S4E6 - Kenny, 30. Hutchinson, KS

Kenny is the definition of a survivor. After experiencing abuse by a family member and getting kicked out of the house by his single mom while still in high school, Kenny lived  in his car until he decided to move in with his first boyfriend. A move to Chicago for a job seemed like an opportunity to start fresh until he was laid off and had to turn to sex work in order to support himself. 

But despite all the challenges, he refuses to feel shame about his past and his sexuality. His advice: embrace all the different parts of your queerness: the masculine and the feminine; don’t let others dictate who you are and develop friendships with people who show you love.

Thanks to our new sponsor, the new SPACES app, powered by Hornet! Learn more about it here: https://spaces.hornet.com/invite/e824dc9f879c0d556ac4c3cd1ab6d4ff

This episode was edited by Danny Tayara, a queer designer, filmmaker, and animator living in Seattle. You can learn more about their work at www.dannytayara.com. Editor’s note: this episode combines two separate interview sessions. Rebecca M. Davis is the season 4 voice of Fruitbowl. Ryan Weadon was the sound mixer for this episode. Dave Quantic is the founder and creative director of Fruitbowl.

Fruitbowl is now accepting short, listener-submitted stories to feature on future episodes. Send a story about a sexy hook up or something you’ve learned about sex via SPACES or email a story to dave@fruitbowlpodcast.com via your phone’s voice memo app.

Fruitbowl is produced independently without corporate media infrastructure or full time staff. Every interview is recorded in-person, on location in each interviewee’s home and production expenses including travel, accommodations, equipment rental are paid for out of pocket by Dave Quantic, FRUITBOWL’s creator. 

The only consistent financial support (currently $264/month) comes from Fruitbowl’s Patreon community. Thanks to our new patrons Lou P. and D.A. and to Paul R. for increasing their monthly donation. A minimum $5 monthly donation allows patrons early access to episodes, behind the scenes updates and Salad Tosser tier patrons ($10/month) receive access to exclusive video content that is not available to the general public. Learn more about how to become a patron at: https://www.patreon.com/fruitbowlpodcast

Larger donations and underwriting/advertising fees are 100% tax deductible through a partnership with Northwest Film Forum’s fiscal sponsorship program.  FRUITBOWL RECEIVES NO DIRECT FUNDING FROM NWFF, only the use of their non-profit status to receive tax deductible donations. For more information check out: https://www.fruitbowlpodcast.com/donate

Social media platforms often censor mentions or depictions of queer sexuality. Accounts are suspended, or banned outright without notice, or due process. As a result, promoting FRUITBOWL is an uphill battle, so we rely on you to help spread the word. Tell your friends about Fruitbowl, rate us on your podcast platform or write a review on Apple Podcast. Every little bit helps. And, of course you can also follow us, for now, on twitter at Fruitbowlpod and Instagram and Tik Tok at fruitbowlpodcast.

Find out more about Rebecca M. Davis at https://www.instagram.com/stayuplateshow/

Fruitbowl’s fruit artwork was created by Patrick Stephenson of Bearpad! https://bearpad.storenvy.com/