Ashlee’ spent much of her adult life working in Christian nonprofits, education and volunteering on Sundays. Although she now is in the corporate world she still fancies herself an educator. Today she spends much of her time thinking about joy after deconstructing, catching Sunday morning farmers markets and enjoying life with her wife and dog.

Alycea, more widely known as Transvangelical, is a trans theologian, linguist, Bible translator, and sex worker. Much of her work focuses on reclaiming sexuality as an integral part of who we are.

Benjamin Faye (online as @heytherebenji) is a writer, musician, speaker, educator, and exvangelical. He left church in 2020 after 20 years as a member and musical director including five years with the Antioch International Movement of Churches. He stumbled into the deconstruction side of Instagram soon thereafter and has since carved out his own unique lane, discussing everything from deconstruction, social justice, non-monogamy and politics to more lighthearted content involving his lifelong love of all things pop culture with Instagram series like Sneaky Good Years in Music and 90 Minutes I'm Never Getting Back.

When not making content, he is either making music, cheering on his hometown Philadelphia Eagles, or having the silliest of debates with his partner of 12 years, Emmanuel.

He lives in Atlanta, GA.

Celeste (@CelesteFinally on Twitter) is a writer and creator of Celestial Navigation, speaking out on issues affecting transgender people, as well as abusive churches. She escaped an evangelical-adjacent cult in 2021 and has been re-examining almost every part of life since then, including beginning her gender transition in 2022, at the age of 40. Now, she focuses on finding life and joy as a neurodiverse, transgender, lesbian, polyamorous woman in Southern California.

Raised in a sex-positive home with a Sex Therapist as a mom, Chloë brought a unique (and sometimes shamed) perspective to her evangelical schooling. Now a Copy Editor in the fields of spirituality and sexuality, Chloë brings this viewpoint to all manner of written work in order to support and educate the public. Her mission to fight the stigma against sexuality, queerness, femme desire, and sex education in the Christian world informs her work, play, and party conversations.

Chrissy Stroop grew up in various evangelical denominations in a suburb of Indianapolis and in Colorado Springs. Now a columnist for openDemocracy and a senior correspondent for Religion Dispatches, Stroop has also contributed to outlets including DAME Magazine, The Boston Globe, Foreign Policy, and Playboy. Stroop is (with Lauren O'Neal) coeditor of the essay anthology Empty the Pews: Stories of Leaving the Church. She also has a PhD in modern Russian history from Stanford University and has participated in international academic research collaboratives focused on Christianity, ideology, and politics. She currently resides with her chosen sister and a small fluffy pupper in Portland, Oregon. Check out her substack at www.bugbeardispatch.com.

Cortland is one half of the Thereafter Podcast. He’s a de-converted ex-pastor who somehow still loves conversations about faith, theology, and belief. His primary hobby is making friends. He’s one of those ADHD, nerdy, polyamorous, queers you’ve heard about on TikTok and as an Enneagram 7 is just excited to be along for the ride here at the Content Warning Event!

Crystal D. Cheatham (she/her) received her MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University, LA. She is an LGBTQ rights activist with a focus on religion and sexuality. Crystal finds professional joy in creating media for Progressive Christians both deconstructing and reconstructing. She is the founder and CEO of Our Bible App and published The Deconstructionists Playbook and Queer Hands of God under her new imprint Bemba Press. She gives voice to the many authors who collaborate with her projects on the podcast Lord Have Mercy and produced the new podcast On God’s Campus: Voices from the Queer Underground in partnership with REAP and Soulforce. Crystal and her work have been featured in Essence Woke 100, TeenVogue, PBS, and more. Find out more about her personal journey at CrystaDCheatham.com.

Damon Garcia is a writer, video essayist, and public theologian. He is the author of The God Who Riots: Taking Back the Radical Jesus (Broadleaf Books, 2022). He lives in Santa Maria, California. Follow Damon’s work at damongarcia.com.

