Geek Herring

The leading ladies of horror have developed quite the reputation of being strong, independed, badass, and, usually, ALIVE by the end of the journey they're on! We're joined by horror expert and host of AllHallowScream Podcast, Michael Skarzynske, to preach it out to the Scream Queens we know and love!

About Our Guest

Michael Skarzynske is the host of brand new podcast, AllHallowScream, and the co-host of Two Nerds, Maybe More. You may know him from other podcasts such as Nerd This (RIP but thanks for the inspiration to start Geek Herring) and The Blue Recluse.

Mike is an absolute horror fanatic! So we knew we HAD to have him on Geek Herring to chat about how horror is actually a pretty damn feminist genre!

Not only do we talk about our favourite Scream Queens, we talk about the trope that the leading women in horror movies tend to be the most badass.

We want to know - what do you love about horror movies? Hate? Maybe you're too scared to even pop The Ring in your VCR in case she comes crawling out of your TV at you.

Honestly, SAME.

This was such an enjoyable chat and one that you really need to hear in order to fall in love with all things horror and all things Mike!

Find Michael Skarzynske Online

Find Michael Skarzynske Online and Twitch

Find AllHallowScream on Twitter
Find Two Nerds, Maybe More on Twitter

Check Out Geek Herring!

Follow Geek Herring on Twitch!! | Join the Geek Herring Book Club

Love Geek Herring, please hop over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a review!

Support Geek Herring on Patreon!

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please check out some of our others!

• Geeking Out in Times of Crisis: Rise of the Geek
• Geek Interview: Literally Surrounded by Dudes with ZiggySera
• Geeking Out About The Witcher: Monster Hunters, Witches, and the Duality of Humankind

Find Out More

Love Geek Herring, please hop over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a review!

Join us on Discord!!

You can find us Online / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Patreon!

Geekily yours,
 Amanda & Monika

Special Guest: Michael Skarzynske.

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Unless you've been living under a rock, you've heard, or at least heard OF, the new Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion song, WAP. 

Woah, geeks. What a dang bop this one is!

But of course, with every song about women's sexual empowerment, middle aged white men like to shake their finger of disapproval. -BO-RING-

This time, Ben Shapiro weighs in on why wet ass pussys are, well, a medical problem. ...Scuse me, say what? We feel pretty damn sorry for your wife, Ben.

So let's unpack this, k?

Rap music is no stranger to sexually explicit subjects and lyrics. Ludacris even has a song dedicated to all the places he wants to bang his lady friends! -insert Amanda rapping here-

Is there an uproar over songs like this? Nah. Why? They dudes.

This episode is dedicated to sex. To WAP. To women owning and celebrating our sexuality and freaking enjoyment of sex. To the powerful women in mainstream music talking about doing the deed, whether alone or with someone fun. To Cardi B, to Megan Thee Stallion, to Pink, to Rhiannah, to Missy Elliot, to Nicki Minaj, to all those women who've come before and will come in the future (pun absolutely intended) to shout out that women enjoying sex is not shameful!

We salute you. WAP.

Check Out Geek Herring!

Follow Geek Herring on Twitch!! | Join the Geek Herring Book Club

Love Geek Herring, please hop over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a review!

Support Geek Herring on Patreon!

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please check out some of our others!

• Geek Interview: Life as a Professional Feminist with Virginia Mendez from The Feminist Shop
• Geek Interview: Plus Size Nerding it up with Nancy Basile!
• Geek Interview: An Insight into Second Wave Feminism with Professor Taliep

Find Out More

Love Geek Herring, please hop over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a review!

Join us on Discord!!

You can find us Online / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Patreon!

Geekily yours,
 Amanda & Monika

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Combining a love of art and geekiness, Molly O'Riley creates a live of beauty, passion, and expression. This episode is the ultimate wake-up call you need to be you, own your weirdness, and honestly just create something every damn day.

