“What I'm trying to work towards now is really understanding that there's nothing wrong with me. I do deserve love, I do deserve happiness. And if someone doesn't want to experience those things with me, that is not a judgment on me.” -Bonita Applebum
I met Bonita Applebum on Livejournal in 2003. We bonded over our love of queer culture, switchblade knives, and the Bobby Caldwell song “What You Won’t Do for Love.” We ended up having such an amazing conversation that I decided to make her interview a two part episode!
In part one of my interview with Bonita, we discuss an amazing array of topics, including:
-Learning self love and sexual empowerment after growing up in the bible belt
-That time that Venus’s ex-boyfriend gave her a piece of evidence from an eco-terrorist crime as a romantic “gift”
-The magic of being a Gemini who is also an identical twin
-The ex who made Bonita hate “Burt Reynolds mustaches”
-Colorism, Internalized racism, and the re-emergence of Bonita’s “designated hater”
Bonita's advice column: https://flagpole.com/advice/hey-bonita/
The Cannibal Warlords of Liberia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRuSS0iiFyo&vl=en
Jessie Ware’s cover of “What You Won’t Do for Love:” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-ltza7hYls
Part two will drop in 2 weeks and you’ll get to hear about Bonita’s best and worst dates, her favorite sludge metal to get it on to, and her forbidden crush on a former Attorney General of the United States!
Bonita Applebum is an advice columnist in Athens, GA. She writes for Flagpole Magazine, where she answers questions and shares her thoughts on sex, love, dating, and relationships. Bonita is a pseudonym, but she is less of a character and more of a way to allow for honesty and transparency when talking about things so intimate and personal. She is in her late thirties and is a Black woman of color originally born in the deep south. She enjoys playing the clarinet, watching gameplay videos on Youtube even though she is not a gamer, and casually studying the history of Britain and it’s monarchy - but not in a good way. Her favorite monarchs are the ones who get executed.
If you’d like to send Bonita a question or comment or anything, really, you can do so anonymously at http://www.flagpole.com/getadvice , or you can email her directly at [email protected].
Venus’s Instagram: @bbwvenusvalentine
Venus’s other social media and projects: http://www.bbwvenusvalentine.com
Download free show transcripts and support us on Patreon: http://www.dirtypantiespodcast.com
Big thanks to our Sound Engineer Kirstin Johnson, our graphic designer Pedro Recio, and Decek, who composed our sexy theme song "Euphoria".
