The 26th WNBA draft is in the books and it made some history. A LGBTQ nightclub in Brooklyn, New York was set ablaze while people were inside & Kentucky’s Governor Beshear vetoes a trans sports bill that came across his desk – Tuesday, April 12, 2022

The WNBA draft took place last night in New York City and it made some history for HBCU sports. Rash, a new LGBTQ club in Brooklyn, New York was set on fire while people were inside. In refreshing political news Kentucky’s Governor Beshear vetoes a trans sports bill that landed on his desk.

00:00 – Welcome & Intro

00:43 – E3 Radio Ad, Tune-in at https://e3radio.fm #QueerRadioDoneRight 

01:06 – Intro Music by Aina Bre’Yon

01:46 – The WNBA draft took place last night in New York City and it made some history for HBCU sports

03:14 – Rash, a new LGBTQ club in Brooklyn, New York was set on fire while people were inside

06:13 – Kentucky’s Governor Beshear vetoes a trans sports bill that landed on his desk

06:41 – Anna’s Got A Word

Things for you to check out 

Rash Bar Fire – Staff, Medical & Restoration Fund

https://www.gofundme.com/f/rashbarfire

WNBA drafts its first player from an HBCU in 20 years

https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/11/us/wnba-draft-ameshya-williams-holliday-cec/index.html

Arsonist set an LGBTQ bar on fire in possible hate crime

https://lgbtqnation.com/2022/04/arsonist-set-lgbtq-bar-fire-possible-hate-crime/

Rash_nyc instagram

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rash (@rash_nyc)

Kentucky governor vetoes trans sports ban calling it “most likely” unconstitutional

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/04/kentucky-governor-vetoes-anti-trans-sports-bill/

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Transcript

Family, this is your favorite queer radio personality Anna DeShawn with our queer news for today. If you enjoy what you hear rate & review us inside your fav podcasting app, okay. Now for the news. 

The WNBA draft took place last night in New York City and it made some history for HBCU sports. Rash, a new LGBTQ club in Brooklyn, New York was set on fire while people were inside. In refreshing political news Kentucky’s Governor Beshear vetoes a trans sports bill that landed on his desk.

Our leading story for today is all about the WNBA draft. It took place last night in New York City and the league welcomed 36 new players. The number 1 overall pick was Rhyne Howard out of Kentucky and she went to the Atlanta Dream. Rhyne wasn’t a surprise at all as she is a standout talent. The surprise of the night goes to Ameshya Williams-Holliday from Jackson State University. Ameshya was selected in the 3rd round by the Indiana Fever and she is the first player in 20 years to be drafted from a HBCU. Ameshya transferred to JSU from Mississippi State and made the most out of her time becoming a three-time Southwestern Atlantic Conference defensive player of the year and also player of the year for the 2021-22 season. In the WNBA’s 26 year history only 6 players have been drafted from HBCU’s. Ameshya said, “People think (HBCUs) can’t compete with other top institutions (or) a Power 5 school, but that’s not true,” she said. “I think we deserve to be on the same level. I do think if I was still at Mississippi State, I would be a first-round draft pick.” We hear you Ameshya & Coach Prime Deion Sanders is making magical things happen at JSU that I hope will have a ripple effect for HBCU sports overall. 

Our next story is out of Brooklyn, New York where Rash, a new LGBTQ nightclub, was set on fire while people inside. The club reports that someone came into the bar, poured gasoline on the floor causing an explosion that set the bar in flames. They report that it all happened so fast and one of the bartenders thought the smoke was coming from a fog machine but then quickly realized he couldn’t breathe and everything was in flames. They describe the arsonist as a male identified person wearing a dark hoodie and a backpack. Gratefully everyone who was inside made it out but two people had to be taken to the hospital. They are in stable condition. The club said on their Instagram, “We still don’t know what to make of this cruel act of violence. In only five short months we were privileged to become home to such a talented and vital community of artists. It breaks our hearts that anyone would seek to threaten that for any reason.” As of now, the person who did this has not been identified. They have posted pictures on their Instagram from cameras located near the club and I hope someone can identify them. Rash has started a GoFundMe to support everyone directly affected, their staff and to help repair the space. I’ve included a link to the GoFundMe in the show notes so if you have a few dollars to give please consider it. 

For our last story today, I have some refreshing news coming out of Kentucky. Kentucky’s Governor Beshear actually vetoed the trans sports ban that came across his desk. Can you believe that?! Thank goodness for democratic governors, okay! Now this anti-trans sports bill would have made it illegal for trans girls in 6th through college to participate in women’s sports that happen in schools. The governor made a few points in his veto letter. One, that the Kentucky High School Athletic Association already has guidelines for the participation of transgender athletes. Two, it most likely violates the equal protection rights afforded by the United States Constitution because it discriminates against transgender children. And three, the sponsors of the bill didn’t present a single instance in Kentucky of a child gaining a competitive as a result of sex reassignment. This all sounds so clear to me and he wasn’t done yet. He went on to say that, “trans youth “deserve public officials’ efforts to demonstrate that they are valued members of our communities through compassion, kindness and empathy, even if not understanding.” We needed some positive political news in the midst of this right wing onslaught. 

In the spirit of the WNBA draft let’s end with a word from one of its best players Brenna Stewart. She says, “Your passion & dedication can’t be sometime, part-time, or spare time…it has to be All-Time” So get to doing whatever moves you all the time. Perfect your craft. Your spirit will thank you. Till tomorrow family, peace. 

Sources

WNBA drafts its first player from an HBCU in 20 years

https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/11/us/wnba-draft-ameshya-williams-holliday-cec/index.html

WNBA draft winners and losers: Fashion, mid-majors shine while ESPN misses historic moment

https://sports.yahoo.com/wnba-draft-winners-and-losers-fashion-mid-majors-shine-espn-broadcast-hbcu-19-years-022652438.html

Arsonist set an LGBTQ bar on fire in possible hate crime

https://lgbtqnation.com/2022/04/arsonist-set-lgbtq-bar-fire-possible-hate-crime/

Rash_nyc instagram

https://www.instagram.com/rash_nyc/

Rash Bar Fire – Staff, Medical & Restoration Fund

https://www.gofundme.com/f/rashbarfire

Kentucky governor vetoes trans sports ban calling it “most likely” unconstitutional

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/04/kentucky-governor-vetoes-anti-trans-sports-bill/