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QN_029_v1

[00:00:00] There’s no place like the Qube.

Family, it’s your favorite queer radio personality, Anna Deshawn, and this [00:00:30] is Queer News, your favorite weekly news pod where race and sexuality meet politics, culture, and entertainment. What’s been the magic? Well, why had you think people have flocked to this app? I mean, it’s a needed resource that did not exist before, but the magic is the queer community around Everywhere is Queer, that Everywhere is Queer has become.

The amount of people that are telling other people about this resource because they care about their friends being seen as their most [00:01:00] authentic self locally and globally. Family, the voice you heard was Charlie for my faithful listeners. I introduced you to Charlie last week, founder of the everywhere is queer app.

Well, today I will actually play the full interview for you. So you can learn more about what Charlie has built and why it’s so important. Also family, don’t forget the queer news tip line is open. Okay. I want to report on the stories, not making the news, not making a blog. All right. A link is in the show notes.[00:01:30]

Q crew what’s going on? Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Like I literally can’t say thank you enough for helping to financially sustain this podcast. Okay, it take a lot It takes a lot and I can’t do it without you. So thank you Q crew You’re helping with the hosting the editing the marketing the PR the travel Okay, and so family if you’re not part of the Q crew It starts at 5 a month.

And if you believe in the work we do, if you believe LGBTQ [00:02:00] stories need to be amplified, if you love and respect how I report on the news 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. It is popping over there. Okay. The channel is E the number three radio tunnel notification.

So you don’t miss a thing. Now for the news. First, I’ve been on vacation, vacation, vacation, and it was so good. It was so needed. It was so good. [00:02:30] I honestly couldn’t remember the last time I traveled and it wasn’t for work. So this was a big deal. I even put up my out of office. That was a moment. I feel refreshed.

I feel rejuvenated. My mind had room to think. Think to breathe or do absolutely nothing. I needed that more than I knew. And I feel ready to take on the next five months of the year. All right. Hence why I didn’t drop Charlie’s interview on Friday. Like I said, you know, after I recorded and further reflection, I just knew I wanted to squeeze the last bit of vacation I got [00:03:00] on Sunday, you know, when I record to rest versus researching, producing.

And recording. So I want to drop some top queer news headlines today for you and then share Charlie’s interview. Cool.

Now for the top queer news headlines, my Chicago comrade, Taylor Casey is still missing and we still don’t have any new updates or leads. I ask that you just please keep her family and friends [00:03:30] and organizers lifted in your thoughts and prayers. If that’s something that you do in politics, the Kamala Harris effect is in full motion.

Starting with when with black women raised over 2 million on their zoom call with over 70, 000 people who joined, then white women got together over 100, 000 of them raised over 8 million. Okay. Then I saw that the golf cart crew in Orlando, I guess this is a thing who [00:04:00] usually votes red is organizing to vote blue.

And that has inspired me. I’ve expired my word for today, which is timing, but I’m going to get back to that. But this momentum shift cannot be understated. This is a moment family. We are in the moment. Yes, we are. In top stories, more of our trans siblings have been murdered and harmed. Monique Brooks, we speak your name today.

She was a 49 year old black trans woman who was shot in her car in Orlando, Florida. Her [00:04:30] family is pleading for answers and there’s currently no one in custody. Monique, you speak your name. Also in Florida, this time in Miami, a 17 year old girl was stabbed 18 times by Alexander Love. In the Miami Dade airport, her identity is being kept private and he is being charged with first degree attempted murder with a deadly weapon and attempted premeditated murder.

In culture and entertainment, the Olympics are in full swing. I am such an Olympic [00:05:00] stan. Okay. I will watch all the sports, all of them, water polo to basketball, to beach volleyball, to gymnastics, child, what else? Everything. Okay. I will watch it all. I love watching it. People compete at the highest level, the stories, the, their lives, what they have gone through.

