Out trans Jeopardy! Star Amy Schneider wins again, a community of parents will stand in at your wedding, Pose star Indya Moore started Transanta and you should consider giving this holiday season – Tuesday, December 21, 2021
02:11 – There is a community of parents down to stand in at your wedding when your parents refuse
03:24 – Transanta is a great way to give back this holiday season
04:11 – Anna’s Got a Word: The Winter Solstice
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An intersectional approach to a daily news podcast where race & sexuality meet politics, entertainment and culture. Tune-in to reporting which centers & celebrates all of our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & comrade communities. Hosted by Anna DeShawn. 7 minutes a day, 5 days a week, ready by 9 a.m.
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Transcript
Family, this is your favorite Queer radio personality Anna DeShawn here with our Queer news from today.
We have a trans Jeopardy! star, there is a community of parents down to stand in at your wedding when your parents refuse & Transanta is a great way to give back this holiday season.
Have you been watching Jeopardy? Yea, no me either but there is a good Queer reason to start turning in. Amy Schneider is an out transwoman who has now won 14 straight games and clocked in over $571,000 dollars. Now this total makes her the fourth all-time highest winner in Jeopardy! history, excluding tournaments. It also qualified her to compete in the Tournament of Champions and she is the first trans person to qualify. Amy said, “It was inspirational for me to see transgender contestants on the show before I became a contestant and I hope that I am now doing that same thing for all the other trans Jeopardy! fans out there.” Amy often rocks her transgender flag pin and is standing proud for all of us.
It’s the holiday season and I can’t stop with the heartwarming stories today. Tennessee dad Daniel Blevins posted a video on TikTok that later went viral, offering to attend the weddings of LGBTQ folks whose parents refuse to show up for them. Since the video went viral he’s now started a FaceBook group called “TikTok Stand in Families” which has over 30 thousands members and offers a network of parents who are down to stand in for your parents. Down to be another level of support on your big day. How sweet is that! Today the group does more than just stand in for weddings, they’ve evolved into a community that provides the support that so many desperately need. For example, when a trans man posted that he and his girlfriend needed a place to shower because they were living in their car, group member John Wyatt – the father of a gay son – and his wife Janell not only found them a hotel room, but also purchased dog food, gas, and a gift card for them. Those who have met in the group have shared not only weddings together, but holidays. Some members have even stood by others’ sides at funerals. You never know how one video, one act of kindness, can change the course of so many others lives. Way to go Daniel!
Speaking of acts of kindness it is the season for giving & I want to share one organization a day that you may be interested in giving too or showing financial support. First up is Transanta. — Launched last year by organizers Kyle Lasky, Chase Strangio, and Pose star Indya Moore, Transanta is a social media-based gift giving campaign that lets trans youth submit wishlists that anyone can purchase items for them from. The campaign went viral last December, ultimately sending over $400,000 worth of gifts and support to trans youth. More recently, the group drew support from Ariana Grande to help support youth in states where anti-trans legislation was introduced. Follow Transanta on Instagram and give if you can. It’s really simple and I saw some things as low as $10.
These are our top Queer news stories for today and ya’ll know I always end with a word. The word today is inspired by the winter solstice. The winter solstice, or the shortest day of the year, happens when the Earth’s North Pole is tilted farthest from the Sun. We see the shortest hours of sunlight and the longest dark hours of the year. It is believed that the sun goes through a symbolic death and rebirth. It’s also when the longer nights start getting shorter. This is why self-examination comes so easily during the winter, inspiring positive change, inspiration, and new ideas. I saw this quote and it touched me so I wanted to share it with you. May the longest night and the shortest day bring rest to your mind and soul, I pray. May you find guidance and may you find peace, as the cycle of light will slowly increase. Embrace the magic that the darkness bears, breath deep in the chill and shift in the air. May you always be blessed with the light from within, and may well-being be yours as the new cycle begins. Till tomorrow family, peace.