Out of Context with Caitlin Hartlen (2025)

23/03/2023

I have reached 200 followers! Out of Context has been quiet due to my busy work/life schedule, but I appreciate each and every one of you for supporting me and the li'l q***r podcast that could. Miigwetch, thank you!
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09/12/2022

Richard Rockhard is one of only a few POC drag kings actively performing in Halifax, NS and it was such a delight getting to talk about my favourite performance art with him.

We chatted about all different aspects of what it means to be a drag king, how performing has shaped Richard out of drag, and the difficulties of being a performer during a global pandemic and what that scene looks like now that things have opened up again, but without a dedicated q***r space to perform in anymore. And of course we took a stroll down memory lane about our early days at Get Your Drag On!

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Music or your favourite podcast app!

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08/12/2022

A long-awaited topic for Out of Context has finally arrived: drag kings!

Richard Rockhard AKA Courtney Stanley is one of the hardest-working drag kings in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Caitlin first got to know him as a fellow performer in the legendary "Get Your Drag On" (GYDO) show at Menz & Mollyz bar in 2016, and he carries on that legacy to this day!

In this episode, Caitlin gets the full history of Richard Rockhard the Halifax drag king, but also some insight into how an alter ego has helped Courtney grow and change off-stage. Although drag itself has become more mainstream in recent years, drag kings still often have to create space for themselves and many still don't know what a drag king even is. By the end of this episode, you'll be well acquainted with one of the finest out there!

Episode 15 will be available for download and streaming TOMORROW!!

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20/11/2022

This year, I was asked by DNFC's Indigenous Mentor, Tiffany, to once again participate in their vigil for Transgender Day of Remembrance.

For the third year in a row, I read the names and stories of all the people we've lost to anti-transgender and anti-non-binary violence and hatred over the past year. As always, I'm grateful not to see the names of any loved ones on the list, but I'm also reminded how easily their lives could be s***fed out too.

Even since I read those names on Friday, we know there have been more. Last night, another gunman with hate and fear in his heart took the lives of more q***r people who were simply out dancing and celebrating life in Colorado Springs.

How can we protect ourselves? How can we educate those who would hate us without cause? How do we stop these awful acts, day after day, month after month, year after year? I don't have answers today, but I'm reflecting on what they could be.

Much love and healing to all 💙 🏳️‍⚧️

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02/11/2022

Nat the Cat and sleepy Ash have exciting news!

New episode of Out of Context coming soon...get pumped!!

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06/09/2022

Hello faithful Out of Context listeners!!

You've heard me talk about drag quite a bit on the podcast, and now you have a chance to see me perform live! We have a drag-filled weekend in store for you, Dryden!!

Any pals in surrounding communities are also welcome to attend, so please share share share! Find the events on Rainbow Alliance Dryden's page and share as much as you can!

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW BEFORE THEY'RE GONE!!!

13/03/2022

Dene Guillas is a wonderful guy who hails from Treaty 1 territory in Manitoba, and was an absolute delight to chat with!

I met Dene through work last year, and felt instantly comfortable with him. He's a gifted storyteller and has a way of putting people immediately at ease. I knew he'd be the perfect person to discuss a topic I've wanted to talk about for a long time - gender identity. We got a little bit into Dene's history; from feeling like an outsider to the q***r community, to now working at Rainbow Resource Centre in Winnipeg and helping so many people on their own journeys.

Longtime Out of Context listeners and friends alike will also learn something new about me in this episode. Or rather, not new, but only recently discovered and explored. Curious yet??

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Music or your favourite podcast app!

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11/03/2022

Out of Context returns after a LONG hiatus with a brand new guest, Dene Guillas!

Caitlin and Dene met last November during a work engagement. The Indigenous Mentor at Caitlin's day job invited Dene to a day of talks called "Supporting our 2SLGBTQ+ Youth" that featured speakers from various organisations, as well as individuals who shared their lived experiences. After hearing Dene speak, they connected afterwards and both were excited to chat about gender identity for Out of Context!

In this episode, Caitlin talks to Dene about what it's like working at Rainbow Resource Centre in Winnipeg (especially during a pandemic) and how his journey of discovering his own gender identity, alongside his cultural identity, has helped him in his work.

Episode 14 will be available for download and streaming TOMORROW!!

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05/12/2021

Nat the cat was recently promoted to Quality Assurance Officer here at Out of Context. She's making sure the new equipment Caitlin purchased is up to s***f for a new year of q***r podcasting!

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02/12/2021

May's'ell hop on the bandwagon with the podcast version of Spotify Wrapped!

Massive thanks to all the Out of Context listeners far and wide who've helped this little q***r podcast to grow since March of 2020. I daresay we've ALL done some growing since then!

I should also take this opportunity to apologise for the unplanned but necessary hiatus of the past few months. But good news! Out of Context will be back in 2022 with new guests, new content and (retail gods willing) A NEW COMPUTER!!

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21/11/2021

It's Transgender Day of Remembrance.

I'm fortunate to work in a place that recognises the need to honour important days like today. Yesterday, we held a vigil to remember the lives lost to violence against the trans community. Each year, I'm grateful not to see any of my friends' names on the list.

This is the second year DNFC has held a TDOR vigil, and I've been the one to read aloud the names and stories both times. It's impossible not to feel the overwhelming ache and fear when going through these names, knowing they were attached to real people with hopes and dreams for the future. A quote from one in particular stood out this year: "When are we as a community going to DO something?!"