Molly is the founder of The Darling Revolution. She creates stunning abstracts for bold humans, and considers herself an emotional doula, making space for the process and teaching people how to trust themselves through creative practices. 

She believes in the power of creativity and that we’re all #ResilientAF. 

Molly shares with us how she came to create art inspired by her favourite comic book heroes. Being surrounded by the colours and vibrancy of comics all her life, it was such a natural step for her. Her geek-driven art is so cool, so colourful, and, bonus, you can ask for custom art based on YOUR fave character!

We talk about art and beauty and individualism in creativity. Molly explains why you should start creating every damn day, even if it's something small, as this helps your individual expression.

Expression is beauty!

We love this episode with the enigma that is Molly and hope you do, too!

What's the best thing you learned from this ep?

Find Out More

Listen to The Darling Revolution Podcast
Find Your Determination with this YouTube Playlist

*Find Molly O'Riley Online! *

Find Molly O'Riley on Twitter | Facebook | Instagram.

Check Out Geek Herring!

Follow Geek Herring on Twitch!! | Join the Geek Herring Book Club

Love Geek Herring, please hop over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a review!

Support Geek Herring on Patreon!

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please check out some of our others!

• Geek Interview: An Insight into Second Wave Feminism with Professor Taliep
• Geeking Out in Times of Crisis: Rise of the Geek
• Geek Interview: Passion, Beauty, and Art with Seage

Love Geek Herring, please hop over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a review!

Join us on Discord!!

You can find us Online / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Patreon!

Geekily yours,
 Amanda & Monika

Special Guest: Molly O'Riley.

Support Geek Herring

Geek Girl in the News looks at the awesome or not so awesome news that will make you go either: "YAY" or "OMG I can't believe that." 

The latest and greatest geek girl news from July 2020 covers the girls who outnumber the boys at a national STEM competition, The Witcher's prequel, rising video gamer stats, that awful trailer for Gamer Girl we all puked at, Assassin's Creed minimising female protagonists (LAME), the first female Fortnite pro taking 1st place, and Warcraft dropping the £13 fee for gender change.

Welcome to Geek Girl in the News! You might notice a different voice this week - we have the honourable Mx Frazley joining Monika to cover these news stories that matter to YOU.

Girls are leading over boys in a national STEM competition for the second time ever... and the first in TWENTY YEARS. Oh wow! Love to see this fab increase - girls showing what power there is in seeing other women in male-dominated fields. So here for this STEM equality!

And, of course, what kind of geek girl in the news episode would it be if we didn't talk about The Witcher? They've just announced a prequel following the first Witcher ever - yes pleaseeee!!!

The numbers are in, too! It's official - 75% of alllll households in the USA have someone living there who plays video games. Yes, this is the new norm and the future! Love love love. Frazley, being an American, can confirm this on good authority, too.

Okay, so, by now you've probably seen the Gamer Girl trailer. You know, that one that made all of us first be hopeful that something awesome was coming out but then BAM - GAME FOR INCELS. Obviously we're disgusted by this game and it's good to get chatting about it with Frazley.

And speaking of shit games - rumour has it that the Assassin's Creed devs had all kinds of pressure to NOT create female protagonists because they don't sell. Um, excuse me? We can name loads of games with female leads that sold millions. Catch yerself on, lads!

We're finishing this episode with some celebrations!

First: Huge congratulations to Moqii Zoldyck who is the first female Fortnite pro winning a tournament! How phenomenal is this!? We love to see all these girls and women taking national and international gaming titles, proving that women belong in games!

And last, but not least, World of Warcraft is scrapping the £13 fee to change your in-game character's gender with the next expansion, Shadowlands. This move is awesome for everyone - but particularly spectacular for trans/non-binary/genderfluid/agender players who might want to change their character's gender more often. Heck yes, Blizzard! Love the inclusive moves you're making as a company!