And so many people who participate in the Olympics come from small countries that you’ve never heard of, and they’ve made a way. [00:05:30] It is just so inspiring to watch. I added a poll to this week’s queer news newsletter. If you aren’t subscribed, go do that. A link is in the show notes. Okay. And one of the best stories coming out of the Olympics for me right now is about Grindr of all things.

Yep. Grindr the app. The app has actually turned off the location finder for the Olympic village to protect athletes who are from countries who criminalize being LGBTQ. [00:06:00] How dope is that? How dope is that? Okay. Okay. Those are our top queer news headlines for this week. Now it’s time family for Anna’s got a word because I’ve always got a word even when I change up the episode and the word today is timing, timing.

Every time I begin to think and reflect about what’s happening right now with Kamala Harris, VP Kamala Harris, let’s put some respect on her name. Okay. I just think [00:06:30] about how important timing is in life. When she pursued. The presidential bid before she didn’t make it right. It didn’t happen for her. It wasn’t the right time.

She accepted right. The call to be vice president. I honestly feel like they’ve hidden her away for the last four years. They gave her assignments that didn’t pull on all of her strengths. Didn’t they hit her away in so many ways from us, [00:07:00] but I’m You can’t doubt the timing of what’s happening right now.

The country was looking at two old white men, right? It wasn’t energizing me. I was going to do what I needed to do and vote blue period. That wasn’t going to change, but that was not going to sway the undecided and the disengaged because the disengaged. [00:07:30] Was crazy hot now, right? I feel like president Biden has put his ego to the side, right?

He, he’s, he withdrew his nomination, endorsed Kamala Harris. And I feel like the world has woken up. There is this energy happening right now. That is undeniable. And it didn’t happen right when she tried the first time, it wasn’t [00:08:00] her time, but to have a VP Kamala Harris on one side, younger, vibrant, articulate, smart.

Okay. On one side and you’ve got the orange man 45 on the other side. There could not be two people more polar opposite. You just couldn’t have it. There’s nothing more polar opposite than these two candidates. And I feel like The people who were disengaged [00:08:30] are getting engaged. They are paying attention.

Yes. I feel like we’re in the fight again and that feels good. So with that, I want to remind all of you, it might not be your time yet, but when your time comes, It’s going to feel like this. It’s going to look like this. You’re going to be so excited about what’s happening in your life because the timing is going to be right [00:09:00] and things will be aligned.

Ooh, come on. Your time is coming. I hope y’all enjoy this interview with Charlie of the Everywhere’s Queer app. And I hope you hear why it’s so important. We had such a great conversation and I sincerely hope that after you listen, you’ll download the app, add your queer owned business or tell a friend or two to do the same.

Okay. That’s how we create the change. We want to see till next week, family. Peace.[00:09:30]

If you’re hearing this, it means we didn’t sell this ad space. If you’re hearing this, it means running ads on our podcast actually can work. You see what I did there? You see this real life example, you got an event. Do you have an organization? Do you got something you need to get the word out about? We got rates starting as low as a hundred dollars.

Check the link in our show notes for more information. Family! It’s your favorite queer radio [00:10:00] personality, Anna Deshawn here, host of the Queer News Podcast. And you already know we’re doing this on E3 Radio, your number one stop for queer news done right. And today I’m excited to have fellow founder Charli joining us.

What’s going on, Charli? Yay! Thanks for having me. So grateful to be here. We’ve been trying to make this happen. Y’all, I want to talk about how many times I rescheduled. That’s for another day. Okay. But the rainbow month had me crazy. And I’m so excited today that we finally got to connect and talk about the work that you’re doing, Charlie.

[00:10:30] And so family, if you don’t know, Charlie, let me just tell you a little. I saw Charlie on the internet and I was like, what is Charlie up to? Well, Charlie has founded a wonderful app called everywhere is queer. And that’s what we’re going to talk about today is not only this application that was built by us and for us, but also why Charlie wanted to start it in the first place.

