HUMORLESS QUEERS

On the eve of the first round of confirmation hearings on Trump’s crony cabinet, we’re going to talk about how few of the members of this billionaire cabinet have submitted their required financial disclosure forms. I thought billionaires were proud of their riches! What are they hiding? We’re also going to take a close look at Mike Pompeo, Trump’s nomination to lead the CIA. Finally, we’re also going to talk about how confused we are by some of Trump’s choices for the cabinet, and there inherent contradictions.

We dig further into Trump’s crony cabinet, discussing two bills up at the start of 2017 to gut our health and safety rules, and talk to Chase Strangio about HB2, Gavin Grimm, Chelsea Manning, and the death of Carrie Fisher.

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Humorless Queers speaks to Mariame Kaba (@prisonculture), organizer, educator and curator. We discuss the #FreeBresha campaign, the fight for reparations in Chicago, the #Medicare4all campaign, art in social movements, and "social movements as a form of collective art making."

Humorless Queers tackle the horror show that is Trump’s choices for the cabinet, including Jeff Sessions for the Department of Justice, Steven Mnuchin for Treasury Secretary, and Betsy Devos for the Department of Education. We also discuss the Boston police department’s plan to spend $1.4m on social media spying software. And finally, we’ll have an interview with the co-founder of DemocrEC.org, who are demanding that Republican members of the Electoral College honor the popular vote.

CITED ON THE SHOW:

Cabinet of Horribles:

Jeff Sessions (DOJ)

Trump’s Attorney General Pick Thinks Dominicans Have No “Provable Skill” to Contribute to US

Steven Mnuchin (Treasury)

Find out how your Representative voted on the dangerous bill H.R. 6392, which would let Mnuchin pick and choose which banks have to follow the rules.

Betsy DeVos (Education)

Trump Education Secretary Nominee Betsy DeVos’ Huge Potential Conflict Of Interest

12/5/2016 hearing on the Boston police department’s plan to spend $1.4m on social media spying software.

Learn more @ PrivacySOS

Attend the hearing itself, Boston City Hall on Monday, December 5 at 1:30 PM.

Call 617-635-4500 to contact Boston Mayor Matty Walsh’s office, and tell them there’s a much better use of $1.4 million than to spy on Bostonians.

DemocrEC.org

Fill out our listener survey!

Moxie Marlinspike: Why ‘I Have Nothing to Hide’ Is the Wrong Way to Think About Surveillance

SUGGESTED DONATION:

Fundraiser for Bresha Meadows

HUMORLESS QUEERS READING CIRCLE:

Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America

Taylor Branch: Parting the Waters. America in the King Era, 1954-1963

Credit where due:

The theme for this show is the song “Missing You” by Jahzzar, also know as Javier Suarez. You can find his work at betterwithmusic.com.

The post Trump’s Cabinet of Horrors, Boston Spying, and the Electoral College (E16) appeared first on HUMORLESS QUEERS.

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Humorless Queers tackles post-election 2016. We talk action: What are we going to do now? And what is the future of surveillance and financial reform under the weight of a Donald J. Trump presidency? And we also dive into what just happened. How on earth did we get here? And how can we learn from this recent history?

LOOKING FORWARD: ACTION

ACLU’s model ordinance for local police

Find your elected official

THINGS WE CAN ALL DO RIGHT NOW

The “Oh Shit! What Should I Do Before January?” Guide

Support the Louisiana Senate runoff race for Foster Campbell – on December 10th, 2016

Download Signal! What are you waiting for? Do it now!

Set up a monthly donation:

Student Immigrant Movement

Families for Justice As Healing

Council on Islamic-American Relations, especially CAIR-Arizona, which runs the “Hate Hurts” project

Empower DC

HUMORLESS QUEERS READING CIRCLE:

Taylor Branch: Parting the Waters. America in the King Era, 1954-1963

Eric Foner: Reconstruction – America’s Unfinished Revolution

Credit where due:

The theme for this show is the song “Missing You” by Jahzzar, also know as Javier Suarez. You can find his work at betterwithmusic.com.

The post 2016 election post-mortem, and what we do now (E15) appeared first on HUMORLESS QUEERS.

The post 2016 election post-mortem, and what we do now (E15) appeared first on HUMORLESS QUEERS.

This episode, we dive in to the Wells Fargo scandal, break down what happened and who’s to blame for the over 2 million scam accounts that Wells Fargo created for customers who never asked for them (and was then charged fees for those fake accounts). And during that segment, we’re going to tell you who Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren believes really needs to quit his job. 

After that, we’re going to take a brave look at the election. What is at stake? What are we thinking about? What do things like Deep State have to do with all of it? And why is Donald Trump especially dangerous if he DOESN’T want to govern?

And finally, we ask listeners what we need to do in order to battle the white nationalism that Donald Trump has emboldened — whether or not he wins. Send us your thoughts! info at humorlessqueers dot com.

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Kade and Alexis discuss the tragedy in Orlando, the response from politicians, the failures of the FBI, the questions politicians should be asking vs the reaction they are having, and how proud we’ve been of the LGBTQ community’s response to this tragedy, including rejecting responding to bigotry with more bigotry and Islamophobia.

Further Reading / Mentioned on the Show:

So this is what it feels like to be terrorized

LGBT and Muslim Communities Warn Against Demonizing of Both After Orlando Shooting – an excellent summary of the DC vigil Alexis attended, organized by the Muslim American Women’s Policy Forum.

