Illinois makes banning books illegal, Arizona vetoes anti-trans legislation, Colorado Springs first pride since Club Q, Demi Lovato changes her pronouns & Kokomo City is coming to theaters – Monday, June 19, 2023

Now for the news. Illinois becomes the first state in the country to pass a ban on banning books. Arizona’s governor vetoes another piece of anti-trans legislation. Colorado Springs holds the first pride since the deadly mass shooting at Club Q. Demi Lovato is back to she/her pronouns and Kokomo City, a black trans film, is coming to theaters in July. Let’s go!

00:00 – Tre’vell’s Pride Voicemail | Leave Queer News a voicemail for PRIDE 🌈, https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/243669/12/a7mpvs34mswsoo7e 

1:39 – Subscribe to Rebound Revolution, https://pod.link/reboundrev 

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Donate to the Chicago Independent Media Alliance, https://indiemediachi.org/donate/?ref=42  

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2:12 – Top News Stories

2:46 – Intro Music by Aina Bre’Yon

3:27 – Illinois makes banning books illegal

6:13 – Arizona vetoes anti-trans legislation

7:40 – Pride Shoutouts 🌈🏳️‍⚧️Subscribe to the queer relationship pod @together.real.bad & Support Keep It Savory Salt Co. using this Queer News discount code PROUDANDSALTY now through July 10th off at https://keepitsavory.com 

9:36 – Colorado Springs first pride since Club Q

11:36 – Demi Lovato changes her pronouns

13:11 – Kokomo City is coming to theaters

17:05 – Anna’s Word

18:05 – Outro

Things for you to check out

Support the Chicago Independent Media Alliance

Press Release about Florida Win for Queer Rights

https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/federal-court-halts-enforcement-of-florida-transgender-health-ban-against-challengers

Leave Queer News a voicemail for PRIDE 🌈

Listen & Subscribe to Rebound Revolution

Watch the full interview

Tre’vell Anderson talks Black Trans Life in TV & Film with Anna DeShawn

Order Tre’vell’s Book Today!

Queer News Pride Specials – Get You An Ad Today

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The Blog Post by Chat GPT

Happy Juneteenth, family! This is Anna DeShawn, your favorite queer radio personality, and I have some exciting queer news stories to share with you this week. But before we dive in, I want to hear from you. Why do you love being queer? Leave us a voicemail and let your voice be heard. We’ll be back next week with our final episode for June. Now, let’s get into the latest queer news.

First, I want to highlight a historic moment in my home state of Illinois. Governor Pritzker signed legislation that makes Illinois the first state in the nation to ban banning books. Yes, you heard that right. Libraries that remove books from their shelves risk losing their funding. This is a significant move considering that book challenges have been on the rise, with Illinois alone having 67 cases in 2022. Starting January 1, 2024, libraries in Illinois must adopt the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights or a similar statement to explicitly prohibit book banning or restricting access to materials. Illinois is setting an example for the rest of the country in defending intellectual freedom.

In political news, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has vetoed another piece of anti-LGBTQ legislation. This particular bill aimed to restrict trans students’ access to public school restrooms. Governor Hobbs has been actively taking actions to protect LGBTQ+ youth, and this veto is another step in the right direction. Although Arizona is still a predominantly red state, there are politicians like Hobbs who are committed to creating more inclusive communities. It’s worth mentioning that even in the face of hate, as seen in the recent burning of a Pride flag outside a City Hall building in Tempe, Arizona, the city has condemned the act and reaffirmed its support for the queer community.

Moving on to culture news, Colorado Springs recently celebrated its pride event, which was even more significant this year as it took place just seven months after the devastating shooting at Club Q. The community came together to honor the victims and survivors of the attack. The event started with a memorial ceremony and a moment of silence. Fierro, the heroic veteran and brewery owner who stopped the shooter, led the parade. With over 15,000 attendees, it became the largest Pride gathering in the city’s history. Colorado Springs showed resilience and strength by making joy a reality and coming together in solidarity.

In entertainment news, Demi Lovato has announced a switch in pronouns, returning to she/her after using they/them. In an interview, Demi expressed exhaustion with constantly having to educate people about their pronouns. While it’s important to respect individuals’ pronoun preferences, it’s crucial to recognize that not everyone has the privilege to switch between pronouns. Demi’s decision to switch pronouns should be seen as a personal choice, and it emphasizes the importance of individual autonomy and self-expression.