So Charlie, first off, congratulations on all your success. And thank you again for being here. Of course. So Charlie, you launched this app four months ago, right? [00:11:00] Yes. Yeah, we launched Everywhere is Queer January 2nd of 2022, but the app was launched February 20th of 2024. What has been the biggest challenge?

Running this whole business by myself.

What has been the biggest surprise on the journey so far? How big it’s gotten. I just cannot believe. I mean, we have almost a hundred thousand downloads in four months. I can’t believe it with a zero dollar marketing budget. Wow. What’s been the magic? Well, [00:11:30] why had you think people have flocked? to this app.

I mean, it’s a needed resource that did not exist before, but the magic is the queer community around Everywhere is Queer that Everywhere is Queer has become. The amount of people that are telling other people about this resource because they care about their friends being seen as their most authentic self locally and globally.

Do you think the impact of what’s happening politically is also charging this? Do you feel like people are fired up to want to support businesses like Everywhere is Queer? [00:12:00] Absolutely. Yeah. Now I know you’re a Midwest kid too, Midwest stand up, tell us, tell us about growing up in the Midwest, what it was like growing up in Wisconsin and just tell us a little bit more about you.

I mean, I grew up in a very conservative, very Republic area and family at the time. I’m grateful to say my family’s come around today to what I believe is where I want them. Um. But yeah, they’re very supportive, number one fans of Everywhere’s Queer Now, so I’m so [00:12:30] grateful for that. So it’s been a journey.

But, um, I am so grateful to now run a business called everywhere is queer. I really have come far from my Catholic high school. I went to, Oh, you grew up Catholic. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Okay. I mean, the Pope, this Pope has made some strides, but he still can’t stop saying the F word. So I don’t know. I don’t know.

I don’t know if it’s like, come on, Pope, like, you know what together, you [00:13:00] know, I do know. So another question I like to ask folks, um, as I know you do a lot of these interviews, Chile, um, I do as well. And I’m always curious as to what gave you the courage, the audacity. You know, to say step out on faith and take the big leap, you quit corporate as well.

So [00:13:30] what was, was there a moment, um, was there a moment that really was like, this is, this has got to be it. I have to do this. Yeah, I mean, obviously my whole lived experience. I wish I had spaces even when I was a closeted kid. I mean, I didn’t come out to my junior year of college. So even in like high school, um, I wish I would have known of spaces, a queer coffee shop that I could go sit at and see queer people exist and working, uh, even as a closeted person, uh, just to have that resource.

to be able to go find those [00:14:00] spaces. Did not have that. So, um, as I navigated through the world, and I’ve made it to 50 states, I’ve slept one night in all 47 states, is my little rule. I’ve experienced queer community in every single state. Now, it’s looked different in some spaces, and some people don’t know, like, necessarily where to meet up, where to go.

And in a lot of spaces, it’s just gay bars. And there’s so much more beyond that. There’s so many more spaces that exist of places that we should be able to go and hang out and see and exist as our most authentic selves. So, [00:14:30] yeah, I mean, my whole lived experience built up and experiences of traveling and everything has come.

Like, come to the, everywhere is queer, you know? I do know. And what in the world are you doing to hit 47 out of 50 states, Charlie? Were you driving around? Has this been, was this part of the mission and part of the goal that you had as you built out this platform? It’s all actually happened, 41 of the 50 states happened before I even came up with the idea of Everywhere is Queer.

Um, but it [00:15:00] definitely has been like the big, big seed of coming up with the idea. I got a job out of college that took me to 41 states. I was a rep for a beverage company. Yeah. Um, but that took me all over and I got to experience communities all over our country. How did that change your life? I wouldn’t be here today without it, you know, and I am now my own boss, you know, and this would have never come to fruition if I hadn’t experienced seeking out queer communities [00:15:30] and finding that there’s not a resource for me to find.

