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If you’ve ever wondered what it really takes to love yourself and be loved for exactly who you are, this episode of Dem Bois Podcast will challenge your beliefs and inspire your journey. Today I sit down with Felix-Long Laneri, and he shares his story of how embracing his trans identity, healing from a complicated adoption story, and leaning into community transformed his life. From unpacking the weight of human trafficking behind his adoption story to navigating relationships with a distant adoptive mother, he offers raw insights into the complexities of identity, family, and belonging.

We talk:

05:14 - Adoption, loss of heritage, and the complexity of trafficking

06:20 - China’s one-child policy, uncertainty around his birth story, and lost origins

11:28 - Childhood memories that revealed gender alignment

19:08 - Felix’s relationship with his adoptive mother

32:59 - Community, engagement, and the love that currently supports him

45:19 - Somatic therapy, healing through the body, and why it matters for trans folks

Episode References:

Dem Bois Podcast Ep. #95 Having Faith and Knowing That You’re Worthy with Alexander Rey Simon-Perez

Dem Bois Podcast Ep. #96 Season 3 Finale - Episode of Empowerment with Alexander Rey Simon-Perez (Divine, They, He, King)

Read more about Felix in his bio below:

Felix-Long Laneri is a social worker, somatic practitioner, organizer, trans, transracial adoptee. He currently works as a gender therapist in a therapy group practice, providing space for predominantly trans folks across the life span to explore identity, relationships, and healing. On his off time he organizes Philly TMOC, a transmasc of color group focused on relationship building and expansive boyhood.

• IG - felixlaneri

Celebrate 10 years of Dem Bois Inc.!

2026 marks ten years of Dem Bois Inc. To honor this milestone, we invite you to join our 10 for 10 campaign by giving $10 a month to help sustain the care, leadership, and visibility that trans men of color deserve.

Your support helps build a future rooted in care, visibility, and possibility.

Donate today!

Donate today to support Transmasc Gender Affirming Grants and Community Wellness Packages for Trans Men of Color!

The Visibility = Possibility™️ Merch is here! - Not just merch, but a movement!

Dem Bois Community Voices Facebook Group is a safe, moderated sanctuary where trans men of color can connect authentically, discuss podcast episodes, share powerful experiences, and build support networks.

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Pregnancy and birth are beautiful things that I don’t get to talk about enough. But in this episode of Dem Bois Podcast, those are the main topics of conversation! Today I sit down with Keo and Mason, a Black trans masculine couple, and we discuss their journey through pregnancy, birthing, and parenting. Keo and Mason also share their experiences with healthcare, their evolving perspectives on family, and the importance of community support. Together, we emphasize the significance of love, understanding, and preparation in raising a child in today's world.

We talk:

5:59 - Navigating healthcare as a Trans couple

17:51 - Future aspirations for Lou (their daughter)

23:56 - Family dynamics and identity

31:33 - Sharing life experiences with children

40:10 - Adjusting to parenthood and new responsibilities

54:37 - Celebrating milestones and fatherhood

Episode References:

Ep. 109 - Unapologetically Black, Trans, and Pregnant with Keo Ruiz-O’Neal

Ep. 15 - Growing Beyond Insecurities and Healing from Trauma with Xavier Jones

Read more about Keo and Mason in their bio below:

Keo & Mason are a Black transmasculine couple who have been together for 9 years and have been married for 6 & a half. The couple recently welcomed a baby girl who Keo carried. Keo and Mason are very proud of the life they’ve built together and even more proud of what their love has manifested into. The pair live in Colorado with their daughter, 3 cats, & dog.

• IG - keos_kingdom

Celebrate 10 years of Dem Bois Inc.!

2026 marks ten years of Dem Bois Inc. To honor this milestone, we invite you to join our 10 for 10 campaign by giving $10 a month to help sustain the care, leadership, and visibility that trans men of color deserve.

Your support helps build a future rooted in care, visibility, and possibility.

Donate today!

Donate today to support Transmasc Gender Affirming Grants and Community Wellness Packages for Trans Men of Color!

The Visibility = Possibility™️ Merch is here! - Not just merch, but a movement!

Dem Bois Community Voices Facebook Group is a safe, moderated sanctuary where trans men of color can connect authentically, discuss podcast episodes, share powerful experiences, and build support networks.

Dem Bois YouTube Channel! - @demboisinc - Exclusive content you won't find anywhere else!

Send us Fan Mail

I didn’t have the best relationship with my mother growing up, so when I became a father, I leveled up on my healing so I could break that cycle. And, healing is a huge part of this conversation with Sunny, a nonbinary trans artist, photographer, and advertising creative. In this episode of Dem Bois Podcast, Sunny and I discuss the impact of their upbringing, the complexities of maternal relationships, and the significance of therapy in their life. Sunny also explains the concepts of Afrofuturism and surrealism, highlighting how these artistic movements influence their work.

