A family can be loud, loving, and full of funny childhood stories, then get shattered in seconds by one disclosure. During Pride Month, we’re joined by Derek’s parents, Billy and Gail, for a conversation they never expected to share publicly: what happened after Derek was sexually assaulted as a small child, and what it took for all of us to survive the years that followed.

We talk about the signs many parents only recognize in hindsight, including night terrors, bedwetting, fear, and sudden changes in behavior. Billy and Gail walk through the gut-punch of realizing the harm came from inside the family, not from a stranger, and how denial can show up even when you love your child fiercely. We also unpack what mandated reporting looked like in 1992, the shock of police and child services at your door, and the helplessness of watching a child get pulled into interviews and court procedures.

Then we get real about the justice system: intimidation, plea deals that feel like erasure, sentences that do not match the lifetime impact, and the way a whole family can be retraumatized while trying to do the “right” thing. Finally, we land on what healing actually requires over decades: better support, consistent counseling, accountability, forgiveness for yourself, and staying united when trauma tries to split everyone apart.

If this hits close to home, you are not alone. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more families can find these stories and resources.

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Fear spreads fastest when people think the “other side” is abstract. That’s why our conversation with Anya Marino lands so hard: she brings both lived experience and deep legal expertise to questions that usually get reduced to slogans. Anya is a transgender woman, a national legal advocate for transgender and non-binary rights, and Miss Gay America Femme 2026, and she helps us separate what the Constitution actually says from what cable news says it means.

We dig into transgender rights through the lens of the First Amendment, Title VII workplace discrimination, and the practical reality of pronouns at work and in daily life. We also get specific about public schools and libraries, book restrictions, and why “age appropriate” can’t be used as a cover for viewpoint-based bans. From there, the conversation turns to conversion therapy and conversion practices, what medical organizations say about harm, and why rebranding dangerous ideas as “treatment” still leaves kids paying the price.

Then we take on the toughest topics head-on: transgender participation in women’s sports under Title IX, how enforcement can lead to sex verification testing and body policing, and why bathroom bans can create safety risks for everyone, including cisgender women and girls. We close with a bigger question about open debate, political rhetoric, and what it looks like to call people in instead of calling them out. If you want a thoughtful, detailed discussion on gender identity, gender dysphoria, gender-affirming care, civil liberties, and how we live together in public, press play.

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In this episode of Both Sides of the Fence, Derek McCance and Jennifer McIntyre sit down with Lenny McAllister Jr., a conservative Black leader, political commentator, media host, and author of the upcoming book A Venn Diagram of One, set to release in August 2026.

Known for his work across newspapers, digital media, radio, and television, Lenny brings a powerful and unique perspective to today’s political and cultural conversations.

As an African-American voice within the Black conservatism movement, Lenny has often challenged assumptions from both sides of the aisle.

Together, Derek, Jennifer, and Lenny discuss the bold framework behind A Venn Diagram of One - America’s “second act” built on three pillars: Security, Empowerment, and Opportunity. The conversation explores how national inflection points can become moments of reflection, why echo chambers are weakening our shared future, and how Americans can build bridges without surrendering conviction.

This episode is a challenge to choose hope over division, action over outrage, and purpose over trend. It is a call to restore the American Dream through courage, personal responsibility, civic engagement, and the power of the pivot, while reclaiming the “United” in the United States.

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