Gendercast

gendercast episode 41: interview with Jacks McNamara on a lot of awesome things Join Jesse and Sean for an interview with Jacks McNamara about their work in radical mental health and with The Icarus Project, their writing and other projects they are involved in. We explore the concept of radical mental health, creating some analyses of the medical industrial complex and corporate psychology’s impact on the mainstream mental health system/pathologizing of people experiencing emotional distress or psychic impairments. Jacks discussed that emotional distress does not happen in a bubble, but rather, it happens within a social context where capitalism, racism, classism, ableism, transphobia, homophobia and many other isms are operating. Jacks also draws some comparisons between gender nonconformity and mental health/emotional distress as “ a shared inability to fit into boxes” and will discuss how this is something that queer and trans people as well as people experiencing emotional distress have

gendercast supplemental episode 40.75: The University of Washington Unconference Listen along with the University of Washington's 2013 Disorientation Unconference. This is a supplemental episode to follow Episode 40 that explores the four different segments of the first UW Disorientation, and Episode 40.5 features the Radical History Tour of Campus. For folks that could not be there in the moment, take a listen, and if you feel moved contact the organizers or stay tuned about how to get involved next year or in your local area. UnConference Vision From its founding on occupied Duwamish land, to the passage of a diversity credit requirement, the University has always been a part of the larger landscape in both destructive and generative ways. The history of campus is shaped by militarism, departments founded and funded in the service of a litany of wars. Today we see corporate models of management imported into University life. We see the reduction of students to “consumers” of

gendercast supplemental episode (40.5): University of Washington 2013 disorientation Listen along with the University of Washington's 2013 Disorientation Radical History Tour of Campus. This is a supplemental episode to follow Episode 40 that explores the four different segments of the first UW Disorientation. There is still time to attend the Unconference this Wednesday October 2nd!   Description of the tour You’ve been on campus tours to learn about how to get around—but what did you miss? On this tour, we will explore UW’s founding on occupied Duwamish land, student Civil Rights, labor rights and anti-war movements, and the struggle to instate a diversity credit requirement. Come on a walking tour to reimagine our university and help build this counter-history towards local and global human rights, social justice, and solidarity. This tour is part of Disorientation, a radical and progressive introduction to past and present student activism on campus and

gendercast Episode 40: Uiversity of Washington Disorentation 2013 Sean interviews Caitlin and Anggie, to students, about the upcoming University of Washington Disorentation event, which is a student led, social justice alternative to traditiona universtiy orientations.  Hear about the event, the vision behind it, planning underway now and how to get involved.   Disorientation organizers invite students, new and old, to come together to tell a people’s history of the University of Washington; to critique our institution’s role in militarism; imperialism, and structural racism; and to imagine what a liberatory education might look like. As students, faculty, and community members connected to the University of Washington, we have the power to reorient the University’s path toward justice. Caitlin describes the event and gives details about the four different parts, while Anggie discusses art in activism and the similarities and differences of organizing in different environments. Gen

Gendercast Episode 39: Navigating Queerness, next steps and inviting you to guide us, join us. Sean and Jesse are back in Seattle and on the mic together to talk about navigating queerness to discuss varoius topics that have been our our minds as a way to find out what's been on all of your minds?  What have you been thinking about, what's a big topic in your community, what are you organizing around or working on?  What's your activism focused on?  What are you reading about and want to know more about? We have an online survey for you you to tell us what you want to hear more about.  click here for the survey we briefly cover these topics in this episode and are looking to you to tell us what you want more of! Links Hel's Racialicioius article on Macklemore and the follow-up/response article Feministing article bell hooks on Trayvon Martin and forgiving Zimmerman Black Girl Dangerous (check them out and follow, BDG is rad!) article on Trayvon

Gendercast Episode 38: INTERVIEWS from attendees of the 2013 Philadelphia Trans Health Conference. Gendercast is so excited that we got to talk to some of YOU!  Join Gilligan and Jesse for a series of on-site interviews live from the 2013 Philly Trans Health Conference. We chatted with about 16 of you on the mic and learned about some great work happening out there, some reflections on the conference itself and about some of the workshops that were offered.  We heard about books you're writing, films you're making, community organizing and activism you are doing, services you are offering and events in the conference.  THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE THAT GOT ON THE MIC! [if you like the music between interviews, please check out amazing trans artist, Rae Spoon!] Gendercast Mini-Interview Questions 1. Name, where from, identities you'd like to share? 2. What kind of work do you do in your hometown (activist, community organizing, education, etc.?) or are you interested in doing? 3. What do y

Gendercast Episode 37: GENDER FAILURE, Interview with Rae Spoon, Ivan Coyote and Clyde Peterson; 2nd Episode of the Gendercast Art & Performance Series Join Gendercast for our interview with Rae, Ivan and Clyde (animation) about GENDER FAILURE. (from the Gender Failure facebook page): Writer and storyteller Ivan Coyote and musician Rae Spoon bring together words, sounds and original music in their new show "Gender Failure", an exploration and expose of their failed attempts at fitting into the gender binary, and ultimately, how the gender binary fails us all. Equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking, Coyote brings her razor-sharp timing and powerful narrative, and Spoon adds their ethereal voice and poetic turns of phrase to this new chapter in the dynamic duo’s now seven-year old artistic partnership. Guest Bios - please visit their websites linked below. Rae Spoon Ivan Coyote Clyde Peterson Check-in Links Queers United for Ending Violence petition and facebook page The Philly Trans Health 201

