IN THIS EPISODE:

In this episode, Liz and Logan get into what it really felt like to spend a weekend in the desert surrounded by queer community, why spaces like No Other Festival matter more than ever right now, how the experience of seeing all kinds of bodies just existing freely can quietly shift something inside you, and what it brings up when even in the most welcoming spaces, you still find yourself wondering — do I belong here?

TOPICS:

Community, Queer, Vulnerability, Body Image, Personal Journey, Mental Health Support, Therapists

KEY FIGURES:

Elizabeth Taylor, AMFT

Logan Kim, AMFT, APCC

Kindman & Co.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

1. Community care is a practice, not just a feeling.

From sharing food and sunscreen to keeping the porta-potties clean, No Other Festival showed that collective care shows up in both the big and the small moments — and that when a community genuinely looks out for one another, it creates something transformative.

2. Seeing diverse bodies can be deeply healing.

Being in a space where all kinds of bodies existed freely and unapologetically — different sizes, abilities, scars, trans bodies — quietly challenged internalized shame and created a powerful sense of body neutrality. Bodies are just bodies. They get us from point A to point B.

3. Even welcoming spaces can surface internalized struggles.

Both Liz and Logan felt the question "am I queer enough?" arise at the festival — not because anyone made them feel unwelcome, but because internalized heteronormativity, biphobia, and transphobia have a way of following us even into the most affirming spaces.

4. You don't need to earn your belonging.

There is no laundry list of criteria that makes your identity valid or your presence justified. You belong simply because you are — and having doubts about that doesn't mean the doubts are true.

5. Queer joy is powerful.

Especially right now, the joy that filled Know Other Festival — the frolicking, the laughing, the crying, the realness — was a reminder of what is possible when people are free to show up fully as themselves. That kind of joy is worth seeking out, protecting, and bringing into everyday life.

KEY QUOTES:

"Everyone was looking out for each other. Here's water, here's electrolytes. That felt really special. I've never been in a space like that." — Liz

"These are just bodies. Whatever they look like, they get us from point A to point B and we can dance and we can play and we can frolic and move or lay, whatever it may be." — Liz

"There's only certain kinds of bodies that are visible or seen — or deemed acceptable to be visible. So just being able to see all of these different kinds of bodies — big bodies, small bodies, medium bodies, bodies with scars, with top surgery scars, trans bodies — felt like, oh shit. They can have a body and that's great, and maybe I can too." — Logan

"I noticed this part of me that comes up that asks — but am I queer enough?" — Logan

"I know how sometimes voices project loudest to other people, but don't always come back to us." — Logan

CALL TO ACTION:

Today's episode is bringing you to Know Other Festival. It's a yearly queer wellness and camping experience rooted in healing, joy, and self-expression. You can find out more and keep up with everything they have coming up at knowotherfestival.com.

We would also like to mention The Collective Coalition San Diego. They are building intentional queer community in San Diego, and they are doing the work of creating the kinds of spaces we were talking about today — inclusive, affirming, and real. You can learn more about them at thecollectivecoalitionsandiego.org.

Look out for the transcript of this episode on the Kindman & Co. blog and sign up for the Kindman & Co. newsletter to stay connected.