Episode 74
Positive Masculinity with the Gender Sensei with Mac McGregor
What is Positive Masculinity? Today I am joined by the gender sensei, Mac McGregor, and he opens the conversation about what toxic and positive masculinity is. Growing up in the bible belt of America, Mac knew that he just didn’t fit the magic gender letter he was assigned at birth. After a successful career as a martial artist, Mac now spreads the word about Positive Masculinity and how gender is a spectrum with many ways to express your gender. Join Heather and Mac as they pull apart positive masculinity, how it impacts all of us and how unpacking the social conditioning of what gender means is where the real work happens, even within the LGBTQIA+ community.
Do not miss these highlights:
02:10 – Call to action for LGBTQIA+ E-Book
03:26 – Intro to Mac McGregor
06:59 – The magic letter of life
08:01 – “Knew I just didn’t fit in!”
09:00 – Starting martial arts at 6
11:07 – Not internalizing the hate from the church towards the lgbtq+ community
13:24 – Mac retires from martial arts at 39 and begins his medical transition
14:48 – We’ve all transitioned
15:52 – Gender is a spectrum
19:13 – Creating safe places for deep conversations
20:45 - Positive Masculinity Group
22:00 – Getting curious about your emotions and triggers
27:21 – How social conditioning affects your life
33:21 – Recognizing the humanity in one another
37:20 – Vulnerability in masculine friendships
42:01 – Positive Masculinity and the LGBTQIA+ Community
46:50 – A quote from Mac’s book: “Positive Masculinity Now”
51:27- Masculinity is in the title, but the work is for everyone
53:35 – Parenting LGBTQ&A Segment
Work with Heather:
Solutions listed on her website: https://chrysalismama.com
For the Language of LGBTQIA+ E-book, visit: https://learnwith.chrysalismama.com/book
Digital Coming Out Course for Parents - Text Ally to 55444 to get Heather's "My kid just came out and I'm freaking out!" Toolkit!
About our guest:
Mac McGregor – the “Gender Sensei” – is a speaker who works to educate and train various corporations, colleges, and groups on topics concerning diversity, gender, healthy masculinity, and being true to themselves. He is a dedicated, heartfelt activist and educator who focuses every part of his existence on creating a world where people can feel free to be their authentic selves.
He has been a keynote speaker at many events including Mayo Clinic, and many colleges, organizations, and conferences. This includes the University of Washington where he is a guest instructor each semester who discusses the complexities of gender, transgender, and gender non-conforming. Mac has also made appearances on Ripley’s Believe it or Not, The Learning Channel, The Discovery Channel, the 700 Club, Univision, People Magazine, and many more. He also writes for the Huffington Post, The Good Men Project, Seattle Gay News, Unite Magazine, and other publications.
Mac’s experience prior to transition was that of a successful female athlete, champion competitor, and business owner. This experience shaped him to become a guiding figure for women’s rights, specifically closing the pay gap and providing equal opportunity for those that are gender variant. He was a former US karate team member, inducted into the Martial Arts Hall of Fame as a competitor and as a Master Teacher. He has extensive training in conflict resolution and arbitration through being a certified coach and referee through the AAU and U.S. Olympic committees.
The mayor appointed Mac as a Seattle City Commissioner in 2011 and he served until 2016. Mac is on the Washington state council for PFLAG and on the Seattle Police Department LGBT advisory board. Here, he developed policy and training around dealing with the transgender community, which has been used by the US Border Patrol. He continuously speaks on panels and solo at numerous colleges, non-profit groups, and state and city governments on gender & sexuality. Mac teaches community SelfDefense to empower all people on a donation basis so that all have access. He is currently the Co-Chair of the Seattle Renter’s Commission appointed by the Seattle City Council.
He is also a multimedia talk show host of “The You Can Make a Difference Show” on Rainier Avenue Radio. In 2017 Mac ran for Seattle City Council and was the first transgender person ever to be on a ballot in Washington State. Mac is the Founder and Executive Director of “Positive Masculinity”, a nonprofit that works to dismantle toxic masculinity and helps masculine people work to create a healthier model of masculinity for all people.
How to connect with Mac:
Author of Positive Masculinity Now
Founder/President of Positive Masculinity
https://www.positivemasculinitynow.org/
TikTok- https://www.tiktok.com/@positivemasculinitynow/
Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/positivemasculinitynow/
