It's the last episode of Season Four! To commemorate this moment in Feminist Hotdog history, I decided to reflect a bit about the show's origin story, how four seasons of immersing myself in feminism changed me, and a few other things I've learned about myself, the patriarchy, and how to fight it.

Feminist Hotdog will be going on hiatus for a few months while I focus on getting REVA Recovery Support off the ground. What will it look like when it comes back? I'm not sure yet, but I'd love to know what you think. More recovery content? More guest interviews? More examples of what makes my feminist heart sing? Something else? Let me know!

Stuff I Talked About on This Episode

• Lutze B. Segu - The Social Justice Doula
• Amelia Hruby
• EbonyJanice Moore
• Pleasure Activism - adrienne maree brown
• Rachel Cargle

The news of Derek Chauvin's conviction and the shooting of Ma'Khia Bryant by a police officer in Ohio both hit hard last week; these events have reignited my thinking about how I can take action to improve outcomes for Black and brown and poor people when they encounter police or become ensnared in the justice system. With that in mind, I decided to rebroadcast this interview with Ashley Edwards about why the cash bail system is a worthy place to put our activist attention and how confronting it can keep literally millions of people safer from the abuses of incarceration. It's not abolition, but it's a start. (Original show notes below.)

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Bailout funds have been in the news for weeks now, but how do they fit into the bigger picture of the criminal justice and cash bail systems? Ashley Edwards of MGM Bailout joins Feminist Hotdog this week to talk about the racism inherent in the cash bail system, the predatory lending practices that surround it, how listeners can work to abolish cash bail, and why we should view this as a feminist issue. 

Things We Talked About on This Episode

• MGM Bailout
• National Bailout 
• Until Freedom Comes Bailout Toolkit
• Black Mama’s Bailout
• Southerners On New Ground
• After Cash Bail: A Framework for Imagining Pretrial Justice

Clubhouse has revealed itself to be a place where folks (like me) who have difficulty moderating will quickly run into trouble. Luckily, before I weaned myself off, I had the opportunity to meet Cynthia Wright, a self-described "queer writer and military brat" who also hosts the fabulous recovery podcast Getting Your Sh*t Together. Cynthia's pod offers a unique mix of storytelling, interviews, personal development, social commentary, and—of course—recovery tips. We had a great conversation about how podcasting can be a form of therapy, how intersectionality shows up in recovery spaces, and how self-compassion played a pivotal role in her own story. Enjoy!

Stuff We Talked About on This Episode

• Getting You Sh*t Together
• Navigating That Sober Summer Life
• A Bih Talks About Disrespecting Yourself
• How Guilt and Shame Impacts Your Life
• Self-Compassion Deep Dive

Warning: This episode includes discussion of suicide and suicidal ideation.

When Sara and I first spoke about her appearance on Feminist Hotdog, I wasn't entirely clear on the connection between feminism and suicide prevention. However, after this conversation, I realized that suicide is a stigma-laden topic that—like addiction and abuse—often impacts women in unseen ways and must be talked about openly for anything to improve.

In this episode, Sara explains how our medical and emergency response systems are falling short when it comes to suicide prevention and how we can become agents of change by using our voices to challenge cultural narratives about women and mental health. We also dig into some promising developments in policy and treatment and how you can get involved in spreading the word and smashing the stigma around suicide.

If you've ever lost someone to suicide or know someone who has, I highly recommend you listen to this healing and inspiring episode.

Stuff We Talked About on This Episode

• American Foundation For Suicide Prevention
• Become an Advocate for Suicide Prevention

Zillah Eisenstein is an influential scholar, writer, and activist who has engaged in feminist action and inquiry for over 40 years. Her book Abolitionist Socialist Feminism profoundly affected me when I read it last year, so I was thrilled when she agreed to come on the show to discuss her career and the state of the world. Among many other topics, we talked about being a white woman raised as an anti-racist, why protests of police brutality gained so much traction in 2020, the many social hierarchies COVID has exposed, and how she stays engaged and inspired after 40-plus years of feminist and progressive activism. One particular powerful mantra she shared: “Whatever you do, you don’t wait.” 

