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QN_31_Final_v1

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

Family. It’s your favorite queer radio personality. Anna [00:00:30] Deshaun, and this is Queer News. Your favorite weekly news pod where race and sexuality meet politics, culture, and entertainment. And so Ms. Major, for all those folks who come across it and it’s like, I’m not sure who I’m voting for. I don’t really know if I need to vote.

What do you tell those folks? Well, first of all, we got to stand up and be counted. Every fucking one of them. No sitting on your ass. What’s watching on TV, get up, get outside [00:01:00] your door and stand up now, family. This is my second time having the honor to interview miss major. And every time she never ceases to amaze me at 77 years old.

She is still just as committed to speaking up, showing up, and speaking truth to power. I’ll be posting that interview on E3 Radio’s YouTube channel this week. It’s a real short and cute one, about five minutes. So make sure you subscribe to our channel so you don’t. Miss [00:01:30] it and family. Don’t forget the queer news tip line is open.

I want to give a big shout out to Kevin boom, boom, boom, boom for sending me a queer news tip this past week, he was like, you call for this and don’t nobody send nothing, but I’m going to send something. I listen every week. Thank you so much, Kevin, for your support. Thank you for the tip. Now, family, the tip was about the CAS review.

I had never heard of it. Have you heard of it before? It is a independent study that was done in the UK [00:02:00] that talked about young people, transitioning, gender affirming care, and a lot of anti trans policies are using this CAS review as substantial evidence that young people should not transition. And so it’s very interesting.

I’m still digging in. Kevin sent me a podcast to listen to. Okay. Um, and so I want to be able to share that. information with you all, because I think it is important for us to dig in. I just got to have more time to do some research. So thank you, Kevin, for the queer news tip. If you family [00:02:30] have a queer news tip, please send it in.

A link and information is in the show notes.

Q Crew, what is going on? Thank you for helping to financially sustain this podcast. Period. And I got something extra special for y’all too, coming up this week. I can’t wait to tell y’all about it in just a little bit. And family, if you believe in the work that I’m doing, if you love and appreciate how I tell stories, if you believe [00:03:00] LGBTQ stories need to be amplified, please join the Q crew.

It starts as low as 5 a month. Or you can give a one time donation. I really can’t tell you how much your donations and your support month over month really means to this podcast. Now for the news, our top stories. I received the opportunity to interview Taylor Casey’s mom. What an honor. Let me tell you what I learned.

Tevion [00:03:30] Lathan, a black trans woman was murdered in Baltimore and left in an alley. We speak her name today. In politics, let’s talk Tim Walz and his LGBTQ record. In culture and entertainment, is there anything but the Olympics to discuss? I mean, there’s so many queer storylines, so we’re going to hit on a few, but I really want to share Cindy Ngamba’s story.

I don’t know if you heard it. I know I didn’t hear enough about it and I want to share it with. And if [00:04:00] I could fit one more culture and entertainment story in here, it has to be about MC Lyte, okay? She went on The Breakfast Club, and I’m still confused. Is she gay? What did she say? Let’s get into it.

Family, our top story is about Taylor Casey, and I think y’all are pretty used to that by now. This past week, I had the honor of interviewing her mother and lead organizer, Jackie Boyd, they call her mom, mama C and so did I, [00:04:30] we had a beautiful conversation and I can’t wait to share it with you, Q crew, you know, you get it first, so check your email so you can watch the interview before I release it out to YouTube and to all of our followers and supporters, but you know, family, one thing about this profession is that.

You meet people either on the best day of their lives celebrating, or you can meet them on the worst day of their lives or the worst [00:05:00] time in their life. And it is in those moments that we have to tap into our training, but also all the empathy and putting ourselves in the other person’s shoes in order to tell an effective story.

And it was truly an honor to be able to share time with Mama C during the worst time of her life. And just wanting to tell Taylor’s story and amplify it to as many [00:05:30] people that will hear it. And so that’ll be coming out this week. Lead organizer, Jackie Boy, we had some technical challenges. So I’m going to try to catch her later and release her interview and her perspective on everything.