Erica Smith is an award winning sexuality educator and consultant with over 20 years of experience. Throughout her career, she has provided comprehensive sex education and advocacy to young women and LGBTQ+ youth in Philadelphia’s juvenile justice system, worked in abortion care, and supported HIV+ and transgender adolescents and their families. In 2019, she developed the Purity Culture Dropout™️ Program to help people learn all of the sex education that they missed growing up in purity culture- sex ed that is accurate, queer inclusive, trauma informed, compassionate, and comprehensive. She has since worked with hundreds of people to help them learn about healthy sexuality after high control religion.

Erica lives in Philadelphia with her partner and house full of rescue animals.

Janice Lagata is a writer, musician and matron saint of cats who is passionate about using humor to tell the truth about heavy things. Her work consistently laces themes of race, religion and gender with threads of witty wordplay and hopeful skepticism. In her capacity as an “exvangelical” person, she is known for being a vocal critic of evangelical megachurch culture in general and the hillsong brand specifically because she believes (almost) everyone involved deserves better.

Jess Grace Garcia (they/them) is a Co-Host of Lavender Mafia Podcast and Community, Founder of Springwood Productions, and the Worship and Outreach Pastor at Haven Fellowship in San Gabriel Valley where they live with their wife and fiancé.

Jess is passionate about writing and producing songs that provide healing and reflection. They love to create safe spaces for healing from religious trauma/spiritual abuse and to deconstruct/reconstruct at their own pace. Much of this work was done as a part of a nonprofit called Q Worship Collective that Jess Co-founded. They also in recent years have been considered in many queer faith spaces as the Sex and Relationships Pastor. They have helped many folks open up their monogamous relationships in a way that patiently honors everyone’s needs and past hurts. “I’m thankful my own experience and desire to break away from the ‘societal formula’ that doesn’t work for all of us, which has helped many heal. That’s all I’ll ever want. Healing.”

Justin was a pastor for over 10 years before deconstructing Purity Culture, ministry, and his faith. He is the co-host of two podcasts, Go Home Bible; You're Drunk and REVcovery, as well as an active participant in the ongoing conversation about what life is like after leaving evangelicalism. When not online he is an occasional gardener, sometimes chef, and dad to 3 kiddos.

Matt (aka @thesnarkygent on social media) is a homeschooling alumni and ex-Evangelical who uses wit and an analytical approach to take apart and examine Evangelical beliefs about relationships, gender and queerness, culture, and politics - when not going off on tangents about various niche nerdy interests

Meghan Crozier is a co-host of Thereafter Podcast and creator of The Pursuing Life (@thepursuinglife) on Twitter, Instagram, and on the web at thepursuinglife.com. Meghan writes and speaks about faith deconstruction, purity culture, bisexuality, harm reduction, spirituality, mental health and more. Meghan is also an educator and has a passion for creating inclusive spaces for folx that have experienced religious harm.

Ross enjoys talking through the deep aspects of deconstruction, reducing harm, and liberation efforts. He's just happy to be here.

Scott Okamoto is the author of Asian American Apostate: Losing Religion and Finding Myself at an Evangelical University and the creator and host of the Chapel Probation podcast. He is also the sound engineer and music supervisor for Axis Mundi, an academic podcast company focusing on the dangers of evangelical culture and politics.

Tori Williams Douglass is a dynamic and influential voice in the realms of writing, speaking, and activism, currently making her mark in the vibrant city of Portland, Oregon. Born with a passion for justice and equality, Tori has dedicated her life to addressing and dismantling the intricate intersections of race, racism, and evangelicalism.

My theology professors kept saying women should cover up, so I decided to take my clothes off for money. I was raised in the thick of 90s evangelical purity culture and learned sexual shame at a very young age. I received a purity ring for my 13th birthday and I kept my virginal promise. This is likely why I didn't decipher my sexual preference for women and non binary folks until my thirties, when I was a decade into my marriage with a straight, cis man and the stay at home mom of a three-year-old. I'm here to say that shame has no place in our discussions about sex and that knowing ourselves in this way is a vital aspect of our mental health and overall well-being. When we desire connection, release, or personalized art, how beautiful would it be if we all had somewhere safe to turn? That's why I'm here, doing this work, creating the space I wish I had been given, and taking back control of my pleasure. I encourage you to take control of yours, too.