We speak their names; Starr Brown and Kita Bee, Jennifer Hudson is honored at the GLAAD Media Awards and the WNBA celebrates at the White House – May 13, 2024

[00:00:00] There’s no place like the Qube. Y’all ready? 5, 4, 3, 2 I got that check in my system Somebody don’t leave my system Joke a doke a doke a doke a doke Family. It’s your favorite quick radio personality. And this is Queer News, your favorite weekly news pod, where race and sexuality meet [00:00:30] politics, culture, and entertainment.

And family, I had to open the show with Big Freedia performing with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra last year. On May 2nd, she performed with them again. And when I saw the video on YouTube, I was like, she is living the dream. Bounce music combined with an orchestra in the Orpheum theater. People would have told her that was never going to happen.

That that was absolutely impossible. What is bounce music doing with an orchestra? And look at her [00:01:00] now it has happened not just once, but twice. I wish. I could have been in Louisiana for that performance just a couple of weeks ago. If you want to watch it, there are links in the show notes. And I know Anna’s got a word is usually at the end, but you better dream the impossible dream.

You understand dream, the impossible dream, you know, the song cause Mandela said it always seems impossible until it’s done, so go get it done. But just keep [00:01:30] listening to the pod while you do it. Okay.

Family, don’t forget the queer news tip line is open. I want to report on the stories that don’t make it to a news or a blog. A link is in the show notes or email info at either number three, radio. fm cute crew. What’s going on. Thank you so much for financially sustaining this podcast. I appreciate you so much.

And if you don’t know the Q crew helps us supplement the costs of this [00:02:00] pod. Hosting, editing, marketing, PR, travel, all of it. Okay. So if you believe in the work we do, if you believe LGBTQ stories need to be amplified, if you love and respect how I report on the news here and tell our stories, join the Q crew.

A link is in the show notes and family. Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel at E3 radio and turn on the notification so you don’t miss a thing. Now for the news, we will remember Star [00:02:30] Brown and Keita Bee, two black trans women whose lives were tragically taken. In politics, Texas has elected its first out LGBTQ state senator, and her name is Molly Cook, while South Carolina has passed another hate filled anti trans legislation law.

In culture and entertainment, let’s talk about the big winners of the GLAAD Media Awards New York City Edition. Target is limiting pride merch this year and the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces celebrates at the [00:03:00] White House. Let’s go! For our top story today, I want to report on two black trans women who were tragically killed far too soon.

First, Star Brown. We speak your name today. Star was killed in Memphis, Tennessee, and this happened almost a month ago, okay? Now the reason it’s still making news is because the person that killed her, who happened to be her [00:03:30] co worker at Checkers, whom she gave a ride to at 2. 30 in the morning once they finished their shift, actually walked into the police station and turned himself in.

It’s reported that he provided a full confession, But the police never released any of the details. So we don’t know what happened that night that caused him to shoot and kill Star Brown. Jasmine Tosaki. I actually had the honor of meeting her at the Saving Ourselves Symposium that’s put on by [00:04:00] the Southern AIDS Coalition.

Um, I was there. Always a beautiful spirit. She is the founder of the trans led nonprofit. We care Tennessee. And she is a long time advocate of the community. She actually said she was saddened that we live quote, in a time where black trans women are murdered with no outrage. She went on to say, Our community continues to suffer, yet we find ways to go on.

It is with deep hurt that I say Star Brown’s name. [00:04:30] She is now with the ancestors and can rest. It’s our duty to push harder for liberation for our people. We can only save ourselves. And now out of Kansas City, Missouri, we remember Keita B. As I was reading about Keita, they said she loved to dance, she loved to sing, she loved to entertain the people.

And she was also a mentor. She was somebody who provided advice and counsel to other trans women on how to survive. [00:05:00] She did this mentoring at organizations like the Justice Project and Transformations. I took a peek at Transformations Instagram page because they actually had a really beautiful tribute to Keita B.

and explained how she passed. She was killed in a hit and run. And one thing I found interesting was that they suggest that she was possibly pushed to get hit. By that vehicle. And they also reported that she was actually hit by a [00:05:30] vehicle earlier in the year as well, which is just very abnormal, right? Is it a coincidence to get hit by a car twice?

It seems very unlikely. The director of community engagement for HRC’s transgender justice initiative, Tori Cooper said this, our trans communities of color continue to bear the brunt of the violence. anti LGBTQ plus violence and policy. We repeatedly hear about tragic deaths of trans people, particularly black and Brown [00:06:00] trans women.

