Drawing first on personal experiences, Lance Nelson and Priyanka Narahari discuss growing up queer in environments that concealed the existence of non-heteronormative narratives - ultimately leaving them without the means to contextualize their own identities. Distanced by geography, time, and culture, they attempt to bridge their childhood stories from the United States and India to uncover the consequences of gatekeeping LGBTQ history at the expense of LGBTQ youth. Recognizing now the continued, systemic, international efforts taken to suppress and silence the historic figures, places, and events that we have come to understand as central to a global LGBTQ culture, Lance and Priyanka guide listeners on an intimate journey of self-discovery, reconciliation, intergenerational trauma, and activism in their effort to not only reflect on an erased past, but to also highlight the potential impact of providing fair and respectful LGBTQ education to all students, regardless of gender identity and sexual orientation.

To download a full transcript, visit humanrightspodcast.sandbox.library.columbia.edu.