Jonny and Heather record the episode on Columb–er, Indigenous People’s Day, and have some things to say about the costs of colonialism and the importance of Two Spirit/Q-Spirit. The review some events last week, one a planned pesentation on the queer history of the region and the other a grassroots protest for an anti-trans speaker brought to speak in Carbodale on National Coming Out Day. They then switch to some TERF-y women causing additional problems for queer and trans folks with their loose connection to history, science, and reality. They end with excitement for new films in the works by the Wachowski sisters celebrating trans horror, as well as other films available for streaming that avoid the Bury Your Gays trope. 

Jonny is on his own this week, recording the show on Labor Day Monday. In the front half of the show, he details “autogynephilia” as a debunked pseudo-scientific theory still popular among the gender critical and transphobes. It is one of the ways LGB (No T, No Q) folks bracket out trans experience from “gay” experience. He also details its cousin, the myth of “Transing the Gay Away.” In the back half of the show, he leans into his own queer story and evolution into understaning of his gender nonconforming, nonbinary identity. At the core of LGBTQ rights, he argues, is trans advocacy and the fight for gender diversity.

Heather returns to the show to share some her experiences with CoVid as the Country experiences another surge in cases. Jonny and Heather then turn their attention to the Olympics and the social media kerfuffle about women’s boxing, particularly continued misogynist gender critical attacks against the elligibility of Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting. In the back half of the show, they discuss recent developments in politics, including the LGBTQ+ advocacy record of new Democratic VP candidate, Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota. They are joined at the end of the show by Ky Chamelion, whose songe “Vibrate Higher” is doing quite well on America’s Next Top Hit Maker. If you would like to hear Ky’s song and/or vote for them in the competition, you can do so here: https://tophitmaker.org/2024/ky-chameleon

Jonny and Heather process their desire for a month of hibernation following a very active Pride Month. They then turn their attention to recent developments in presidential politics and connections between agism and homophobia/transphobia. Also, maybe why presidential immunity isn’t such a good thing. In the back half of the show, they review a SCOTUS decision on states’ rights when dealing with unhoused people on public lands and connect that to trans-advocacy, including trans- and empathy-advocacy on Dr. Who.

Jonny interviews Jo Clifford, playwright and performer of “The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven,” being presented at The Church of the Good Shepherd in Carbondale in the coming week (June 29 and July 2). They discuss the topic of the play, which considers,“What would happen if Jesus did come back to earth in the present day as a trans woman?” In the back third of the show, Heather and Jonny review two legal developments for the LGBTQ community, one that seems like pretty good news for veterans expelled from the military under “Don’t Ask Don’s Tell,” the other somewhat trepidatious news as the SCOTUS takes up a case on Tennessee’s ban of gender affirming care for trans youth.

Jonny interviews Carrie Vine, Executive Director of the Rainbow Cafe about ttheir upcoming (11/4) Gala fundraiser. Tickets are still available through Saturday 10/28! You can purchase tickets through links at their Facebook page, at the rainbowcafe.org web page, or here: https://t.ly/yBxqp. In the back half of the show, Jonny curates two news stories about debunked and retracted “science” about trans identity finding new homes in newly formed “research” journals and websites. Fringe and pseudoscience critical of trans identity continues to be misrepresented as “professional guidance” despite significant harms documented with “gender exploration therapy” and a broad medical and therapeutic consensus about the harms and ineffectiveness of conversion therapies.