We can’t undermine or disregard every way that the lives of members of our trans family are so violently taken. Like all trans people, KETA deserve to live a long and fulfilling life in safe and affirming environments. We need to address and combat. All forms of violence against our community. I couldn’t have said it better, Torrey.

And today we speak their names, Star Brown and Key to B[00:06:30]

in politics. We got some good news coming out of Texas. Yeah. You heard me, right? You don’t got to turn up the volume. I said. of all places. We’ve got some good political news. They have elected their first out LGBTQ state senator. And her name is Molly Cook. I saw her Twitter feed. She made a wonderful tweet [00:07:00] thanking everybody and child.

She looked fabulous in this beautiful yellow outfit. That is how you celebrate. Molly is a nurse. She’s been a community organizer and she landed this. Seed because it was vacated by Senator John Whitmer after he was elected mayor of Houston. And so she went up against Representative Jarvis Johnson and won by 14 points.

Yes, she did. So it wasn’t even really that close at all. [00:07:30] Nope. She was of course, endorsed by the Victory Fund and the CEO. Parker said this for too long, the LGBTQ plus community has been the punching bag of bigots in the Texas Senate. Now they’ll have an out LGBTQ plus peer as their colleague who will look them in the eye and make them see the Texans they’re hurting.

And just a little known fact, she’s really close to this issue as she was the mayor of Houston from [00:08:00] 2010 to 2016 and also made history as one of the first openly gay mayors of a major. U S city. And she has a word cut out for her. Texas is just as bad as Florida because governor Abbott is just as bad as DeSantis.

He has made it very clear. He is anti trans and looking to erase our trans siblings from existence in Texas. So her voice is going to be critical in that Senate body. Congratulations, Molly. [00:08:30] Congratulations.

For our next political story, we have more sobering news coming out of South Carolina. They just passed a ban on gender affirming care for young people under 18 years old. So what does this really mean? It means that no longer will Medicaid be able to be used for transition related healthcare. care for our trans siblings.

It also means if trans folks are looking to receive puberty blockers or [00:09:00] hormone treatments or surgery, that it is no longer legal to do so in the state of South Carolina. It also means that this bill is going into effect January 1st. And so families have six months to try to figure out what their next move is going to be.

And I’m thankful for the queer activism that is in place. for moments just like this. And let me tell you what I mean. The campaign for Southern Equality announced that the families affected [00:09:30] in South Carolina are now eligible to apply for support from the Southern Trans Youth Emergency Project. Okay.

And now this is a regional project that helps our trans siblings access gender affirming care outside of their state. Now this program is in partnership with we are family uplift outreach center and the Harriet Hancock center. And what I think is really dope about this is that it’s three different organizations coming together to solve [00:10:00] one problem.

And oftentimes that’s what we need. We need community resources coming together. Right. And so I think this is really, really powerful. Well, they actually provide emergency grants of 500 for immediate needs as well. And, and the executive director of We Are Family, his name is Domenico. He said, South Carolina lawmakers have turned their backs on transgender youth and passed this dangerous bill.

Which will needlessly and cruelly disrupt the lives [00:10:30] of trans people in our state. But our community is prepared to support families through this crisis and we’ll never stop working toward a state where transgender and gender non conforming people in South Carolina Can be themselves and live with peace and power.

So if you’re in South Carolina, or you know someone who is in South Carolina, please point them in the direction of We Are Family, okay? So that they can get the support that they need. And now is the perfect time for us to take a [00:11:00] quick break. And when we get back, we’re gonna talk culture and entertainment.

Hey Queer News fans, it’s Derek from E3 Radio here to tell you all about our latest show, Queer Open Mic. One of our missions is to uplift and support the incredible talent within the LGBTQ plus community, and that’s exactly what we set out to do with this monthly showcase. Queer Open Mic will feature talents such as musicians, DJs, poets, and more.

Head over to our YouTube channel at E3 Radio to catch the latest episode. And before you go, make sure to hit that subscribe [00:11:30] button, turn on your notifications, and share, share, share. That’s it for me. And thank you for joining us in celebrating queer talent. Peace family. What’s good podcast family. It’s your boy Yanni Blue.

