Geometric Octopus Podcast

GO011.9 The Octopus Returns(!)

geometricoctopus@gmail.com (Geometric Octopus) — Thu, 01 Jun 2017 02:37:00 +0000

In this interlude, Cosmo reassures listeners that new content will be arriving soon with the ending of the gender and sexuality series and that there is exciting, new material being developed.

Credits
Intro/Outro : Cosmo Cavanaugh
Sound Editing : Cosmo Cavanaugh
Script: Cosmo Cavanaugh
Show Notes: Cosmo Cavanaugh
Hosted by Cosmo Cavanaugh, Jackie Beaudoin, Kyle Mitchell, and Tracy

Music
“Tech Live” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Social Media
iTunes: goo.gl/bsW0Ab
YouTube: goo.gl/3qMdwm
Blog: goo.gl/3Y6NkO
Twitter: goo.gl/vM5HUD
SoundCloud: goo.gl/bsW0Ab
Reddit: goo.gl/6CcA7l
Facebook: goo.gl/b0g3xA

Written with StackEdit.

GO011C - Transphobia: The Great Debate (UNCENSORED)

geometricoctopus@gmail.com (Geometric Octopus) — Fri, 25 Nov 2016 06:05:00 +0000

Download

Trigger Warnings:
Homophobia
Transphobia
TERRIBLE THINGS
~Please be a responsible listener.~

We continue our conversation on fetishization and whether a boyfriend in a hypothetical scenario is transphobic. This was what we began in episode 11a and will continue on for one more episode after this. We also makes points about sexual attraction, sex education, neurobiological sexism, the non-binary nature of intersex people’s genitalia, and how a trans woman is a woman regardless of her genitalia. We make commentary about ancient Greek culture and how it is largely our culture in the present day that has shaped our thoughts about what is considered masculine and what is considered feminine. Here, have some quotes from this episode in case you want to jump directly into a particular sub-conversation (the numbers are the approximate times where they appear in the episode):

“I was talking about the ways of viewing sex, but I realize there’s multiples ways of viewing sex and valuing certain things in sex… I remember earlier, Tracy, you said people should value sexual relationships differently from romantic relationships, or that sex is something that’s extractable from a relationship as it’s own entity--same as the romantic quality to it.” — Cosmo, 4:00

“A trans woman’s body is a woman’s body because she is a woman, and that’s what makes it a woman’s body. There is a difference between genitalia and gender, particularly because genitalia are not quite so clear-cut as they’re made out to be by a lot of the general population… I can’t necessarily speak to that because I’m not intersex, but there’s actually a much larger percentage of the population that is intersex than one would think just by how they’re represented… By my memory, there are about as many people who are intersex as there are people who are ginger.” — Jackie, 12:00

“But if you leave someone because they have a penis, but they’re a woman and you’re a man… and you’re attracted to women… It’s really, I think, a convenience issue rather than a sexual attraction thing… ‘cause I’ve read some stories where these guys who are with trans women are like, ‘Oh, I get tired of sucking dick.’ … If you’re not okay with that, why don’t you work it out with your partner rather than getting pissed off and getting angry about it and building up this weird hostile situation because there’s a lot of violence within trans relationships… This goes for a lot of other things, too… such as how a lesbian couple may go under the radar for domestic abuse because people are like, ‘Oh, it’s two women. There couldn’t possibly be any physical violence between them.’ And while one partner is abusing the other physically and mentally, there’s still that thing like, ‘Oh, you can’t possibly get harmed by another woman--you’re in a lesbian relationship.’ It’s still just as bad." — Cosmo, 16:00

“... everybody deserves to be in a relationship that they want to be in… I feel like entitlement doesn’t even come into it. " — Tracy, 19:00

“The concept of something being hard-wired into your brain really leads into a lot of other issues--excuses for other things… When you’re talking on the level of say, sexuality--just what genders you’re attracted to--I can understand that argument, but when you’re talking about your brain being hard-wired [with] anything else, particularly in the sexual realm… that leads into a whole different can of worms. … The differences in the human brain are not that big… They’re not large enough to actually be able to determine things like that… That’s not how the human brain works. The human brain is not that different--the difference between a ‘man’s brain’ and a ‘woman’s brain’ is so miniscule. Again, gender and sexuality are not binaries--they are a spectrum, and therefore you don’t have that clear distinction between ‘this is a man’s brain and this is a woman’s brain’ because the concepts of man and woman are human concepts… and they’re not just human concepts… They’re, in particular, white European concepts."
— Jackie, 31:00

“If that is true that women are more fluid in their sexuality, the reason why would be something more like the masculine culture that we have where being gay is seen as... non-masculine. Even though for certain cultures--like the ancient Greeks--no, it wasn’t that uncommon..."
— Tracy, 34:00