And there were two things that they really wanted you all to know. One is that they really need donations. They really need us to continue to donate to the campaign because they have hired a lawyer, but they need to be able to keep that lawyer. And it’s sad that they even need one in this situation, but they need someone advocating on their behalf.

And then the second thing is they [00:06:00] need us to continue to press the Illinois senators Durbin and Duckworth so that they can be in contact with the Bahamas police force. So that they can invite the FBI. Child, we need all these chains working on our behalf so the FBI can get involved and we can feel like some progress is being made.

Because as of right now, Mama C told me they haven’t heard from the Bahamas Police Force since June 28th. June 28th. So family, be on the lookout for that [00:06:30] exclusive interview. Q Crew, coming to you first. And then everybody look forward later in the week. Family, our next top story is about Tavion Lathan.

She’s a black trans woman who was living in Baltimore, Maryland. And her good friend, Corinne Davis, said this about her. She said, She was very loving. She loved everybody. She was very funny. She didn’t deserve that. She didn’t deserve to not be here. [00:07:00] Family, Tavion was murdered, shot five times, left in an alley, and covered.

She was found around 10 a. m. on Sunday. And what really caught me with this particular story is that she was found just blocks away from her home, which makes me feel like this is somebody she knows or somebody In her neighborhood, you know, and family as of right now, the police don’t have [00:07:30] anyone in custody and no new leads.

So if you’re listening to this, no, someone in Baltimore can make a call, can maybe look into what’s going on. You can make an anonymous tip. Okay. You can call Metro Crime Stoppers. at 1 866 7 LOCKUP and there’s an organization in Baltimore called Maryland Safe Haven and they are actually raising money for Lathan’s funeral expenses.

I’m going to include a link in the show notes if you want to donate, if you have [00:08:00] the ability, the extra funds. To give and to support them. I saw the goal was 6, 000 and they’re really, really close. So if you have something to give and to help them get closer or even to surpass that goal, I’m sure they would really, really appreciate it.

And I don’t want to just provide. Another quote from her friend, Corinne Davis, because I saw her in a video interview. And I mean, I think this is really at the heart of how so many of our trans siblings [00:08:30] feel. She says, I can’t take no more. I’m tired of losing my people. I’m tired of having to be scared.

To be myself. I’m tired of having to walk on eggshells because I am who I am. And I mean, I think that’s all of our stories. We are who we are. Tayvion, we speak your name today. In politics, there is no bigger story today than the [00:09:00] Harris Harris story. Walls ticket. It was just last Tuesday. Now I know it may feel like it has been months, but y’all, it was just last Tuesday in Philadelphia that VP Kamala Harris introduced and announced Tim Walls as her running mate.

Now, if you’re like me, you didn’t know who Tim Walz was before this announcement. So I needed to do some research. I wanted to get more than what was going on on social media to really get an understanding of who he is out here in the [00:09:30] world and how his policies show up. So I want to give you all a rundown of what I’ve learned about Tim Walz and his LGBTQ plus priorities.

All right. So first up, he enlisted in the army national guard when he was 17 years old, y’all. All right. His father passed away when he was 19 and he ended up serving 24 years in the army national guard before retiring. And he actually left after 20 years. When 9 11 happened, he actually re enlisted and so he’s, he got [00:10:00] up to 24 years of service.

Now, he also taught high school. Yes, we’ve seen that. He taught for nearly 20 years in high school and was a football coach. Now, in 1999, he was the founding advisor. For his high school’s gay straight Alliance child. What? Nothing cute about being LGBTQ affirming in Minnesota in 1999. I mean, this was a time before marriage equality, right?

1999. [00:10:30] He was standing up when it wasn’t cute. Respect. Okay. Then in 2004, he got into politics heavy. He started volunteering for John Kerry’s campaign. And then in 2005, he ran for Congress and he served in Congress from 2007 to 2019. Now, while he was doing that, he co sponsored legislation to repeal the defense of marriage act.

