Queering the Perspective

In this very first episode of the third podcast season, we are introducing the Queer Trans Liberation FESTIVAL happening at Haus der Statistik at Berlin Alexanderplatz in the months of June and July. We speak about the idea behind the festival, some of the challenges we faced in the making of it & how to participate in the festival. As Stella said in this conversation: "we are not a minority"

So Happy Pride Month & I hope you enjoy this episode as well as the festival

Thank you for all the continuous support. So excited for this new season

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if you would like to support this podcast you can now become a member via Steady or donate directly to me via paypal: [email protected] and as always

feel free to reach out if you have any feedback, questions, suggestions for future topics/guests via Instagram or e-mail: [email protected]

I am your host Béla Belissima, non-binary soul from Berlin on the journey to dismantle our cis-heteronormative world and look beyond all binaries. Re-writing our narratives and telling our own stories. Thanks for being here

Meet the star guest of the day: Stella (she/her). Stella is a trans fem nonbinary multidisciplinary artist, lgbtq

In this episode we speak about the Queer Trans Liberation movement and the idea behind it that is community building as a form of activism to create a safety net and safe(r) space for queer and trans people in a cis-normative world. Stella particularly emphasizes the value of community organizing outside of contexts which predominantly focus on trauma. Instead, Queer Trans Liberation offers a collective existence based on mutual interests, joy and euphoria. Key words in this episode are: collective empowerment, community care and healing.

Hope you enjoy this episode and please check out Queer Trans Liberation and all the events they are putting on

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if you would like to support this podcast you can now become a member via Steady or donate directly to me via paypal: [email protected] and as always

feel free to reach out if you have any feedback, questions, suggestions for future topics/guests via Instagram Facebook or e-mail: [email protected]

I am your host Béla Belissima, non-binary soul from Berlin on the journey to dismantle our cis-heteronormative world and look beyond all binaries. Re-writing our narratives and telling our own stories. Thanks for being here

In this episode I'm graced with the presence of Tarek (he/him) , a queer arab, graphic designer and fashion lover/icon from Syria living in Berlin.

We are discussing fashion and clothing in relation to gender & sexuality, femininity vs. masculinity in a the binary world and the importance of delinking these terms and degendering fashion before making assumptions and judgments outside and inside the queer community.

We share our personal experiences and struggles regarding our gender expression through fashion as femmes assigned male at birth but then analyze the topic from both my perspective as a non-binary/trans* femme and his as a cis-man. We then compare our experiences with global critiques of binary fashion and campaigns like #DegenderFashion initiated by non-binary author, educator and artist Alok Vaid-Menon. Here the link to the text written by Alok for the September Issues, which I quote around minute 25 of this episode.

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if you would like to support this podcast you can now become a member via Steady or donate directly to me via paypal: [email protected] and as always

feel free to reach out if you have any feedback, questions, suggestions for future topics/guests via Instagram Facebook or e-mail: [email protected]

I am your host Béla Belissima, non-binary soul from Berlin on the journey to dismantle our cis-heteronormative world and look beyond all binaries. Re-writing our narratives and telling our own stories. Thanks for being here

Guest of the episode is Neo (they/them). Neo works as a freelance curator, podcaster, author, cultural mediator, researcher, creative director and artist in text and performance all around queer-feminist issues in Berlin and

In this episode, we analyze the patriarchy in a non-binary fashion. After we establish a ground definition of what encompasses 'the patriarchy' in our understanding, we are speaking how queer people and non-binary individuals form a resistance against patriarchal forces. By questioning the gender binary and its intrinsic connection with heteronormativity, we are discussing the potential of non-binary feminism to destabilize patriarchal gender hierarchies which rest upon the subjugation of women.

Neo adds to this by telling their personal experiences of being non-binary, AFAB (assigned female at birth) while being tomboy & femme-presenting. Contrary to accusations of some TERFS (trans-exclusive radical feminists) accusing femme non-binary AFAB individuals of "denying their womanhood", Neo explains how identifying as non-binary has helped them to rediscover their femininity outside of sexist gender roles.