[upon being asked where he received sex education]: “I mean, I was homeschooled during that time, so basically I ended up just reading books, and I got to go to the library and pick out the ones I wanted.”
— Kyle, 39:00

“I think it’s really dependent on the situation, and there’s no way we can ever cover exactly every hypothetical… but I do agree [with] Tracy… that everyone deserves to be in a relationship that makes them happy. It just depends on what exactly the reasons are… and whether it makes you a jerk for leaving or not… it’s highly dependent on your own mind. It can be bad, and it can be okay.”
— Kyle, 46:00

Credits
Sound Editing : Cosmo Cavanaugh
Show Notes: Cosmo Cavanaugh & Tracy
Hosted by all the above along with Jackie Beaudoin & Kyle Mitchell

Mentions
Civil guy who talked about his date with a trans woman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOcCDS8eSyc

Music
“A Night Of Dizzy Spells” by Eric Skiff
http://ericskiff.com/music/

“Nekozilla (LFZ Remix)” by Different Heaven
LFZ SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/lfzmusic
Different Heaven SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/different-heaven
NCS Release: https://soundcloud.com/nocopyrightsounds/different-heaven-nekozilla-lfz-remix-ncs-release
NCS YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZvnbsfXRk0&feature=youtu.be

“Losing Sleep (feat. Tara Louise)” by Disfigure
Disfigure SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/disfigureofficial
Tara Louise SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/tara-louise
NCS Release: https://soundcloud.com/nocopyrightsounds/disfigure-losing-sleep-feat-tara-louise-ncs-release
NCS YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y-GWhiFmIQ&feature=youtu.be

Social Media
iTunes: goo.gl/bsW0Ab
YouTube: goo.gl/3qMdwm
Blog: goo.gl/3Y6NkO
Twitter: goo.gl/vM5HUD
SoundCloud: goo.gl/MjRcVt
Reddit: goo.gl/6CcA7l
Facebook: goo.gl/b0g3xA

© 2016 Geometric Octopus Some Rights Reserved

Episode 11b: Transphobia - The Great Debate (UNCENSORED)

geometricoctopus@gmail.com (Geometric Octopus) — Sat, 24 Sep 2016 07:12:00 +0000

Download

Trigger Warnings:
Homophobia
Transphobia
TERRIBLE THINGS

We continue our conversation on fetishization and whether a boyfriend in a hypothetical scenario is transphobic. This was what we began in episode 11a and will continue on after this one. We also touch on the topic of sexual attraction and our culture of monogamy. Here, have some quotes from this episode (the numbers are the approximate times where they appear in the episode):

“Is it okay to not date someone because of a certain characteristic that you find out?” — Jackie, 7:00

"Your parents probably aren't okay with polyamory." — Kyle, 21:30

“If people cast their opinions, it would be righteous to have people who can experience a particular thing voice their opinions first and and go from there. Because there's always a problem with voice.” — Cosmo, 40:30

“If a person prefers blonde women, and that might be because they're a product of their culture—maybe they had some assumptions about that at some point—but I'm just saying that it's okay to prefer blonde women if they understand intellectually that blonde women don't fit a certain stereotype. Because I don't think that someone necessarily needs to assume someone is going to fit that stereotype to also have a sexual preference." — Tracy, 42:00

“There's nothing inherently wrong with finding a woman with blonde hair more attractive, but if you're placing that above everything else, then there's a problem." — Kyle, 43:00

“What we consider our jobs here is to inspire conversation." — Cosmo, 45:00

“There can also be this sort of reverse fetishization where you can say, 'Oh, all blonde women are terrible and I would never be attracted to a blonde woman. All people of a certain race are terrible and I would never be attracted to a person of a certain race. All trans people are terrible and I would never be attracted to a trans person of a certain race.' And that is all viewed entirely based on stereotypes."— Jackie, 47

Credits
Intro/Outro : Cosmo Cavanaugh, Jackie Beaudoin, Kyle Mitchell, & Tracy
Sound Editing : Cosmo Cavanaugh
Script : Cosmo Cavanaugh & Kyle Mitchell
Hosted by all the above

Music
“Evening Melodrama” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

“Start That Fire” by ÉWN & Whogaux
ÉWN SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/ewnmusic
Whogaux SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/whogaux
NCS Release: https://soundcloud.com/nocopyrightsounds/ewn-whogaux-start-that-fire-ncs-release