In this episode of Geek Girl in the News, we covered these news stories:

• Girls Outnumber Boys in National STEM Competition For Second Time in Competition’s History
• The Witcher PREQUEL Announced!!
• Three-quarters of all US households include someone who plays video games
• Congratulations to The Gamer Girl Trailer for Being the Worst Thing on the Internet This Week
• New report claims Assassin's Creed developers were pressured into minimising female protagonists
• Fortnite: Moqii Zoldyck becomes world’s first female Fortnite pro to take 1st place at an official event!
• Slasher's Tweets about Moqii Zoldyck
• World of Warcraft will drop the £13 fee for changing gender in Shadowlands

Find Our Guest Online

Find Frazley On Twitch!

Find Frazley on Twitter | YouTube | Discord | Facebook | Instagram

Check Out Geek Herring!

Follow Geek Herring on Twitch!! | Join the Geek Herring Book Club

Love Geek Herring, please hop over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a review!

Support Geek Herring on Patreon!

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please check out some of our others!

• Geek Herring & Chill: Happy Pride 2020!
• Geek Interview: Women in Indie Game Development with Producer Kitty Crawford
• Geek Discussion: Twitch and #MeToo with BiggusBennus!

Love Geek Herring, please hop over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a review!

Join us on Discord!!

You can find us Online / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Patreon!

Geekily yours,
 Amanda & Monika

Special Guest: Frazley.

Support Geek Herring

We all know the world is kind of an intense place right now. This episoded started with the intention of our geeky highs and lows... but very swiftly descended into a conversation about life, the Universe, and everything. We had a lot on our chests!

Okay, so we start out chattinga bout our geek highs and lows. Amandan's high was definitely when she was in Edinburgh for the midnight release of Harry Potter and Half Blood Prince. Despite everything going on with the series' author, that evil can't take our happy memories away from us!

We chatted about how we think representation should be done in video games and other forms of pop culture. It's all about making our differences part of the story and totally normalising it rather than any kind of bullshit and pointing it out and making it an othering statement.

That's one reason we loved The Last of Us Part 2! (Don't worry, no spoilers!) People were so upset about some of the diversity in this game, but like, why??? What's with this mob? Is the mob the majority or just the loudest assholes on the block.

Something that keeps coming up for Monika is the concept of duality - where something (or even someone) is both good and bad. It's about finding that balance and trying to go from there.

Fresh into our book of the month, White Fragility, we talk about what the “White frame” is and what other -isms navigate in a certain frame (sexism, ableism etc.). Something that a lot of people don't get (hellooooo incels, etc) is that just because we haven’t experienced it doesn’t mean that it's not valid. 

Repeat that again for the people in the back: JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVEN'T EXPERIENCED SOMETHING YOURSELF DOESN'T MAKE SOMEONE ELSE'S EXPERIENCE LESS VALID.

It’s about the person: the valid point is a person’s emotion. We need to accept people for their own experiences.

And further from this - and something that we all need to get better at doing, is accepting and understanding that people have a past that we (and they) may or may not like. There might be decisions and mistakes from someone's past that makes everyone a bit uncomfortable.

People need to be allowed to make mistakes and make mistakes, reflect on their life and grow, learn and change from there. Yes, we need to hold people accountable to be better versions of themselves, but not at the expense of holding back their growth.

There is beauty in failure and beauty in being wrong.
 You’re not a bad person because you did something bad.
 You are not a bad person because you made one poor decision. 

You are allowed to grow and learn as a person. Your entire experiences up until this point have led you to where you are now. If there's stuff from your past you wish didn't happen - try to think of it that without it, you wouldn't know that part about life.

We also understand that not everyone can reflect about their life.

We also totally know what it's like to care so damn much all the time. About everything. Ever. All the time. It never, ever stops.

It’s hard to care so much all the time and it hurts too. Our conclusion: Caring is hard. But we won't ever stop.

