<p>A child abandoned. A life shaped by violence. Long before the headlines, the story of Aileen Wuornos began with a childhood that looked more like survival than innocence.</p><br><p>Born in Michigan in 1956, Wuornos entered the world surrounded by instability. Her parents separated before she was born, and by age four she and her brother had been abandoned by their mother and left to be raised by their grandparents. What followed was a childhood marked by poverty, alleged abuse, and isolation.</p><br><p>By the time she was barely a teenager, Wuornos was already living a life most adults would struggle to endure. She became pregnant at fourteen after a reported rape and gave birth in a home for unwed mothers, only to have the baby placed for adoption. Soon after, she dropped out of school and was thrown out of her grandparents’ home, leaving her to survive on the streets.</p><br><p>In this episode, we explore the tragic early years that shaped one of the most infamous figures in true crime. This LGBTQ+ true crime podcast episode looks beyond the headlines to examine the abuse, abandonment, and systemic failures that defined Wuornos’s earliest years. It’s a haunting chapter of queer history and criminal psychology that forces us to ask difficult questions about trauma, survival, and how society fails the most vulnerable.</p><br><p>Hosted by Jordi and Brad, Beers With Queers brings chilling crimes, queer stories, and twisted justice to light, all with a cold one in hand.</p><br><p>Press play, grab a drink, and join us as we uncover the darkest corners of LGBTQ+ history.</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>