04/18/23

Ep 7: Disrupting the Gender Binary with Calen Otto

In 2022, the Human Rights Campaign tells us more than 149 bills were introduced across 36 states targeting the transgender and gender non-conforming community. The numbers continue to climb in 2023. The most recent is an anti-drag bill passed in Tennessee that restricts drag performances in public or in the presence of children and bans them from occurring within 1,000 feet of schools, public parks, and places of worship. This legislation is just one way that the man-made concept of the gender binary is forced on people, causing harm.

In this week’s episode of the Disruption Podcast, we had the pleasure of chatting with Calen Ann Otto. Calen is a queer, gender-nonconforming, anti-speciesist, travel blogger who explores the big wide world on a very small budget. After completing a solo trip across the USA at the age of 19 with only $300 and a bike, Calen discovered that there are so many alternative ways to travel that cost less.

Inspired by their love of meeting strangers and sharing their incredible stories, Calen created the Unruly Travel blog. There they share photos, videos, articles, and podcast episodes from their unique travels in hopes to inspire others to get out and grow. Calen has been to 5 continents, 35 states, 20 National Parks, and more than 20 countries as a vegan and is passionate about doing the least amount of harm wherever they go. They wrote and published ‘The Art Of Unruly Travel On A Budget’ travel guidebook to make travel more accessible to all.

In this episode, Tracey and Michelle talk with Calen about:
– What disruption means to Calen
– Disruption coming from a place of love
– How Calen began to explore their gender as a child
– The importance of using correct language and pronouns that honor people
– How to open up the conversation around gender
– Being gentle with yourself
– How violently-enforced gender norms have been harmful to the LGBTQ+ community
– How to find peace in nature

Thank you for listening and supporting The Disruption Podcast! If you liked what you heard, leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or share this episode with a friend.

Connect with Calen, Tracey, and Michelle on Socials:
Calen’s Website 
Calen Instagram 
Calen Youtube 
Unruly Podcast 
Tracey Instagram
Tracey LinkedIn
Michelle Instagram
Michelle LinkedIn
Disruption Podcast TikTok
Disruption Podcast Youtube

https://sites.libsyn.com/438957/ep-7-disrupting-the-gender-binary-with-calen-otto