On the note of caring so much - this is why you need to fill your own cup first!! If you tear the house down and you’re not able to rebuild the house then what’s the point. When you look after yourself first and make sure you're okay, you'll be better equipped to serve others.

What did you think of this episode where we legit talked about everything on our brains!? Let us know!

Check Out Geek Herring!

Follow Geek Herring on Twitch!! | Join the Geek Herring Book Club

Love Geek Herring, please hop over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a review!

Support Geek Herring on Patreon!

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please check out some of our others!

• Geek Interview: Life as a Professional Feminist with Virginia Mendez from The Feminist Shop
• Geek Interview: An Insight into Second Wave Feminism with Professor Taliep
• Geek Discussion: Twitch and #MeToo with BiggusBennus!

Love Geek Herring, please hop over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a review!

Join us on Discord!!

You can find us Online / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Patreon!

Geekily yours,
 Amanda & Monika

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We had the immense pleasure of chatting with Professor Taliep about growing up in the 50s and getting involved in the feminist movement of the 60s and 70s. This episode is epic and we hope you enjoy it!

Taliep is co-host of The Halfhill Report, a fictional World of Warcraft podcast. She started gaming later in life and credits her love of Warcraft to her co-host, Toshmifune. Taliep is a fully fledged and super proud geek - and she's also one of the most wonderful women we've had the chance to chat with!

Why poodles are the best dogs ever - Moni and Taliep definitely talk about this for like, 5 whole minutes. And it's the conversation you didn't know you needed in your life.

Taliep chats with us about what it life was like growing up in the 1950s. Like most women at the time, she was married young and had her first baby before she turned 19. Such a different culture to the one we grew up in!! 

But Taliep didn't stay in her marriage. She talks about how The Feminist Mystique, a novel by Betty Friedan, opened her up to the possibilities of more freedom for women. 

Yes - you guessed it!

Professor Taliep went full on into the feminist movement, marching, creating change, and even burning her bras in the 60s and 70s! What an absolute hero of a role model, right!?

Some of the big topics we cover in this episode are whether race or gender was the original oppression (what do you think!?), that women's relationships with themselves and with men are not changing and what we can do about this, the importance of role models and actually talking about feminism and progress, and how we NEED to plant seeds for future growth.

Taliep is passionate about how technology has fuelled the feminist movement. In fact, this was her focus as a sociology professor. She shares what it was like to teach about feminism to generations of college students by leading through through a maze to come to the best conclusions themselves.

One thing we all agree on is how amazing and progressive the dudes in Dragon Powered Studio are. We're so lucky to have such wonderful men in our community who inspire us - and hopefully other men out there. We all know it's not just up to women to fuel the feminist movement - it's men, too, who need to take up the mantle of change.

This was a SUPER quotable episode. Guess because Professor Taliep is so good at what she does! So make sure you listen to this whole ep, because it is literal fire, and check out these rockin' quotes, too:

Quotes

"We really had to discover ourselves before we reached out to other people."
 "Its the kids who are growing up now that will make the changes we need."
 "I think there's a lot of men out there who just don't realise what women's lives are like."
 "We changed our own lives, but we also changed the conversations in society. We changed the framework."
 "We were finding ourselves, you're finding each other."
 "If we were taking care of the planet the way we should be taking care of the planet, then I am 100% optimistic about the future."
 "Have faith, have patience, don't give up."
 "I learned I didn't need a man to take care of me. I could do it myself."

Find Out More

*Find Professor Taliep on Twitter! *

Find The Halfhill Report Online and on Twitter | Facebook | Instagram and don't forge to subscribe on your face podcatcher if you dig Warcraft!

Check Out Geek Herring!

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Love Geek Herring, please hop over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a review!

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plus size nerd
 virginia

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please check out some of our others!

• Geek Interview: Life as a Professional Feminist with Virginia Mendez from The Feminist Shop
• Geek Interview: Plus Size Nerding it up with Nancy Basile!
• Geek Herring Reviews Feminists: What Were They Thinking?