“Nowhere Land” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Social Media
iTunes: goo.gl/bsW0Ab
YouTube: goo.gl/3qMdwm
Blog: goo.gl/3Y6NkO
Twitter: goo.gl/vM5HUD
SoundCloud: goo.gl/MjRcVt
Reddit: goo.gl/6CcA7l
Facebook: goo.gl/b0g3xA

© 2016 Geometric Octopus Some Rights Reserved

Episode 11a: Transphobia - The Great Debate (UNCENSORED)

geometricoctopus@gmail.com (Geometric Octopus) — Fri, 02 Sep 2016 21:01:00 +0000

Download

Trigger Warnings:
Homophobia
Transphobia
TERRIBLE THINGS
Violence towards members of the LGBT community
~Please be a responsible listener.~

In this first of a multi-part episode, we debate two issues. The first is a hypothetical where a cisgender man leaves his girlfriend when he finds out that she is transgender and has a penis.

The second is the fetishization of transgender people, and we also touch upon other issues such as the morality of certain kinds of sexual thoughts and pedophilia.

CORRECTION: Mentioned in the podcast was a trans woman who was murdered by a U.S. marine. In the podcast, we will tell you that it happened in Thailand, when, in fact, it was in the Philippines.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/02/world/asia/us-marine-joseph-pemberton-guilty-in-killing-of-transgender-woman-in-philippines.html?_r=0

Credits
Special Guest (G&S Specialist) : Klaus McHendry
Intro/Outro : Cosmo Cavanaugh, Jackie Beaudoin, Kyle Mitchell, & Tracy
Sound Editing : Cosmo Cavanaugh
Script : Cosmo Cavanaugh & Kyle Mitchell
Hosted by all the above

Music
“Returning” by ShadowWalker
ShadowWalker SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/3shadowwalker3
ShadowWalker Bandcamp: https://shadowwalker0.bandcamp.com/
“Returning” Bandcamp link: https://shadowwalker0.bandcamp.com/track/returning
ShadowWalker Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShadowWalkerART

“Puzzle” by RetroVision
RetroVision SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/retro_vision
RetroVision Twitter: https://twitter.com/RetroVisionFR
RetroVision Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/retrovisionmusic/?ref=hl
RetroVision YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TH3D4RKR4C3
NCS Release: https://soundcloud.com/nocopyrightsounds/retrovision-puzzle-ncs-release
NCS YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN_8D-79BZg&feature=youtu.be

“Master Disorder” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Sources:
Cissexist Bullshit Translator: https://www.buzzfeed.com/meredithtalusan/cissexist-bullshit-translator?utm_term=.rl15ooq3n#.

Check it out:
Klaus’s art blog:
http://thealchemistofcalais.tumblr.com/
Klaus’s other blog:
http://thenicklauseffect.tumblr.com/
Her Story
http://www.herstoryshow.com/
Jeph Jacques
Website: http://jephjacques.com/
Questionable Content: http://questionablecontent.net/

Social Media
iTunes: goo.gl/bsW0Ab
YouTube: goo.gl/3qMdwm
Blog: goo.gl/3Y6NkO
Twitter: goo.gl/vM5HUD
SoundCloud: goo.gl/MjRcVt
Reddit: goo.gl/6CcA7l
Facebook: goo.gl/b0g3xA

© 2016 Geometric Octopus Some Rights Reserved

Episode 10: Gender Expression - Expectation; Presentation

geometricoctopus@gmail.com (Geometric Octopus) — Tue, 28 Jun 2016 05:56:00 +0000

Download
Trigger Warnings:
Homophobia
Transphobia
Violence towards members of the LGBT community
~Please be a responsible listener.~

Tune in to find out how questionnaires should not ask about gender, the stereotypical LGBTQ+ job, and how white we are. We turn to personal experiences, such as with school dress codes, in our discussion of gender presentation and how it relates to gender identities. Sources mentioned in this episode can be found at the bottom of these notes.

On a different note, if anyone has any knowledge/experience with race issues and would like to be on our show, please reach out to us at geometricoctopus@gmail.com.

Credits
Special Guest (G&S Specialist) : Klaus McHendry
Intro/Outro : Kyle Mitchell
Sound Editing : Cosmo Cavanaugh
Script : Cosmo Cavanaugh
Hosted by, all the above, and : Jackie Beaudoin and Tracy

Music
“Kaibu” by Killercats
Killercats SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/kcatsofficial
Killercats Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kcatsofficial/
Killercats YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/killercatsofficial
NCS Release: https://soundcloud.com/nocopyrightsounds/killercats-kaibu-ncs-release
NCS YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLYmtdi-GzA&feature=youtu.be

