MASKulinity Podcast

Samantha and Remoy are joined by Sri Lankan American actor, activist, and comedian D’Lo who speaks openly about his experience being a transgender South Asian-American. First, D’Lo speaks thoughtfully about his family’s immigration from Sri Lanka to Southern California. Then he speaks about his experience of learning maskulinity in a South Asian immigrant community. Lastly, D’Lo eloquently unpacks what queer masculinity is and can be. Listen now.

This week, Samantha and Remoy talk about using creativity for support. Matt Nahoum, primary therapist at Integrated Creative Therapy and Recovery Specialist at East Village Access, shares his work using art to tap into the burden of maskulinity, dealing with trauma and addiction. They explore modeling and vulnerability in community, explore the creative tools used to support clients. Remoy gets brave and personal in this episode, and the hosts collective decide it’s time to try art therapy!

The show gets personal this week. Samantha and Remoy are joined by Reema Sharma, outreach fellow at SAKHI, a NYC-based organization dedicated to providing support to South Asian women survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. The group distinguishes similar patriarchal structures pervading through Western versus non-Western cultures, acknowledging the traumatic impact of process of immigration on brown families and how that compounds the performance of masculinity.

We delve into Washington’s NFL team treating their cheerleaders as escorts! They tackle recent allegations of sexual misconduct against Junot Diaz and his revelation as a rape survivor fit in our upholding of maskulinity. What could society be like if experiences were validated instead of social positions? Owning our privilege helps us hold people accountable. Bonus: Teddy Perkins/Champagne Papi segment with musician Ryan Culwell, who talks fatherhood and informing masculinity through music.

This week, Samantha and Remoy get into how education can be a positive actor in young men’s mental health. What does it look like implement an education system that factors in young black men’s needs? Dr. Obari Cartman, a Chicago-based clinical psychologist and full-range expert, who primarily works with black men and boys, lets them in on the other side of the mask, uncovering the education system’s impact on young black men, and shares forms of community that black men respond to deal with their mental health. They also cover hip hop and the importance of owning what we like to listen to and redefine power.

It’s Mental Health Month! Samantha and Remoy stress how, in order to de-stigmatize mental health, it’s on us to make it as important yet banal as physical health in our day-to-day lives. Not dealing with mental illness has led to shocking stats, revealing its monumental impact on our society. Resident therapist Justin Lioi shares what men come to him for, defines depression and anxiety and how they manifest. Finally, Remoy gets personal about his own struggles and how he got free in this pivotal episode.

This week, Samantha and Remoy revisit to men's mental health. They are joined by Justin Lioi, men’s therapist supporting them at differing points in their lives: new dads, unassertive guys and angry dudes. They talk about everything from modeling behaviors for children to men appearing aloof in moments when they’re feeling pain and don’t want to burden their partner. Justin advises on how to seek support as a man, and people can move the men in their lives to seek support. Tune in for this insight episode!

In honor of Street Harassment week, MASKulinity podcast is pleased to present an encore of our conversation with the brilliant Anthonine Pierre, Deputy Director at Brooklyn Movement! Today is the last day of Street Harassment Week, and last night Brooklyn Movement Center was awarded the 2018 Frederick Douglass award at the North Star Fund Community Gala for their excellent work, so we say congratulations and this is a nod to them! Listen for some tips on how to handle street harassment no matter who you are!

Samantha and Remoy peel back the layers on what they actually mean when they discuss “dominant standard” and “hegemony”. They then award their bronze, silver and gold to hegemonic pop culture tropes that perfectly reflect these concepts. Without giving too much away, “being like Mike”, transformers, a strong dislike of Tyler Perry movies come up in the conversation! Then, Remoy sits down with his friend, economist Eli moore, to talk fatherhood and economics for MASKulinity’s first Teddy Perkins (Champagne Papi) segment.

What happens when we look at men performing something other than masculinity on purpose and for fun? Samantha and Remoy are joined this week by the illustrious Ben Strothmann, also known by his drag name of Honey LaBronx! Ben puts the hosts on game about what drag actually is, how the performance of masculinity is alive and well in the MSM community, and his own definition of “toxic masculinity”. The three explore how drag is a freeing self-expression as a contrast to the masks of masculinity and femininity that we are confined to.