A Chicago lesbian is denied baptism, Nashville queers receive threats after mass shooting, 2023 GLAAD Media Awards recap & LSU wins the NCAA women’s basketball national championship – Monday, April 3, 2023

00:00 – Welcome & Intro

1:23 – Black HIV in the South: How Did We Get Here? Trailer

1:53 – Today’s Top Stories

1:55 – Lost & Found for Podcasters Trailer

3:14 – Intro Music by Aina Bre’Yon

3:55 – A Chicago lesbian is denied baptism

7:41 – Nashville queers do not feel safe after mass shooting

10:08 – 2023 GLAAD Media Awards recap

14:34 – LSU wins the NCAA women’s basketball national championship

16:38 – Anna’s Word

18:03 – Outro

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This week on the podcast, we covered several queer news stories from different parts of the United States. One of the stories took us to Humboldt Park in Chicago, where Rosie, a former member of the New Life Covenant Church, protested against the anti-LGBTQ practices of Pastor David Marrero. Rosie had been attending the church for a couple of years and was excited about her baptism, which was scheduled for February 26th. However, when Marrero found out that Rosie was married to a woman, he refused to baptize her and asked her to lie about the reasoning. When Rosie’s friends learned what happened, they organized a peaceful protest, which was attended by many supporters. Despite opposition, the protest remained peaceful, and Rosie’s story garnered support from many on Facebook.

We then moved to Nashville, where a mass shooting took place, leaving six people dead. Reports claim that the shooter, Audrey Hale, identified as trans, but the police haven’t provided any additional information as to why they believe that. In response, Nashville’s LGBTQ community came together for a private meeting to find solace and support amid growing fear and confusion. The gathering was originally intended to be a rally against a new state law that criminalizes some drag performances, but after the police identified the shooter as transgender, the organizers changed the focus of the meeting to provide a space for healing.

On Thursday, March 16th, the GLAAD Media Awards were held at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills. The GLAAD Media Awards celebrate accurate and inclusive representations of the LGBTQ+ community across various forms of media, including film, television, journalism, comic books, and music. The ceremony was hosted by comedian and “Fire Island” star Margaret Cho and attended by several prominent LGBTQ+ figures and allies. Some of the big winners of the night include “A League of Their Own” for outstanding new TV series, “9-1-1: Lone Star” for outstanding drama series, “Rothaniel” for outstanding comedy special, and #Letters4TransKids, a social media campaign that encourages people to write letters of support to transgender children, received a special recognition award for its positive impact on the community.

These stories are important because they shed light on issues that affect the LGBTQ+ community, including discrimination, violence, and the need for representation in media. It’s crucial to report on these stories to raise awareness, spark conversations, and inspire change. As always, we’ll keep you updated on the latest queer news stories, and we encourage you to keep fighting for equality and justice for all.

Transcript

Family, it’s 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 every Monday by 7am CT. So, if you are digging our intersectional take on the weekly, consider joining the QCrew.

The QCrew is our monthly membership program we started to help us grow the podcast. You get weekly emails from me, exclusive interviews with LGBTQ influencers from across the country and beginning this year special behind the scenes footage too. With your support, we can bring you more stories celebrating our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & comrade communities. Click the link in the show notes to join the QCrew today. 

Now for the news. After attending a church for two years, a lesbian woman in Chicago was denied baptism. In Nashville, our LGBTQ fam do not feel safe following the mass shooting that took place at the Covenant School. The GLAAD Media Awards brought the stars out and the NCAA women’s basketball national championship game was one for the ages.  Let’s go. 

Family, today we’re going to start right here at home in Chicago. On March 12th in Humboldt Park, Rosie, a former member of the New Life Covenant Church, along with her allies, protested against the anti-LGBTQ practices of Pastor David Marrero. Let me tell you what happened. Rosie, an out lesbian, had been attending this church for a couple of years and really built a community there.  She had turned her life around and felt like the church had a lot to do with it, so much so she wanted to get baptized. Well the baptism was scheduled for February 26th and she’d received an email confirmation from the church and everything. Rosie was so excited she went on Facebook and told her family, friends, etc. to come out and support. What she didn’t know was that her pastor would see that video. He later reached out on Facebook and asked if they could talk. She said yes of course and in that conversation he asked her if she was married to a woman, and when she answered yes, he refused to baptize her. He said he couldn’t do it and then asked her to lie about it. Yes. He asked her to lie about the reasoning and Rosie refused. When her friends learned what happened they went into action and organized this protest.  During the protest, Rosie accused Marrero of speaking down to people and rejecting those who do not fit his narrow view of acceptable sexuality.

Many supporters drove by honking their horns and the protesters chanted “Love is love.” However, there was also some opposition, including one woman who tried to confront the protesters with anti-LGBTQ statements. Despite this, the protest remained peaceful, and Rosie’s story garnered support from many on Facebook, including other ex-New Life members.

This incident is not a surprise but it is so important to report on because church hurt is real. Church hurt can really cause irreparable harm. I had the privilege of sitting down with Rosie to hear her full story. Want to watch it? Click the link in the show notes. 

Let us move on to Nashville, TN where we know 6 people; 3 children and 3 adults were murdered in a mass shooting just last week. At this point, we’ve all probably heard the reports that the shooter Audrey Hale identified as trans but the police haven’t provided any additional information as to why they believe that. Either way the reports are out and our LGBTQ & trans fam in Nashville are not feeling safe or protected. 

