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

Family, it’s your favorite queer radio personality, Anna Deshawn, and this is Queer News, your favorite weekly news pod where race and sexuality meet politics, culture, and entertainment. We need closure. What happened to Taylor? Where’s Taylor? You know, we just need closure. That is agonizing to, to not know, just to not know, just to not know family.

Let me tell you that this was one of the toughest interviews I have ever done in my entire life. With that, it was [00:01:00] also one of the most important interviews I’ve ever done in my entire life.

It is because I know Taylor. And this is the feeling that I hold on to when I’m interviewing other people. And when I’m telling other people’s stories, whom I don’t know, because how I feel is how they feel. And I think that that empathy is what makes me a good reporter, a journalist, content creator, someone curious to ask the questions.

In this episode, I’m going to play that interview in full for a few reasons that I’m going to share in just a bit. And family, don’t forget the Queer News tip line is open. I want to report on the stories that don’t make the news, a blog that are happening in your local communities. Okay. A link is in the show notes and Qcrew crew was going on.

[00:02:00] I can’t say thank you enough for financially sustaining this podcast. The hosting, the editing, the marketing, the PR, the travel, all of it. And family, if you’re listening to this episode and you haven’t subscribed to the Queer News Podcast newsletter, please go and subscribe. That’s how you’re going to be able to stay in touch with me.

And if you feel so compelled to give, you can make a one time donation or become a monthly giver. To the Queer News Podcast. So if you believe LGBTQ 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.

Now for the news. Family, I have been in Atlanta since Wednesday at the Saving Our City. sales symposium. It’s a beautiful conference centering black queer folks in HIV work. And I’ve come for the last few years to help inform my own work. If you don’t know, we [00:03:00] produced our first Qube original called black HIV in the South.

How did we get here? It’s an award winning podcast, four part series. Go listen. And I actually recorded two of the interviews that landed in that pod at SOS. And ever since then, they’ve welcomed me in like family. And it is family here. It’s a beautiful experience. Highlights have been being able to see the Black As You Are documentary.

Another highlight has been reconnecting with some of your favorite content creators and journalists. Raquel Willis, The Muses. Kaylin Allen, 2AM Ricky, so many others. Other highlights have been seeing my friends from the Southern AIDS Coalition who organized this conference. And being in community with them, learning from them.

I love it here. I can’t say that enough. And family today, when I’m recording this podcast, I’m actually flying back home [00:04:00] from Atlanta to Chicago for the DNC. And y’all know, if you don’t know, now you gonna know my media credentials were approved. And so I’ll be covering the DNC all week. And what a time it’s going to be, I’m going to be in the room where it happens in the room where it happens.

And I. I’m excited. I’m overwhelmed. There’s over 300 events happening around the city. They are nowhere near each other. The security is heightened all over the city. And I’m clear that my coverage is going to be the things you cannot see on television. And I’m excited to tell those stories. I’m excited to be in queer spaces.

I’m even more excited to be in Black queer spaces. And To tell our stories. So I posted a couple videos on social. Please tell me what questions do you have for these politicians? What information do you want to know? I want to bring y’all with me on this journey. And so you got to be connected to the queer news podcast because there’s no way I’m going to be able to post on every social platform.

So that is my central place. So [00:05:00] make sure you join the queer news newsletter. A link is in the show notes. And because I’m traveling, I’m going to play. The interview with Taylor’s mom, Mama C, in full this week. But before I do that, I’m going to give you a couple top queer news headlines. In politics, I’m preparing for the DNC.

One thing you may not know is that they have invited, for the very first time, 200 content creators. That’s right. 200 content creators. There’ll be a blue carpet and they have even created and built a content creator platform directly on the convention floor. Nothing has ever been done like this. Come through Chicago.

Okay. I love it. I can’t wait to see it in person because that is how we, the people, we’re going to stay connected to what’s happening at the DNC. In culture and entertainment, Jules LeBron, Latinx trans woman, influencer on TikTok, very demure and very mindful. [00:06:00] Yes. The trend has gone wild. It has absolutely changed her life.

It’s absolutely changed her life. This is a moment that she will look back on and say, that is when my life changed. I’m so happy for her. You know, when social media gets something right, because be very demure, very mindful. And last queer news headline for this week. If you haven’t heard about Coleman Domingo’s performance in Sing Sing, I’m just saying I’ve heard only raving reviews and it’s not a big budget film, but it is a special film.

