Podcasts
For most of her life, Elizabeth was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which forbids having sex outside of marriage. But she recently left the Mormon faith, and now she’s ready to have sex for the first time—at age 43. On this episode of How To!, Courtney Martin brings on Nicole Hardy, author of Confessions of a Latter-Day Virgin to offer Elizabeth advice that’s relevant to anyone who’s ready to tap into their sexuality later in life—but unsure how (or where! or with whom!) to start.
Nicole Hardy, author of the memoir “Confessions of a Latter-day Virgin,” speaks about Mormonism’s law of chastity and the crisis of faith that ultimately led her to resign from the Mormon church. Dr. Jon Paul Higgins, who holds a doctorate in education and educational justice and is the creator, executive producer and co-host of the “Black Fat Femme Podcast,” speaks about their experience of growing up as a queer Jehovah’s Witness and the surveillance that ultimately pushed them to leave that community.
Actress Justina Machado reads Nicole Hardy’s essay “Single, Female, Mormon, Alone,” about a Mormon woman whose life is changed by a trip to, of all places, Planned Parenthood. You may know Ms. Machado from the Netflix sitcom “One Day at a Time,” or the HBO drama “Six Feet Under.”
“OF all the places I felt sure I’d never go, Planned Parenthood topped the list. Because, you know, they perform abortions and give condoms to kids, or so I’d been warned. Yet one spring afternoon found me in its waiting room next to a teenage girl, who was clearly perplexed by the intake form and likely bound for an uncomfortable, humiliating four minutes in the back of a borrowed Chevy Chevelle.
But what did I know? I was a 35-year-old virgin, preparing for my own “first time,” which, incidentally, didn’t happen until I was well into 36.
Readings
Lit Series: In November of 2012, I was commissioned, along with writers Sherman Alexie and Kevin Sampsell, to write new work on the theme "While You Were Sleeping." This is that work.
Filmed at Richard Hugo House by Samudre Media
Rosemont College: A short excerpt from Confessions of a Latter-day Virgin, during my 2013 book tour.
Live storytelling
Back Fence PDX is a live storytelling series in Portland, OR. Filmed live at the Mission Theater. September 28, 2013 Theme: Losing My Religion. For more information about live shows, visit backfencepdx.com. Check out the podcast on backfencepdxradio.com, also available on Stitcher and iTunes.