“We Were Infinite” by Inukshuk
Inukshuk SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/iaminukshuk
Inukshuk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iaminukshuk
NCS Release: https://soundcloud.com/nocopyrightsounds/inukshuk-we-were-infinite-ncs-release
NCS YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEyTsJQGYqM&feature=youtu.be

“Back on Track” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Sources:
Cissexist Bullshit Translator
Social Justice Warrior Training
Klaus’s Blog: http://thenicklauseffect.tumblr.com/

Social Media
iTunes: goo.gl/bsW0Ab
YouTube: goo.gl/3qMdwm
Blog: goo.gl/3Y6NkO
Twitter: goo.gl/vM5HUD
SoundCloud: goo.gl/MjRcVt
Reddit: goo.gl/6CcA7l
Facebook: goo.gl/b0g3xA

© 2016 Geometric Octopus Some Rights Reserved

Episode 9: P*rn & Prison

geometricoctopus@gmail.com (Geometric Octopus) — Wed, 27 Apr 2016 00:40:00 +0000

Trigger Warnings:
Sexual Abuse & Rape
Homophobia & Transphobia
Violence towards people in the LGBT community
~Please be a responsible listener.~

In this episode we talk about aromantics and asexuals as relating to a heteronormative , allonormative society. (Allosexual basically means not asexual, so you can infer what allonormative means).

Then we go into trans people's problems with authority (not in a 'punk' way, but in a trans-people-are-consistently-and-unfairly-done-significant-harm-by-the-justice-system kind of way), and wrap up with the fetishization of LGBT+ people and the porn industry's propagation of that.

Credits
Special Guest (G&S Specialist) : Klaus McHendry
Intro/Outro : Cosmo Cavanaugh
Sound Editing : Cosmo Cavanaugh
Script : Cosmo Cavanaugh
Hosted by, all the above, and : Jackie Beaudoin, Kyle Mitchell, and Tracy

Resources
Transgender Military Ban: http://goo.gl/P4ho0p
Military Health Plan May Cover Some Transition-Related Care: http://goo.gl/BN52jv

Music
“Breathe” by Glude
Glude SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/the-glude
Glude Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialglude
NCS Release: https://soundcloud.com/nocopyrightsounds/glude-breathe-ncs-release
NCS YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulPvZFgoGYk&feature=youtu.be

“Tell Me (featuring Alex Skrindo)” by Killercats
Killercats SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/kcatsofficial
Alex Skrindo SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/alex-skrindo
Zookeepers SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/zookeepersdk
NCS Release: https://soundcloud.com/nocopyrightsounds/killercats-tell-me-feat-alex-skrindo-ncs-release
NCS YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=besNDPvEwQw

“OctoBlues” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Social Media
iTunes: goo.gl/bsW0Ab
YouTube: goo.gl/3qMdwm
Blog: goo.gl/3Y6NkO
Twitter: goo.gl/vM5HUD
SoundCloud: goo.gl/MjRcVt
Reddit: goo.gl/6CcA7l
Facebook: goo.gl/b0g3xA

© 2016 Geometric Octopus Some Rights Reserved

Episode 8.5: A Wrinkle in the Schedule

geometricoctopus@gmail.com (Geometric Octopus) — Fri, 01 Apr 2016 10:48:00 +0000

LISTEN FOR AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT.

(If you want a hint, it concerns our long hiatus and when we're going to break it.)

Credits
Voice & script by Kyle Mitchell
Sound editing by Cosmo Cavanaugh

Hosted by, all the above, and : Jacqueline Beaudoin and Tracy

Music
“Achaidh Cheide” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Social Media
iTunes: goo.gl/bsW0Ab
YouTube: goo.gl/3qMdwm
Blog: goo.gl/3Y6NkO
Twitter: goo.gl/vM5HUD
SoundCloud: goo.gl/MjRcVt
Reddit: goo.gl/6CcA7l
Facebook: goo.gl/b0g3xA

© 2015-2016 Geometric Octopus Some Rights Reserved

Episode 8: LGBT Is Neither A Lifestyle Nor A Choice

geometricoctopus@gmail.com (Geometric Octopus) — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 08:29:00 +0000

Trigger Warnings:
Ostracization
Homophobia
Transphobia
Violence against people of the LGBT community.
~Please be a responsible listener.~

This is the sixth part of the gender and sexuality (mini-)series. Here we’re using a recording style a bit outside our norm. Listen for what is pertinent to us; it might be pertinent to you. Actually, it’s pertinent to everybody. I’m referring to systemic discrimination towards LGBTQ+ people, specifically. Even more specifically, injustice in regards to dorm rooms and employment. Don’t shy away if you’re getting a foreboding chill at the darkness of these topics; we bravely treat them, armed with smiles and sometimes anger, because that’s useful for cutting through bullsh*t.