Yeah, he voted to repeal the discriminatory Don’t Ask, Don’t [00:11:00] Tell law. Yes, he voted for the Matthew Shepard James Beard Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Yes, and he introduced legislation to protect LGBTQ plus service members from discrimination when it comes to their benefits. And I want y’all to know right now that I’m not even close to being done.

In 2021, he signed an executive order to ban conversion therapy in his state. And we know how damaging and how harmful [00:11:30] conversion therapy is. If you haven’t heard Second Sunday, I mean, I run the ad every week, but please, if you never listened, listen to the very first episode from our first season, and you’ll hear exactly what I mean when it comes to this.

impact that the practice of conversion therapy can have on your life. So yeah, he banned that y’all he banned that. And then in 2023, he also supported Minnesota becoming a trans sanctuary state. So if there is a trans [00:12:00] sibling. In a state that’s being persecuted for getting gender affirming care or anything like that, they can come to Minnesota and not be persecuted.

They can get the care that they are looking for. Under his leadership in Minnesota, it’s also a place where trans folks can get gender affirming care when we’re in the midst of this onslaught from the right trying to wipe that away for our trans siblings. You can do that in Minnesota. Which, as somebody from Chicago, there aren’t a lot of places [00:12:30] in the Midwest where you can go, right, and get that gender affirming care.

He also banned the practice of banning books because of LGBTQ themes. He also believes in women’s right to choose. He also has made Minnesota an immigration sanctuary state. I mean, this is a liberal playbook right now, right? In 2024, he also signed a bill banning gay and trans panic defense, which I have talked [00:13:00] about on this podcast because so often, so often I’m telling stories of trans women who’ve been murdered by men, and then, you know, they are going to pull that card.

Out of their back pocket to try to lessen any charge they could potentially receive. And can I just say, when the announcement was made and I saw him speaking, I was like, he’s got personality. He’s not holding back any punches. Did he just come out and say [00:13:30] out loud that 45 is responsible for the lack of response during COVID and why so many Of our friends and family passed away during that time.

Did he say that out loud? I haven’t heard that in such a long time, but my god, can we not forget? Can we not forget? Ooh, yo I don’t know everything about Tim Walz, but I wanted to do my own research I wanted to share it with y’all and guess what family? [00:14:00] I got my DNC media credentials, so I am going to be in the spot.

I’m going to be covering the DNC and I am so excited. I am digging into the research and Q Crew, you all are going to get the exclusive behind the scenes footage. All the interviews first, it’s going to be fantastic. So once again, family, if you are not in the Q Crew. Come on now. Don’t wait. Don’t miss this footage.

It is going to be so good. [00:14:30] And now I think it’s time for a quick break. Yes. And when we get back, we’ll talk about culture and entertainment.

There is no place like the Q.

Hey, Esther. Hey, Darren. We are back for season two of Second Sunday. Hey, I’m looking forward to it. This season is going to look totally different from the last season. [00:15:00] 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. 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 door. This season, we’re mostly talking to people exploring their faith [00:15:30] 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. That’s it. And that you look at yourself clearly without filters, without whatever, and that 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 [00:16:00] 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 their mind.

The saints ain’t ready for this. But we’re still going to talk about it. Catch second Sunday from the Qube and PR X’s. Big Questions. Project available wherever you get podcasts starting April 24th.

If you’re hearing this, it means we didn’t sell this ad space . If [00:16:30] 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 have something you need to get the word out about? We got rates starting as low as a hundred.

Check the link in our show notes for more information, family. Welcome back to the show. Now let us jump into culture and entertainment. There hasn’t been a larger story than the [00:17:00] Olympics. Hands down. That has been the story for culture and entertainment. I have been glued in locked in. Okay. Except for that break dancing.

I don’t know what was going on with that, but the sport. I have been locked in and the queers, the queers have been showing up and I think it is worth taking a little bit of time and showing them some love. Okay. I also want to give a big shout out to out sports. I don’t know if y’all follow or read out sports, but their coverage of the Olympics has been fantastic.

They [00:17:30] actually have what they call team LGBTQ where they actually track all of the out athletes at the Olympics and the medal count. Okay. So this has been an historic year and every year they break the record again. Okay. Every Olympics. And so this year there were 195 out athletes competing at the Olympics.