They even included people who were incarcerated at Sing Sing in the film. They’re acting, they’re actually playing themselves. They’re actually playing themselves. How special is that? Now, I don’t want to hold you any longer. Please listen to this interview in full, hear what Mama C has to say, and if you are listening to this and have any [00:07:00] connections in the Bahamas that could be on the ground, if you know anybody who’s connected to Senators Duckworth and Senator Durbin, who can make the connection so we can get the FBI involved, we must get Mama C, her family and friends closure.

This cannot happen without their help. If you have money to give, they are looking for donations. Of course, there’s a link in the show notes. If you can, please do. Taylor deserves to be home. Now stay connected with me. Okay. Subscribe to that queer news newsletter. So you don’t miss a thing. And I’m going to talk to y’all all week.

Yes. And if you actually want to see this interview, it is uploaded to E3 Radio’s YouTube channel, E the number three radio, go subscribe, go follow so many other interviews up there. But if you want to watch me and Mama C have this conversation in real [00:08:00] time, go visit our YouTube channel. A link you already know, finish it with me, is in the show notes.

Welcome to Joy in the Breakthrough, a podcast where we’ll be talking to a wide range of leaders from different generations and backgrounds, leaders who have found power in being broken open. I’m Connie Lindsey. And I’m Anna Valencia. We are your host, and we believe that our challenges can lead to breakthroughs, and we want to share these insights with you.

We hope these stories will inspire you to find the I’m possible in you. Listen to Joy and the Breakthrough on Thursdays and follow them on social media at joyitbpod. Listen inside the queue or wherever you get your podcasts.

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 [00:09:00] 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 100.

Check the link in our show notes for more information. We need Taylor home. We love Taylor. Taylor is a part of our family. Our hearts are aching. Family! It’s your favorite queer radio personality, Anna Deshawn, here with a really special and exclusive interview for you today. As you all know, we’ve been covering the disappearance of my Chicago comrade, Taylor Casey, on the Queer News Podcast.

And today I’m honored to have her mother, Mama C. As everyone affectionately calls her with me. Thank you for making time to join us on the podcast today. So Mama C, I think, you know, I think people know the headlines here, but what I want to know is who is Taylor to your family and, and, and what has she meant?

I know what she has meant to the [00:10:00] Chicago queer community, but I would love to just amplify the person. That Taylor is, wow. Taylor is the, you know, they call me the pillar, but I’m not the pillar. Taylor is the pillar of the family. You know, Taylor just uplifts us all, encourages us to be the best we can be and, and to fulfill our full potential, you know, and just, Ooh, Taylor is a, a light in the family to me, and it’s hard for me to speak about this, you know, with Taylor not being here because.

It brings up some really serious emotions for me, but Taylor is everything to us to me the siblings the cousins the nephews the nieces nephews and Great nieces and nephews taylor. It’s just we miss taylor and we need taylor home. We need taylor back in our family Taylor just spread so much [00:11:00] love. I mean just So much love.

I just want to say this little thing that you know Always have to speak about this Cause sometimes I gossip, you know, I got a gossip and tell the news, but Taylor with my child, Taylor, I could not do that. Taylor don’t play gossiping about people. Taylor says, just receive people as they are. Let people be who they want to be and just love them.

Just love them. You know, I know Taylor ain’t Jesus, but when I think about Taylor, sometimes Taylor just reminds me so much of Jesus. Taylor’s friends that love and that light. Just absolutely amazing. Amazing. And we need Taylor back home. Please help us. We do. We do need her back home. And I know, Mama C, I’ve seen you speak before and I know you are God loving person and a [00:12:00] prayer field person.

And I’m wondering if there’s a prayer, a scripture affirmation that’s also, you know, helping you to get through this time. Proverbs three, five and six, trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding and all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths. That’s my favorite scripture.

Mhm. Amen to that. Now, now, transitioning into more about Taylor’s disappearance. There have been three things that have concerned me as I’ve been following this story, right? The trip that you all made to the Bahamas that was just seemed like a complete disaster. The chief superintendent dead. being suspended for corruption.