Credits
Special Guest (G&S Specialist) : Klaus McHendry
Intro/Outro : Kyle Mitchell
Sound Editing : Cosmo Cavanaugh
Script : Cosmo Cavanaugh (Ah, but Kyle’s voice is warm, right?)
Hosted by, all the above, and : Anne Beaudoin and Tracy

“Crystal Clouds” by Phantom Sage
Phantom Sage SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/phantomsage
Phantom Sage YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Sl8Tl330f5
NCS Release: https://soundcloud.com/nocopyrightsounds/phantom-sage-crystal-clouds-ncs-release
NCS YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRHk-DavCjc&feature=youtu.be
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Music
“Feel Good” by Syn Cole
Syn Cole SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/syncole
Syn Cole Website: http://syncole.com/
NCS Release: https://soundcloud.com/nocopyrightsounds/syn-cole-feelgood-ncs-release
NCS YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1ULJ92aldE&feature=youtu.be
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

"Somewhere Sunny (ver 2)" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Social Media
iTunes: goo.gl/bsW0Ab
YouTube: goo.gl/3qMdwm
Blog: goo.gl/3Y6NkO
Twitter: goo.gl/vM5HUD
SoundCloud: goo.gl/MjRcVt
Reddit: goo.gl/6CcA7l
Facebook: goo.gl/b0g3xA

© 2015-2016 Geometric Octopus Some Rights Reserved

Episode 7: Gatekeeping & A Word On Leelah Alcorn

geometricoctopus@gmail.com (Geometric Octopus) — Mon, 22 Feb 2016 03:12:00 +0000

Trigger Warnings:
Ostracization
Homophobia
Transphobia
Suicide & Self-Endangerment
Sexual Abuse
Violence against people of the LGBT community.
Torture
Surgery
Victimization of children
Pedophilia
~Please be a responsible listener.~

In this episode we start off talking about surgery on vocal cords and the gatekeeping on certain terms, two things which aren’t necessarily related. Then we mention Leelah Alcorn and conversion therapy, two things which are very much related. If we’ve learned anything from the life and death of Leelah Alcorn, it’s that transgender youth need acceptance and that conversion therapy must end. Conversion therapy is not only a denial of the validity of someone’s sexual or gender identity, but also a heinous torture.

On the brighter side, we throw Stonewall and Laverne Cox some love.

Credits
Special Guest (G&S Specialist) : Klaus McHendry
Intro/Outro : Cosmo Cavanaugh and Tracy
Sound Editing: Cosmo Cavanaugh
Script : Cosmo Cavanaugh and Tracy
Hosted by, all the above, and : Anne Beaudoin and Kyle Mitchell

Music
“Ark” by Ship Wrek & Zookeepers
hip Wrek SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/theshipwrek
Ship Wrek YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/theshipwrek
Zookeepers SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/zookeepersdk
NCS Release: https://soundcloud.com/nocopyrightsounds/ship-wrek-zookeepers-ark-ncs-release
NCS YouTube Video: https://goo.gl/Teud5J
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

“Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden Cover)” by barbarabrowning
https://soundcloud.com/barbarabrowning/black-hole-sun
barbarabrowning SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/barbarabrowning
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Social Media
iTunes: goo.gl/bsW0Ab
YouTube: goo.gl/3qMdwm
Blog: goo.gl/3Y6NkO
Twitter: goo.gl/vM5HUD
SoundCloud: goo.gl/MjRcVt
Reddit: goo.gl/6CcA7l
Facebook: goo.gl/b0g3xA

© 2015 Geometric Octopus Some Rights Reserved

Episode 6: Candy Corn & How to Have a Conversation

geometricoctopus@gmail.com (Geometric Octopus) — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 07:44:00 +0000

Trigger Warnings:
Ostracization
Homophobia
Transphobia
Medication & Surgery
Self-endangerment
~Please be a responsible listener.~

Get ready to expand your vocabulary, because in this episode we drop some terminology, and I don’t just mean the words below. We talk about transitional surgery, hormones, and equipment such as chest binders. Then we laugh, because sometimes you have to face all the heavy business of life and have yourself a light-hearted moment or two. Just remember: gay people are not your search engines.

