Great news. Title IX now protects LGBTQ+ students, it’s Lesbian Visibility Week & the WNBA is planning to expand – April 22, 2024

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

This is Anne from Chi town. My pronouns are she, her, hers, and [00:00:30] so happy that the WNBA draft was finally treated in the way that it should be treated. Now, if we can just get these salaries up, people say, Oh, Oh, they’re not bringing in money, but come on, let’s have wall to wall coverage. for these games the same way that they do the men’s game for the NCAA as well as for the NBA.

Family, it’s your favorite queer radio personality, Anna DeShawn, and this is Queer News, [00:01:00] your favorite weekly news pod where race and sexuality meet politics, culture, and entertainment. The voice you heard at the top of the show was Anne. Anne is our latest queer news contributor and y’all are just going to love her.

Okay. And who agrees with her? My hand is in the air. Yep. Sure is. They can’t make more if we don’t tune in and we can’t tune in if they don’t have the media coverage they deserve. [00:01:30] We’re going to get into more of that later in the show because the WNBA draft was absolutely epic. And family, I’ve known Anne for a long time.

She’s got opinions about everything. Okay. And you’re going to hear her voice a lot more right here on this podcast. Where are my lesbians at? Where are my lesbians at? Hey, hey, where are my lesbians at? Happy Lesbian Visibility Week, family. I’ll be [00:02:00] celebrating all week on social media, talking about my favorite lesbian podcasts, moments, and people follow me.

All right. Follow me on Instagram and TikTok and Anna Deshawn to tap in. I would love to hear from you now. Don’t forget the Queer News tip line is. Open. I want to report on the stories that don’t make the news or a blog. A link is in the show notes. Q Crew, what’s going on? Thank you for helping to financially sustain this podcast.

Thank you. Thank you. [00:02:30] Thank you. And if you don’t know, the Q Crew helps to supplement the cost of this here podcast, hosting, editing, marketing, PR, travel, all of it, honey, it’s a lot. 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 and tell our stories.

Join the Q crew. A link for that is also in the show notes. Oh, and family, don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel. That’s right. It’s popping over there. We’re getting it popping at E3 [00:03:00] radio, either number three radio and turn on the notifications too, okay? So you don’t miss a thing. Now for the news, a trans woman was pushed onto the New York subway tracks and survived.

Let’s talk about it. In politics, the Biden administration finally drops new Title IX protections, which include LGBTQ students. Wow, the N A IA decides to ban trans women in sports. Good grief. In culture and [00:03:30] entertainment, the WNBA is looking to expand to 16 teams by 2028. Some of our favorite queers have made the time 100 list and Howard universities.

Student body elects its first trans president for student affairs. Let’s go family. Our top news story today is a call to action. Last month, a trans woman who has chosen to remain anonymous. She was involved in a domestic [00:04:00] violence situation in New York city subway. She was on her way to a gender affirming appointment.

Her and her boyfriend began arguing and then he did the unthinkable. He actually pushed her onto the tracks. When he did that, the train was actually pulling in. It was pulling into the Fulton street station at chamber street for all my New York folks. Y’all know what all of that means. The boyfriend, Christian Valdez, fled the station [00:04:30] immediately, leaving his girlfriend pinned in between the trains.

Reports say a good Samaritan who actually served in the Iraq war tapped into his knowledge to help support her while they waited on first responders to actually show up. When they did, they pulled her from the tracks, rushed her to the hospital, and she ended up losing both of her legs. Today, they’ve started a GoFundMe to help support these massive [00:05:00] hospital bills that she has now.

She did an in depth interview with Hope Gisele on Gay Magazine, and that’s where I heard about this story. So family, the call to action is there’s a link in the show notes to the GoFundMe. If you have money to give, please donate to this GoFundMe as the GoFundMe states, she is in urgent need of permanent accessible housing now and money to cover future medical expenses.[00:05:30]

And for the boyfriend that fled the scene, he was actually on parole, ended up going to his monthly check in. told them what happened and he was quickly arrested. Violence against women is so real. I believe it’s something we all know is wrong. And yet we all know somebody who has been impacted by DV. And if I’m being real, oftentimes we don’t know what to do, but in this case, there is something we can do and we [00:06:00] can give to this GoFundMe to support our trans sibling as she tries to get back to her life.