All right. Now with that number team LGBTQ has the 14th most [00:18:00] athletes of any quote unquote nations, right? Competing at the Olympics. Now those 195 athletes are bringing home. 42 overall medals. Now, what I think is cute is that they don’t count in each individual player child, who knows how many queers is on the basketball team, the rugby team teams get one metal.

Okay. And so team LGBTQ is bringing home 42 medals, 15 gold, 13 silver, and 14 bronze. [00:18:30] And without sports looks at it. If you’re looking at the medal count, Team LGBTQ, if it was really for real, for real a thing would be seventh place in the total medal count for every other country. That’s actually pretty dope and pretty fun.

Now let’s get into the people. Okay. Iman Khalif winning for Algeria in boxing after all the transphobic hate that she had to [00:19:00] face. And now she’s actually filing a legal complaint in France for the online harassment she received. And she has lawyers looking into it to see what can be done. Child, because what happened to her was just a mess.

Iman said this, I was born a woman. I grew up as a woman and I fought as a woman. Those who attacked me, of course they were enemies of glory, but without them, my victory would not have been so satisfying. You better let them know Iman. I’m so proud of you. Some of us, actually, [00:19:30] most of us probably could not.

Has survived that mess. I can’t even imagine. Oh, the great story. You know, I reported about Nikki Hiltz about a month or so ago because they had qualified for the Olympics and made them the first non binary runner to do so in their sport. Yes. Now Nikki didn’t win a medal. All right. They came in seventh in their race and they still made history.

How about that? [00:20:00] Nikki said this to journalist, Sarah Butler. You’re either winning or you’re learning. I learned a lot. Respect Nikki. Respect. And you still made history. Okay. Then we have a Lev Kelter who won gold with the rugby team and then decided to propose to her now fiance in Paris while her whole family was there.

It was such like her Instagram video [00:20:30] of this proposal is everything. You will not stop smiling cheek to cheek. I promise. And how can we talk about the queers at the Olympics without talking about Raven Saunders? Raven is the Hulk. Okay. They always come out with their mask on. I remember them. You cannot forget Raven Saunders, period.

And just how open and honest they are about their mental health struggles, what they do to combat that. And, and still what they do to combat that. [00:21:00] and compete at the highest level. And part of that is them putting on that mask. Raven says this, I learned how to compartmentalize the same way that Bruce Banner learned to control the Hulk, learned how to let the Hulk come out during the right moments.

And that way it also gave him a sign of mental peace. So Raven is letting y’all know they wear the mask. So they know when to bring the Hulk out is their alter ego. And I freaking love it. I [00:21:30] am so here for it. Now they didn’t win a medal this time around, but they still have the silver from Tokyo and I’m hoping Raven comes back in another four years.

Now, if y’all can indulge me, I got two more stories to share and child, I could probably be here all day, but first the women’s basketball team. It was probably one of the best finals and best women’s games I have ever seen in my life. It was physical. It was fast paced. The defense was [00:22:00] lit. The refs were making bad calls.

The coaches, I don’t even know what some of those matchups were. Why Jewel Lloyd did not play. There were questions. It brought everything you need to a good game. Not to mention all the stars that was in the building from LeBron to Sue Bird to Vanessa Bryant and her girls. I mean, that game brought all the smoke and I, I want to watch it again, y’all, but I don’t know if I got it in me.

I don’t know if [00:22:30] my heart can take it. With the win, the USA team extends their winning streak in the Olympics to 61 games and they extend the gold medal winning streak, say that three times fast, okay, to eight, which is. Unbelievable. They haven’t lost in the Olympics since 1996 and I just want y’all to know that I do remember that team and I love them.[00:23:00]

It was Diana Taurasi’s sixth straight gold medal. Okay. And then watching them get the gold medals and watching BG cry as they played the national anthem. I’m not crying. You’re crying type of moment in my life. She was so present. And after everything she’s been through, 294 days of being wrongfully detained, being released in December of 2022, going through everything she’s been through, still deciding to play for the Olympics and play in international [00:23:30] basketball and to come out on top with a gold medal.

