Karilla’s story, in so many ways, reflects the common stages of personal growth that so many queer people go through: in our early years, insecurity about our sexuality and adults who fail to help guide us; during high school, sitting on the sidelines and watching as our friends perform all the typical hetero coming of age rituals; in college, painful memories about first love and the lessons we learn from heartbreak; and choosing our family and finally accepting and loving ourselves. And did I mention that she’s had some really fun hookups? In my introduction to this episode, I talk a little bit about my efforts to interview more female-identified people. It’s my hope that, over time, as the FRUITBOWL episode archive grows, more cis women will hear episodes like Karilla’s and trust me with their stories. In fact, I’m determined to collect at least 20 interviews with female-identified interviewees before I even think of starting to edit the larger FRUITBOWL feature or TV series. So if you or someone you know is femme identified and interested in sharing, please reach out to me via the contact portal on the https://www.fruitbowlpodcast.com/contact. FRUITBOWL is produced independently without financial sponsors, advertising revenue or corporate media support. Every interview is recorded in-person, on location in each interviewee’s home and production expenses including travel, accommodations, equipment rental, editing and post-production are paid for out of pocket by Dave Quantic, FRUITBOWL’s creator.  The only consistent financial support (currently $137/month) comes from FRUITBOWL’s 24 Patreon members. Help support FRUITBOWL’s mission of documenting and sharing stories about queer coming of age by becoming a patron! A minimum $5 monthly donation allows patrons early access to episodes, behind the scenes updates and exclusive video content that is not available to the general public. If we hit $375/month I can start to train an assistant editor to help me produce the episodes. Learn more about how to become a patron at: https://www.patreon.com/fruitbowlpodcast  Do you have a business or product that you think FRUITBOWL’s audience would like to know about? Underwriting/advertising rate sheets are available for advertisers and underwriters as well as production support. For more information, visit: https://www.fruitbowlpodcast.com/donate. Underwriting fees are 100% tax deductible through a partnership with Northwest Film Forum’s fiscal sponsorship program.  FRUITBOWL RECEIVES NO DIRECT FUNDING FROM NWFF, only the use of their non-profit status to receive tax deductible donations. For more information check out: https://nwfilmforum.org/education/artist-services/nonprofit-fiscal-sponsorship-filmmakers/fiscal-sponsee-fruitbowl-oral-history-queer-sex/  Word of mouth is our most powerful promotional tool right now, so tell your friends about FRUITBOWL and rate & review us on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fruitbowl/id1468574292  Subscribe to our YouTube video channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjuUDG5nTc6x0oZtL0guPiA Twitter: https://twitter.com/fruitbowlpod  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fruitbowlpodcast/ The official website: https://www.fruitbowlpodcast.com/ Fruitbowl’s fruit artwork was created by Patrick Stephenson of Bearpad! https://bearpad.storenvy.com/ Check out host Saira B’s awesome podcast about erotic fan fiction, FREAKY TALES 4 U! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/freaky-tales-4-u-a-queer-fanfiction-show/id1463915467 On iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fruitbowl/id1468574292  On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3LVzFe2HSEWCcWtP9OvSbQ?si=aopBYD9oTOqdXKZ7ZZCmXg