Stuff We Talked About on This Episode 

• Zillaheisenstein.wordpress.com
• Abolitionist Socialist Feminism: Radicalizing the Next Revolution
• "The New US: While Calling Out Trump White Women"
• "The Misogyny of COVID and White Supremacy"
• "A Letter to My Anti-racist Feminist Sisters in the Time of COVID-19"

Warning: This episode contains disturbing themes and bigoted language. Listener discretion is advised.

This episode may not be a very joyful one, but it is fascinating and urgent—possibly more urgent than ever. My guest is Dr. Heidi Beirich, executive vice president and chief strategy officer at the nonprofit organization Global Project Against Hate and Extremism.

Heidi is an international expert on the far right. Our conversation focused on the role of women within anti-democratic movements and the relationship between feminism, misogyny, and extremism. We talk about what it means for women globally that far-right political candidates are gaining power in countries around the world, including the U.S. And we explore the uncomfortable question: How does the supportive role white women play in white nationalist movements mirror the role white women have played in supporting white supremacy throughout history?

Stuff We Talked About on This Episode

Global Project Against Hate and Extremism

Cynthia Miller Idriss

Kathleen Belew

Mia Bloom

White Tears/Brown Scars by Ruby Hamad

“White Women Were Colonisers Too. To Move Forward, We Have to Stop Letting Them Off the Hook.” by Ruby Hamad

What do you feel when you hear the word abortion? What words do you associate with it? If you’re Amanda Star Kingsley, those words might be fear or sadness but they might also be strength, purpose, and light.

Amanda is a post-abortion life coach. Her mission is to help people achieve the vision for their lives that compelled them to choose abortion. Through her coaching and her podcast, Speaking Light Into Abortion, Amanda is smashing stigmas and asking critical—and sometimes messy—questions designed to help her clients embrace their agency and move forward in confidence. Regardless of your relationship to abortion, prepare to feel a paradigm shift during this powerful conversation.

Stuff We Talked About on This Episode

• Amanda Star Kingsley 
• Speaking Light Into Abortion
• UnFuck Your Brain After Abortion
• Acceptance After Abortion
• Holding Space for Abortion
• Allowing Grief After Abortion
• Healthy Relationships After Abortion

It's not every day you get to interview a woman who has inspired you for decades. In this episode, I had the privilege of speaking with feminist icon Loretta J. Ross, activist, writer, and scholar, and a critical voice who has helped shape many aspects of the Women's Movement and the ongoing struggle for human rights worldwide. Over the course of her career, she has worked to center Black women and girls in conversations about sexual and gender-based violence, sterilization abuse, violent extremism, and reproductive justice (a framework she co-created). Her more recent work focuses on helping activists hone the skills they need to hold each other accountable without undermining their humanity—an approach she refers to as "calling in," an alternative to "calling out." For anyone who needs a beautiful reminder of the benefits of treating each other more gently, this episode is for you.

Stuff We Talked About on This Episode

• Loretta J. Ross
• "What if Instead of Calling People Out, We Called Them In?"
• "Speaking Up Without Tearing Down"

What is your feminist story? What do you desire from your feminist life? My guest this week, Amelia Hruby (you may know her from the Fifty Feminist States podcast, among other great work), has written a beautiful new book that inspires readers to ponder these questions and process their answers in writing: Fifty Feminist Mantras.

Learn more about Amelia, her feminist vision for 2021, her book (and how to approach it), and get the scoop on her latest invitation to reflect in feminist community, Feminist Mantra Mondays.

Stuff We Talked About on This Episode

• Fifty Feminist Mantras
• Feminist Mantra Mondays
• Fifty Feminist States
• Sarah Stolar and Rosemary Mexa DesPlas
• Fly Fishing for Equity with Erica Nelson

What conditions are necessary for you to practice the kind of feminism you want to practice? This question is at the heart of today's episode featuring Lutze B. Segu, also known as the Social Justice Doula. Lutze specializes in helping people and organizations create conditions that support deep, sustained social justice work. There's no box-checking on her watch: If you're in Lutze's orbit, you're interrogating white supremacy, un-gentrifying intersectionality, and answering the question, "What do you want your feminism to do?" 

This episode is a call to action and the perfect way to spark your thinking about what you want your feminist practice to look like in 2021. Happy New Year!

Stuff We Talked About on This Episode

• lutzesegu.com
• The Social Justice Doula on Instagram
• "Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference" by Audre Lorde
• "Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex" by Kimberlé Crenshaw
• "The Intersectionality Wars" by Jane Coastan