Love Geek Herring, please hop over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a review!

Join us on Discord!!

You can find us Online / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Patreon!

Geekily yours,
 Amanda & Monika

Special Guest: Professor Taliep.

Support Geek Herring

It's not every day that you get to hang out with one of Twitch's loveliest partners on your podcast, but here we are with the one and only BiggusBennus! He joins us to talk about his recent Twitch accomplishments and the recent outpouring of sexual abuse reports on the streaming platform.

Not sure who BiggusBennus is? Well, you are in for a treat!

Ben is a UK based streamer who mainly plays Animal Crossing. He hosts regular game shows, including Blind Date, Snitch Game, Come Isle With Me, and Family Fortunes (which we had the pleasure of being on!). He's fresh off 100 days IN A ROW of streaming live on Twitch, just raised over £8k for The Trevor Project, and recently made Twitch Partner.

When we say this guy is amazing, like, legit. Ok? Okay.

We learn all the background of who Ben is, why he games, and how he's curated one of the most wonderful and welcoming communities on Twitch. There's something to be said for building such a loyal following - it's all in the personality. And for Ben, that's some Family Friendly (snort) content heavily layered in innuendo -- of which there is plenty in this episode, y'all!

Then Ben throws us a curveball and, instead of this being an interview, we head into discussion territory. We think we recovered from the wine-induced surprise great, though, and got deep into the #MeToo conversation.

There has been an outpouring of sexual abuse allegations from women, and some men, on Twitch, naming abusers - many of whom are Twitch Partners themselves. Ben shares his thoughts on this, but the biggest takeaway from all sides - 

We believe that, yes, what's been going on over Twitch is horrendous. We always stand with and believe the victims in these situations. And we're all hopeful that these accusations and the current #MeToo movement will help make Twitch a safer space for everyone.

What do you think?

Thanks so much, Ben, for sharing your views and all the laughs with us!

*Find BiggusBennus On Twitch! *

Learn more about ClickClickPlay - Ben's podcast!

Find BiggusBennus on Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Follow Geek Herring on Twitch!! | Join the Geek Herring Book Club

Come hang out with us on Discord!!!

Support Geek Herring on Patreon!

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please check out some of our others!

• Geek Herring & Chill: Happy Pride 2020!
• Geeking Out About Animal Crossing: The CUTEST game you’ve played in years
• Geek Discussion: Rape, Steam, & Responsibility

Love Geek Herring, please hop over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a review!

Join us on Discord!!

You can find us Online / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Patreon!

Geekily yours,
 Amanda & Monika

Special Guest: BiggusBennus.

Support Geek Herring

To celebrate Love Indies week in June, we interviewed the remarkable Kitty Crawford about her life as an indie game's producer! Kitty joins us with a wealth of experience, knowledge, and perspective on the industry.

Kitty is born and raised in Northern Ireland but now lives and works from Montreal - but most of her games clients live back over here in Europe. She shares with us how she started in the indie game industry after leaving television for physical and mental health reasons. Such an awesome transitio to make, though, right!? Before Kitty left us over here in NI, she spent 2 years as the Games NI Chairperson - head of a group dedicated to indie game developers in the country.

For Kitty, the key to her success in the indie game industry has been the two incredible mentors she has and her talent at networking. Because the industry is so competitive, building those relationships with other industry professionals is vital.

What's it been like for Kitty as a women in the industry? We always hear horror stories coming out of games, but thankfully, Kitty can't share any of her own! Not only do we talk about her personal experiences, we get real deep about how we can create more diversity in games.

Kitty believes it's a two pronged approach - keeping the women that are already in the industry and recruiting new women from schools. And it's not just women in games - it's vital that we encourage a diverse range of recruitment into indie games. Because diversity does nothing but make us, our projects, and our teams stronger!