The queer coffee shop, the, you know, space to get a sandwich for lunch, the dinner spot, you know, um, And what I think is really powerful about this app as well is that you do want to go to places that are brave and safe for you. And I have so many queer friends where they just like, I just don’t go pee outside.

I just don’t. Right. It’s like, I can’t, right. They don’t feel safe to do so. [00:16:00] And it is. So important that we designate spaces and, and business owners say, yes, I affirm LGBTQ people here. Everybody is welcome here. Um, because it sucks that we even have to think about it, but we do. And, and because we do, we need places like everywhere is queer.

So I’m, I’m, I’m so glad that Some random beverage corporate job experience took you [00:16:30] around the country to land in this place where we now have this wonderful resource for the community. Now, I, I, I heard you got a job board these days. What’s up with that? Yeah, just launched, uh, a little, uh, four weeks ago, um, a job board front and center in app.

So next to you, when you download our app, it’s free on iOS and Android. You’ll see it centered around our worldwide map of jobs. Over 14, 000 queer owned businesses, 26 different categories, but right next to it, um, front and center. We have our job board. This is [00:17:00] a space for queer and allied corporations, organizations, non profits to post jobs right in front of our almost 100, 000 employees.

Users and I mean, we had 6. 52 million impressions in the month of June mean that means how many times our app was opened. So, I mean, our people are, our users are engaged. And so this is a space for you to, you know, post a job in front of this incredible community that’s all 18 plus in age too. So it’s all adults.

Wow, that is incredible. That is [00:17:30] an incredible amount of usage. Isn’t that insane? Wow, that is insane. I almost fell off my chair when I saw that number because I, I mean, it’s July 3rd. So while we’re recording this and, um, I, yeah, just wow. I’m blown away. That is, that is wild. Charlie, congratulations. That is beautiful.

And if you’re a business owner, it is working. How about that? It is working. Yeah. And if you are LGBTQ owned business, how do you get set [00:18:00] up inside the app? You say like, I heard this. I want to be inside the app. What do they have to do? Yeah. It’s free to join right now. So join now before it’s not free to join.

Um, but you’ll apply via the profile tab of our app. You just click add slash, uh, edit my business or job posting takes you to our admin portal. It’s same login as the app. It’s all synced and that’s real. Um, apply to be on our platform. It’s where you’ll post jobs. Um, yeah, a few other, uh, marketing opportunities for organizations on our platform, uh, in that our admin portal as well.

So you didn’t hurt the word. [00:18:30] Don’t wait. Okay, because the price is going up yesterday’s prices are not today’s prices. Okay, so I don’t know when you’re gonna find this video, but I think you should do it right now today. You ought to get on it. I love that. I love that. Charlie, what type of impact are you seeing that you’re having on businesses and people right now?

What are you hearing from the people in business owners? Thousands and thousands of messages every month that are saying thank you from a user [00:19:00] perspective. My partner and I would have never gone on a cross country road trip without your platform. And now we’re planning our first cross country road trip, mapping out all these safe spaces that we get to go to along the way.

Um, from the business perspective, I had. Um, a hair salon in rural Texas, reach out and share, I’ve received 15 new clients at my hair salon in one month of being listed on your platform. You’re changing my life because my business is succeeding and you’re changing every single person’s life that gets [00:19:30] to sit in my seat as a queer person and get their gender affirming haircuts with full support.

So I mean, I could go on and on with stories of thank yous. I mean, it’s just genuine people reaching out saying And I think this is the epitome of what community can look like in 2024. I think that it is the power of people that will absolutely change the world. And people with good hearts and good minds, [00:20:00] that all they want to do is do good and do their work and have a happy life.

I mean, it’s just, for me, I believe it is truly that simple. I mean, I believe that’s what life is about. I mean, it’s about community. It’s about friendships. It’s about supporting and uplifting each other, you know? And I feel like we’ve just gotten so far away from that in many ways and so divided. And it’s like, let’s bring it back to what we really want to, the life we should be living, you know?