Terminology
GRS - Genital Reconstruction Surgery
Phalloplasty - surgery performed to construct/repair/enlarge the penis
DFAB - designated female at birth
DMAB - designated male at birth

Credits
Special Guest (G&S Specialist) : Klaus McHendry
Monologue : Kyle Mitchell
Sound Editing & Script : Cosmo Cavanaugh
Hosted by, all the above, and : Anne Beaudoin and Tracy

Music
“A World Away” by Inukshuk
Inukshuk SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/iaminukshuk
NCS Release: https://soundcloud.com/nocopyrightsounds/inukshuk-a-world-away-ncs-release
NCS YouTube Video: https://goo.gl/WQQj1v
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

“Far Away” by Different Heaven
Different Heaven SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/different-heaven
NCS Release: https://soundcloud.com/nocopyrightsounds/different-heaven-far-away-ncs-release
NCS YouTube Video: https://goo.gl/lkD6J4
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

"Somewhere Sunny" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Social Media
iTunes: goo.gl/bsW0Ab
YouTube: goo.gl/3qMdwm
Blog: goo.gl/3Y6NkO
Twitter: goo.gl/vM5HUD
SoundCloud: goo.gl/MjRcVt
Reddit: goo.gl/6CcA7l
Facebook: goo.gl/b0g3xA

© 2015-2016 Geometric Octopus Some Rights Reserved

Episode 5: Scars and Stories

geometricoctopus@gmail.com (Geometric Octopus) — Mon, 08 Feb 2016 03:22:00 +0000

Trigger Warnings:
Ostracization
Homophobia
Transphobia
Violence towards people of the LGBT community
Personal stories about the discovery of an identity
~Please be a responsible listener.~

It is an unfortunate fact that for LGBT+ people, coming out is often met with resistance—to say the least. In this episode, we discuss toxic environments, safe spaces, and get a bit personal.

The blog at http://thenicklauseffect.tumblr.com/ has recently been archived and is no longer available. However, Klaus has a fantastic art blog at http://thealchemistofcalais.tumblr.com/.

Credits
Special Guest (G&S Specialist) : Klaus McHendry
Monologue : Kyle Mitchell
Sound Editing & Script : Cosmo Cavanaugh
Hosted by, all the above, and : Anne Beaudoin and Tracy

Music
"Our Story Begins" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

“Let Me See You” by NAIMA
NAIMA SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/adamnaima
NCS Release: https://soundcloud.com/nocopyrightsounds/naima-let-me-see-you-ncs-release
NCS YouTube Video: https://goo.gl/XGZNsF
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

"Touching Story" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Social Media
iTunes: goo.gl/bsW0Ab
YouTube: goo.gl/3qMdwm
Blog: goo.gl/3Y6NkO
Twitter: goo.gl/vM5HUD
SoundCloud: goo.gl/MjRcVt
Reddit: goo.gl/6CcA7l
Facebook: goo.gl/b0g3xA

© 2015 Geometric Octopus Some Rights Reserved

Episode 4: Skewed Images

geometricoctopus@gmail.com (Geometric Octopus) — Mon, 25 Jan 2016 04:41:00 +0000

Trigger Warnings:
Surgery
Ostracization
Homophobia
Transphobia
Violence towards people of the LGBT community
Hypermasculinity

~Please be a responsible listener.~

In this second installment of our gender and sexuality mini-series, we continue the conversation about LGBTQ+ representation in the media, touching upon About Ray and Stonewall on one hand, and Metroid, Deadpool, and Undertale on the other.

Spoiler alert: Disclosed are certain ending details of The Matrix series. And the New Testament.

If you didn't catch it, here's a recap of things we think you should go find: After hours specials on The Matrix at Cracked.com, meta, and Undertale, a retro-styled indy game that gives multiple paths towards victory. Notably, the game refers to the player with they/them pronouns and gives positive non-binary representation. According to Anne, it’s “fukn g9.”

To read more on women in the videogame industry and female gamers, check out https://www.superdataresearch.com/blog/why-all-gamers-matter/.

Get moar Klaus at http://thenicklauseffect.tumblr.com/.

Credits
Special Guest (G&S Specialist) : Klaus McHendry
Monologue : Kyle Mitchell
Sound Editing & Script : Cosmo Cavanaugh
Hosted by all the above, Anne Beaudoin, and Tracy

Music
“Stay” by Indi.
https://soundcloud.com/indycloud/stay

"Vintage Education" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Social Media
iTunes: goo.gl/bsW0Ab
YouTube: goo.gl/3qMdwm
Blog: goo.gl/3Y6NkO
Twitter: goo.gl/vM5HUD
SoundCloud: goo.gl/MjRcVt
Reddit: goo.gl/6CcA7l
Facebook: goo.gl/b0g3xA

© 2015-2015 Geometric Octopus Some Rights Reserved

Episode 3: The Reign of the Gender Binary

geometricoctopus@gmail.com (Geometric Octopus) — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 02:09:00 +0000

Trigger Warnings:
mutilations
suicide
surgery
ostracization
homophobia and transphobia
violence towards people of the LGBT community.
~Please be a responsible listener.~

You’ve all been waiting for it: The first part of our mini-series on gender and sexuality. We bring on blogger Klaus McHendry. From the get-go we deal with some heavy topics, including abuses against LGBTQ+ people, but stick with us because we talk about the pervasive gender binary. We also touch on Western imperialism and the question: which is better, bad representation or no representation?

