Host Tony Hoshaw opens with a viral Donald Trump claim about immigrants eating pets and uses it to explore how we dehumanize people by turning them into "animals."

He traces his own journey from a hunting childhood to a Christian conversion and tentative vegetarianism, shares stories of his companion pets, and criticizes careless hunting and factory farming.

The episode brings in thinkers—Derrida, Ken Stone, Carol J. Adams, Val Plumwood, and Martha Nussbaum—to discuss animal sentience, the predator–prey dynamic in the Bible, and the ethical implications of edibility and sacrifice.

Hoshaw argues for treating sentient animals as beings with species-specific lives, calls for more compassionate practices, and closes the season asking listeners to "rest from cruel dominion" and rethink our relationship to animals.

EXPLORE:

Read a preview of Tony's essay, *The Bible Isn't Edible* here: https://gay-thoughts.com/2025/12/04/on-the-urgent-matter-of-the-bible-or-on-how-vegetarians-should-use-the-bible/

Read Tony's sermon, *Rest From Cruel Dominion* here: https://gay-thoughts.com/2024/05/15/rest-from-cruel-dominion-embracing-mercy-on-the-sabbath-day/

Read *Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy* by Matthew Scully: https://www.amazon.com/Dominion-Power-Suffering-Animals-Mercy/dp/0312319738

Read *The Animal That Therefore I Am* by Jacques Derrida: https://www.amazon.com/Animal-Therefore-Perspectives-Continental-Philosophy/dp/082322791X

Read *Reading the Hebrew Bible with Animal Studies* by Ken Stone: https://www.sup.org/books/religious-studies/reading-hebrew-bible-animal-studies

Read *The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist-Vegan Critical Theory* by Carol J. Adams: https://caroljadams.com/spom-the-book

Read *The Eye of the Crocodile* by Val Plumwood (edited by Lorraine Shannon): https://press.anu.edu.au/publications/eye-crocodile

Read *Justice for Animals: Our Collective Responsibility* by Martha C. Nussbaum: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Justice-for-Animals/Martha-C-Nussbaum/9781982102517

Read "Questions of Biblical Ambivalence and Authority Under A Tree Outside Delhi; Or, The Postcolonial And The Postmodern" in *Postcolonial Biblical Criticism: Interdisciplinary Intersections*, by Stephen D. Moore: https://www.amazon.com/Postcolonial-Biblical-Criticism-Interdisciplinary-Postcolonialism/dp/0567045307

Read *Jacob's Wound: Homoerotic Narrative in the Literature of Ancient Israel* by Theodore Jennings, Jr.: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/jacobs-wound-9780826417121/

In this episode, Tony explores how puberty and social media intersect, comparing Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation and Matt Richtel's How We Grow Up, and closing with Adam Aleksic’s Algospeak. He examines how smartphones, algorithms, and shifting social habits are reshaping adolescence, attention, gender norms, and mental health.

This episode outlines practical responses — more unsupervised play, better sleep, mentorship and community, digital age limits and biometric safeguards, and education about algorithms — to help young people navigate a faster, digital coming-of-age.

**Drinking Game:** Every time Tony says compelling, so on and so forth, and/or interesting, drink up! Drink responsibly!

EXPLORE:

Hear *13: the Musical,* here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlzsPwQ_Dzs

Listen to Bill Maher's podcast, *Random Club,* with William Macy, here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/club-random-with-bill-maher/id1613459129?i=1000731550816

Read: *The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness,* here: https://www.amazon.com/Anxious-Generation-Rewiring-Childhood-Epidemic/dp/0593655036

Find out more about *Circle of Security of Parenting* here: https://www.circleofsecurityinternational.com/blogs/resources/videos-for-parents

Read: *How We Grow Up: Understanding Adolescence,* here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0063282062/?bestFormat=true&k=how%20we%20grow%20up%20matt%20richtel&ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-pd-bk-d_k0_1_12_de&crid=E7DO5S68K3Z3&sprefix=How%20We%20Grow%20

Listen to "I Know Things Now" from Sondheim's *Into the Woods,* here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAsDInMEKvE

Listen to "All The Ladies" from *Operation Mincemeat,* here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2C4L3BXV7M

Listen to the *Rizzler Song,* here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4Ddg9JuOWY

Listen to "Lost in the Brass," sung by Lindsay Mendez, from the musical *Band Geeks,* here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=za4T2yo8U94

In this episode, Tony examines recent Supreme Court decisions, North Carolina legislation, and Andrew Sullivan's op-ed for the New York Times to explain how legal and cultural forces are shaping public views of Trans* loves and lives. Tony argues that Trans* people are figures of change. And it is change that the forces opposed to Trans* loves and lives want to end. Tony introduces basic ideas from gender studies, focusing on Judith Butler's recent book, Who's Afraid of Gender. Tony hopes his listeners will be inspired to advocate for and protect the dignity of Trans* people and the right of parents to support and care for their beloved Trans* kids.

Keep up with the cast at newthoughtspodcast.com. Send your feedback and stories about change in your life to info@newthoughtspodcast.com.

Explore:

Listen to Lucia Lukas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaG48g0-3oo&list=RDeaG48g0-3oo&start_radio=1

Watch Into The Woods: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxPtnom2FP0

Find the 36 Questions to Love here: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/09/style/no-37-big-wedding-or-small.html

Read Mahmoud v. Taylor: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24-297_4f14.pdf

Read U.S. v. Skrmetti: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/23-477_2cp3.pdf?page=86

Read NC House Bill 805: https://ncleg.gov/Sessions/2025/Bills/House/PDF/H805v6.pdf

Read Andrew Sullivan's op-ed for the NY Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/26/opinion/gay-lesbian-trans-rights.html

Read Tony's Response to Sullivan at gay-thoughts.com: https://gay-thoughts.com/2025/07/06/against-virtually-normal-law-politics-and-the-trans-queer-body/

Listen to Judith Butler explain gender: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UD9IOllUR4k

Read Butler's Who's Afraid of Gender: https://www.amazon.com/Whos-Afraid-Gender-Judith-Butler/dp/0374608229

Read David M. Halperin, "Sex / Sexuality / Sexual Classification": https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/C/bo17888759.html

Cardi B on why she thinks her security guard = fat: https://www.tiktok.com/@metroentertainment/video/7543549871274380566

Evangelical straight men like it up the butt: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/opinion-evangelicals-christian-sex-website-lgbtq-advice_n_5c102db7e4b0ac537179acd1