How The L Word Sparked My Lesbian Awakening After Mormon Purity Culture | A. Elise Joy

A. Elise Joy joins Proudly on Record to talk about growing up queer in Alabama, surviving Mormon purity culture, and finding a lesbian awakening through The L Word. The conversation also dives into Mormon purity culture, religious trauma, and deconstruction. Elise opens up about converting to Mormonism as a teenager, the shame and depression that followed church discipline around premarital sex, and the long process of leaving harmful theology behind. From there, the episode explores queer identity, healing after spiritual abuse, rebuilding a relationship with a supportive but complicated parent, and learning to trust yourself after years of being taught not to.