As the last theme we are discussing how the patriarchy hurts not only FLINTA* people (Female, Lesbian, Inter*, Non-Binary*, Trans* & Agender), but also cis-men by imposing (often violent) expectations of masculinity onto boys and men. Therefore the fight against the patriarchy must be a fight against all forms of gender-based violence

Hope you enjoy this listen <3

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if you would like to support this podcast you can now become a member via Steady or donate directly to me via paypal: [email protected] and as always

feel free to reach out if you have any feedback, questions, suggestions for future topics/guests via Instagram Facebook or e-mail: [email protected]

I am your host Béla Belissima, non-binary soul from Berlin on the journey to dismantle our cis-heteronormative world and look beyond all binaries. Re-writing our narratives and telling our own stories. Thanks for being here

Star guest of this episode: "Damoun (they/them)" who is fluent in five languages and has lived in five different societies. They write often in Persian and English about their past and present journey and their experiences with racism, misgendering and queerphobia. They also recently started their own podcast called Fly Me To Damoun

What does it mean to live as a Queer Iranian? This podcast episode explores this question from three different angles:

1) We talk about the intersection between gender (queerness) and race more broadly as well as Western definitions of queerness which are based on white & binary (beauty) standards, making it difficult for people to live freely at different intersections beyond these narrow definitions

2) Damoun presents the Book: Women with Mustaches and Men without Beard: Gender and Sexual Anxieties of Iranian Modernity by Afsāneh Najmābādi who is a Iranian-American historian, gender theorist and professor at Harvard University. We chose to focus on this book because it showcases the queer history of Iran and hence broadens white Western definitions of queerness as well as creates an archive for today's Queeranians

3) We continue on the power of queer and trans storytelling and talk about the recently published Magazine: Transcodiert whom Damoun is an author of.

This is a highly dense episode but picked with incredible insights, explanations & reflections from Damoun's side and make sure you listen all the way to the end to receive a final wisdom by Damoun

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if you would like to support this podcast you can now become a member via Steady or donate directly to me via paypal: [email protected] and as always

feel free to reach out if you have any feedback, questions, suggestions for future topics/guests via Instagram Facebook or e-mail: [email protected]

I am your host Béla Belissima, non-binary soul from Berlin on the journey to dismantle our cis-heteronormative world and look beyond all binaries. Re-writing our narratives and telling our own stories. Thanks for being here

The guests of this episode are three of the four members of the Chilean queer-feminist performance art collective LASTESIS . We recorded this episode prior to the presidential elections in Chile which were won by the leftist candidate Gabriel Boric on sunday December 19th. In the episode we talk a lot about the significance of the elections as a turning point for anti-patriarchal & anti-capitalist fights in Chile which have been fought rigorously particularly in the last 2 years since the social uprising starting in October 2019. We speak about the role of women and queer people in these social movements and specifically about the role of feminist performance art in calling out state and patriarchal violence.

Through their performance "un violador en tu camino" which was first performed publicly in november 2019, LASTESIS became popular and well known globally and the song developed into an anthem for feminist collectives across the world.

We met as part of the collaborative workshop and performance Resistencia at the HAU theater in Berlin and I am beyond honored to have shared this empowering and highly educational & inspirational conversation with them. I hope you enjoy it

photo credits: https://media.cnnchile.com/sites/2/2021/01/Daniel-Barahona.jpg

if you would like to support this podcast you can now become a member via Steady or donate directly to me via paypal: [email protected] and as always

feel free to reach out if you have any feedback, questions, suggestions for future topics/guests via Instagram Facebook or e-mail: [email protected]

I am your host Béla Belissima, non-binary soul from Berlin on the journey to dismantle our cis-heteronormative world and look beyond all binaries. Re-writing our narratives and telling our own stories. Thanks for being here

