Isnt It Queer

Jonny and Danette discuss upcoming LGBTQ History events this week in Carbondale, the controversy over the Rainbow Flag at the Stonewall Inn National Monument, President Trump's inappropriate joke about VP Pence's desire to "hang all the gays," Cleveland State University organization distributes posters encouraging LGBTQ people to commit suicide and depicting an image of a hanged figure, gay artist Kehinde Wiley to paint President Obama's official portrait, responding to the #metoo campaign to make sexual harassment and assault more visible, and Star Trek's first gay male (human) couple on Star Trek: Discovery.

Jonny and Danette check in on Danette's visit to the Organization for the Study of Communication, Language, and Gender (OSCLG), celebrate another successful Rainbow Cafe Gala fundraiser, offer a quick review of some of the recent Trump administration assaults on LGBTQ rights, contrast the NFL take-a-knee protest with Kim Davis's paid trip to Romania to spread anti-marriage equality propaganda, and share a recorded public interview with Mike Ziri from Equality Illinois, recorded at this year's Carbondale Pride Festival.Note: The nale of the Gala Speaker I could not recall on air is Elise Malary. Sh was wonderful!

Jonny is joined by Tara Bell to preview the upcoming Rainbow Cafe Gala fundraiser. We also offer a sound collage of this past weekend's Carbondale Pride Festival 2017.

Jonny and Danette debrief Jonny's trip to the 2017 Gay Spirit Vision fall conference and then discuss with guest Shay Miller the upcoming Carbondale Pride Festival. Jonny and Danette then discuss the WDBX Friendship Drive, Hurricane Maria's devastation of Puerto Rico and why the protests by NFL players matter. Please, if you listen to this podcast regularly, consider supporting our host station, WDBX, FM 91.1. You can pledge a contribution by calling 618-457-3691 or by contributing directly at WDBX.org.

Jonny and Danette discuss more details on upcoming Pride Festival and LGBTQ History Month events, congratulate Danette on passing her preliminary exams for her Ph.D., mourn the death of Edith Windsor, review the problematic DOJ amicus brief in the SCOTUS case about a Colorado baker refusing to serve gay clients, discuss the appointing of under-qualified and anti-LGBTQ federal judges in Texas, and take a look at the controversy over a Stanford AI that can predict sexual orientation from a photograph.

Jonny and Danette discuss upcoming Pride and LGBTQ events in Carbondale IL in late September and early October, revisit the problems of Bi erasure, announce a local relief package for Houston, and discuss the problem of systemic racism as revealed by the recent hiring and firing of trans+ activist DJ Munroe Bergdorf by L'Oreal.

Jonny and Danette discuss personal and cultural memory and the problem of forgetting with references to Hurricane Harvey, the pardoning of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Governor Rauner's veto record in Illinois, the IL Attorney General suing the city of Chicago over police practices, revisiting President Trump's military trans* ban, and grieving the death of another trans woman, this time in St. Louis and with a heinous drive by attack on the mourners of her passing.

Danette and Jonny unpack their eclipse experiences in Southern Illinois and then turn to other darkness in the land. They discuss President Trump's two contrasting speeches this week, evidence that shows the alt-right is as anti-LGBTQ as it is racist, conservative attacks on college campuses under the charge of liberal bias in higher education, considering various kinds of diversity including diversity of thought, explaining and understanding why Affirmative Action is still relevant and necessary, and a call for LGBTQ open and affirming churches and pastors to take more of an active lead in resisting the alt-right.

Jonny flies (mostly) solo today to discuss the President's response to violence in Charlottesville VA, the usefulness of taking a break from social media, the failure of the Texas anti-trans "bathroom bill" to get out of the House, parsing the primary results from the Senate special election in Alabama, the activist take-down of a Confederate statue in Durham NC, and news that the Trump trans-ban via Twitter may have been a deliberate distraction from shocking developments in the Russia investigation.

Danette returns! Jonny, Danette and John discuss Danette's recent writing projects, particularly her work on how black communities deal with LGBTQ issues and an analysis of the 2014 documentary "The New Black," and the Facebook response to actor Stephen Amell attending the Vancouver Pride Parade and what it can teach us abut homophobic arguments, particularly the charge to "be civil!"