My heart is with the trans community as we respectfully remember the ones we've lost this year 🏳️‍⚧️💙🏳️‍⚧️

15/11/2021

:trans: :trans: :trans:

Love to all trans and non-binary people this week, and every week 💙

01/10/2021

National Day for Truth & Reconciliation. Yesterday was a quiet day of reflection and furthering my education with U of A's Indigenous Canada course online. It's been quiet in general here at Out of Context the past couple months as life, work and mental health have been needing lots of attention. The hiatus was unintentional, but yesterday would've been void of content anyway, out of respect.

I've been visiting home in Nova Scotia for the past couple weeks, and it was heartening to see the Mi’kmaq flag hung on the MacDonald bridge as I've journeyed back and forth across the harbour while in K'jipuktuk (Halifax). My heart is with all of my Indigenous friends and colleagues as we now move to October 1st, Treaty Day 🧡

01/08/2021

Corey Hickson is a tabletop RPG game designer who's also on Twitch to play video games. In this episode, he talks a little bit about his experiences designing tabletop games within online communities that can sometimes be less than kind, and what that taught him for future forays into game design.

We also delve into the importance of self care (particularly during the pandemic) and being your authentic self, even as an online presence like a Twitch streamer. It can be difficult to maintain a façade that doesn't feel genuine to yourself or your followers.

I don't want to spoil it, so you'll have to listen to the episode, but one of Corey's tabletop RPG collections was designed and used as part of a fundraiser for Trans Lifeline, and managed to raise around $500. You can find a link to their website, which is run by trans people and has plenty of resources available, on Out of Context's Linktree!

I'd like to thank my guest Corey Hickson once again for being the first guest on Out of Context that I had no previous connection to, and for being so lovely to chat with 😁

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Music or your favourite podcast app!

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31/07/2021

This episode marks an Out of Context first - Corey Hickson is someone host Caitlin Hartlen didn't know before recording! They were introduced online via Twitter by another Out of Context guest. You may remember him from Episode 3: Found & Chosen Family, Darrin Carr!

Corey is a software developer by day, and tabletop roleplaying games (RPGs) designer by nights and weekends! RPGs are a world Caitlin is admittedly not familiar with beyond general common knowledge of games like Dungeons & Dragons, so this was an enlightening episode to record. Hopefully you'll learn something new too! He also has a Twitch stream where he plays games like Dead by Daylight, The Gardens Between, but also discusses development of tabletop RPGs he's working on.

In addition to learning new things, this was also a discovery of a new era of Out of Context. Hopefully this will lead to more guests Caitlin doesn't know who are willing to share their knowledge on a variety of q***r topics!

Episode 13 will be available for download and streaming TOMORROW!!

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10/07/2021

Alicia Montague returns for Part 2 of Episode 12! This half of the episode continues our talk about the impact of recent residential school gravesite findings across Canada, and what we can learn from our shared history.

I can't say enough how important it is for we non-Indigenous folk to listen to the stories and lived experiences of not only survivors, but their families and generations that followed. Although this episode has been a heavy one, it's also crucial to understanding the Indigenous way of life and how colonization has made continued attempts to eradicate it.

My li'l q***r podcast is only scratching the surface of hundreds of years of history on Turtle Island. As Alicia mentions in Part 2, there's a free University of Alberta course called Indigenous Canada that anyone can take at their own pace. Find the link on Out of Context's Linktree in bio!

It hasn't all been doom and gloom for Indigenous people, and we need to celebrate and recognise their accomplishments, their art, their music, their culture and more 🧡

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Music or your favourite podcast app!

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09/07/2021

Content/trigger warning: residential schools, genocide, abuse

In this continuation of Episode 12, Caitlin probes a bit further into Alicia's thoughts on the news of children's remains being found in hidden burial sites at former residential schools throughout Canada. Alicia shares her frustrations with how the news is being handled by average Canadians, and discusses her feelings about celebrating Canada Day. Education is also a topic of discussion in Part 2, as most Canadians who grew up in the same era as Alicia didn't learn much - if anything - at school about the truths of colonization and the realities of residential schools.

This episode also delves more into the impacts still being felt today by Indigenous communities, and poses many questions about the future of a settler population trying to undo its historic wrongs, while many among that population feel there's nothing more to be done. As Vie Jones pointed out in Episode 6 of Out of Context, "Reconciliation is a settler concept." In many spaces, the word has become a salve for white people to make themselves feel better about how their ancestors treated the first inhabitants of this land.

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02/07/2021

Content/trigger warning: residential schools, colonization

I was honoured to talk with one of my best friends in this whole wide universe, but this episode and the conclusion aren't a light listen.

Alicia Montague has mixed heritage in her family, including Métis, Inuit and white. Residential schools aren't a far-off concept of a long time ago to her; she has survivors in her bloodline. Colonization's ripple effects are still evident in her hometown in Labrador to this day. When she approached me about doing this episode, I was touched that she'd trust me with this. One of my goals in starting this podcast was to educate not only my listeners, but myself, and I learned so much in this recording and I can't thank Alicia enough for sharing her memories, stories and thoughts with me 🧡

Today is Canada Day, but it's the first one I've spent wearing orange instead of red and white, and I don't think I'll ever go back, nor should we as a nation. Please listen to Part 1 of this important episode, and I'll return next week with Part 2.

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Music or your favourite podcast app!

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Out of Context with Caitlin Hartlen