Episode Details

In this episode of Proudly On Record, the mic turns inward as host Elise is interviewed by cohost Kari about their own story.

Elise discusses growing up in an Independent Fundamental Baptist church, being homeschooled, and living in an environment shaped by extreme religious control, isolation, and fear-based messaging.

They share what it was like to be raised in a world where women wore long skirts, music and movies were heavily restricted, questioning was discouraged, and church culture shaped nearly every part of daily life.

Elise talks about never truly connecting with Christianity even as a child, despite being deeply immersed in church culture. They reflect on the pressure of evangelism, the manipulation behind door-to-door witnessing, the effects of purity culture and silence around sex, and the emotional impact of being raised to believe that anything outside a narrow religious standard would lead to misery or destruction.

The conversation also explores Elise’s queer awakening including their time at Liberty University, trying to fit into heterosexual expectations, and the long process of realizing they were gay after years of repression and lack of language for what they were feeling.

Topics in this episode:
Independent Fundamental Baptist church, homeschooling, Liberty University, religious trauma, deconstruction, purity culture, queer awakening, coming out, compulsory heterosexuality, church control, family relationships, and queer identity.