And then the fact that we all know that Taylor is a Black trans woman. These are the three things that have concerned me the most. You know, as time continues to [00:13:00] pass on, you know, Mama C, what are some things that are concerning you the most today, as now it’s been over a month? Well, one of them is why the Sibbananda Yogurt Retreat is not being investigated.

I think they, I feel like they need to be investigated because, you know, mama’s intuition, woman’s intuition. I just had an eerie feeling about them, you know, when I was down there and especially about Taylor being trans, it just feels like to me that they really weren’t accepting of that. And, you know, some of the students was talking about how Taylor.

with isolating stuff and Taylor’s not like that. Taylor is sociable, loves to be around people. So why are you isolating? I just really feel like whatever was going on down there may type Taylor not want to [00:14:00] be around those people. Yeah. So, so that really concerns me. The Ashram yoga retreat needs to be investigated.

And it disturbed me that with the, the Royal Bahamas police department. You know, how they investigated, how they said they investigated. I really just wasn’t feeling any of it, you know, especially getting down there and not seeing any missing persons. I’m standing in the rural Bahamas police force with a huge wall of missing persons and my child wasn’t up there.

Taylor’s wasn’t up there at all. These are missing persons. Why isn’t Taylor’s poster up there? Because they made one. They made a poster, showed it to me and everything, but never posted it. It wasn’t posted at the yoga, Sivananda yoga retreat. You know, posters were not posted, you know, and how are you looking for a missing person if nobody knows, even the students, the students didn’t know Taylor was missing.

That we’re sleeping in the tents [00:15:00] together, you know, around Taylor. So that really concerns me. Yeah. And it’s, and it just concerns me how nonchalant the rural Bahamas police force and the crime investigation department is, you know, They don’t give us updates. We haven’t heard from them since like July 28th or maybe yeah, July 28th.

I mean, June 28th. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. June 28th. June 28th. Yes, they won’t give us updates. Yeah, we need updates. We need a briefing. We need something. You know, even the senators mentioned, you know, have they briefed you guys on anything? No. No, we just haven’t heard from them. They’re totally ignoring us.

Mama C, you mentioned talking to the senators. So you have spoken, have you spoken to Senator Durbin and Senator Duckworth? We have spoken to Duckworth and she said she was gonna do everything in her [00:16:00] power to, you know, help us. She said, actually, the teams, Duckworth and Durbin were going to join forces in it.

Yes. Got it. Has anything come of that yet? Not yet. Not yet. But they have been communicating with us, so yeah. Okay. And I also understood from what I’ve been seeing and hearing from you all, that The Bahamas Police force have to invite the FBI to get involved, and I’m assuming at this point that they still haven’t extended that invitation.

Is that accurate? Yeah. Yeah, because I haven’t had anything about the FBI being involved. Yeah. They haven’t extended, yeah, they haven’t extended that invitation to the FBI. Yeah. Yeah. And I saw recently that an anonymous donor offered 10, 000 reward to get a lead to bring Taylor home. And I, and when I saw that, I [00:17:00] thought, halleloo, right?

Because money tends to be a huge motivator in cases like Taylor’s. So do you all feel like that? Donation and being able to hire that lawyer are really milestones and helping to bring Taylor home. Yes. Yes, I think so. But I want to just say one more thing that people can help us do is, is call your senator’s office, call the senators and ask them to do what they can to bring Taylor home.

You know, we just like really want to bombard their offices and stuff with calls from people. Who love and care about Taylor and want to bring Taylor home. So they can put some pressure on the folks in the Bahamas. and the FBI to get involved. Yeah. Apply all the pressure. So in Illinois family, if you do not know, if you don’t live in Illinois, that is Senator Dick Durbin and Senator Tammy Duckworth [00:18:00] offices that both Democrats, right.

Both support LGBTQ rights, all the things. And This needs to be a top priority on their docket as well. So family, I’ll put in the show notes opportunities and ways in which you can connect with those senators to make it as easy as possible for you today to do that. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah. And like you were saying, yeah, money is a huge motivator, you know, you know how that saying goes, money talks and walks.

So yeah, I’m truly hoping that, well, I believe it is a motivator and I’m truly hoping that somebody who know something and can use that money, need that money, you know, we’ll be able to say something. Yeah. And the flyers, you know, being seen, being seen, they, that’s motivators too, you know, to help people to, to know, because if you don’t know somebody’s missing, how are you going to?

