Acacia Larson grew up a pastor's kid in North Carolina, taught themself from 11 to 15, and talked their way into one of America's oldest girls' schools and then West Point. In Part 1, we get into growing up feeling different and loving it, being androgynous in one of the most gendered places on earth, and why Acacia walked out of the academy faster than anyone before them.

Follow Standing Out on TikTok and Instagram @christopherallenofficial, and subscribe on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Wednesday.

Standing Out Live: on Thursday 19 November I'm recording the Season 1 finale live at The Ministry in London with TRYBZ, with three guests including Jonathan Blake. Tickets are in my bio.

References mentioned in this episode:

- Emma Willard School - https://www.emmawillard.org/

- United States Military Academy at West Point - https://www.westpoint.edu/

- Don't Ask, Don't Tell - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_ask,_don%27t_tell

- West Point disbands Spectrum and other cadet clubs (Stars and Stripes, Feb 2025) - https://www.stripes.com/branches/army/2025-02-05/west-point-identity-group-ban-16728098.html

- Knights Out (West Point LGBTQ+ alumni) - https://www.knightsout.org/

- Major Ian Fishback - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Fishback

- Yves Klein - https://www.yvesklein.com/

CONTENT WARNINGS:

- MISGENDERING

- ANTI-LGBTQ+ POLICY

- WAR AND MILITARY DEPLOYMENT

- STRONG LANGUAGE

Chapters:

- 00:00:00 Welcome to Standing Out

- 00:01:15 Feeling different at seven: the girls' bathroom line

- 00:03:03 Oldest of five and a pastor's kid in North Carolina

- 00:06:29 A dad who was an actor, a tennis pro and a missionary in China

- 00:07:55 Homeschooling and getting into Emma Willard

- 00:14:59 Androgyny at an all-girls school and "it's none of your business"

- 00:17:23 Why West Point

- 00:21:51 Gender, hair rules and a 90% male academy

- 00:24:45 Pronouns, the middle as a superpower and the shortest line

- 00:29:47 Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Carol and finding your advocates

- 00:32:23 Spectrum, the LGBTQ+ club West Point shut down

- 00:34:49 Women in combat arms, ISIS and deciding to leave

- 00:38:57 Four hours 37 minutes and life after West Point

Part two with Queera Lynn, the 1940s wartime drag queen taking on hate online. We get into faith healers who charge for miracles, whether Jesus could have been gay, why anyone who says they used to be gay is lying, what success really looks like, and the older gay men who paved the way for us. Plus Queera's new show, Deliverance, and the advice Queera would give a scared 15 year old: pick your site, not just your battle.

Follow Queera on Instagram: @queera_lynn

See Queera Lynn's Deliverance on 5th November at the Two Brewers, Clapham: https://www.outsavvy.com/event/39096/apostle-queera-lynns-deliverance

Follow me on TikTok and Instagram @christopherallenofficial, and subscribe on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Wednesday.

References mentioned in this episode:

- Fighting With Pride, the charity for LGBT+ veterans affected by the armed forces ban: https://www.fightingwithpride.org.uk

CONTENT WARNING:

- RELIGION AND FAITH HEALING

- HIV AND AIDS, INCLUDING A PARENT DYING AFTER STOPPING TREATMENT

- CONVERSION PRACTICES ("PRAYING THE GAY AWAY")

- HOMOPHOBIA

- DRUG AND ALCOHOL ADDICTION AND RECOVERY

- STRONG LANGUAGE

Chapters:

- 00:00:00 Welcome back to part two

- 00:00:47 Faith healing on a stage, not in a cancer ward

- 00:01:46 The bishop who prayed HIV away

- 00:04:31 Getting spiritual after getting sober

- 00:05:22 Why cancer, HIV, gay and autism "cures" travel together

- 00:09:35 Can religion and being queer live in the same space?

- 00:09:49 Was Jesus gay?

- 00:12:03 Why Jesus never talks about gay people

- 00:13:29 Strong opinions and what activism costs

- 00:17:03 "Used to be gay"? You're a liar

- 00:20:59 What does success really look like?

- 00:24:58 Respect your elders

- 00:28:02 Surviving is success

- 00:29:08 David, karaoke and the wise man of the tribe

- 00:30:39 Deliverance: Queera's mega church experience

- 00:33:40 Advice to a 15 year old Queera

- 00:34:45 Pick your site, not just your battle

- 00:38:30 Nobody chooses this

- 00:39:12 Comedy on the edge

- 00:41:24 Queera promotes Deliverance in character

- 00:41:52 Thank you, Queera

This week I'm sitting down with Queera Lynn, the 1940s wartime drag queen and one of the funniest, most fearless voices taking on hate online. In part one we get into where Queera came from, why the character works so well, and why our existence is not up for debate.

Follow Queera on Instagram: @queera_lynn

See Apostle Queera Lynn's Deliverance on 5 November at the Two Brewers, Clapham: https://www.outsavvy.com/event/39096/apostle-queera-lynns-deliverance

Follow me on TikTok and Instagram @christopherallenofficial, and subscribe on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Wednesday. Part two is out next week.

References mentioned in this episode:

- Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere (Netflix) — https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81920687

CONTENT WARNING:

- HOMOPHOBIA, INCLUDING FROM WITHIN THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY

- INTERNALISED HOMOPHOBIA

- CONVERSION PRACTICES ("PRAYING THE GAY AWAY")

- MENTION OF DRUG USE

- RELIGION

- STRONG LANGUAGE

Chapters:

- 00:00:00 Introducing Queera Lynn

- 00:01:05 Recognised out of drag in Wales

- 00:05:48 Who is Queera Lynn?

- 00:07:33 Why a 1940s drag queen

- 00:09:38 Drag, real jobs and hard work

- 00:18:37 From the stage to calling out hate

- 00:20:35 The Straight Acting Brotherhood, exposed

- 00:27:32 Why so many of us hated being gay

- 00:29:10 Our existence is not up for debate

- 00:31:57 Religion, rules and praying the gay away

- 00:34:22 Being a Diet Coke Christian

- 00:37:55 Street preachers and paying for healing

- 00:39:07 Part two is next Wednesday