Yeah, the life we should be living. And Charlie, I feel like you might [00:20:30] be living your best life right now. I mean, I will say, I’m going to be honest. This has been really hard. I know it may seem like it’s all, you know, Roses, but it’s been really hard to grow this business and figure out how to pay my bills, you know, and stuff like that.

But We’re doing it. The app has been a game changer. So if you’re listening, please go download our app. It’s free on iOS and Android. Give us a five star review. We’re rocking a 5. 0 on Apple app store. We got a 4. 8 on Android, [00:21:00] but we’re still, you know, we’re doing good, you know, over 350 reviews, five stars.

Amazing. And I don’t want to, I don’t want to move past that because as a fellow founder, I want you to know, I see you and I know exactly what you mean. People ask me all the time, they like, Anna, how’d you do it? You’re having such great success. I’m like, Chile, I miss auto pay. Okay.

I miss. A [00:21:30] guaranteed check every two weeks. Oh, do I understand that? You know, I, you don’t know what you’re missing until you don’t have it no more. Okay. Insurance. I insurance. I’m grateful for a wife who is willing to keep a job that also provides me health insurance and this affirming state of Illinois.

Okay? Uh, and so I don’t want to miss that moment. Family, if you’re listening to this, right, entrepreneurship, it is a mood unlike any other mood. Um, that I [00:22:00] think any founder has ever experienced. It’s the wildest roller coaster ride you will ever ride because as high as you can get is as low as you can get quite literally.

And the higher you get is the lower the low can get. And when you decide to take that risk, you are getting on that type of a ride. And so Charlie, for anybody listening, is there a way they can donate to you and to the business? Absolutely, that you, uh, on our website, everywhereisqueer. com, um, we have [00:22:30] a donate section, um, it’s in our, like, store section, just scroll down, and you’ll see the donate option, um, so grateful if anyone chooses to donate, the biggest thing people can do, of course, donate your money, I’m so grateful, but download our app, and just know that we’re building, we’re going to be building out ways for people to support, um, in app and make it like really easy.

And so, um, all I ask is like download our app and we have a long list of things to come. The job board is just the first one to come since The next edition since we [00:23:00] launched four months ago, uh, but we have a whole list, you know, so just stay tuned. We’re gonna be expanding, uh, significantly and have so many resources for the queer trans and ally community.

Oh, I was just about to ask, what can we expect in the future? I think that might be, I mean, I think that might be the tease right now, but just know that we are building and expanding in a lot of ways coming soon. Well, I can’t wait to see what those ways look like and family. You already know the call to action.

Go download the app, give it a five [00:23:30] star rating. Okay. And Charlie, can I just say thank you? Thank you for building this. Thank you. Thank you for building this. Thank you for creating space for queer business owners. Uh, we’re going to put our business inside of everywhere is queer. So folks know that we’re here because I think.

One thing that I thought was really great was that online businesses can be included as well. They’re not all brick and mortar. Correct? 100%. We have an entire online business section. So as I was explaining earlier, it’s centered around our map next to it’s the job board. If you go the other way to the left [00:24:00] of it is our online business section.

We have 31 different categories. So all you have to put is a city and a state. Um, and if you’re an online business owner, you don’t even have to be a registered LLC. Um, we welcome, you know, your small Etsy shops. We want to support you. You heard it here. You heard it here. And if this is the first place you’re hearing it, tell somebody else, okay?

Download Everywhere Is Queer today. And thank you, family, and thank you, Charlie, for joining me. Absolutely. Thanks for having me, Anna. Absolutely. Family, stay [00:24:30] close. You know, more coming from Anna Deshawn right here on E3 Radio. Your number one stop for queer news done right.

If you’ve enjoyed what you heard, rate and review us inside your favorite podcasting app. [00:25:00] 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.