Lastly, let’s talk about the upcoming film “Kokomo City.” This film, which had an incredible run at Sundance, showcases the fun and humanized side of Black trans women. It was created as a response to the murder of Rasheeda Williams, also known as Koko Da Doll, a rising star and advocate for the trans community. The film aims to inspire and uplift, focusing on the beauty and strength of Black trans women. With the support of executive producer Lena Waithe, “Kokomo City” is set to hit theaters on July 28th. Make sure to mark your calendars and show your support for this groundbreaking film.

As we wrap up, let’s remember the words of Audre Lorde: “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence. It is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” In the midst of a busy Pride month, it’s essential to prioritize self-care and choose ourselves. I encourage you to take care of yourself and know that it’s okay to put yourself first.

Till next week, peace.

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Transcript

Family, Happy Juneneeth! it’s your favorite queer radio personality Anna DeShawn and that was Tre’vell dropping our first pride voicemail [insert cute sfx] That made my whole day. Now it’s your turn. If you’re driving go ahead and make a mental note. If you’re at your computer go ahead and make a calendar reminder so you don’t forget. We’ve got one more episode left in June and I’d love to hear why you love being queer. A link to leave us a voicemail is in the show notes and I really hope to hear from you. Yes you. I want to hear from you. 

We’ll be right back with our top queer news stories but for now hear about our latest podcast we dropped in collaboration with editaudio and Dr. Money called Rebound Revolution. A link is in the show notes to subscribe. 

Now for the news. Illinois becomes the first state in the country to pass a ban on banning books. Arizona’s governor vetoes another piece of anti-trans legislation. Colorado Springs holds the first pride since the deadly mass shooting at Club Q. Demi Lovato is back to she/her pronouns and Kokomo City, a black trans film, is coming to theaters in July. Let’s go! 

Family, our leading story for today is coming from my state of Illinois. In a historic move, this past week Governor Pritzker signed legislation that makes Illinois the first state in the nation to ban banning books. Yea, you hear me right. You can’t ban books in Illinois and expect to receive state funding. Come on. Let’s go. Hear what he had to say. That’s right. Not in Illinois. 

This legislation is so significant because according to the American Library Association in 2022 there were more than 1200 book challenges which is double the amount from the previous year and more than the ALA has ever seen since it started keeping data 20 years ago. In Illinois, we have 67 book banning cases on record in 2022. 

Well under this new law, libraries that remove books from their shelves risk losing their funding. In addition, as a prerequisite for state grants, libraries and library systems must adopt the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights or a similar written statement that explicitly prohibits the practice of banning books or restricting access to materials.

By enacting this law, Illinois sets the example. The new law takes effect on January 1, 2024. We do live in a democracy and we should demand our politicians treat it as such. 

In political news, we’ve got some good news. Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has vetoed another piece of anti-LGBTQ legislation that aims to restrict trans students’ access to public school restrooms. The veto comes as part of a series of actions taken by the Democratic governor to protect LGBTQ+ youth. Yes this is happening in Arizona and yes they do have a democratic governor. 

This isn’t her first veto either. Just last month she veto’d a bill that would stop schools from using the names and pronouns preferred by trans students. She is on a roll, okay. 

Let’s be clear though. Arizona is still a red state and just this week a Pride flag was maliciously burned outside a City Hall building in Tempe, Arizona. The city has condemned the act of hate and they reaffirmed their support for the queer community. The mayor of Tempe said, “We will not stand by while someone tries to threaten, bully, and intimidate members of our community,” Well it seems at least a couple of high ranking politicians in Arizona are committed to creating more inclusive communities in Arizona which is pretty dope. 

Now let’s take a quick break and hear about a couple of our sponsors. We’ll be right back. 

We’ve got two pride shoutouts this week. First let me tell you about a new podcast called “Together Real Bad”. Together Real Bad is a queer relationship based podcast, encouraging you to communicate more freely and openly, in your own relationships, to reap the amazing benefits of uninhibited healthy communication. Join Beautifulll and Ace bi-weekly as they discuss how they nurture their growing relationship with intentional acts, questions, love and service. Subscribe to Together Real Bad wherever you listen to podcast & follow them on TikTok AND Instagram @together.real.bad or check out their website @togetherrealbad.com ****** 

Our second pride shoutout today goes out to the Keep It Savory Salt Co. Keep It Savory cures fresh ingredients sourced from growers and vendors on Chicago’s west side to make insanely delicious salts that will elevate whatever dish you are making. This brand is queer-owned and teacher-owned. You can find Johanna slinging salt at various farmers markets this summer, at select Chicago retailers, or at keepitsavory.com. Keep It Savory Salt Co is wishing everyone a safe, joyful, and very savory Pride Month! Podcast listeners can 15% off your purchase with discount code PROUDANDSALTY now through July 10th.

