03. Radical Curiosity: Living Authentically in Challenging Times with Flint Del Sol

Camp Wild Heart

Today, we're catching up with my friend, and friend of the podcast, Flint Del Sol.

Last time Flint was here, his life looked very different than it does today. He was mid-transition, using they/them pronouns, had just started testosterone, and was still teaching. Since then, he's come out, transitioned in public on his social media profiles, survived doxxings, and received bomb threats at the school where he taught.

It's been a lot.

He chose to leave teaching and move to the desert with his husband for a while, and they've just recently sold their belongings and moved into an airstream with a plan to travel around the country to meet other trans people and gather stories and information to capture the trans experience in the US at this especially challenging and frightening time.

And somehow in all of that, Flint also wrote a book called Teach Like an Ally that comes out on July 29, 2025. This book was written for educators who are struggling in environments where they can't openly state their allyship, can't fly rainbow flags, or can't teach or even have queer books in their classrooms. Even if you're not a teacher, this book will help you be a better ally to the queer kids in your life.

Every time I talk to Flint, the conversation tends to go off in a million different directions, but it always ends up someplace super nerdy, and someplace deeply emotional. This one is no different. I hope you leave feeling as inspired and ready to do better work as I did.

Check out the full episode to hear about:

• How having survived blowing up his own life before has shaped Flint’s relationship to change
• How genuine curiosity and judgment get confused in ourselves and others
• Why it’s totally normal to be at reduced capacity right now, and some ideas to help sustain you
• Why even in an unfair, unjust world, it’s worth continuing to fight for justice
• How deadlines, outlines, and leaning into his unique voice got Flint to the final draft
• Why kids need access to an understanding of queer existence that is not fueled by negativity and hate
• How making art is an essential part of how Flint processes events and feelings

Find out more about Flint Del Sol:

• Instagram: @justflintisfine
• TikTok: @justflintisfine
• Teach Like an Ally: An Educator's Guide to Nurturing LGBTQ+ Students

Find out more about Mackenzie Dunham:

• Wildheartsociety.org
• wildheartsociety.org/downloads
• Wild Heart Society on Facebook
• Wild Heart Society on Instagram

Resources:

• Register for Camp
• Donate to the Queer Community Network
• Wild Heart Society Merch
• Season 04 Ep 03: Fear vs. Curiosity: Being Alive and Trans with Flint, Just Flint Part 1
• Season 04 Ep 04: Fear vs. Curiosity: Being Alive and Trans with Flint, Just Flint Part 2
• "Untitled" (Portrait of Ross in L.A.), Félix González-Torres
• The Smithsonian's queer erasure of an AIDS artwork should alarm us all
• Good Bones, Maggie Smith