And I am one of the co hosts of the Creators Toolkit podcast. Alongside my co host Mike Brown of the Art of Letting Go, we talk to creative entrepreneurs every week about how they’re taking their art to tangible places and how they’re using that to increase their finances. Season one has so far included artists like She’s Ryan, Sad Boy Music, [00:12:00] Kristoff Jenkins of The Poet Life, and Rio Japan.

If you are looking for a new podcast to keep you inspired, motivated, and give you some really cool tips, check out the Creator’s Toolkit podcast on all streaming platforms. Thank you.

I’m Darren. And I’m Esther. And this is Second Sunday, a podcast about Black queer folk finding, keeping, and sometimes losing faith. This season’s full of candid conversations. We’re talking to theologians, artists, activists, and community members living at the [00:12:30] intersections of faith, spirituality, and identity.

The Saints ain’t ready for this. We’re still gonna talk about it. Second Sunday, find it wherever you get podcasts. Second Sunday is a Qube original podcast, and it’s part of the PRX big questions project.

Family welcome back to the show. And now let’s jump into some culture and entertainment news. First up is the glad media awards, the New York city edition. They took [00:13:00] place. At the New York Hilton Midtown on Saturday, and it was hosted by Ross Matthews. Now, you may be listening and maybe a little confused.

You’re like, didn’t the GLAAD Media Awards already happen? Well, they did, but they always do them twice. They do an LA edition, and then they do a New York City edition. So, this This is the New York City edition and if you happen to be unfamiliar, the GLAAD Media Awards honors the best of LGBTQ representation in media, the arts [00:13:30] and culture.

Okay? And this was the 35th anniversary of the award show and it is still the largest LGBTQ award show in the world. Point blank, period. The featured performers of the night were Lauren and Scott of the Pentatonix. That’s one of my sister’s all time favorites, hands down. And one of the biggest awards of the night was given to Jennifer Hudson.

She received the excellence. and [00:14:00] media award, and that means a lot to me because he’s from Chicago and she’s doing her thing. Okay. And a highlight for me was that she also won outstanding variety or talk show episode for her world AIDS day segment. And what’s so special to me about this in particular is that it was a segment that featured the Southern AIDS coalition.

And in the last two years, I’ve had the honor. of attending this symposium that’s hosted by the Southern AIDS Coalition [00:14:30] and the executive director of SAC, Daphina Ward, was on stage to accept this honor alongside Ian Haddock. Daphina has been supporting such a huge supporter of mine and of this show. And she was also one of our featured guests on our series called black HIV in the South.

How did we get here? A podcast you ought to listen to. I’m just saying. And it was just so beautiful to see them all. [00:15:00] honored in this way, man, what a moment, you know, what a moment. Now for other notable wins, outstanding podcasts went to Los Cucharistas, um, outstanding film or streaming or TV went to Rustin, which is absolutely fantastic.

Outstanding documentary went to beyond the aggressives. 25 years later, Kokomo city and the stroll. Come on. I love that. [00:15:30] Outstanding film. Why theatrical release went to bottoms, which is I know a fan favorite. Okay. Outstanding blog went to Aaron Reed with Aaron in the morning. It’s one of my sources for this show.

And if you don’t subscribe to Aaron in the morning, go ahead and do that for yourself. I’m just saying. And then. Outstanding online journalism article went to the AP review for their story around Pope Francis says homosexuality is not a crime by Nicole [00:16:00] Winfield. I mean, there’s other honorees, all so fantastic.

Congratulations glad on another fantastic media awards and highlighting the amazing work that is going on to highlight and to uplift queer folks, because right now we need the culture to be amplified a thousand fold given what’s happening politically. So, thank you, GLAAD. Our next story is all about Target.

Target has been a longtime [00:16:30] LGBTQ plus supporter. They’ve shown up, not just during Pride, but all year long. I can say that. But last year, if you all recall, they were under attack because of their Pride collection. Do you remember that? I reported about it here on the pod. Well, this year, As a response to that, they are now saying that the pride collection is going to be limited.

That’s right. They’re only going to have the pride collection in about half of their stores. And they have about 1900 stores across the country. And this is in [00:17:00] response to the hate that they experienced last year. And I think it’s so sad because in the States and in the stores. That needed the most are probably going to be the ones that get left out.

The people in the South, the people who may be in more rural places, that is where you need the most affirmation. Targeted said they’re going to look at store level data to determine which locations actually carry the items. [00:17:30] Now, they did say items will be available at target. com and that they will be continuing to support LGBTQ orgs and prides, not only in Minneapolis where Target is headquartered, but across the country.