Klaus has more to say at the thenicklauseffect.tumblr.com. Follow them; they’re awesome. Klaus will be coming back as we continue the gender and sexuality mini-series.

If you want to know more about two-spirit people, check out nativeout.com or the Center for Cross-Cultural Research at Western Washington University.

Credits
Special Guest (G&S Specialist) : Klaus McHendry
Monologue : Kyle Mitchell
Sound Editing & Script : Cosmo Cavanaugh
Hosted by: All the above, Anne Beaudoin, and Tracy

Music Credits
"Space 1990-B" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

"Arcadia" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Social Media
iTunes: goo.gl/bsW0Ab
YouTube: goo.gl/3qMdwm
Blog: goo.gl/3Y6NkO
Twitter: goo.gl/vM5HUD
SoundCloud: goo.gl/MjRcVt
Reddit: goo.gl/6CcA7l
Facebook: goo.gl/b0g3xA

© 2015 Geometric Octopus Some Rights Reserved

The Battle of the Long, Long Films

geometricoctopus@gmail.com (Geometric Octopus) — Wed, 16 Dec 2015 17:42:00 +0000

With Star Wars: The Force Awakens soon to be coming out in theaters, it seems like every youtuber and blogger out there is trying get some angle or other on it. Well, this blog won't be caught up in the hype. Could you imagine? Our first blog post in a month being something about Star Wars! No.

. . .

Okay, maybe. Just a tiny post. See, something that recently caught the attention of Cosmo and I were the lengths of several blockbuster hits. As the audience, you're expected to sit through hours of the heroes marching through seemingly endless plots. Peter Jackson's baby, The Hobbit trilogy, was 7.9 hours total (474 minutes). That's how long it'd take to watch all three films back to back. The Lord of the Rings trilogy is 9.3 hours long (558 minutes). All the Hobbit and LoTR movies together are 17.2 hours long. This isn't even counting all the extra footage and deleted material.

The prequel trilogy of Star Wars is roughly 6.4 hours (376 minutes) and the original series is about 7 hours (416 minutes). Before I bore you with numbers, let me just say that together they are 13.4 hours, so the LoTR-Hobbit combo wins out.

That's why The Force Awakens is so important to this imaginary, pointless contest Cosmo and I have invented. It won't be able to put the Star Wars series over 17.2 hours, but what if it were to spawn a whole new trilogy? Disney would be losing money if it didn't do that, right? That could potentially catapult Star Wars over LoTR/Hobbit and maybe even over the eight films of the Harry Potter franchise, which are 19.65 hours in length (1179 minutes).

Edit: I'm told that there really is going to be a new Star Wars trilogy, so there we go. Star Wars will win.

By Day She Dreams of Heroes

geometricoctopus@gmail.com (Geometric Octopus) — Sat, 28 Nov 2015 04:36:00 +0000

This Thanksgiving weekend we've got a story by David Martin. Our hope is that the contrasting of ancient Geatish heroes and petty school bullies will go along well with your turkey.

She must have laid on the ground for a good five minutes. Finally the snickering and laughs woke her up. “Wotta tosser”, chirped the teenage English accents. This was the third time this week. A teacher got her to stand up. While walking home more voices were heard. These were American tourists gawking at a local sign. “Double letters on names are for good luck!” It was a pleasant custom for a small town in the south of England. There was nothing in her life to explain these episodes. Up until then she had been a lively curious girl looking forward to traveling the world. She had Facebook friends on every continent. The actor in Bollywood. The couple high hiking across Ontario. The Nigerian with the sushi pub.

“Are you feeling better Amy?” asked her mother. Her response was a forced smile. The conversation continued with mention of an appointment with a local child therapist. Amy could do nothing but accept her fate. Later she was tucked into bed.

The dream returned. The massive door slowly caving in to the horrible pounding. A great cold wind blowing through the hall as monstrous feet landed on the wooden floor. Brave warriors meeting cruel fates. Cowering in the darkest corner was all she could do as the mayhem ensued. Finally the cries for help grew distant as the victims were carried off into the frigid night.
Read more

Episode 2.5: Back to the Sea

geometricoctopus@gmail.com (Geometric Octopus) — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 07:07:00 +0000

In this interlude, Kyle talks about the mini-series on gender and sexuality coming out in December and gives a shout-out to some of our contributing artists.