You know, even think somebody’s [00:19:00] missing. Yeah, those flyers need to go up. Those flyers really need to go up, the missing persons and the reward money. So I think some of our key takeaways here is we need to raise some money. And at this point, every little bit counts, family. So I’m going to include a link in the show notes as well, where you can make a donation to help support.

because fundraising, fundraising, money, money, money is going to really help to push this along and to get the help and the resources that the organizers and Mama C needs, you know, I recognized right away when the press releases came out that there was no mention of Taylor’s identity. And I said to myself, I know exactly why.

And so when the decision was made to finally say that Taylor is a black trans woman. What did that look like? And why did you all decided at that moment that you had to say exactly who Taylor [00:20:00] is? Well, I think, you know, because it needed to be said because that’s who Taylor is, a black trans woman, a proud black trans woman.

And I just felt like, It didn’t need to be said in the beginning because I know how the media, the news and how people run with the situation. And I didn’t want the focus to be on Taylor being a black trans woman instead of a human being, an American citizen who needed to be found. Yep. So yeah, I waited, I waited to do that.

Yeah. It wasn’t hiding it or anything. You know, it was just waiting for the appropriate time because the focus needed to be on Taylor, a human being missing in the, in the, uh, Bahamas. 100%. Yeah. And I hear that. And I understood from the very moment I saw it, I said, I understand, I understand what’s [00:21:00] happening.

And I have also, as somebody who sees these press releases far too often or has to report on this far too often. how important it was. And actually, honestly, how much I respected how you all have organized for Taylor and how you all have held the narrative and made it your own and not allowed the media to take off running whenever they felt like running.

And I have really respected that because that is just not how this always goes. You know, one last question for you for anybody who watches this, who does have information that they want to share and still may be a little hesitant. What do you want to tell that person in this moment? And what do you want to share with the people about why it’s so important to bring Taylor home and what they can do?

Thank you for that. And you know, if, if you know [00:22:00] something, we have a tip line and you could be anonymous. You don’t have to give your name and stuff, you know, of course you would have to give it if you want that reward. If we bring Taylor home and you want the reward, but yeah, you can be anonymous. It’s so important to bring Taylor home because, you know, the world needs Taylor, actually.

Man, if we had people like Taylor in this world, this world would be a much beautiful, better place. We need Taylor home. We love Taylor. Taylor is a part of our family. Our hearts are aching. You know, we’re having restless nights, sleepless nights, just thinking about Taylor. Not being here wondering and the wondering is actually killing me causing a lot of stress just a lot of stress.

You know, as my child heard in danger, what is happening? We need closure. We need [00:23:00] closure. What happened to Taylor? Where’s Taylor? You know, we just need closure. That is agonizing to, to not know just to not know. You know, one day your child just gets up and take a vacation and go to do something that your child loves doing and, and, and all of a sudden just vanishes.

Oh my gosh. It’s a parent’s worst nightmare. It’s a parent’s worst nightmare. Yes, just ask that you please help. If the shoe was on the other foot and it was somebody else’s child, I would be feeling the same way. Not just because it’s my child, but any child. Anyone’s child come up missing like this. It’s just absolutely absurd.

I’m just begging you to please help, pray, continue to pray, prayer works, donate, share the words, share the link, just share the story. We want to keep this [00:24:00] alive. We want to keep it alive. We don’t want to let it die down. Yeah. So just please, you can help by doing all those things, praying. supporting, donating, spreading the word.

Yeah. And just helping us bring Taylor home. And so family, the phone number for this anonymous tip line is 773 676 0073. That’s 773 676 0073. And I didn’t even know that it was anonymous. And so that just opens up the floodgates, right? It’s so family. Please, if you know absolutely anything, if you have anybody on the ground in the Bahamas who can help support, if, if you have an inside track to Senator Durbin and Senator Duckworth that, that helps them to press a little bit harder, nothing like a personal relationship to have somebody press and make a move, please, please do that because Taylor absolutely deserves to be home.[00:25:00]

Thank you all for sharing and making time. to speak with me and with our audience and family. You heard the word, stay connected at FindTaylorCasey. Be on the lookout for all the news that you already know that you can get it right here on the Queer News Podcast.

If 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.