And I definitely hate that hate kind of won this time. They didn’t win everything, but they definitely got a little victory here. And I hate that. And hate is a strong word, but it just seems apropos at the moment. You know,[00:18:00]

and for our last story in culture and entertainment, it’s going to be all about the W. That’s right, the WNBA. And this could very well be a trend for the rest of the season, because the W is on fire right now. Do you understand? So first up. The Las Vegas Aces went to the White House to celebrate their second WNBA title.

One of the most notable moments was when Chelsea Gray presented the Las Vegas Aces jersey to [00:18:30] VP Kamala Harris. And they had this whole joking, laughing moment, which was really, really dope. Vice President Harris had this to say. She said, In addition to being champions on the court, you all are role models and leaders off the court.

You advocate to protect the freedom to vote, you speak out for LGBTQ rights, you fight for pay equity. That’s right. The W is a different place. Okay. They are social justice forward, hands [00:19:00] down, no questions asked, period. Okay. And Chelsea Gray said this. There was a time when my wife and I couldn’t come into this building and if I can digress real quick That was just a few years ago.

And if we don’t vote in November against fascism, it’s gonna happen again Mm hmm, and I digress and go back to Chelsea Gray’s quote There was a time when my wife and I couldn’t come into this building So just being able to do that [00:19:30] take photos and enjoy this moment together was huge It really is a beautiful moment.

I love seeing the pictures from the event. And so, if you’re not into the WNBA, you should be into the Las Vegas Aces because they are on shenanigans all the time. They’re so entertaining. And let’s be clear, I’m a Chicago Sky fan, so you should also go follow the Sky. But I’m just saying, the Aces. The ACEs are a fun team.

in other WNBA news, Candace Parker was just named the president of Adidas Women’s [00:20:00] Basketball. Yeah. So she retired from the W and just got an executive level position at one of the largest companies in the country. Mm-Hmm. . And she said she didn’t wanna just be a figurehead. She says she wants to be in the meetings.

Making the decisions and a part of the process. And that’s exactly what’s going to happen. Other news this week in the W Asia, Wilson is having the time of her life right now. She is the face of the Las Vegas aces. She just signed a deal with Nike. She just signed a deal with [00:20:30] Gatorade. I just talked about her team going to the white house and she got to play on her college court in South Carolina with her pro team.

It was so emotional. and beautiful. Let’s go, Aja Wilson. And there’s more. I’m telling you, the WNBA is on fire right now. They announced that they’re going to actually be chartering all of the WNBA flights this season, which was a 25 million deal with Delta. That is huge. These players have been taking commercial [00:21:00] flights.

Six, nine players taking commercial flights. That is outrageous. Okay. And they announced that Toronto has been awarded an expansion team to debut in 2026. Come on, women’s basketball. Come on. I’ve been waiting my whole life for this moment. So family, it’s that time of the show for Anna’s got a word because Anna’s always got a word and my word today is ebb and flow [00:21:30] Ebb and flow.

I got some news that we didn’t get this grant that I was really hoping for It was gonna be a two year grant be able to provide some stability for the radio station that we haven’t had But we didn’t get it And, and this quote came to mind, and I can’t remember who said it, but essentially it says that when you lose, that just means you made way for somebody else to win.

And when you win, it means that somebody had to be told no, right? [00:22:00] And so when I got the no, I was like, this sucks. We really needed it. You know? And then I thought about that quote that my no also led to somebody else’s yes. Who is probably just as deserving, you know, and in that moment, I just have to ebb and flow.

I give myself 48 hours, 48 hours to be sad, mad, grieve. Okay. But then we got to ebb and flow with this thing. [00:22:30] You got to move on because my no did lead to somebody else’s yes. And sometimes my yes will lead to somebody else’s no. That is the ebb and flow of life. Now the catch is, can you ebb and flow?

Laughter.

And I’m telling you, you can, you just got to build up the mental toughness. Okay. For me, it’s also my faith muscles to know that my yes is coming. [00:23:00] It wasn’t this one, but it’ll be the next one. And so I leave that with your family, learn how to ebb and flow. Okay. Till next time. Peace.

If [00:23:30] you’ve enjoyed what you heard, rate and review us inside your favorite podcasting app. This podcast is written and produced by me, Anna Deshawn. Podcast editing by Ryan Woodhull and brought to you by E3 radio and distributed on the Qube. We are Queer News Done Right.