Meet Talita/Lilith the Quing (they/them): a genderless contrasexual shapeshifter spacebender dreamdrifter who is bringing fluidity and consciousness to this and other worlds. Lilith is a quing with many personalities around the gender spectrum and all of them love to explore healthy masculinities and celebrate queerness. Lilith is chaos with a touch of drama, camp and provocative and a pinch of fairy tale, astrology and magic 🦚🐉🧚🏽

In this episode Talita explains what it means to be a "quing" in drag and how it helped them to grow into their non-binary gender-euphoric self of today. Furthermore we discuss the history of drag as well as the cis-heteronormativity and misogyny that is dominant in many forms of mainstream drag

Talita is part of a drag collective in Berlin called Venus Boys Berlin which put together all kind of performances showcasing the diversity of gender expression on and off stage. Their various backgrounds and experiences with different forms of expression are always addressed on stage making their shows highly political with a clear demand for solidarity and justice for all. We also talk about the collective in more detail in this episode, so if you wanna learn more, you know what to do <3333

To learn more about the origins of drag, check out this youtube video called The history of drag in 15 minutes

if you would like to support this podcast you can now become a member via Steady or donate directly to me via paypal: [email protected] and as always

feel free to reach out if you have any feedback, questions, suggestions for future topics/guests via Instagram Facebook or e-mail: [email protected]

I am your host Béla Belissima, non-binary soul from Berlin on the journey to dismantle our cis-heteronormative world and look beyond all binaries. Re-writing our narratives and telling our own stories. Thanks for being here

In this episode I talk with Monty (they/them), twenty something, non-binary transfemine Bi_PoC Queen, doctor, cultural sciences and anthropology student, antiracism and queer educator.

I had the pleasure to meet Monty this summer and we shared many conversations about being transfeminine in a transphobic and misogynistic society. When planning the second season of "Queering the Podcast" , I thought back to these conversation and am super happy that Monty agreed to create this episode together the emphasis on transfeminine OF COLOR.

All forms of oppression are always interlocking and intersecting and this episode sheds light on this by addressing the racism in predominantly white queer communities, the lack of inclusion beyond tokenist marketing strategies, the difference between trans* women and transfeminine people as well as the experience of being transfeminine in public.

To further learn about some of Monty's engagement, please check out kaleidoskop_podcast on IG and

if you would like to support this podcast you can now become a member via Steady or donate directly to me via paypal: [email protected] and as always

feel free to reach out if you have any feedback, questions, suggestions for future topics/guests via Instagram Facebook or e-mail: [email protected]

I am your host Béla Belissima, non-binary soul from Berlin on the journey to dismantle our cis-heteronormative world and look beyond all binaries. Re-writing our narratives and telling our own stories. Thanks for being here

Nika is a nonbinary person based in Berlin who is passionate about queer activism, breaking stereotypes and boundaries around cisheteronormativity and dismantling the patriarchy one day at a time.

In this episode we introduce the topic of non-binary, give some general definitions as well as talk about our personal relation to it. We further address issues such as non-binary normativity, the idea of non-binary as a "third gender", the challenges with transphobia, misgendering and intrusive questions as well as the beautiful thing that is gender euphoria

Here is the BBC 3 video that Nika mentions in the episode

and here is another podcast which discusses all the different aspects of being non-binary

hope you enjoyyyy. From now on there will be a new episode every second sunday <3 exciting excting exciting <3

if you would like to support this podcast you can now become a member via Steady or donate directly to me via paypal: [email protected] and as always

feel free to reach out if you have any feedback, questions, suggestions for future topics/guests via Instagram Facebook or e-mail: [email protected]

I am your host Béla Belissima, non-binary soul from Berlin on the journey to dismantle our cis-heteronormative world and look beyond all binaries. Re-writing our narratives and telling our own stories. Thanks for being here

We are back. Second Season. Let's goooooooooo.