Welcome back to the podcast family. I really do hope you check out the podcast and support Keep It Savory Salt Co. They support the pod so we should support them because we all we got. 

Now, in culture news Colorado Springs celebrated pride this year bigger and better than ever before just seven months after the devastating shooting at Club Q. I reported on Club Q back in November when the deadly mass shooting took place. Even in the midst of there ever present pain they came together and created the biggest pride ever. 

Gretchen Pressley, the communications director of Pikes Peak Pride said, “Everyone in the queer community of Colorado Springs was impacted, just by our proximity to this… attack on our community.” 

The Pride festivities began with a memorial ceremony, featuring the mayor, victims’ family members, and audio recordings from survivors. Attendees observed a moment of silence at precisely 11:56 a.m., marking the time the first emergency calls were made on the night of the attack at 11:59pm.

The parade was led by Fierro, ya’ll remember the heroic veteran and brewery owner who stopped the shooter. Over 15,000 people attended the Pikes Peak Pride event, making it the largest Pride gathering in the city’s history. 

As Liss Smith beautifully put it, “We have to make joy the reality.”

In entertainment news, Demi Lovato has switched up their pronouns so they can bring more joy back in their life. Demi commented in a recent interview with GQ Hype Spain that she’s tired of having to explain they/them pronouns to people. Having to correct people all the time. She said, I constantly had to educate people and explain why I identified with those pronouns. It was absolutely exhausting. And that is one of the reasons that have led me to also feel comfortable with feminine pronouns…I just got tired. But for that very reason I know that it is important to continue spreading the word.”

So many thoughts here right. On one hand, I get it. Having to explain who you are is exhausting. Believe me, I get it but on the other hand Demi has the privilege of just switching it up. So many don’t and in some ways Demi deciding to switch it up can just add fuel to the they/them pronoun debate. And frfr If she really identified with them/they pronouns in the first place switching it up wouldn’t have even been an option. I’d also like to say that some folks choose to use both; for example, she/they or he/they. I say anything respectful because that’s exactly what I mean. Family, do you. Do what feels right, not just what is trending. 

Now what is trending is the trailer for Kokomo City. You heard me talk about the film back in our April 24th episode because one of the leading stars Rasheeda Williams who the world knew as Koko Da Doll, a rising star in the entertainment industry, was murdered in Atlanta. Koko was an advocate for the trans community and reminded us that Black trans women can do anything and be whatever they want to be. 

In response to Koko Da Doll’s death, the creator and director D. Smith said in an Instagram post, “I created Kokomo City because I wanted to show the fun, humanized, natural side of Black trans women. I wanted to create images that didn’t show the trauma or the statistics of murder of Transgender lives. I wanted to create something fresh and inspiring. I did that. We did that! But here we are again.”

She did you do that when  the documentary had an incredible run at Sundance Lena Waithe came on as an executive producer to help push the film into the mainstream canon. In exciting news it was announced that the film is coming to theaters on July 28th. Not to often a film goes from Sundance to the big screen so fast. Mark your calendar and get yours friends together so you can go support this art because we all we got. Take a listen to the trailer distributed by Magnolia Pictures.

Now let’s close out with our word for today. Today’s word is a quote from Audre Lorde that says, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence. It is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare”. I don’t know about y’all I’m pulled in so many directions this month; speaking engagements, requests, work. It’s beautiful and also exhausting. I’m sharing this word today as a reminder to myself that choosing me is okay. I hope you know that choosing you is okay too. Take good care of yourselves and I promise I will too. Till next week, peace. 

Sources

Book ban attempts hit record high in 2022, library org says

https://apnews.com/article/book-bans-american-library-association-f84ac6fe3f8e3238fc54931bc1a5e054

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signs first of its kind anti-book ban bill

https://abc7chicago.com/illinois-book-ban-bill-public-library-libraries-near-me/13373993/

Illinois Becomes the First State to Prohibit Libraries From Banning Books

https://www.newsweek.com/illinois-becomes-first-state-prohibit-libraries-banning-books-1806141

Arizona governor vetoes bill requiring schools to limit transgender students’ bathroom access

https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-politics-and-policy/arizona-governor-vetoes-bill-requiring-schools-limit-transgender-stude-rcna88634

How Colorado Springs celebrated Pride seven months after the deadly Club Q shooting

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2023/06/how-colorado-springs-celebrated-pride-seven-months-after-the-deadly-club-q-shooting

Demi Lovato

https://www.instagram.com/p/CtnORJCM_WK/

Kokomo City Theater Announcement 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CthTrNor7Le/