode 43
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45:34
New Eyes and a Fresh Understanding
This week in our IN the Scriptures episode, Clare Dalton sits down with Ben Bernards, an author, blogger, podcaster, and a beloved youth speaker known for his energetic love of the gospel. He is also a husband and father to three daughters—two ...
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Season 7
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Episode 42
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1:21:11
A Closet without a Door: How Culture Affects Coming Out
Our OUT and About episode this week looks a little different. Our guest Adrian (name changed) from Indonesia isn’t able to come out publicly, so he shared his experiences as an LGBTQ+ Latter-day Saint with host Iese Wilson, who retold them to B...
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Season 7
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Episode 41
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42:55
At Last They’re on the Podcast with Cynthia WinWard and Susan Hinckley
This week’s ALL Together episode features Cynthia Winward and Susan Hinckley, hosts of a podcast and authors of a book called At Last She Said It. They started their podcast to amplify the unspoken thoughts and feelings of Latter-day Saint wome...
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Season 7
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Episode 40
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1:00:18
What LGBTQ+ Latter-Day Saints Wish Others Understood
On this week’s OPEN Up episode, Ben Schilaty and Charlie Bird share heartfelt and powerful insights gathered from a survey of LGBTQ+ Latter-day Saints. What do they wish their families, leaders, and fellow Church members understood? From deeply...
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Season 7
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Episode 39
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38:55
Visions, Doctrine, and the Wait for Understanding
This week, Clare Dalton sits down with Stefanie Reinsch to discuss Doctrine & Covenants 71–83. Stefanie shares her journey of revelation and resilience. From serving a mission to coming out as bisexual to now pursuing PA school, she reminds...
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Season 7
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Episode 38
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1:12:21
How a Gay Brit Learned to "Come As You Are"
On this week’s OUT and About episode, Iese Wilson talks with James Grant, a gay, neurodivergent Latter-day Saint from England currently serving on his stake high council. James shares his journey of coming out after years of denial and the role...
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Season 7
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Episode 37
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51:29
Advocacy is for Everyone (with Landon Phillips)
On this month’s ALL Together episode, hosts Liz Macdonald and Michael Soto sit down with Landon Phillips. Landon shares his journey of coming out, transitioning, and stepping into the world of LGBTQ+ advocacy. From focusing on faith-based space...
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Season 7
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Episode 36
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55:56
God's Promise to His LGBTQ+ Children (with Charlie & Ben)
In this week’s OPEN Up episode, Ben and Charlie discuss the concept of deliverance, drawing parallels between the ancient Israelites and the LGBTQ+ community. They explore how the Spirit can push us to act, even when the path is di...
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Season 7
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Episode 35
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46:39
Building Zion as LGBTQ+ Saints and Allies (with Patrick Mason)
What does it take to build Zion?This week on IN the Scriptures, Clare Dalton sits down with Patrick Mason, professor of religious studies and history at Utah State University, to discuss Doctrine & Covenants 51-70. These sections fo...
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Season 7
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Episode 34
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1:02:08
A Gay Brazilian's Take on Rainbows, Raindrops, and Divine Identity (with Icaro Paraguassú)
OUT and About: Iese Wilson sits down with Icaro Paraguassú, who shares his experiences as a gay Latter-Day Saint from Brazil. They discuss faith, identity, diversity, and the need for resources that reach every language and culture.Icar...
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Season 7
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Episode 33
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1:08:31
How Two Parents Built What They Were Praying to Find (with Sara & Bryce Cook)
In this heartfelt episode of ALL Together, Liz Macdonald and Michael Soto sit down with Bryce and Sara Cook, parents of two gay sons and founding members of ALL (Arizona LDS LGBT). After their sons came out, Bryce and Sara felt called to speak ...
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Season 7
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Episode 32
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52:41
Ben Reflects on Being Denied a Temple Recommend (with Ben & Charlie)
This month on OPEN Up, Ben shares a deeply personal story about navigating the reactions of his local Church leadership after he performed a same-sex wedding. Ben and Charlie discuss the scrutiny that LGBTQ+ Latter-Day Saints often...
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Season 7
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Episode 31
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48:06
How Gather Conference is Changing Lives (with Emilee Cutler & Spencer David Smith)
In this special episode of THE Exclusive, Ben Schilaty is joined by Emilee Cutler and Spencer David Smith to talk about the upcoming Gather Conference, taking place this June in Provo, Utah. Now in its third year, the conference creates a Chris...
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Season 7
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Episode 30
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45:25
Seeing Beyond the Stereotype (with Sean Nicholes)
This month on IN the Scriptures, Clare Dalton and Sean Nicholes—a gay Latter-day Saint, psychiatry resident, and member of the U.S. Air Force—explore Doctrine & Covenants 41-50.In these sections, the early Saints were dealing with r...
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Season 7
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Episode 29
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1:12:11
Merging Mexican Tradition with the Restored Gospel (with Liv Mendoza Haynes)
In this month’s episode of OUT and About, Iese Wilson sits down with Liv Mendoza Haynes, a queer, Mexican Latter-Day Saint. Liv shares how her unique intersection of identities shapes her spiritual journey.Liv reflects on joining the Ch...
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Season 7
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Episode 28
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1:02:38
How to Love Your Neighbor (with Malissa Larson)
This week’s ALL Together guest Malissa Larson knows firsthand the power of community. A former homeless youth and first-generation college graduate, she worked her way through school and now serves as a Neighborhood Specialist for the City of P...
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Season 7
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Episode 27
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49:37
We Need Allies More Than Ever (with Charlie & Ben)
OPEN Up: Charlie Bird and Ben Schilaty tackle the overwhelming noise surrounding LGBTQ+ topics in the Church and society, sharing personal stories of feeling excluded, politicized or dehumanized. Those experiences can bring a lot of loneliness ...
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Season 7
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Episode 26
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49:09
What Would Past Me Think of Current Me? (with Ady & Cora Johnson)
This week on IN the Scriptures, Clare Dalton sits down with Ady and Cora Johnson—returned missionaries, newlyweds, adventurers and active members of the Church. They dive into Doctrine and Covenants 29-40, exploring how God asks us to leave par...
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Season 7
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Episode 25
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1:02:13
Finding Belonging as a Gay Samoan (with Wallace Pelesasa)
In this episode of OUT and About, Iese Wilson interviews Wallace Pelesasa—a fellow Samoan and gay Latter-Day Saint. Growing up in a large family, Wallace attended church mainly to appease his father. His testimony didn’t truly igni...
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Season 7
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Episode 24
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1:02:10
Ally Nights: Creating Community in Your Own Home (with Jen Dille & Clare Dalton)
This week on ALL Together, Liz Macdonald and Michael Soto sit down with Clare Dalton, host of IN the Scriptures and curator of the Gatherings curriculum, and Jen Dille, project manager at the Center for Action and Contemplation. Together Jen an...
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Season 7
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Episode 23
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55:51
Remembering Ben's Mom - Grief in Real Time (with Ben & Charlie)
In this week’s OPEN Up episode, Ben Schilaty shares his experiences with grief after recently losing his mother to her long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He reflects on the incredible life she lived, the challenges she overcame, and the prof...
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Season 7
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Episode 22
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49:06