We talk:

08:55 - Navigating gender identity and expression

14:56 - Cultural expectations and parenting

27:13 - Defining nonbinary identity

36:21 - Navigating family dynamics

48:04 - The power of art and community

59:29 - Building confidence through photography

Episode References:

The Brown Boi Project

Dem Bois Highlight Series Part 5; with Joël Simeu

A video of an adopted person speaking to their birth parent

Dem Bois Episode 12 - Healing Generational Trauma Through Transformative Parenting

Read more about Sunny in their bio below:

Sunny (They/He) is a nonbinary, transmasc artist, photographer and advertising creative with a background in Black feminist theory, gender studies and pedagogy. Through “poetry in motion,” their art centers afrofuturism, surrealism and the radical beauty of joy.

• IG: SPICECAMVISUALS
• IG: COMPLEX.SUN
• TT: SPICEDAD

Celebrate 10 years of Dem Bois Inc.!

2026 marks ten years of Dem Bois Inc. To honor this milestone, we invite you to join our 10 for 10 campaign by giving $10 a month to help sustain the care, leadership, and visibility that trans men of color deserve.

Your support helps build a future rooted in care, visibility, and possibility.

Donate today!

Donate today to support Transmasc Gender Affirming Grants and Community Wellness Packages for Trans Men of Color!

The Visibility = Possibility™️ Merch is here! - Not just merch, but a movement!

Dem Bois Community Voices Facebook Group is a safe, moderated sanctuary where trans men of color can connect authentically, discuss podcast episodes, share powerful experiences, and build support networks.

Dem Bois YouTube Channel! - @demboisinc - Exclusive content you won't find anywhere else!

Send us Fan Mail

Visibility equals possibility, and that is especially true in the medical field. In this episode of Dem Bois Podcast, I sit down with Taylor Chiang, a non-binary general surgery resident at the University of Chicago, and we discuss Taylor's journey through medical school, their experiences with gender identity, and the challenges of being queer in a traditionally conservative field. The conversation also touches on family dynamics, the importance of representation in medicine, and advice for aspiring medical professionals from gender-diverse backgrounds.

We talk:

05:58 - Understanding non-binary identity

12:04 - Navigating family dynamics and gender identity

29:04 - Queer representation in medicine

34:11 - Advice for aspiring gender diverse medical professionals

46:51 - Navigating medical school admissions

55:59 - Access to healthcare challenges

Episode References:

No Reservations (movie 2007)

Love Jones (movie 1997)

Ep. 107 - The Complexities and Phases of Gender Awakening with Taj Taylor

Read more about Taylor in their bio below:

Taylor is a non-binary, queer PGY2 general surgery resident at the University of Chicago. Originally from NJ, they received their BA from Swarthmore College, and MD from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson. They recently moved to IL and the last year and a half has been marked by a lot of change. New city, new job, new friends. Outside the hospital they enjoy running and lifting to keep them sane.

• IG - @t_chiang_
• LinkedIn - tchiang1
• taylor.chang15@gmail.com

Celebrate 10 years of Dem Bois Inc.!

2026 marks ten years of Dem Bois Inc. To honor this milestone, we invite you to join our 10 for 10 campaign by giving $10 a month to help sustain the care, leadership, and visibility that trans men of color deserve.

Your support helps build a future rooted in care, visibility, and possibility.

Donate today!

Donate today to support Transmasc Gender Affirming Grants and Community Wellness Packages for Trans Men of Color!

The Visibility = Possibility™️ Merch is here! - Not just merch, but a movement!

Dem Bois Community Voices Facebook Group is a safe, moderated sanctuary where trans men of color can connect authentically, discuss podcast episodes, share powerful experiences, and build support networks.

Dem Bois YouTube Channel! - @demboisinc - Exclusive content you won't find anywhere else!

Send us Fan Mail

Life is customizable! I know that society tries to pretend that it isn’t, but the truth is, you get to choose! And in this episode of Dem Bois Podcast, my guest Wenjamin Nguyen-Gilmore drives that point home. Wenjaman is a queer business boy and retired runway model, and today we discuss Wen's journey of gender identity, the challenges faced in the modeling industry, and the importance of community and education in understanding diverse identities.

We talk:

8:10 - Exploring gender identity

25:35 - Modeling career and its challenges

39:08 - Understanding autism and gender identity

42:25 - The importance of education and empathy

51:38 - The need for cultural understanding and acceptance

1:06:20 - Traveling and self-discovery

Episode References:

Vocaloid

Hatsune Miku

Transguy Supply

Auston Bjorkman

Mutt (movie 2023)

Gia (TV movie 1998)

Dem Bois Podcast Ep. 72 - Autism, Queerness, Parenting and Family Dynamics with Schereéya

Read more about Wenjamin in their bio below:

Retired runway model, queer business boy-wonder, and cat father to the stars. How does one juggle between parenthood, being in college for 3 degrees, and a job working with autistic kids? Insane, yes, but not impossible. Wenjamin is a trans-nonbinary, multilinguist of colour on the rise to get their doctorate, here to give advice on queer social mobility, as well as navigating life’s hardships from everyday struggles to geosociopolitical levels of intersectionality.

