Episode Details

Joy (she/her) joins us to talk about growing up as a Jehovah’s Witnesses in Appalachia and what happens when a high-control religion isolates you from community, culture, and even your own instincts.

We dig into disfellowshipping, apostacy, and other dirty little Jehovah's Witness secrets. We also talk about bisexuality, religious stigma, family rupture, and what it looks like to stop performing a relationship with a parent who doesn't accept you.

Finally, Joy reflects on reclaiming Appalachia and the long work of unlearning white supremacy and Christian nationalism while still loving the mountains that formed you.