Isn't It Queer

Danette and Jonny are joined by YouTuber, Ky McClosky, to discuss his work on YouTube, drag, androgyny, and growing up gay in Chicago and Southern Illinois. We also discuss keeping faith while resisting dogma in both religion and activism. Check out Ky's YouTube feed, K-SmilesXD, at https://www.youtube.com/user/ksmilesxd

Jonny and Danette discuss local events planned for International Women's Day as well as criticism of the proposed "A Day Without a Woman" strike, how the US Travel Ban is affecting LGBTQ refugees, companies that are backing out of public support for LGBTQ rights in order to preserve favorability with the Trump administration, caution about the romance of resistance in celebrating revolution, and how "Gay's for Trump" was centrally involved in planning pro-Trump rallies this past Saturday.

Jonny and Danette are joined briefly by Paulette Curkin to discuss upcoming local events for the March 8th protest event, "A Day without a Woman." https://www.sidaywithoutawoman.com/

We also discuss local queer YouTuber, K-SmilesxD, who will be on the show but couldn't make it today due to the storms overnight -- check out his feed at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4ln2pM3qpm6g2s9jaXgBgQ

We then discussed the films "Get Out" and "Moonlight," a Federal Court decision in Illinois that our law banning conversion therapy does not apply to pastors and religious leaders. We also discuss President Trump's rollback on the Obama guidance applying Title IX to transgender students.

Jonny is joined by Anna Wilcoxen to discuss her upcoming performance "In Service of Venus," which deals with her various experiences in the service industry. We talk about the show but also about its central theme and the intersection of queer identity with labor issues.

"In Service of Venus" will be presented at 8 pm on Thursday 2/23 through Saturday 2/25 in the Kleinau Theatre on the second floor of the Communications Building on the SIU campus. Call 618-453-5618 for reservations.

Jonny and Danette are joined by Candice Sewell to discuss Black History Month and the intersection of Black and LGBTQ issues and concerns.

A schedule of SIU Black History Month events can be found here: http://smrc.siu.edu/_common/images/brc/2017-black-history-month-calendar.pdf

Jonyy is joined by Lauran, Mic and Emily to discuss the Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies program on the Southern Illinois Campus, with particular emphasis on this weekend's upcoming annual WGSS Conference and a rally next week to show student and community support for WGSS. Keeping a focus on gender, we also discuss #dresslikeawoman, Sen. Elizabeth Warren being silenced on the Senate floor, the appointment of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education, and Melissa McCarthy's performance on Saturday Night Live of Sean Spicer.

For more information about the WGSS conference, a program is available here: http://cola.siu.edu/wgss/conference/

The WGSS support rally is at 1 pm on Wednesday Feb 15 at the fountains outside Faner Hall on the SIU campus.

A schedule for Women's History Month events will soon be available here: http://smrc.siu.edu/wrc/

Jonny and Danette discuss effectiveness of business boycotts as activist protest, the Boy Scouts of America allowing trans children, the Trump Administrations decision not to use and executive order to rescind Obama's LGBTQ protection orders, news of trans rights struggles in Texas, and the already looming threat of march- and protest-fatigue.

Jonny and Danette are joined by Paulette Curkin and Cade Bursell to unpack the weekends events, focusing particularly on DC protest events during the inaugeration, the National Women's March in D.C., and the sister march in Carbondale.

Please note: the event Danette mentioned at the end of the show, the QPOC Panel discussion, takes place tomorrow (Thursday 1/26) from 5-8 pm in the upper level of Grinnell Hall (not today!).

Jonny is joined by O.J. Duncan, manager of the Rainbow Cafe, to discuss programming at the RC, the Women's March in DC and sister marches locally, artists not performing at the inauguration, Chelsea Manning's sentence commuted by President Obama, anti-trans* legislation in NC TX and IN, the resurgent threat of conversion therapy with VP Pence, and a reminder that there are progressive and radical queers in red states being visible and doing important work. Please remember that the RC has suffered some water damage due to busted frozen pipes; to help them recover consider supporting this campaign: https://www.gofundme.com/rainbowcafewaterdamage

Jonny an Danette kick off the new year with requests for your support in WDBX's kickoff fund raising campaign (www.WDBX.org), an interview with Teddy and David Jones about their healing ceremony "An Endless Song" (http://anendlesssong.com/angelwalk/), and our New Year's resolutions including a re-commitment to our community focus.