And now she gets to go home to her baby with her wife. I mean, does this story line get any better? And the last story that I want to share with you all, maybe one that you haven’t heard so much about. Her name is Cindy Ngamba, and she is actually representing for the refugee Olympic team. [00:24:00] Have y’all heard about them?

Yeah. Child, this story has a lot of twists and turns. But first about Cindy. Cindy is a boxer. And she’s from Cameroon. So she moved to the UK when she turned 11. And by the time she turned 16, the reports say that it came to light that she didn’t have all the correct papers. By that time, she had come out as a lesbian.

Well, you can’t be a lesbian in Cameroon and not expect to be prosecuted. At this point, today, you can get up to 5 years in prison. And so she was able to file for refugee [00:24:30] status. So she was able to continue her education and still train to box. And here we are 2024 and she’s boxing for the refugee team of the Olympics.

Now the refugee team started in 2016 in Rio. So there were 10 refugee athletes in Rio. There were 29 in Tokyo and there were 37 participating in Paris. The IOC president said this, [00:25:00] The Refugee Olympic Team sends a great signal about what an enrichment refugees are for our Olympic community and for society at large.

What I think is so dope about this is that refugees don’t have one country to claim. And so having a team where they can find a home, I think is so dope. And in Cindy’s case, She has become the first refugee athlete to actually win a medal. She [00:25:30] won bronze, and this is what she had to say. She said, I’m just a human, just like any other refugee athlete all around the world.

Cindy was also a flag bearer in the opening ceremonies, and she really made history. And we here for the Black lesbians making history out here at the Olympics, okay? And I feel like this is a story that hasn’t been amplified enough, so don’t worry. Goal is to make a video, okay? Everybody needs to know who Cindy is.[00:26:00]

Can y’all tell that I really enjoyed the Olympics? Okay, I did. I really, really did.

Okay. So our last story, which I just had to squeeze in because I love MC light and I love what she has meant to hip hop. Okay. And she did an interview with the breakfast club and she was asked about what it meant to go through her divorce in public and then for people to question her sexuality, because Chile, I have always thought MC light was queer.

Do you think she’s queer? I’ve always thought she was queer. [00:26:30] But she was asked. She said so many words, but it came down to she did have an experience and it just doesn’t define all of who she is or all of who she’s attracted to. And I think family, that might be the best we’re going to get for a very long time.

Now her era. It’s also the Queen Latifah era, you know, where being out was detrimental to your career. And she’s part of a generation and she’s also admittedly very conservative and traditional and that [00:27:00] era. And this is what it looks like when they are asked these types of questions. Hey, maybe in 10 years.

We’ll get another answer. Maybe there’s a label. Maybe there isn’t, but from the looks of things, she kind of is family though. And that is worth reporting on

family. It’s now time for Anna’s got a word because Anna’s always got a word. And I want to root this word in a quote by James Baldwin because he was evoked again during an [00:27:30] event I was hosting this past week. And this is the quote. We can disagree and still love each other unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist.

Chile, that’s the energy I’m bringing to the DNC. Do you understand if your disagreement is rooted in my oppression, we ain’t cool. And that’s what I’m going to report on. I am so excited to be heading to the DNC with media credentials to bring the stories [00:28:00] back to you all back to the community, back To my people.

I am so honored. I’m going to be in the room when it happened. History will be made here in my city of Chicago and I’m going to have the footage to prove it. I’m so excited. And even through the tough times when there isn’t enough money to do all the things. Or do anything these moments pop up where I’m reminded that dreams still come true.

Even the ones you didn’t have written down on your bucket list. [00:28:30] This is one family. This is a dream. It’s going to be the largest event I’ve ever covered. And I’m excited. I can’t wait to share it with your family. So until next week. So until next week, remember that James Baldwin quote. Okay. And remember dreams do in fact come true.

Till next week, peace.[00:29:00]

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 the Qube. We are [00:29:30] Queer News Done Right.