Jonny is joined again by Craig (Danette will return next week) to discuss the Trump planned trans* ban from militaty service and its fallout, the Breakfast Club's and lil' Duvall's apparent endorsement of murdering trans* women, emotional labor and the unequal burden it places on minorities and women, a lawsuit settlement in a ground-breaking intersexuality case, and (briefly) the DOJ's assertion that Title IX does not protect LGBTQ people from discrimination. All links for the stories and music from today's show an be found on our Flipboard site: https://flipboard.com/@bungy32/isn%27t-it-queer-0hrecisdy

Jonny is joined by Craig to discuss the breaking news of Trumps military ban on trans people, the effects of ACA repeal/replace on LGBTQ+ community, the Teen Vogue anal sex guide controversy, and the recent increase in TV film using the "Bury the Gays" trope. If you are a casual listener or a fan, please consider nominating "Isn't It Queer" for a People's Choice Podcast Award at https://www.podcastawards.com/ Thank you!

Jonny is again joined by Craig to discuss AG Jeff Sessions speech to the Alliance for Defending Freedom, a deeper introduction to who the ADF is as a conservative Christian legal organization, pending LGBTQ+ cases in the SCOTUS, Justice Gorsuch's dissenting opinions in recent cases, and welcoming the first female Doctor to Doctor Who. Session's speech transcript and other supporting materials can be found at our Flipboard page here: https://flipboard.com/@bungy32/isn%27t-it-queer-0hrecisdy

Jonny is joined by Craig to discuss organizational boycotts of states due to their policies and legislation. We use as a case study the National Communication Association's upcoming national conference in Texas and how they have responded to Texas anti-LGBTQ legislation (and anti-Latinx policies) as well as the California travel ban for state employees to Texas.

Jonny and Danette offer a recitation of the LGBTQ Declaration of Equal Rights. They also discuss the German vote for Marriage Equality, the Texas Supreme Court attempt to limit Marriage Equality, five ways the Trump Administration threatens the LGBTQ community, Senator Kamala Harris as LGBTQ advocate, and how the Chicago Dyke March (and other organizations) negotiate intersectional inclusivity while banning certain images and practices from their events.

Jonny and Danette discuss the protests within queer community at Pride festivities around the country as well as recent Supreme Court decisions and actions affecting the LGBTQ+ community. Jonny also interviews Jeff Hale and Chris Jennings about the upcoming production of Hale's play, "Choices." (July 7-8 at 7pm in the O'Neil Auditorium on the John A. Logan Community College campus.)

Danette welcomes Jonny back from his two week hiatus and they discuss the new Pride flag in Philadelphia and what is the community in "queer community." Danette also shares a long-form interview with Brad Calcaterra of The Studio (where he also teaches in a program called Act Out) and co-creator of the documentary "Real Boy".

Jonny And Danette, embrace Covfee and discuss the impacts of the proposed federal budget on LGBTQ communities, pulling out of the Paris agreement on Climate, keeping activism focused and avoiding burnout and cynicism, France demonstrating how to hold Russia accountable for human rights violations and election tampering, the commercialization of Pride and Civil Rights, and linking LGBTQ concerns to other social justice and environmental advocacy movements.

Jonny and Danette discuss fundraising opportunities for local LGBTQ Youth Groups, the American Family Association's claims that the Rainbow Flag is the new Confederate Flag (um, no!), a check-in on Chechnya and the persecution of LGBTQ people there, Canada's announced plan to apologize for its government's past polices and practices of LGBTQ discrimination, how shifts in the US Census Bureau affect LGBTQ people, and Nevada becoming the 10th state to ban Conversion Therapy

Jonny and Danette discuss The Russia Connection (thanks, Randy Rainbow!) that is plaguing our President, The release of Chelsea Manning from prison, the impacts of the Illinois budget crisis on SIU with a focus on cuts to LGBTQ and minority student support, the poor sales of Caitlyn Jenner's memoir, a Gallup poll that shows increased acceptance across the US for gay and lesbian relationships, lessons from Russia and Chechnya about queer visibility and the role of the State in protecting its most vulnerable citizens, and a couple of stories about queer visibility in popular culture.