Interview with Mayor Brett Smiley | Ep #37
Profiles in LGBTQ+ Courage: Real Stories of Identity & Acceptance
Release Date: 04/12/2024
Julia Cumes on Photography as a Force for Social Change
Profiles in LGBTQ+ Courage: Real Stories of Identity & Acceptance
In this episode, host Rick Koonce interviews award-winning photojournalist Julia Cumes, whose work shines a light on marginalized communities around the world. Born and raised in apartheid-era South Africa, Julia witnessed the power of images to expose truth and inspire change. Her career has been shaped by a commitment to social justice and storytelling through the lens of her camera. Julia shares how her projects—from documenting Cape Cod’s transgender community to capturing the stories of immigrants, women in India’s Devadasi system, and Hawaii’s cowboys—help challenge...
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Safeguarding Kids Online and Offline: A Courageous Conversation with Jacob Stapledon
Profiles in LGBTQ+ Courage: Real Stories of Identity & Acceptance
Child abuse remains one of the most urgent and under-recognized crises facing families today. In this powerful episode of Profiles in LGBTQ Courage, host Rick Koonce speaks with Jacob Stapledon, Community Engagement and Education Manager at Children s Cove, a child advocacy center on Cape Cod. Together, they shed light on the staggering reality of abuse, why LGBTQ youth are disproportionately affected, and the critical role that community members can play in protecting children. Jacob shares sobering statistics, including the fact that 90% of children are abused by someone they know, and that...
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Teen Activist Bradley Forcier on Courage, Politics & Pride
Profiles in LGBTQ+ Courage: Real Stories of Identity & Acceptance
In this episode of Profiles in LGBTQ+ Courage, host Rick Koonce sits down with 16-year-old activist and student Bradley Forcier, whose story is both inspiring and timely. Bradley, a rising junior at Falmouth Academy, shares how coming out at age 12 sparked his passion for advocacy, community involvement, and political engagement. From leading in his school’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance to starting the process of launching a local chapter of the ACLU, Bradley is already creating meaningful change. He opens up about navigating high school as a young gay man, supporting transgender friends,...
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Welcome to Profiles in LGBTQ+ Courage: Real Stories of Identity & Acceptance
Profiles in LGBTQ+ Courage: Real Stories of Identity & Acceptance
Have you ever wondered what courage looks like in the LGBTQ+ community? In my podcast series, Profiles in LGBTQ+ Courage, I share the powerful, authentic stories of individuals and families navigating the complex issues of sexual orientation, gender identity, self acceptance, and human love. From coming out journeys and gender transitions to parents learning how to support their children, these intimate conversations reveal the strength it takes for all of us to live and love authentically. I'm your host, Rick Koonce. With decades of experience as a journalist and interviewer, I'm here to...
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From Cape Cod Roots to State Senate: Julian Cyr’s Story
Profiles in LGBTQ+ Courage: Real Stories of Identity & Acceptance
In this episode of Profiles in LGBTQ+ Courage, I sit down with Massachusetts State Senator Julian Cyr, who represents Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket. Julian shares his powerful journey of growing up as a young gay man on the Outer Cape, finding his voice through activism, and ultimately stepping into leadership to serve his community. We talk about how his early experiences shaped his commitment to public service, the lessons he learned from the AIDS epidemic, and why authenticity is a core value in both politics and personal life. Julian also opens up about the pressing issues...
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Interview with Finn Allen (Wanda Mae) | Ep #45
Profiles in LGBTQ+ Courage: Real Stories of Identity & Acceptance
Finn Allen (formerly Wanda Mae). Wanda Mae was a little girl raised in a household with an alcoholic mother, an abusive father, and two sisters. She never felt “at home” in her female body, even though at an early age she excelled at sports and was a stand-out school athlete. From the age of 4 or 5, Wanda Mae felt like a boy, not a girl. But in her childhood, she didn’t have a lot of time to dwell on all that. And there was nobody to talk to about her shame, discomfort, and confusion. At home, after her father left, Wanda Mae was beaten by her mother and her boyfriend, before...
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Interview with Joan and Rick Francolini | Ep #44
Profiles in LGBTQ+ Courage: Real Stories of Identity & Acceptance
Joan and Rick Francolini are the parents of a bisexual daughter, Renee, who’s about to marry a transgender man. They’re also committed social justice advocates who recently organized the first-ever Lower Cape Pride celebration on Cape Cod. Dubbed, “Unity in Community,” the three-day event, a multi-generational celebration of LGBTQ+ pride, drew hundreds of people to the towns of Orleans and Brewster, Massachusetts in June 2025. Activities included a parade, an LGBTQ+ community resource fair, musical performances, and an exhibit about the history of drag. Also featured was a panel...
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Interview with Roger Smith | Ep #43
Profiles in LGBTQ+ Courage: Real Stories of Identity & Acceptance
The Trump Administration’s explicit animus toward transgender people is a well-documented and very public fact. Starting in his first term and now in his second, President Trump and his Administration have carried out a systematic, years-long effort to roll back protections for LGBTQ+ people. Beginning in January 2025, the Administration issued a series of executive orders specifically targeted at trans people. Trump’s directives include targeting transgender students, banning trans Americans from military service, and giving federal agencies the go ahead to overtly...
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Interview with Susanne Bennett | Ep #42
Profiles in LGBTQ+ Courage: Real Stories of Identity & Acceptance
Susanne Bennett describes herself as a white, queer, cis-gender, able-bodied, and educated elder woman. At 78, this former college professor and retired clinical social worker also describes herself as a questioner, a doubter, and someone who’s always sought to better understand herself as a sexual and spiritual person. These are just a few of the topics Susanne explores in a new memoir, Evolving: Faith, Sexuality and Aging. The book chronicles a life that’s been full of unexpected twists and turns, moments of doubt and uncertainty, followed by hard-won personal clarity --- about the...
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Interview with Lindsey Straus | Ep #41
Profiles in LGBTQ+ Courage: Real Stories of Identity & Acceptance
Lindsey Straus is a 73-year-old trans woman who’s also the biological father of three sons -- triplets -- now in their early 40s. The story of Lindsey’s transition --- from husband, devoted dad, and little league coach to trans woman, social activist, and lay minister at her church in Brewster MA --- is truly inspiring and courageous. But that transitional journey did not come easily or without pain. After more than 20 years of heterosexual marriage, Lindsey decided to transition and become a woman at the age of 50 in 2001. Years of separation and estrangement from her family then...
info_outlineBrett Smiley is the married, gay mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, the first in the city's 400-year history. Elected to office in 2022 on his second try for the job, Smiley got his start in Rhode Island politics years before, serving as Chief Operating Officer for Providence and Director of Administration for the Ocean State, as well as Chief of Staff to former Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo.
In this revealing interview with PFLAG Cape Cod’s Rick Koonce, Brett talks about coming out as a gay man, and about being a political science and public policy nerd, even as a teenager, who developed an early passion for politics.
He talks, too, about the mark he hopes to make on Providence as mayor, and about the high school teacher and coach who helped him believe in himself.
Finally, he talks about being an uncle to his nephews, his love of running, his recovery from alcoholism in his early 20’s, and about meeting his husband, Jim, a prominent real estate agent in Rhode Island, and now the first First Gentleman of Providence.
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