And finally, Kitty gives us the lowdown on what it takes to be a games producer and what her days look like. Don't know about YOU, but we didn't know much about the profession and it's so cool - definitely one we both want to know more about!

*Find Kitty Crawford Online! *

Find Kitty Crawford on Twitter | LinkedIn | Twitch

Follow Geek Herring on Twitch!! | Join the Geek Herring Book Club

Love Geek Herring, please hop over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a review!

Support Geek Herring on Patreon!

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please check out some of our others!

• Geek Interview: Life as a Professional Feminist with Virginia Mendez from The Feminist Shop
• Geek Interview: Diverse Art & Illustration with Siti
• Geek Discussion: The Hogwarts Problem with Lark & Jessie from The Gayly Prophet

Love Geek Herring, please hop over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a review!

Join us on Discord!!

You can find us Online / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Patreon!

Geekily yours,
 Amanda & Monika

Special Guest: Kitty Crawford.

Support Geek Herring

Geek Girl in the News looks at the awesome or not so awesome news that will make you go either: "YAY" or "OMG I can't believe that." 

The latest and greatest geek girl news from June 2020 covers Rowling's publishing company employees not wanting to work with her, Mixer's racist culture and sudden demise, Twitch's history of not taking abuse reports seriously, the calls for a Twitch Blackout, Tina Fey call for 30 Rock's removal of blackface episodes, an FDA approved prescription video game, and TikTok Teens and K-Pop Stans living their best lives for all our futures.

June was some month! We recorded this episode a week early, so this isn't even a full account of June. But even at what it is, so much happened in June it's pretty overwhelming. Honestly, it's like two years worth of huge news and upheaval and movement and fighting was smooshed into a puny 30 days.

Phew.

First of all, we want to make it clear our stance. Trans women are women. Trans men are men. Love is love. Fuck hate. We've been absolutely disgusted by what's coming out of our former favourite author's mouth lately and under no circumstances can we in good conscious support her anymore. And we're not alone. Staff at her publishing agency, Hachette, have requested not to work with her on her latest children's book.

Streaming platforms Mixer and Twitch have made the news in June - and not for super great reasons at all.

Former employee of Mixer, Milly, has come forward with her story of racism at the Microsoft company. Wow - how is this okay? Let's just make it clear, okay? It's absolutely still possible to be racist if you hire one (yes one) Black employee. It's still possible to be racist if you have a Black friend/coworker/relative/etcetcetc.

But you know how Mixer actually dealt with this? Instead of owning up and addressing whatever issues on the inside, they've decided to pull the plug. Few partners knew the platform was closing before it did, many finding out on Twitter like the public. WOW.

Let's not stop there. June was the month that many women and some men came forward with their stories of sexual abuse and harassment from (predominantly) male streamers, affiliates, and partners. And despite similar experiences being reported to Twitch over the years - nothing was done.

Not anymore. The Twitch #MeToo era is here and it's not quiet. Blackouts were held, people resigned, some were banned, some permanently. Change is happening and let's believe that a more positive and inclusive Twitch is on the way.

On a better note, Tina Fey, one of Amanda's heroes and producer of 30 Rock, has requested the removal of 4 (yes FOUR) episodes of the show that feature blackface. First of all - what? Second of all - FOUR EPISODES WITH BLACKFACE WHAT. Third of all - at least they're gone!

We're finishing this episode with two good news stories:

The FDA approved a perscription video game to help treat kids with ADHD! This is a remarkable development in healthcare and we can't wait to see how this impacts the future of the industry!

Last but not least... we STAN TikTok teens and K-Pop Stans. Honestly, these teens are THE FUTURE we all want and need. From overwhelming racist and hate-filled hashtags on Twitter to literally claiming most of the tickets to Trump rallies... we can't even explain our love and appreciation for this generation. Thank you for doing the good work!

What’s your take on these news articles? 

