Unorthodox

Finding Your Truth

Ep. 189: ‘Born Perfect’ conversion therapy activist Mathew Shurka and Nerdette podcast host Greta Johnsen

July 18, 2019

This week in News of the Jews, Israel’s new education minister endorsed gay conversion therapy, a controversial and widely discredited practice. We’re bringing you an interview (recorded before those comments were made) with Mathew Shurka, founder of Born Perfect, an organization that lobbies against conversion therapy. Mathew tells us about his own experience—he spent five years in conversion therapy as a teen—and how he found his calling in activism after an “It Gets Better” video he recorded in 2012 went viral.

Our Gentile of the Week, recorded at our Chicago live show last month, is Greta Johnsen, who hosts the Nerdette podcast and anchors WBEZ Chicago’s Weekend Edition Saturday. She tells the audience what it means to be a nerdette, shares her favorite moments of the podcast, and asks the hosts a question about Jewish food.

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This week’s outro music is “Adon Olam” sung to the tune of the Golden Girls theme song by Kol Zimra. The song is featured in Latter Day Jew, Aliza Rosen’s new film about former Unorthodox guest H. Alan Scott. Contact [email protected] for engaging harmony music at your next simcha.

This episode is brought to you by Harry’s. Get a free trial shave set when you sign up at Harrys.com/Unorthodox.

Unorthodox is a smart, fresh, fun weekly take on Jewish news and culture hosted by Mark Oppenheimer, Stephanie Butnick, and Liel Leibovitz. You can listen to individual episodes here or subscribe on iTunes.

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