Queertowne

In this episode, Mase kicks off his 30s with Javi and our producer Kristen for a hilarious deep dive into some of the most shocking and special moments from the - wait for it - 100 first dates he's gone in his lifetime. Our tipsy trio is joined by call-in voice recordings from Jules Mandel, Haley Alea Erickson, and Blair Stokes, who share their perspectives on key romantic moments from Mase's dating vault.

Jo Chan is an Austin-based executive chef who competed on Top Chef Season 19. Jo (she/her) visited Queertowne to chat with Mase about her amazing experiences on Top Chef and reveals how she brings an empathetic leadership style with a strong work ethic to the kitchen. Jo opens up about meeting her now fiancé during the intensity of the first Covid wave in 2020 and what brought her from California to New York to Scandinavia to Austin. Recorded shortly before Jo stepped away from chic Zilker hotspot Eberly, Jo shares her approach to overseeing the operations of Eberly’s kitchen and menu across the four years she worked there. Jo talks with Mase about her takeaways on Austin’s food scene and how she continues to cultivate and support the community around her.

In this episode, Mase is joined for the first time on the pod by Laura AND Javi for our first all host conversation. Recorded just before Laura moved to LA, we reflect back on our many experiences working on Queertowne together since 2017 and our favorite memories along the way. After Mase discusses one of his nascent pop-culture crushes while growing up, Laura and Javi join for a spicy roundtable discussion of the performers and characters who helped us discover our queer identities. We also discuss: threesomes, butt stuff, the future of Austin's physical queer community, our reactions to Troye Sivan's acting career, and so much more!

Briona “Bri” Jenkins is a 32-year-old Black, queer woman changing the world by empowering people to own their stories through vulnerability. Bri (she/her/hers) visited Queertowne to discuss what it was like moving to Austin from the northeast and how isolating it felt to find herself the only Black person in the room. Bri and Mase talk about what it looks like to find community in the 512 as a single person, how to push past personal insecurities that can arise on dating apps or in our DMs, and how enriching it can be to cultivate queer friendships. Bri explains why 2022 is her chaos year of dating, why she loves the sound of her voice, and her first queer crush on old school MTV.

Born in Taiwan, raised in Texas, Ivy Chiu is a cinematographer versatile in scripted and unscripted filmmaking. Ivy (she/they) visited Queertowne to discuss how Austin's film scene has cultivated her personal identity and artistic community, how her childhood within an immigrant family impacts her artistry and worldview, and her initial experiences in Austin while attending UT's RTF program. We recorded this shortly before Laura moved to LA to further her acting career, so Laura also opens up about her decision to split her time between two cities and what she's hoping to cultivate for herself on the west coast. Content Warning: We discuss various forms of religious trauma during this episode and how those experiences have impacted our ability to understand and fully experience our queer identities.

Kelsey Smith is an actress, child psychologist, and one of Mase's closest childhood friends. Kelsey (she/her) visited QueerTowne to chat about her childhood in Austin with Mase, coming out as bi several years into her current relationship, and what she learned about herself in 2020. Javi and Kelsey discuss the difficulties of providing mental health services to students throughout the pandemic and how continued the intensity of this moment is impacting their work. Kelsey opens up about her husband's recent health crisis, the unexpected friendship that's formed from that experience, and why she's proud to be queer in a seemingly heteronormative relationship. Mase and Kelsey talk about the innate goofiness of performing unlicensed shows as kids and why Mase felt more grown up for cussing on stage.

Adri Pérez is an unapologetically queer, trans, and first generation immigrant who's working as a LGBTQ+ Policy Advocate for the ACLU of Texas. Adri (they/them) visited QueerTowne to discuss the important advocacy work they're doing on behalf of queer & trans Texas and how they cultivate inner resiliency during turbulent times. Adri and Mase discuss being single in Austin and what it means to flirt via Instagram. Adri opens up about their first six months in Austin, what their experience was like coming out while attending an all girls Catholic school in West Texas, and why they have hope for the future. Content Warning: Recorded in January 2022, we discuss recent anti-trans rhetoric and how advocates are fighting against discriminatory rulings.

Please give a warm welcome as our third co-host Javi makes his Big Gay Entrance in QueerTowne! Mase and Javi sit down to discuss the experience of pivoting a live show into a podcast. Javi opens up about the recent passing of his dog Studley, why Palm Springs is gayer than Austin, and how he got into natural wine. Mase and Javi talk about how Austin has changed over the last 20 years, why it was hard to watch 'And Just Like That', and how getting COVID changed Mase's outlook on life. Given the title, this episode might be best enjoyed with a tall glass of wine nearby.

Michael Barnes, a renowned local historian and longtime columnist for the Austin American-Statesman, dropped by the QT Clubhouse to chat with Mase and Laura about Austin’s queer history, the importance of community and chosen family during these turbulent times, and why visibility matters for younger generations. Michael (he/him) shares his perspective on how sex positivity has advanced in Texas over the years, and opens up about life with his partner of 32 years. Originally recorded during the 2021 Winter Solstice, everyone shares their intentions for the year ahead and makes a promise to return in a year to see how things panned out.

Please welcome Eddie Campos a.k.a. Chorizo Funk to the QT Clubhouse. Laura and Mase sat down with one of Austin’s best DJ’s for a meaningful chat about coming out later in life, how our upbringings shaped our current relationship with Christmas, and bad behavior when interacting with a DJ at a club. Eddie (he/him) describes how COVID-19 impacted his career, what his experience has been as a Latinx DJ in a predominantly white city, and how he hopes to create lasting change in Austin for other BIPOC artists and performers. Note: We recorded this episode in late December, so feel free to jump from ~15:00-28:30 if you wanna skip the Christmas stuff.