Lindsay interviews Dr. Sawyer Phinney (he/him), a Senior Labour Economist for the Government of Alberta. The pair discuss Sawyer’s gender transition, spanning topics of how to define and cultivate healthy masculinity, and the rare and rich perspective that being a trans man affords him.

They then dive into his work in economic geography, including fieldwork in the United States, working to understand how race shaped Detroit’s austerity politics after the 2008 mortgage crisis, revealing that Black residents were unfairly blamed for the city’s bankruptcy, and austerity measures, like water shut-offs, disproportionately harmed poor, racialized communities. His stories illuminate the link between economic analysis, and grassroots storytelling.