July 8, 12:30PM - 2:00 PM Pacific

As an aromantic, lesbian, relationship anarchist, I've been navigating polyamory since I was 13. I came of age inside my non-monogamous identity rather than discovering it as an adult opening my marriage, and I've had a long time to think about what it costs to hide versus what it costs to be visible. I'm also a union leader, which has sharpened how I think about power, collective risk, and the difference between an individual choice and a community responsibility. Professionally, I'm a massage therapist specializing in pregnancy and the postpartum period, and most of my adult life before that has been spent in service to families and children. Informally, as what I'd call a professional auntie. None of these identities live in separate rooms; they're the same mouth speaking the same words.

I'm also trained in maternal-child health epidemiology, and that lens is exactly why I think coming out belongs in this conversation rather than staying a private family matter. The data on child outcomes ties directly to caregiver mental health, household stability, and the presence of authentic, non-shame-based relationships modeling conflict and care for kids. I see this firsthand in the postpartum side of my practice: Asian-American moms increasingly come to me looking for a more "modern" approach to care, and my visibility as an out, queer, polyamorous woman, the courage to be weird, builds trust before a single word is exchanged. Secrecy and shame are measurable risk factor. They show up in family stress, in postpartum depression, in the environments kids absorb without anyone naming what's happening. Coming out, done carefully and on your own terms, isn't just a personal milestone. It's an act fundamental to public health with real downstream effects on the next generation's wellbeing.

Saoirse (she/they) is a dedicated public health professional and community advocate, bringing a rare combination of clinical expertise, epidemiological training, and frontline labor leadership to the Seattle Coalition for Family and Relationship Equity. She holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Epidemiology with a concentration in Maternal and Child Health — giving her a rigorous, data-driven foundation for addressing the systemic inequities that shape family health outcomes. Clinically, she works as a Massage Therapist, where she has provided trauma-informed, person-centered care to clients across the care continuum. Her practice spans pain management and close collaboration with interdisciplinary healthcare teams — always centering the dignity and autonomy of the individuals she serves. Follow them on Substack.