Recently starting their M.A. in Religion in Culture at the University of Alabama this fall, Marco Pflanzen is from Ashburn, VA, and graduated from Shenandoah University in May 2020 with a B.M. in Violin Performance and a Minor in Religious Studies. Their current research primarily focuses on considering the relationship between sex and secularism and its impact on economic, social, and political structures in the United States. They also enjoy researching within the disciplines of feminist and queer theory, critical race theory, pedagogy, and musicology. Marco is a Graduate Teaching Assistant for a Religions of the World course with Professor Steven Ramey.