Isn't It Queer

Jonny talks with Morgan Robertson of the Gender Affirming Voice Clinic at the SIU Clinical Center about transgender vocal therapy. They also recap the Rainbow Cafe's Transgender Resource fair this last weekend and weigh in on the the Rightwing outrage over the Biden acknowledgement of both TDOV and Easter happening on the same day. 

If you are interested in the Gender Affirming Voice Clinic, you can reach the clinic at 618-453-2361 or contact Morgan at [email protected]

Jonny and Heather pair the good news with the bad news while setting up announcements of various observations of Trans Day of Visibility in Southern Illinois. There is much in the day and in the news to celebrate while also keeping our eyes on the ways it is hard out here for the LGBTQ+ community.

Jonny interviews Craig Gingrich-Philbrook about his upcoming show, "Ways To Say Goodbye" in the Marion Kleinau Theatre. This is queer autobiographical performance art exploring some of the root causes of Craig's struggle with Functional Neurological Disorder.

Jonny recaps last week's LGBTQ Town Hall sponsored by Equality Illinois and Rainbow Cafe and held in the Carbondale Civic Center.

Jonny digs into the IIQ archive to revive a 2021 interview with Clare Killman about the word "queer" and "queer liberation." This revisit is in anticipation of now Councilwoman Clare Killman's participation in a Town Hall Meeting later this week. In the back half of the show, Jonny puts Clare's thoughts in dialogue with recent proposed legislation coming out of her home state, Missouri, and announces a local vigil for Nex Benedict.

Jonny and Heather pair up the Alabama Supreme Court decision affecting IVF with the Oklahoma death of Nex Benedict, a victim of bullying brought about by a discrimintatory bathroom law. In both cases, absolutist and extreme moralizing policies were put in place with little thought of the consequences, and the lawmakers are scrambling to justify (or double down on) their hate. In the back half of the show, Jonny and Heather cover some stories of more moderate and compassionate legislation and evidence that folks are not happy with and are pushing back against discriminatory legislation based on hate.

Jonny and Heather discuss the continued move by states to become sanctuaries for gender affirming care (Maryland is the latest addition) alongside the inclusion of gender and sexuality questions in the latest US Census survey and why it matters. In the back half of the show they discuss what the NYT and other journalistic venues are getting wrong by treating Gender Critical as a reasonable countervoice to the basic human rights of transgender people. They close out the show with a celebration of Marriage Equality in Greece and the announcement of local community opportunities for the LGBTQ+ community in Southern Illinois.

Jonny, alone on Valentines Day, puts several stories in dialogue to ask if things are getting better for the LGBTQ+ community. It's a bit of a mixed verdict, but one thing is clear: as things seem to be doing better for the restof the country, LGBTQ+ are increasingly targetted as the old,familiar wedge issue for political gain. In the back half of the show, Jonny puts two stories in dialogue that remind us it is important to remember those queers who are no longer with us, to preserve their visibility in history and in memorials.

Jonny and Heather queer the Southern Border and the so-called immigration crisis by showing how the politicization of the problem mirrors how gender afirming care has been politicized. They discuss rebuttals to Pamela Paul's recent op ed in the New York Times as well as recent anti-trans policy initiaitices in Iowa and Alberta. In the back half of the show they link recent assaults on a St Louis gay bar to president Trump's legal loss on the issue of permanent and universal immunity, taking the opportunity to explore how "inalienable rights" might more effectively be expanded in the modern world.

Jonny and Heather discuss the Trangender American Veterans Association's law suit brought against the Department of Veteran Affairs to get them to respond to a petition to have the VA include surgical gender confirmation therapies in VA insurance coverage of transgender veterans. Heather serves on the board of TAVA and uses her own experience as a transgender veteran to explain the suit and what led up to it. In the back half of the show, Jonny and Heather discuss their disappointment in Maine abandoning its bid to be a transgender sanctuary state and in breaking news about new anti-trans policy in Florida. They leave on an upbeat note, showing the connection between Trump's $83.3 legal fine in the Carroll defamation case and a lawyer significantly responsible for Marriage Equality.