Isn't It Queer

In the front half of the show, Jonny reviews three studies that debunk many of the prevalent assertions of those in support of banning gender-affirming care, including: details about the increase use of gender-affirming surgical therapies from 2016-2020, studies confirming exceptionally low levels of regret for those receiving gender-affirming therapies, and a thorough clinical debunking of the problematically made-up diagnosis "rapid onset gender dysphoria" (ROGD). In the back half of the show, he recounts the recent fatal shooting in California over a business displaying the rainbow flag and connects this to the consequences of documented increased anxiety and feeling unsafe in the LGBTQ+ community.

Jonny interviews a new colleague in SIU's School of Communication Studies, Dr. Christina Ivey, who joins the faculty as the Introductory Course Director and with research interests in gender and queer theory. The interview focuses, in part, on queer faculty getting out of "red states," seeking employment in states that support and affirm LGBTQ citizens and do not intrude in the classroom. They also discuss projects like Rainbow Refuge, that are assisting queer and trans folks in moving to states that will support them. In the back half of the show, they discuss Christina's dissertation which is about the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.

Yeah, it's a rebroadcast. Busy week. Intro and Outro updated for more current community events, though.

Jonny interviews Alex Socorro about a new 501(c)(3) organization in the area, Southern Illinois Pride Collective (https://www.soilpridecollective.org/), that will cooridinate local LGBTQ+ community events, including local Pride festivities. In the back half of the show, Jonny reviews the details of Internal Revenue Code 501(c) organization designations, what kinds of organizations typically coordinate Pride festivities, and how Southern Illinois benefits from having different types of 501(c) advocacy organizations.

Jonny provides information for the Friday 8/11 Trans Resource Fair in Carbondale, IL. He covers recent legal developments that are driving trans and queer folks to relocate to open and affirming states even as there is evidence anti-trans laws are often being overturned in Federal Court. In the back half of the show he demonstrates how the DeSantis administration's anti-LGBTQ policies are being rammed through with an anti-science denialism that is common in other Right Wing policy making and how the actual science is coming back to harm the state with a vengeance, from pandemic policy to climate change.

Jonny interviews Alex Socorro about a new 501(c)(3) organization in the area, Southern Illinois Pride Collective (https://www.soilpridecollective.org/), that will cooridinate local LGBTQ+ community events, including local Pride festivities. In the back half of the show, Jonny reviews the details of Internal Revenue Code 501(c) organization designations, what kinds of organizations typically coordinate Pride festivities, and how Southern Illinois benefits from having different types of 501(c) advocacy organizations.

Jonny interviews Carrie Vine, Executive Director of The Rainbow Cafe, noting both the many upcoming events and services for the community and how RC is part of a local and statewide network of advocacy orgaonizations. In the back half of the show, he looks at two recent and local vollies in efforts to ban books or resist book bans in public libraries. Finally, Sister Mothra Stewart of the SOIL Sisters stops by to offer some reflections on National Moth Week and recommend a movie.

Jonny interviews Christina Garnette, a local drag performer and trans activist, about her work in the community. In the back half of the show, Jonny and Christina discuss the importance of solidarity in the queer community, leaving room for diversity but not allowing differences and interpersonal conflict to derail the important work of promoting and protecting a vulnerable community.

Jonny interviews Alex Waller of Golden Rainbows Illinois South (GRIS) about the new program, "Get Up, Get Out" -- providing social interaction and physical activity for older members of the LGBTQ community in Southern Illinois. In the back half of the show, he reviews how most legislative bans on gender affirming care for trans youth have been failing in Federal appeals court until this past weekend. He reviews why judges were finding significant Constitutional challenges to the legislation and why the 6th District Court of Appeals found differently (at least temporarily) about Tennessee's bans.

Fresh off a 10 day silent meditation retreat, Jonny sits down with Craig Gingrich-Philbrook to talk about US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) decisions that landed while he was away, particularly the Creative LLC decision. Craig is a queer theorist and scholar of Performance and Communication Studies at Southern Illinois University. He is also Jonny's husband. In the back half of the show, they frame further discussion of the court decisions through the interpretive lens of a recent episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, "Ad Astrea Per Aspera."

Jonny interviews Priscilla Pimentel, an SIU employee currently doing community outreach for the just-forming LGBTQ Constituency Group on campus. They discuss what constituency groups are, why they are important, and what goes into forming one. In the back half of the show, Jonny rebroadcasts his interview with Keri, Cassandra, and Mitchell of the Carbondale Assembly for Radical Equity (CARE) about their upcoming Art Auction and Music Fundraiser. Jonny closes with updated and current information about the event and some meditations on the importance of community organizing in these trying times,