Call Your Girlfriend

One in four Americans are disabled. It's one of the only minority groups you can join at any point in your life. And yet, people with disabilities are often ignored or stereotyped, including by other activists. This week we pass the mic to Kelly Dawson and Emily Ladau, two writers who also both have physical disabilities. Kelly and Emily describe the planning and preparation in their daily lives, the challenges of online dating while disabled, and resources for people without disabilities who want to learn more and grow as allies and friends. Click here for a full transcript of this episode.

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Shine Theory is cropping up everywhere from social media to the halls of Congress. But you might have wondered or had a friend ask, what exactly is Shine Theory? We go deep on its origin, what it is and is not, and how Shine Theory can fortify friendships, work alliances, and help diminish the role of jealousy in your life.

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Have you experienced a big loss? The death of a friend, family member, illness, even a breakup or losing a job can be devastating. Help and support pour in for a day, a week. And then what? We're supposed to just be fine and pretend like it never happened? We realtalk grief and suffering with Nora McInerny, host of the podcast Terrible, Thanks for Asking, and author of funny-sad books like her latest, No Happy Endings.

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Scammers are in the news again. From parents who buy their children's college admission to political media obsessed with white male candidates, we interrogate the long-running scams of wealth and power all around us.

Links:

The real college admissions scam

Stacey Abrams doing the work

Andrew Gillum doing the work

Beto sucking up the press

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"Real" America does not belong to white men in red states. Queer people do not only live their best lives in New York and San Francisco. Across the country, queer folks form tight knit communities and love their towns, in spite of the oppressive measures enacted by their state legislatures. We get real with journalist Samantha Allen and her book Real Queer America, which takes us along on a road trip to meet LGBT people from Tennessee, Utah, Georgia, Indiana, and more.

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Abortion rights are under attack. And while many are scared, maybe for the first time, the push to control and criminalize women's health care is nothing new. For many Americans, access to abortion as promised after Roe v. Wade never really came. We discuss reproductive justice and ways to get involved in your community with activist Renee Bracey Sherman. And we learn how Chicago women took action to create safe, private ways to access abortion in the 1970s under the pseudonym JANE with one of the collective's members, Judith Arcana.

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Aminatou, Ann, and Gina discuss the business of Call Your Girlfriend, LLC in this hyper-transparent check-in. We still make most of our money from the ads you hear on the podcast, but we've branched out into live touring, more merch, and adding team members! (Welcome Sophie Carter-Kahn of She's All Fat fame, who is doing our social media!!) How CYG fits into all of our individual work lives (and LLCs). Then, we hear from Claire Mazur and Erica Cerulo about the bestie-preneurship secrets they uncover in their new book, Work Wife.

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We revel in Billy Porter’s tuxedo gown, Jason Momoa’s scrunchie, and Selma Blair’s cane. Watching Pen15 on Hulu is giving us all the middle and high school feels. And, remembering soul singer Jackie Shane.

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We sit down with feminist icon, author, and activist, Gloria Steinem to talk about some the defining friendships of her life. Plus, where our views diverge, particularly around sex work and pornography.

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Self employment realtalk: how we went from office workers to freelance to boss ladies. We bust myths about staff jobs and incorporating your own business. Is it hard? Yes. Is it for everyone? No. Could you stand to make a lot of money and forge your own path? Yes! We discuss our career trajectories, how much to charge, who to ask for help, and how much you should have saved.

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