Here and Queer with the 2020 Pride Panel | #52

Click here to access a written transcript of this episode.

CW: Discussion of violence against Black/trans folks

Happy Pride, y'all! For today's very special episode, I invited a handful of past guests to join me for an inaugural Redefining Health & Wellness Pride Panel. I both moderated and participated in the panel discussion, and I was joined by the lovely Erica Smith, Alex Locust, Rocky Lane, and Sarah Swofford.

Our conversation was filled with plenty of joy and laughter, even while recognizing how somber this Pride feels in the midst of a global pandemic and widespread protests against police violence in the U.S. We had a lot of fun, and we also weren't afraid to tackle some tough topics facing the queer community. I hope you enjoy listening to this conversation as much as we enjoyed recording it for you.

We discussed:

• Who we would draft onto our queer squads.
• What could make us lose our queer cards.
• The gayest thing in each of our closets right now.
• Hindsight “aha!” moments about our queer identities that we didn't pick up on at the time they occurred.
• The complexities of being out and knowing that there are people who won't fully accept you.
• How to best support and empower the baby queers in the world.
• Gatekeeping in the queer community and why it needs to go.
• How it's never too late to be your queerest, most authentic self.
• What cross-movement solidarity can look like, particularly in terms of Black Lives Matter.
• Pleasure in activism and how we can make it sustainable for the long haul.
• The importance of finding the roles that fit you best, and why protesting isn't the right role for everyone.
• What Pride means to us at this moment in our lives, and what we envision it could look like.

Mentioned in This Episode

• Shohreh drafted Megan Rapinoe, Sue Bird, and Kate McKinnon onto her Queer Squad
• Sarah drafted Janelle Monáe, Samira Wiley, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson onto her Queer Squad
• Alex drafted Indya Moore, Aaron Phillips, and Patty Berne onto their Queer Squad
• Erica drafted Queen Latifah, Dominique Jackson, and Philly local, Celena Morrison onto her Queer Squad.
• Rocky drafted Lena Waithe, James Baldwin, and Laverne Cox onto his Queer Squad
• Sarah's Unicorn Massage Wand (that is sadly no longer available to purchase)
• The Vanity Fair cover that features Cindy Crawford and k.d. lang
• Marco on Degrassi: The Next Generation
• Boys Don't Cry movie
• Set It Off movie
• Bible Belt Queers book
• Gay TikTok
• She’s All Fat podcast
• Victims of police violence, including George Floyd, Tony McDade, and Nina Pop (TW: violence against Black and trans folks)
• Pleasure Activism by adrienne maree brown
• The Nap Ministry
• Lena Waithe's rainbow cape outfit at the 2018 Met Gala
• 2019 Met Gala looks from queer celebrities when the theme was Camp, including Billy Porter's Egyptian-themed look and Cardi B's menstruation dress.
• The murders of black trans women Dominique “Rem'mie” Fells and Riah Milton (TW: graphic descriptions of violence)

Featured in This Episode

 Your 2020 Pride Panel consists of returning guests Erica Smith, Alex Locust, Rocky Lane & Sarah Swofford, and Shohreh Davoodi, host of the Conjuring Up Courage podcast.

Erica (she/her) is a queer femme sex educator from Philly who believes that all sex education should be rooted in social justice. You can usually find her surrounded by four cats, a pitbull, and a menagerie of foster animals. She spends her time caring for plants, taking walks, and giving less fucks the older she gets. You can find Erica on her Instagram and website.
Tip Erica: Paypal – sexologist@gmail.com | Venmo – @EricaLSmith
Donate to one of Erica's favorite causes: Morris Home

Alex (he/him) is a queer, biracial Glamputee proudly offering you a…leg up on disability justice. Whether in his role as a counselor, workshop facilitator, harm reductionist, pleasure activist, runway model, or film festival juror, Alex is serving up the 5 C’s (Curls, Crutches, Claws, Courage, and Compassion), while singing the praises of the disability justice movement any chance he can get. Alex has set out to use his platform to center the voices of Black and brown, queer disabled folks while weaving together the principles of this movement with other justice efforts to promote access, sustainability, and wholeness in all of our collective liberation work. You can find Alex on his website and Instagram.
Tip Alex: Venmo – @Glamputee
Donate to one of Alex's favorite causes: The Transgender District

Rocky (he/him) is a proud black trans man, personal trainer and fitness instructor, the board chair of Transgender Education Network of Texas, and a content creator for the YouTube channel SwirlBabyTV. Sarah (she/they) is a fat queer feminist, business owner, stylist for all bodies, and the other half of the SwirlBabyTV team. Together on their channel, Rocky and Sarah share their experiences as a queer-trans interracial couple living, working, advocating, and loving in Texas and beyond. You can find Rocky on his Instagram and Sarah on her Instagram, and you can find them both on the SwirlBabyTV website, YouTube channel, and Instagram.
Tip Rocky & Sarah: Paypal
Donate to one of Rocky's favorite causes: TENT COVID-19 Relief Fund
Donate to one of Sarah's favorite causes: Black Transwomen Inc.

Shohreh (she/her) was the host of the Conjuring Up Courage podcast during the show's three-year run. Currently, Shohreh is focusing her attention on being a writer and creator. You can keep up with Shohreh by subscribing to her newsletter, The Queer Agenda, and following her on Instagram and TikTok.
Tip Shohreh: Venmo – @shohrehdavoodi | Paypal – hello@shohrehdavoodi.com
Donate to one of Shohreh's favorite causes: Transgender Law Center