• @heywenjamin on IG

Celebrate 10 years of Dem Bois Inc.!

2026 marks ten years of Dem Bois Inc. To honor this milestone, we invite you to join our 10 for 10 campaign by giving $10 a month to help sustain the care, leadership, and visibility that trans men of color deserve.

Your support helps build a future rooted in care, visibility, and possibility.

Donate today!

Donate today to support Transmasc Gender Affirming Grants and Community Wellness Packages for Trans Men of Color!

The Visibility = Possibility™️ Merch is here! - Not just merch, but a movement!

Dem Bois Community Voices Facebook Group is a safe, moderated sanctuary where trans men of color can connect authentically, discuss podcast episodes, share powerful experiences, and build support networks.

Dem Bois YouTube Channel! - @demboisinc - Exclusive content you won't find anywhere else!

Send us Fan Mail

I say this all the time and I will say it again! Masculinity is what you choose to make of it. You don’t have to subscribe to the toxic masculinity of our fathers and uncles. We can choose a softer side, and we talk all about that in this episode of Dem Bois Podcast. Today’s guest is fiction writer and poet, Bodi, and we explore the themes of masculinity, identity, and community. We emphasize the power of vulnerability and the role of writing in healing. And, we address the privileges and challenges at the intersections of race and gender.

We talk:

3:45 - How we met at Camp Lost Boys

9:59 - Bodi’s journey of self-discovery

29:58 - Navigating race and identity in germany

40:10 - Embracing change and positive masculinity

48:31 - The role of art in expression

53:29 - Bodi’s poem

Click here for transcription!

Episode References:

Camp Lost Boys

One World Poetry Night

Math jokes page?

Read more about Bodi in his bio below:

Bodi (he/him), a fiction writer poet is a fire sun and rising, moon in cute. His work guides him to process what life blessed him with like dreams and water, spirituality, ancestry, love and affection but also body politics around gender, queerness and disability. Bodi has a background in cultural science and has been working with queer communities of colour in Berlin Germany as a project manager, educator and social worker for more than 10 years. He loves to sing, he loves to cook, give massages and he thinks about qualities of rest.

• @bodipoetry

Celebrate 10 years of Dem Bois Inc.!

2026 marks ten years of Dem Bois Inc. To honor this milestone, we invite you to join our 10 for 10 campaign by giving $10 a month to help sustain the care, leadership, and visibility that trans men of color deserve.

Your support helps build a future rooted in care, visibility, and possibility.

Donate today!

Donate today to support Transmasc Gender Affirming Grants and Community Wellness Packages for Trans Men of Color!

The Visibility = Possibility™️ Merch is here! - Not just merch, but a movement!

Dem Bois Community Voices Facebook Group is a safe, moderated sanctuary where trans men of color can connect authentically, discuss podcast episodes, share powerful experiences, and build support networks.

Dem Bois YouTube Channel! - @demboisinc - Exclusive content you won't find anywhere else!

Send us Fan Mail

What do you know about “trans time?” I had never heard the term before my interview with poet and educator, Alexis N. Garcia, but in this episode of Dem Bois Podcast, Alexis teaches all about this concept and more! In this episode, Alexis also discusses their identity, exploring themes of gender, ancestry, and the importance of community. They reflect on the role of play and imagination in our lives, the journey of writing and creativity, the significance of support systems, and the essence of freedom.

We talk:

2:44 - Exploring identity and ancestry

18:26 - The journey of gender and transition

33:21 - Healing generational trauma

40:05 - Understanding “Trans Time” and nonlinear existence

54:35 - Support systems and community connections

Click here for transcription!

Episode References:

Octavia Butler

Caro De Robertis

Tina Aguirre

The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish

Read more about Alexis is their bio below:

Alexis N. Garcia is a t-boy poet & educator dreaming against the state. Their cross-discipline experiments glitch traditional poetic form to construct trans time & non-linear meaning-making. You can find their work in The Hopkins Review, Poets.org’s “Poem-A-Day” series, The Slowdown, The Best of the Net Anthology 2022, among others. Aceves Garcia has received fellowships from The Outpost Foundation, Jack Jones Literary Arts, and the Tin House Summer Workshop. Their latest callings include bringing plant offerings to the ocean and escaping linear time.

• Instagram loveloaf_
• alexisacevesgarcia.com

Celebrate 10 years of Dem Bois Inc.!

2026 marks ten years of Dem Bois Inc. To honor this milestone, we invite you to join our 10 for 10 campaign by giving $10 a month to help sustain the care, leadership, and visibility that trans men of color deserve.

Your support helps build a future rooted in care, visibility, and possibility.

Donate today!

Donate today to support Transmasc Gender Affirming Grants and Community Wellness Packages for Trans Men of Color!

The Visibility = Possibility™️ Merch is here! - Not just merch, but a movement!

Dem Bois Community Voices Facebook Group is a safe, moderated sanctuary where trans men of color can connect authentically, discuss podcast episodes, share powerful experiences, and build support networks.

Dem Bois YouTube Channel! - @demboisinc - Exclusive content you won't find anywhere else!