In that vein, Nashville’s LGBTQ community came together for a private meeting on Saturday to find solace and support amid growing fear and confusion in the aftermath of the school shooting. Safety concerns led to the location being kept secret from the public, with some members of the community afraid to leave their homes due to threats. The gathering was originally intended to be a rally against a new state law that criminalizes some drag performances, but after the police identified the shooter as transgender, the organizers changed the focus of the meeting to provide a space for healing. Rev. RJ Robles, a transgender community organizer, expressed concern about the violent and angry rhetoric against the LGBTQ community, saying that people were feeling “devastated” and “emotionally exhausted.”

During the meeting, attendees comforted each other, shared poetry and music, and discussed their feelings. Many in the LGBTQ community have been the target of violent threats since the shooting, and organizers decided to postpone the march and hold a smaller gathering to ensure everyone’s safety. The healing space provided by the meeting offered a moment of peace and hope amid the chaos and pain.

Now, for entertainment news. The GLAAD Media Awards took place on Thursday, March 16th at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills. If you don’t know the GLAAD Media Awards celebrate accurate and inclusive representations of the LGBTQ+ community across various forms of media, including film, television, journalism, comic books, and music. The ceremony was hosted by comedian and “Fire Island” star Margaret Cho, and the event was attended by several prominent LGBTQ+ figures and allies; such as Zaya Wade, Gabrielle Union, Terrell, Isis, TS Madison and more. 

The event saw a variety of honors being handed out to deserving folks and so lets talk about some of the big winners. Let’s start with the outstanding new TV series category. The winner was “A League of Their Own” on Prime Video. This series is a modern retelling of the classic 1992 movie, following the journey of an all-female baseball team in the 1940s. It’s an inspiring story of women pushing boundaries and challenging gender roles. Another big winner of the night was “9-1-1: Lone Star” on Fox, which won outstanding drama series. This show features a diverse cast and addresses important issues such as racism, homophobia, and mental health. Y’all know one of our favs Brian Michael Smith plays an out transman on the show and its so well done. The GLAAD Media Awards also gave special recognition to “Rothaniel” on HBO, the comedy special by Jerrod Carmichael. And last but not least, we have #Letters4TransKids, a social media campaign that encourages people to write letters of support to transgender children. This campaign received a special recognition award for its positive impact on the community which was started by journalist Ina Fried. We reported about this movement and if you haven’t see it def tap into the hashtag #Letters4TransKids. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees of the 2023 GLAAD Media Awards. 

Only 15 of the 33 awards were announced. The rest of the winners will be announced in May during another ceremony held in New York City, and the whole event will be available for streaming on Hulu beginning April 12th.

For our final story today, it’s all about the NCAA women’s basketball national championship game. The LSU Tigers clinched their first NCAA women’s basketball title. The Tigers were just better than the Iowa Hawkeyes, shooting an impressive 58% from the field in the first half, including a remarkable 75% from beyond the arc. Their 59 first-half points set a new record for most points scored in a half in a women’s championship game, and they never looked back from there. The Tigers were led by Jasmine Carson, who came off the bench to score 22 points and was a perfect 5 for 5 from the  three-point line in the first half.

Although Iowa star Caitlin Clark had a game-high 30 points and set a new record for most points scored in a women’s tournament with 191, it was not enough to overcome LSU’s bench. And let’s be clear, Caitlin put on a show. Her shot choices are inspired by Stephen Curry, they just have to be the way to shoots it but the Tigers’ 102 total points set a new record for most points scored by a team in a women’s championship game and it was just to much. 

This is Hall of Fame coach Kim Mulkey’s fourth championship and she has secured LSU’s first women’s or men’s basketball championship in just her second year at the helm for the Tigers. You might not be a fan of Mulkey but you cannot deny she can coach. Congratulations Tigers! 

Now let’s end the podcast with a word from my mastermind book. It was the affirmation from today and it really blessed me. It says, I choose my focus. I choose faith. I choose peace. I choose love. That first part though, I choose my focus is big for me right now. There are lots of things going on around me everyday so staying focused is crucial especially when there are deadlines to meet. Choosing your focus also means saying “no” to lots of things that you really want to do because it isn’t going to serve your larger goals. So remember this affirmation today. Choose your focus. Choose faith. Choose peace. Choose love. Till next week, family. Peace.   

Sources

Protest held outside New Life Covenant Church over alleged anti-LGBTQ practices

https://www.windycitytimes.com/lgbt/Protest-held-outside-New-Life-Covenant-Church-over-alleged-anti-LGBTQ-practices/74736.html

Some in Nashville’s LGBTQ community meet in private to grieve amid death threats

https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/nashvilles-lgbtq-community-meet-private-grieve-death-threats-rcna77833

GLAAD MEDIA AWARDS

FROM BAD BUNNY TO DIPLO TO ZAYA …

Huge Celebs Show Up, Support LGBTQ+ Issues

https://www.tmz.com/2023/03/31/celebs-attend-glaad-media-awards-2023-lgbtq/

A League of Their Own’ and ‘Bros’ Win Top Prizes at GLAAD Media Awards (Winners List)

https://variety.com/2023/awards/news/glaad-media-awards-a-league-of-their-own-bros-1235568475/

LSU beats Iowa to win its first NCAA women’s basketball championship

https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/02/sport/march-madness-womens-lsu-iowa-score-spt/index.html