OH HEY BY THE WAY. We're recording our episodes LIVE on Twitch now! You can come join the fun LIVE every Tuesday at 7pm UK time/8pm Austria/2pm NYC/11am LA!
 We're almost at affiliate level - YAY! - so every follow counts. We appreciate you!!! Follow us on Twitch right here :D

In this episode of Geek Girl in the News, we covered these news stories:

• Hachette moves to back Rowling after staff raise concerns
• Mixer responds to former employee who accused management of racism
• Milly's Black Experience at Mixer
• Twitch CEO accused of laughing off reports of abusive Twitch partners
• Calls for a Twitch Blackout
• Tina Fey requests removal of 30 Rock episodes featuring blackface
• The FDA just approved the first prescription video game — it’s for kids with ADHD
• TikTok Teens and K-Pop Stans Say They Sank Trump Rally

Follow Geek Herring on Twitch!! | Join the Geek Herring Book Club

Love Geek Herring, please hop over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a review!

Support Geek Herring on Patreon!

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please check out some of our others!

• Geek Interview: Life as a Professional Feminist with Virginia Mendez from The Feminist Shop
• Geek Interview: Diverse Art & Illustration with Siti
• Geek Discussion: The Hogwarts Problem with Lark & Jessie from The Gayly Prophet

Love Geek Herring, please hop over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a review!

Join us on Discord!!

You can find us Online / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Patreon!

Geekily yours,
 Amanda & Monika

Support Geek Herring

June 2020 has been a month! But, even though Pride was delayed a bit, for very obvious and very good reasons, we are celebrating now. So plug in your earphones and get ready to join the Pride Party!

This episode starts a bit heavy with the pretty shitty news about our former favourite author. We've already talked about this pretty extensively in our episode with The Gayly Prophet, but we dunno about you, we're finding it harder to reclaim Hogwarts as our home again. We just need to take a minute and regroup on this one.

We've had some set backs come out of the White House (as usual -insert major eye roll here, amirite?-) but then we got some surprise news from the Supreme Court who ruled that LGBTQIA+ folk can't be discriminated against at work! Finally, in the month of all years, we get some good news and something worth celebrating!

Leading up to this episode, we polled Twitter and Discord for people's fave queer characters and were not disappointed! From Will and Robin (Stranger Things) to Cosima (Orphan Black) to Sir Hammerlock (Borderlands 2 & 3) and more, there was no shortage of replies. We discovered new characters to stan, and stan we will, and new shows to binge (hello Sense 8!).

We did discover a lack of bi, pan, trans, and ace characters gracing our screens so think we obviously need even more diversity on the big and small screens. And upon further investigation post episode, many of the characters that Google tags as bi, um, aren't. So let's do better, ok?

There's also talka bout who OUR favourite queer characters are, how geek culture and queer culture are connected (SO SUPER CONNECTED AND ALSO HI FANFIC/SLASH/YAOI!), how Amanda realised she wasn't exactly straight, and how EA are celebrating Pride with a virtual Sims parade!

All in all, this was an EPISODE! Check out out and let us know who your favourite queer characters are!

Resources We Talked About!

• ‘Stranger Things’ Has Always Had a Gay Character: Will Byers
• #StreamWithPride during Pride Month on Twitch
• The first virtual Sims Pride parade wants to feature your Sim

Follow Geek Herring on Twitch!! | Join the Geek Herring Book Club

Love Geek Herring, please hop over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a review!

Support Geek Herring on Patreon!

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please check out some of our others!

• Geeking Out About Robin Hobb: Fantasy That Represents – LGBTQ+, Gender Roles, Classism, + More
• Geek Discussion: The Hogwarts Problem with Lark & Jessie from The Gayly Prophet
• Geeking Out About Diversity & Representation in Pop Culture: Aladdin, MIB, Shazam!, & More!

Love Geek Herring, please hop over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a review!

Join us on Discord!!

You can find us Online / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Patreon!

Geekily yours,
 Amanda & Monika

Support Geek Herring