Fans of the nationally syndicated Kidd Kraddick in the Morning show on 106.1 KISS FM know Jen Austin as the voice that brings them updates on traffic conditions during the morning commute and the weather forecast for the day.

What many of those fans don’t realize is that Austin is an out lesbian and devout Christian whose heartfelt desire is to help gays and lesbians struggling to reconcile their faith with their sexual orientation.
Austin grew up in a small, conservative Nebraska town in a deeply religious family. She spent many years denying the feelings stirring inside her.

“I have never had a straight day in my life,” Austin said. “But I grew up in a very sheltered environment. I knew I was different.”

She also grew up believing that “being gay and being Christian were mutually exclusive.”
Austin was 22 when she came out to herself. A year later, she came out to her family. Reconciling her faith with her sexual orientation, she said, has been an ongoing journey.

“It took me six or eight years to really realize that God loves me as I am, and to claim that for myself,” Austin said. “I am more comfortable with myself now, and that makes me more comfortable with my faith. I know that this is my truth, and God is truth. So the two are in harmony.”

The fact that her partner of six years, Angela, shares her devotion to Christianity is a big help, Austin said. “People have a lot of different ideas about what lesbians do at home, and reading the Bible usually isn’t one of them. But that’s what we do,” she said.

Austin said just as she has grown into an acceptance of herself, her family’s acceptance has grown also.
“My family has allowed themselves to learn about homosexuality through me, and as they have learned, the more accepting they have gotten,” she said. “Through it all, they never lost sight of their love for me. They love my partner, and they even said once that they wouldn’t have it any other way now.”

Austin began her career in radio as an unpaid intern at a country-western station in Lincoln. From there, she worked her way up to a full-time job at the station, running the control board and attending promotional events. Eventually, the station management decided to put Austin on the air. Finally, Austin said, “I just decided that I couldn’t live with the snow anymore.” So in 1996, she picked up and moved to Austin, Texas to take a job a network of radio stations owned by Clearview Channel. It was there that she met her partner.

“She is my best friend and she is my partner. I can’t imagine my life without her,” Austin said of her partner. “We went through a bad phase a couple of years ago and broke up. But we worked through it, and things are better than ever now. We’ve been through the drama and gotten past it. So now we have the rest of our lives together.

“She knows me better than any other person in the entire world, and I know her better than any other person in the entire world,” Austin added. “If it weren’t for our jobs, we could spend every waking moment together and be perfectly happy with that.”

Austin is pretty happy with her professional life, too. In 2001, she moved to Dallas to become the weather and traffic reporter for Kidd Kraddick’s syndicated radio show, one of the most popular morning radio shows in North Texas and around the country Austin said she is fortunate to have the chance to work with Kraddick and company.

“Because the show is nationally syndicated, we have a limited amount of time for local interaction. But Kidd does interact with me as time allows. He is gradually drawing me into the on-air conversations more and more.”

In fact, in June of last year Austin came out on air as a lesbian for the first time in her career.
“For most of my career in radio, especially at some of the more conservative station, I just tried to sort of fly under the radar. I avoided talking about my private life, and when I did, I avoided using any pronouns,” Austin said.

She had told Kraddick off the air that she was gay, but had never discussed the topic on air. The morning of the 2003 Tony Awards, morning show cast member “Big Al” Mack was teasing Kraddick about his enthusiasm for musicals and the Tony Awards. As Austin came on the air for the traffic report, Kraddick said, “I bet Jen watches the Tonys.” Austin quickly replied, “Yes, I have to. It’s in the handbook.”

The handbook reference has become something of a running joke on the show, a fact that Austin said delights her since it is “evidence of the show’s acceptance of my homosexuality and its willingness to include the subject in candid conversations without offering judgment of any kind.”

Austin said the frequent gay jokes on the show rarely bother her. But there was one comment from producer Rich Shertenlieb, though, which made Austin very angry. Earlier this year, the morning show cast was discussing an incident in which a man shot a gun at a someone he had picked up in a bar, thinking the person was a woman then finding out he was a man.

“Rich said something like, ‘That would be justifiable homicide.’ I was just seething with anger. But we were short on time, and so I didn’t say anything,” Austin recalled. “I feel bad that I didn’t just cut the traffic report short and say something to Rich right then.

“I haven’t really had a chance to say anything to him since then. But hopefully, I’ll have a chance to redeem myself and say something to him soon,” she added.

Overall, Austin said she feels her coworkers show her a lot of love and support. Even Shertenlieb and morning show co-host Kellie Rasberry, the two most conservative members of the cast, “have always been very supportive of me,” she said. “Big Al, he’s a trip,” she added. “He is such a flirt. But he is supportive, too. He doesn’t care.”

Kraddick himself, Austin said, is “every bit as nice as he sounds on the air. He lets you show him who you are, and he believes you. He lets you be honest and true to yourself.”

Austin also said that Clear Channel Radio is, in her experience, a good company to work for. Clear Channel does not offer partner benefits, and Austin said she isn’t sure if the company’s non-discrimination ordinance includes sexual orientation.

“But overall, Clear Channel has been fantastic. There is a lot of diversity on the staff. And they are always willing to let you be honest and say who you are. Day-to-day, my work environment is totally non-homophobic.”

Austin said she has big plans for her future, professionally and personally. Professionally, Austin said she hopes to soon become “more of a personality” on the Kidd Kraddick morning show, “instead of just an information provider. I want to do the best I can to grow with the show.”

On a personal note, Austin recently completed an autobiography chronicling her struggle with Christianity and her orientation, and the journey she has taken to find peace within herself and her faith. She said she expects the book to be published by next summer, and she hopes it will help others in the same struggle.
She also is making herself available as a speaker on the subject of Christianity and homosexuality, and already has begun getting requests to speak. “My heart is with other gay Christians who are struggling the way I did. I just feel called to do something to try and help them,” she said.

“The problem with most Christians is simply a basic misunderstanding. They see heterosexuality as the default orientation, and anyone who is different has fallen off that pristine path,” Austin continued. “They need to be educated. America is becoming more accepting, but the Christian right will be the last to go. As the Rev. John Shelby Spong said, they will eventually die off of their own irrelevancy. I hope that is right.”

“As people began to see us as real people, as individuals, the stereotypes will change. Then the laws will change, and the world will be a better place. But people have to put a face on the issue or nothing will change.”

For more information on Jen Austin, check online at www.jenaustin.com.
E-mail nash@dallasvoice.com