Omar Mateen’s domestic violence was a clue to his murderous future by Suzanne Moore at the Guardian

How to Help Orlando or LGBTQ Organizations:

The LGBTQ Center of Orlando

The Audre Lorde Project

Fierce NYC – Building the Leadership & Power of LGBTQ Youth of Color

Black and Pink – an open family of LGBTQ prisoners and “free world” allies who support each other

Credit Where Due:

The theme for this show is the song “Missing You” by Jahzzar, also know as Javier Suarez. You can find his work at betterwithmusic.com. And the font for our logo is by the graphic designer Marisa Passos.

Header image credit: photo by Alexis Goldstein of signs by Code Pink at the DC Vigil in DuPont for Orlando

The post Reflections on Orlando and the Questions Congress SHOULD be asking (E13) appeared first on HUMORLESS QUEERS.

The post Reflections on Orlando and the Questions Congress SHOULD be asking (E13) appeared first on HUMORLESS QUEERS.

Alexis speaks with ACLU staff attorney Chase Strangio about the flurry of news happening around the insanely bigoted anti-trans bill in North Carolina, #HB2. From North Carolina suing the Feds, to the Feds suing North Carolina, we catch you up on what’s going on. We also discuss how much more the Department of Justice needs to do to truly protect trans people, including their ongoing refusal to allow Chelsea Manning to grow her hair long. We also discuss the Departments of Justice and Education issuing guidance to schools on how to ensure the civil rights of students at federally funded educational institutions .

Further Reading / Mentioned on the Show:

The ACLU’s lawsuit against North Carolina over HB2 

The DOJ and Dept of ED’s Guidance to Help Schools Ensure the Civil Rights of Transgender Students

Chase Strangio’s oped, Don’t Forget, Trans People Are Loved

Chase Strangio’s ACLU page where folks can find updates on Chelsea’s case and HB2 litigation

How to Help

Here are organizations doing work in North Carolina that folks can donate to or support in other ways:

SONG – http://southernersonnewground.org/ 

Queer People of Color Collective

Equality North Carolina – http://equalitync.org/ 

ACLU of North Carolina – http://www.acluofnorthcarolina.org/ 

National Center for Trans Equality also has a North Carolina action center: http://www.transequality.org/ncaction 

To donate to Chelsea Manning: https://www.chelseamanning.org/ 

Credit Where Due

The theme for this show is the song “Missing You” by Jahzzar, also know as Javier Suarez. You can find his work at betterwithmusic.com. And the font for our logo is by the graphic designer Marisa Passos.

Header image credit:Mike Mozart (CC BY 2.0)

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The post HQ Quickie: Chase Strangio on the Lawsuits over the Anti-Trans Bill HB2 (E12) appeared first on HUMORLESS QUEERS.

We talk to historian Kathleen Frydl about Donald Trump and American fascism, and with ACLU staff attorney Chase Strangio about the insanely bigoted anti-trans bill in North Carolina, #HB2. Kade tells Jonathan Chait to take a break from punching the left to Quit his Job. And Alexis tells Ted Cruz “Bitch, Please!” for naming Phil Gramm (a major architect of the 2008 financial crisis) as an economic advisor.

Further Reading / Mentioned on the Show:

Kathleen Frydl: Sorry Folks: It’s Fascism and Election 2016 Results: The Increasingly Irrelevant Corporate News Media and Donald Trump and the Know Nothings

Find more on Kathleen’s Huffington Post blog

Also mentioned: Thomas Mann, “Mario and the Magician“

Chase Strangio: Don’t Forget, Trans People Are Loved

Chase’s ACLU page where folks can find updates on Chelsea’s case and HB2 litigation

“Who Should I Vote For?” diagram

Frank Luntz freaking out in the Washington Post over socialism’s sex appeal

Ted Cruz’s economic advisor Phil Gramm on “the one form of bigotry that is still allowed in this country, is bigotry against the successful.”

Kade also discussed the play Mariposa & the Saint. Through letters with longtime friend and current collaborator, Julia Steele Allen, Mariposa brings her experience in solitary confinement to the stage.

How to Help

Here are organizations that Chase mentioned are doing work in North Carolina that folks can donate to or support in other ways:

SONG – http://southernersonnewground.org/ 

Queer People of Color Collective

Equality North Carolina – http://equalitync.org/ 

ACLU of North Carolina – http://www.acluofnorthcarolina.org/ 

National Center for Trans Equality also has a North Carolina action center: http://www.transequality.org/ncaction 

To donate to Chelsea Manning: https://www.chelseamanning.org/ 

Credit Where Due

The theme for this show is the song “Missing You” by Jahzzar, also know as Javier Suarez. You can find his work at betterwithmusic.com. Theme music for BITCH PLEASE is “Hachiko (The Faithful Dog)” a song by The Kyoto Connection.And the theme for QUIT YOUR JOB is “Fortitude” by J.O. Finally, you should know that the font for our logo is by the graphic designer Marisa Passos.

Header image credit: Modified based on an image by souljourney74 (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

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Kade gives a quick update on the FBI vs Apple case, and explains the government’s curious backing down from their attempt to force Apple to hack into its own device (as discussed last episode). And we interview writer, activist, and Executive Director of CAIR-AZ Imraan Siddiqi (@imraansiddiqi) about dangerous election rhetoric, Ted Cruz’s fear-mongering advisers, and Islamaphobia in America.

Mentioned on the show:

A list of all the MANY amicus briefs in support of Apple

One of the FBI’s Major Claims in the iPhone Case Is Fraudulent by Daniel Gillmore

IImraan Siddiqi’s Mondoweiss piece, New Ted Cruz national security advisors are leaders of the Islamophobia industry

Tell Congress: PROTECT MY DIGITAL SECURITY!

Image Credit: hatehurts.net

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