In politics, the Biden administration has come through with another promise fulfilled. This time it’s in regards to title nine. Now they’ve been working on this for quite some time and people have been pressing, okay, the advocates, the activists have been pressing the administration to finally roll back some of the policies of the [00:06:30] former secretary of education, Betsy DeVos.

Y’all remember her. Don’t you? Mm. Hmm. She made it very clear that her interpretation of title nine did not protect LGBTQ students at all. Well, on Friday, the Biden administration came through. They have now codified title nine to include LGBTQ students. As the new regulations officially add gender identity to the list of protections.

[00:07:00] Title IX also now offers full protection from all sex based harassment. Now this also includes sexual violence and unwelcome sex based conduct that creates a hostile work environment by limiting or denying a person’s ability to participate in or benefit from a school’s education program or activity.

And there’s more family. They also updated title nine to enhance protections for students, [00:07:30] employees, and applicants against discrimination based on pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, or recovery from these conditions. Now schools will be required to train employees.

About the school’s obligation to address sex discrimination, as well as employees obligation to notify or provide contact information for the title nine coordinator. Now these regulations begin to take effect [00:08:00] August 1st, right before the beginning of the school year. And any school that receives federal funding and is choosing not to follow these new title nine regulations, risk federal lawsuits, a DOE investigation and possible loss of funding.

Now, these new protections don’t go so far as to explicitly name trans student athletes as being protected, but it does feel like we’re on the right path. Feels like we’re [00:08:30] getting there. In other top news, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Just ban trans athletes from participating in sports that align with their gender identity.

The NAIA, if you’ve never heard of them, I hadn’t, they are composed of 250 schools, 21 conferences, about 83, 000 student athletes. They support some of the [00:09:00] smallest colleges and universities across the country. And we know so many small schools actually reside in rural areas where so much of this misinformation and transphobia exists.

Their council of presidents voted 20 to zero, 20 to zero. To approve this new policy, it says all eligible NAIA student athletes may participate in NAIA sponsored [00:09:30] male sports, but only NAIA student athletes whose biological sex, with an asterisk, It’s female may participate in NAIA sponsored female sports.

Now the asterisk information details restrictions. If an athlete who was assigned female at birth is taking masculinizing hormones, y’all this is the word they’re using and playing for a designated female team. The reason this frustrates me [00:10:00] so much is because the science doesn’t support this. The number of trans athletes in sports, This doesn’t support this.

Beginning in 2011, the NCAA has allowed trans women to compete on women’s teams. If they’ve completed one year of testosterone suppression, this also falls in line with the international Olympic committee. They, too, agree that trans women should be able to participate in women’s sports. They’ve consulted [00:10:30] with medical, athletic, and human rights professionals, stating there should be no presumed advantage based on sex assigned at birth or sex characteristics.

This is just such Easy fight for right wing Republicans to win and continue to demonize our trans siblings where there is no basis of fact. GLAAD CEO and President Sarah Kate Ellis said this on Tuesday. [00:11:00] Media reporting on the NAIA decision should ask for evidence to back up this baseless ban. How many trans athletes compete in this conference?

Which transgender people and experts in athletics, medicine, and human rights were consulted? The evidence points to a purely political decision by the NAIA that harms all athletes. The overwhelming success of the NCAA women’s basketball season shows that the NCAA itself and its [00:11:30] championships have gotten along just fine with its current policies that include trans people.

Policymakers need to stop targeting trans women. For the phony sake of protecting women or women’s sports, your misogyny is showing. Come on, come on, Sarah Kate Ellis. I just really wish they could focus on real issues for real. I think this is the perfect time to take a quick break, [00:12:00] take a deep breath.

And when we get back, I’ll have culture and entertainment news. Are you in Seattle? Are you looking for something cool and queer to do? Well, Melissa hit me up and told me about this dope event called Vibes. It’s a trans and non binary music showcase. It’s happening Sunday, May 19th at 3 p. m. It’s going down.