Credits
Voice by Kyle Mitchell
Sound editing and script by Cosmo Cavanaugh

Music Credits
"Gymnopedie No. 1" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Social Media
https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/geometric-octopus-podcast/id1054748725?mt=2
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPIEbMW5TKcikAyL9QuRJ6A
http://geometricoctopus.blogspot.com/
https://twitter.com/GeoOctoPodcast8
https://soundcloud.com/geometric-octopus
https://www.reddit.com/r/GeometricOctopus/

© 2015 Geometric Octopus Some Rights Reserved

Episode 2: Book Readings . . . And Stuff

geometricoctopus@gmail.com (Geometric Octopus) — Mon, 16 Nov 2015 15:34:00 +0000

In our first comedy episode—unless, that is, you’d consider our previous discussion funny—classic authors talk about about our private moments, Anne wrecks my computer charger, and we play some music by Kevin MacLeod, Doprah, and Cash Out Keyz.

In December, we’ll be doing a q&a with our guest Klaus McHendry on gender and sexuality. If you have any topics or inquiries relating to that subject, email us at geometicoctopus@gmail.com. That also goes for any thoughts or questions you may have on this episode.

If you are interested in submitting a track to us for promotion in one of our episodes, please send us an email stating so and we will reply as soon as we are able to. Alternatively, submit a track through our moderated group on SoundCloud. If you are interested in hearing your short story read aloud or performed, please visit our blog page for the details.

Social Media
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPIEbMW5TKcikAyL9QuRJ6A
https://twitter.com/GeoOctoPodcast8
http://geometricoctopus.blogspot.com/
https://www.reddit.com/r/GeometricOctopus/
https://soundcloud.com/geometric-octopus

Music Credits
“Mind of a Monster” by Cash Out Keyz
https://soundcloud.com/cash-out-keyz-c-o-k/cash-out-keyz-mind-of-monster

“Stranger People” by Doprah
https://soundcloud.com/doprah/stranger-people

"The Show Must Be Go" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

We're Looking For Stories Relating to Gender and Sexuality

geometricoctopus@gmail.com (Geometric Octopus) — Fri, 13 Nov 2015 18:04:00 +0000

We're currently working on a small series of episodes where we discuss gender and sexuality. Think LGBTQQIAAP. If you've got a story, either fiction or non-fiction, relating to that topic, please, by all means, send it in! In order to have your story on the podcast during the same period as the discussion, email it to geometricoctopus@gmail.com or put it in our Dropbox before December 12.
For for more information on submitting stories, look at our Call for Contributors page.

Episode 1: Cosmicism

geometricoctopus@gmail.com (Geometric Octopus) — Sat, 31 Oct 2015 05:42:00 +0000

Geometric Octopus would like to bring you a platterful of a writhing, slimy fiction, humor, music, and discussion if you’ll let us. It’s a veritable variety of things we have stewing. In this first episode, we discuss Cosmicism (a philosophy developed by H. P. Lovecraft), and whether or not humans are more than the sum of their parts. You can listen to it above or click here.
Also, if you haven’t already, be sure to put this episode in a packing crate and store it somewhere very safe. You never know—it could be a collector’s item in the future!
Our sources are linked to below, except a lot of the information came from Anne’s memory, and we can’t link to her brain (although we’re trying). Check us out on the links below.
For questions/comments, shoot us an email at geometicoctopus@gmail.com—we would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. If you are interested in submitting a track to us for promotion in one of our episodes, please send us an email stating so and we will reply as soon as we are able to. Alternatively, submit a track through our moderated group (on SoundCloud). If you are interested in hearing your short fiction read aloud or performed, please visit our Reddit page for the details.

Social Media
https://www.reddit.com/r/GeometricOctopus/
https://soundcloud.com/geometric-octopus
https://twitter.com/GeoOctoPodcast8 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPIEbMW5TKcikAyL9QuRJ6A

Music Credits
"The Complex" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

"Spellbound" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Source
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmicism

© 2015 Geometric Octopus

Behold! The Podcast

geometricoctopus@gmail.com (Geometric Octopus) — Sat, 31 Oct 2015 05:40:00 +0000

This short clip introduces the Geometric Octopus Podcast (and if you play it backwards, you will hear our plan to take over the world).

Credits:

Editing and voice by Cosmo Cavanaugh

Additional voice by Anne Beaudoin

Script by Kyle Mitchell

Music

"Unity" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Social Media
https://www.reddit.com/r/GeometricOctopus/
https://soundcloud.com/geometric-octopus
https://twitter.com/GeoOctoPodcast8 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPIEbMW5TKcikAyL9QuRJ6A