Queer Coded: Discussing gender identity and sexuality in rural communities with Edie Engelmann

In this episode of Queer Coded, our host, Mary Ellen Buxton, interviews Edie Engelmann, a nonbinary civil engineer and LGBTQ+ advocate living and working in rural Eastern Oregon. Edie discusses their agender identity and shares their experience exploring and identifying their gender, sexuality, and expression. They also share their process of coming out to family and friends regarding not only sexuality but also gender identity and expression. They talk about having been met with great support from not only family but from friends and community members. They discuss experiences of gender dysphoria as a youth and as an adult and, in turn, discuss their desire for and process of receiving gender-affirming procedures. They go on to discuss the intersections of their gender identity and expression and their neurodivergency. Edie shares their experience of seeking community online and in-person in their rural community. We wrap up our episode by discussing the impact of their identities in their chosen career field.