So if you don’t know, non-binary is an identity that folks hold who don’t feel entirely male or female. Some non-binary folks identify as having no gender at all. Some non-binary folks idenitfy as trans while others don’t. The beautiful thing about identity is that it is yours. It is for you and people you interact with ought to respect just that. So as a person in the LGBTQ community how do I advocate and be a good ally to our non-binary fam? I’ve included a few ways in this episode.

00:00 Welcome & Intro

01:22 BG Update (#WEAREBG)

02:18 Today’s Top Stories

02:39 Intro Music by Aina Bre’Yon

03:19 Non-Binary People’s Day

07:01 Anna’s got a word

Things for you to check out 

Join the QCrew

Take the National LGBTQ+ Women*s Survey today

​​https://www.lgbtqwomensurvey.org/

Sign the Petition – Secure Brittney Griner’s Swift and Safe Return to the U​.​S.

https://www.change.org/p/secure-brittney-griner-s-swift-and-safe-return-to-the-u-s

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Transcript

Family, its your favorite queer radio personality Anna DeShawn with our queer news for today. Now, I want to make you a promise. We will continue to bring you the latest in queer news, culture and politics: 7 minutes a day, 5 days a week. So, if you are digging our intersectional take on the daily, consider joining the QCrew.

The QCrew is our monthly membership program we started to help us grow the podcast. With your help we can bring you more stories celebrating our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & comrade communities. This month we have our first QCrew exclusive interview with Felicia D. Henderson. She’s a Black woman television producer, writer, and showrunner in Hollywood who’s latest project First Kill is currently on Netflix and doing really well. If you want to watch it you have to join the QCrew. Now you’ve shown us your support by tuning into this episode. You can show your curiosity by clicking the link in the show notes to learn more about the QCrew.

For our BG update, she has been wrongfully detained for 147 days and she was back in court yesterday for the first time after putting in her guilty plea. This court appearance was filled with witness testimony speaking to Brittney’s character; her Russian basketball club director, the team’s head physician and her teammate/captain all spoke to what Brittney means to their team. They all spoke positively about her impact personally & professionally. Now it has also come to light that Moscow has been sending pretty stern messages to the U.S. They have sent two warnings in eight days from senior Russian officials that international pressure in the case would not help Griner’s cause. Well she is expected back in court on Friday and we will continue following the story closely and keeping you up to date. We are BG.

Now in the news today. It is Non-Binary Awarneness Week and today is Non-Binary People’s Day so I’m going to use our time to talk about how we can be better ally’s and comrade’s to our non-binary fam members because the more you know the more we grow. Let’s go. 

Family, did you know that today is International Non-Binary People’s Day? Did you know that it is Non-Binary Awareness Week? Yes, that’s right International Non-Binary People’s Day is observed every year on July 14th which is exactly half way between International Women’s Day and International Men’s Day. The goal of this day is to raise awearness and organize around the issues facing non-binary people around the world. This day was born on a 153-word blog written by Katje van Loon ten years ago. Katje was searching for a term that spoke to how they felt on the inside and non-binary fit. In Katje’s blog they advocated for this day as a way to not erase themselves or others who hold the same identity. 

So if you don’t know, non-binary is an identity that folks hold who don’t feel entirely male or female. Some non-binary folks identify as having no gender at all. Some non-binary folks idenitfy as trans while others don’t. The beautiful thing about identity is that it is yours. It is for you and people you interact with ought to respect just that. So as a person in the LGBTQ community how do I advocate and be a good ally to our non-binary fam? Here are a few ways. 

First, respect. Respect our non-binary fam by using the correct pronouns. Period. It’s really quite simple and one way I can do this is by always opening up with my name and pronouns to make it known that we shouldn’t assume how someone would like to be addressed. This hopefully creates an environment where someone who uses pronouns outside of the binary is more comfortable in that space to share their own pronouns. I’m talking about Zoom, open mics, anywhere frfr. 

Second, stop using binary terms when addressing folks. Like “ladies & gentlemen” or “you guys”. People love you guys. Switch it up by using family, folks, everyone, ya’ll, siblings. You can do it and it’s far more inclusive and most people won’t even notice. The people who will notice though are those who are often marginalized by the binary.

Third, offer to be a bathroom buddy. The bathroom is a scary place for most non-binary and gender non-conforming folks. As a bathroom buddy you can offer support, buffer and nonviolent assistance when asked. No one should feel unsafe about using the bathroom but it’s totally a reality and a place we all can help. 

I hope these tips will help you be a better ally & comrade to our non-binary fam. 

Now, let us close out with a word from a song that I learned while attending the most affirming and inclusive church of all time. The church is called Broadway United Methodist and they have a long history of being a place of refuge for the LGBTQ community. Well there is a song by Mark Miller called “Draw the Circle Wide” that really hits at the heart of the work. That we must draw the circle wider and include those on the fringes. Here are a few lines,

Draw the circle wide.

Draw it wider still,

Let this be our song

No one stands alone!

Standing side by side,

Draw the circle,

Draw the circle wide.

Till tomorrow, peace. 

Sources 

‘Why I invented Non-binary Day’

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62149521

#IllGoWithYou : An Ally Project

https://www.illgowithyou.org/

10 ways to step up as an ally to non-binary people

https://www.stonewall.org.uk/about-us/news/10-ways-step-ally-non-binary-people

It’s Non-Binary People’s Day & Anna drops three tips on how we can be better ally’s and comrades to our non-binary family members – Thursday, July 14, 2022