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Season 1 | Episode 3: Laya
Episode transcript available here.
In Episode 3 of Rainbow District, Beth talks to queer activist Laya Monarez. Laya is a transgender latinx artist based out of Washington DC. She studied at the Corcoran College of Art and Design where she received her BFA in 2005, and has several murals in the DC area. Laya's work has been shown at the Greater Reston Art Center, Mclean Project for the Arts, Cheshire, and the DC LGBTQ+ Community Center.
For over a decade, Laya has been an advocate for queer rights and sex worker rights. In support of a bill introduced by Councilman David Grosso to decriminalize sex work, Laya testified at a DC Council hearing, did an interview on Good Morning Washington, and spoke at a rally with the Sex Worker Advocates Coalition. Laya was also featured in the Newsy special on sex work in the US, Sold In America: The Workers. Now she works at the DC LGBTQ+ Community Center, a nonprofit that educates, empowers, and uplifts the queer community in DC. Learn more at layamonarez.com. Follow Laya on Instragram: @layamonarez and TikTok: @nina_ninja_skater.
Further information on topics discussed in this episode:
Decriminalizing sex work: Brooks-Gordon, Morris, & Sanders (2021); Rottier (2019); TED Talk by Juno Mac (2016).
Sex work and disability: Geymonat (2019); Jones (2022); Wotton & Ann (2016).
"Spiritual genocide" and the 1978 American Indian Religious Freedom Act: Talbot (2006).
Israeli "cemeteries of numbers" keep hundreds of bodies of Palestinians: Al Tahhan (2017).
Queer liberation and Palestinian liberation are inextricably linked. Human rights monitors, journalists, and United Nations agencies have concluded that Israel’s actions in and regarding Gaza since October 7, 2023 violate the Genocide Convention of 1948, yet the US continues to send billions of dollars of aid to Israel. Click here to provide urgent humanitarian aid to people in Gaza by donating to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund, and here for queer Palestine solidarity resources.
If you're a queer activist and want to share your oral history for the podcast, schedule an interview with Beth.
Learn more about Rainbow District, queer history, and community resources at rainbowdistrictpodcast.com.
View all episodes
By Beth CogenEpisode transcript available here.
In Episode 3 of Rainbow District, Beth talks to queer activist Laya Monarez. Laya is a transgender latinx artist based out of Washington DC. She studied at the Corcoran College of Art and Design where she received her BFA in 2005, and has several murals in the DC area. Laya's work has been shown at the Greater Reston Art Center, Mclean Project for the Arts, Cheshire, and the DC LGBTQ+ Community Center.
For over a decade, Laya has been an advocate for queer rights and sex worker rights. In support of a bill introduced by Councilman David Grosso to decriminalize sex work, Laya testified at a DC Council hearing, did an interview on Good Morning Washington, and spoke at a rally with the Sex Worker Advocates Coalition. Laya was also featured in the Newsy special on sex work in the US, Sold In America: The Workers. Now she works at the DC LGBTQ+ Community Center, a nonprofit that educates, empowers, and uplifts the queer community in DC. Learn more at layamonarez.com. Follow Laya on Instragram: @layamonarez and TikTok: @nina_ninja_skater.
Further information on topics discussed in this episode:
Decriminalizing sex work: Brooks-Gordon, Morris, & Sanders (2021); Rottier (2019); TED Talk by Juno Mac (2016).
Sex work and disability: Geymonat (2019); Jones (2022); Wotton & Ann (2016).
"Spiritual genocide" and the 1978 American Indian Religious Freedom Act: Talbot (2006).
Israeli "cemeteries of numbers" keep hundreds of bodies of Palestinians: Al Tahhan (2017).
Queer liberation and Palestinian liberation are inextricably linked. Human rights monitors, journalists, and United Nations agencies have concluded that Israel’s actions in and regarding Gaza since October 7, 2023 violate the Genocide Convention of 1948, yet the US continues to send billions of dollars of aid to Israel. Click here to provide urgent humanitarian aid to people in Gaza by donating to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund, and here for queer Palestine solidarity resources.
If you're a queer activist and want to share your oral history for the podcast, schedule an interview with Beth.
Learn more about Rainbow District, queer history, and community resources at rainbowdistrictpodcast.com.