It’s going to be held in person at El Centro de La Raza, and it’s also going to be live [00:12:30] streamed. So, If you’re not in Seattle and you still want to get down with this trans and non binary music showcase on Sunday, May 13th at 3 p. m., check the link in the show notes, register for the event so that you can get the live stream link.

The lineup looks fierce. So here’s what you gotta do. Support, support, support! Tell a friend, spread the news, okay? Thanks, Melissa.

There’s a new place like The Cube.[00:13:00]

Hey, Esther. Hey, Darren. We are back for Season 2 of Second Sunday. Pew, pew, pew, pew! Hey! I’m looking forward to it! This season is gonna look totally different from the last season. Absolutely. I mean, last season, we talked to folks who have stories like mine. People who are working from within the church to build inclusive spiritual spaces for Black queer folks.

This is what a church community should look like. [00:13:30] A place where everyone is welcome, where I’m not afraid to name myself. And I’m not afraid to name you as being welcome. But we know that the need for this kind of spiritual inclusivity doesn’t stop at the church doors. This season, we’re mostly talking to people exploring their faith outside of the traditional church as many of us know it.

We call it the mystic law and all these different things because it just does what needs to be done. And as long as you show up, as long as you keep showing up. That’s all that is required is that you show up in front of the mirror. [00:14:00] That’s it. And that you look at yourself clearly without filters, without whatever, and you get, you polish that mirror so you can see through the dust.

It’s amazing to me how people always find a way to connect with their spiritual higher power, even when it’s outside of the traditional church. She said, but I do know the presence of God when I feel it, and God does not inhabit a place that is against God’s will. When she said that they almost lost it.

The Saints ain’t ready for this, but we’re still going to talk about [00:14:30] it. Catch second Sunday from the cube and PRX is big questions project available wherever you get podcasts starting April 24th.

We are starting out with. Lesbian Visibility Week. The lesbians have been supporting the WNBA since its inception. I’m old enough to remember when. So let’s make sure that we’re recognizing all of our lesbians out here. [00:15:00] Not just today, but our lesbians here. Ancestors, also, who allowed for us to be here.

Let’s remember before there was a NCAA, before there was a WNBA, there were women, many of them lesbians, who were out here playing college sports, who allowed us to have this magnificent WNBA draft. Let’s make sure that every single year that the draft is bigger and bigger. Let’s make sure that the salaries are bigger and bigger, and [00:15:30] let’s make sure that we’re supporting, especially our lesbian players, family.

Welcome back to the show. I told you, we’re going to hear more from Ann. She is so spot on before it all the lesbians were doing it. Okay. And I’m so excited that it’s lesbian visibility week. If you didn’t know. This week started back in the nineties in West Hollywood and it was celebrated annually. And then it was picked up in 2020 by the publisher of Diva Magazine [00:16:00] and began a new lesbian visibility week.

And now that’s the season we’re in. April 26 is actually lesbian visibility day. So I better see all y’all supporting the lesbians. Okay. The theme for this year is United, not uniform. And the organizers of Lesbian Visibility Week say their aim is to celebrate lesbians and show solidarity with all LGBTQ plus women and non binary people in our community.

They believe [00:16:30] in unity and lifting up those who are most marginalized. I love that. And what Anne was talking about when it comes to the lesbians and the WNBA and basketball, child, it’s all on full display. I really do believe that the trajectory of the WNBA has been in alignment with the trajectory of LGBTQ rights.

That league does not move unless the culture moves with an acceptance. of LGBTQ folks and [00:17:00] particularly masculine of center women. Okay. That’s a whole nother rant for another day, but I did attend the WNBA draft here for the Chicago sky and it was an amazing night. We were able to draft Camila Cardoso and also Angel Reese.

Y’all, the league is about to be insane this year. With Kaitlin Clark in Indiana. And they’ve already sold out their season tickets. [00:17:30] I got notification from the Chicago Sky that we’ve sold out of our season tickets. This will be another benchmark year. And I’m feeling it. It’s in the air that this is the WNBA’s time.

