When I was preparing to record my intro to Zachery’s episode, I started to compose a long reflection on the recent tragedy in Colorado Springs where a 22 year old monster with a rife decided to murder 5 innocent people in a gay bar, but every attempt I made trying to articulate my rage and sadness seemed trite and cliché. So I decided to simply dedicate this episode to the victims. Some listeners might wonder why I don’t have more famous people on Fruitbowl and the reason is simple: famous people are not very relatable. I prefer to feature stories of everyday people; queer people who have found a way to be themselves and live without apology. Many have escaped abusive homes, parents, communities and found new families who love them for who they are. The saddest part of tragedies like the one in Colorado is reading the obituaries of the people whose lives were cut short by hate and violence.  They are almost always described as caring, compassionate, fun to be around and I have no doubt that is true. They sound like the kind of people I would have loved to interview for Fruitbowl and it breaks my heart that I will never be able to hear their stories. I hope you can honor the lives of those we have lost to anti-queer violence by fiercely living your truth and continuing to love whomever you want to love, regardless of their gender, gender expression, race, income, age, background, culture. That’s what queer people before us have fought so hard for and there’s really no better way to tick off the bullies - the monsters with rifles and the politicians who encourage them - who try to silence us. And now, back to my regularly scheduled introduction: If you’re a kinkster or interested in exploring kink, you’re gonna love Zachery’s interview. Even though he’s only 24, Zachery has explored a wide variety of sexual activities that fall far outside of the definition of “vanilla” and he’s had a lot of fun adventures along the way. He also brings with him a background in public health and sexual advocacy as well a stint working at Doghouse Leathers, Seattle’s local queer sex shop.  Originally from small town Michigan where he came out to his family and friends at age 16, Zachery came to Washington for academics and exploring his ever-expanding taste for adventurous sex. You might even say he’s a sex explorer.  Thanks to our post-production sponsor, the new SPACES app, powered by Hornet! Learn more about it HERE.  This episode was edited by Bayley Boecker and mixed by Ryan Weadon. Rebecca M. Davis is the season 4 voice of Fruitbowl. Dave Quantic is Fruitbowl’s creator, producer and supervising editor. Submit your own story for inclusion in a future episode! Describe a sexy hook up or something you’ve learned about sex via SPACES, email or record a story via your phone’s voice memo app and email it to [email protected].  Become a member of our Patreon community. A minimum $5 monthly donation allows patrons early access to episodes, behind the scenes updates and Salad Tosser tier patrons ($10/mo.) receive access to exclusive video content that is not available to the general public. Thanks to our latest patron, Robin M. Learn more about how to support Fruitbowl at: https://www.fruitbowlpodcast.com/donate  Tell your friends about Fruitbowl, rate us on your podcast platform or write a review on Apple Podcast. Every little bit helps. And, of course you can also follow us, for now, on twitter at Fruitbowlpod and Instagram and Tik Tok at fruitbowlpodcast. Find out more about Rebecca M. Davis at https://www.instagram.com/stayuplateshow/ Fruitbowl’s fruit artwork was created by Patrick Stephenson of Bearpad! https://bearpad.storenvy.com/