The WNBA Commissioner Kathy Engelbert before the WNBA draft was asked about the league’s expansion and she gave us more than we had heard before. She thinks the league is gonna expand to 16 teams by 2018. For context, [00:18:00] we currently have 12. 12 teams with 12 players. That equals 144 roster spots. Y’all should know that is not a lie.

So many phenomenal women’s basketball players end up without a slot to play on. Half of the players that were drafted in a WNBA draft will not make a team. Not because they’re not talented enough. Because there’s not enough room. Last year, [00:18:30] Engelbert announced that the Golden State Warriors were going to be expanding and taking on a WNBA team.

And they’re set to start next year. But, now we know. There’s other cities interested as well. She said Philadelphia, Toronto, Portland, Denver, Nashville, as well as South Florida. She also said there were other teams that she, she probably forgot or didn’t name because they’ve been calling as of the last week or two, this right here is so exciting.

Exciting. The league is expanding. [00:19:00] More people are watching and soon enough, the women will be able to get paid more than they do today with what I hope is the goal for them not to have to play overseas for overseas to be a choice in other culture and entertainment news. Time magazine has dropped their most influential people of 2024 list.

This list is always stellar and it’s broken up. Into different [00:19:30] categories. Artists, icons, titans, leaders, innovators, and pioneers. When lists like this come out, I actually read the list because there’s always people who I do not know. There’s always tons of people on these lists who I’ve never heard of who are doing amazing work and Changing the world in their own way This year some of your [00:20:00] favorite queers also made the list Let me give you the rundown Elliot Page And what was really dope about Elliot’s is that Raquel Willis actually wrote the forward for Elliot.

Raquel said, in whatever he does, Elliot is aware that his truth and power serve as a light in which others can see their own. Beautiful. Just beautiful. Some of our other favorite queers that made the list, Colman [00:20:30] Domingo, who Dre’Vell Anderson, Properly coined our first black gay movie star. Yes. Fashion designer, Jonathan Anderson also made the list as well as human rights advocate, Kelly Robinson, who was also the president of the human rights campaign now, family.

I’m not going to lie. Time almost lost all lay respect when I saw that Governor Greg Abbott had also [00:21:00] made this list as y’all know He’s the governor of Texas and might as well be DeSantis’s left hand you understand But here we are and I guess bigots can make the list too. Yeah For our last story today, we’ve got some really great news coming out of Howard university.

Howard is probably the most well known historically black college or university in the country. And the reports say that hundreds. of students [00:21:30] gathered in front of the Frederick Douglass Memorial Hall to hear the news of who were going to be their next elected student leaders. And history was made when Jay Jones, a junior political science major, was elected to serve as president.

As president of the Howard university student association, Jay identifies as a trans woman, which makes her the first trans woman to hold this position [00:22:00] at Howard university. I would dare to say she’s probably the first trans woman to hold this position at any HBCU and probably one of the first to hold this position.

For any college in this entire country, she said being elected as Howard university’s president. And the first transgender president was humbling and miraculous. I don’t have any words for it. It’s been a long [00:22:30] road. Regardless of the campaign and everything that’s been going on. It’s been family problems.

It’s been personal issues. It’s just good to have some good come out about this. I can only imagine what she’s been through, but she has success that day. And I wish y’all could see her face. I’m going, I’m going to put it up on social media. The joy child, the joy, the overwhelming joy. [00:23:00] Congratulations, Jay.

Congratulations. Congratulations.

And now family, it’s time for Anna’s Got A Word because Anna’s always got a word. And to honor Lesbian Visibility Week by quoting the Black lesbian mother warrior poet herself, Audre Lorde. Audre says, Your silence will not protect you. If I didn’t define myself for myself, I would be crunched into [00:23:30] other people’s fantasies for me and eaten alive.

I am not free. While any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own. On today, family, I want you to remember your silence will not protect you till next week. Peace.[00:24:00]

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 [00:24:30] the Qube. We are Queer News Done Right.