Gendercast Episode 36: Trans-Inclusive Healthcare, the Trans Justice Project at Basic Rights Oregon Join Gendercast for a live recording of a presentation they did in Seattle by Tash Shatz and Joe LeBlanc from Basic Rights Oregon on their wins in obtaining trans inclusive healthcare in Oregon. Learn about their process through identifying this as a community identified need, their organizing and political approaches and hear about the toolkit they created so you can do the same in your local area.   Thanks to Ingersoll Gender Center for hosting this event and offering the space to learn and record. Guest Bios tash shatz, Trans Justice Manager.   tash loves cooking, the night sky, spoken word, and organizing. tash began working with BRO as a volunteer in 2007 through a partnership with the Oregon Student Association. After two cycles as a New Roots youth fellow, tash now co-coordinates the Trans Justice work at BRO by collaborating with community leaders to increase access to health care, legal right

Gendercast Episode 35: Dis/ability Justice & Queer and Trans* Community Local Seattle activists and organizers, Hel and Jude, join Jesse and Sean, to talk about disability rights and disability justice and the disabilty rights movement from a historical perspective and its roots in people of color (POC), queer and poor people spaces.  Hel and Jude discuss intersections of disability justice and queer and trans* justice movements as well as local working being done in the pacific northwest that intersects with racial and economic justice organizing.  They will offer some ideas about allyship and solidary with people experiencing a disability. Special thanks to Marisa Hackett for assisting Gendercast with the interview questions and frame. Guest Bios Hel Gebreamlak is a black, first generation Eritrean american, trans and multiply disabled writer, organizer and educator living in Seattle. Hel works at the Q Center at the Univ of Washington, where they do education around gender, race, class and di

Gendercast Episode 34:  Hormone Replacement Therapy/Testosterone Survey and Discussion; Gendercast Year Two Wrap-up. Join Sean and Jesse for an informal discussion about their various experiences with Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)/Testosterone and hear the results of the recent Gendercast survey about HRT, which includes some of your experiences with testosterone.  We will highlight the amount of variability around how we engage with HRT and the importance of doing what is right for you and your body, including the choice to not engage with hormones at all.  Get to know Jesse and Sean a little better in this episode as they will share some of their backstory and personal experiences with testosterone in an effort to highlight their different narratives.   This is our final 2012 episode and we wish you all an amazing winter season and appreciate all of you who have listened, interacted, dialogued and supported us!  It's been an amazing two years and we can't wait to bring you more

Gendercast Episode 33: Starting from a Place of Social Justice: Camp Ten Tree’s Interview. Join Sean and his fellow classmates Holly and Lor, from the University of Washington school of Social Work, for an interview about Camp Ten Trees and how social justice values and learning can be integrated throughout an organization.  Airen and Brennon will takes us through their experience with the campers and their families, what’s so special about Camp Ten Trees, and how a social justice lens is used in developing this camp’s programming. Airen and Brennon discuss how Camp Ten Trees commitment to social justice is applied to its structure, leadership, and planning, and how community building with these ideals in mind, has supported and sustained an inclusive environment for LGBTQ and allied youth to enjoy the camp experience. Camp Ten Trees is committed to ending homophobia and gender variant phobia by addressing, through a Social Justice lens, the interconnected issues of oppression and

Gendercast Episode 32: Identity Documents 101, Interview with QLAW Legal Clinic Chair, Denise Diskin Join Sean and Jesse for an extended (1 hr, 45 minutes!) interview about navigating identity documents, with Denise Diskin. She will takes us through navigating name and gender marker changes on many different identity documents, including Washington driver’s licenses, birth certificates, social security cards, school documents and more.  While many of the processes we outline are King County/Washington specific, we do cover some (United States) federal identity related documents and offer some general tips.  Please note: This is intended to be mechanical episode to help assist you in getting what you need out of the legal system when it comes to your identity documents.  We do acknowledge this is a Seattle-King County-Washington-United States centric episode, as those are the resources available to us.   Guest Bio Denise Diskin volunteers as the chair of the GLBT Bar Association of Wa

Gendercast Episode 31:  PINKWASHING, interview with Selma Al-Aswad Join Jesse for an interview with local Seattle queer palestinian activist, Selma, for an incredible overview about Selma's analyses of the queer art of discernment applied to the Israeli occupation, colonization and apartheid of Palestinian lands and society, that has been happening for over 60 years (see this Israeli-Palestinian Conflict 101).   Selma will take us through how Pinkwashing, a co-opting of mainstream gay culture as a means to present Israel as a progressive and gay-friendly nation, works in order to draw attention away from the occupation and oppression happening to Palestinian people -- queer and trans* palestenian people, who are living occupation and violent enforcement of borders.  As you listen, it will become clear why this episode is so important for all queer and trans* people as well as our allies. Guest Bio Selma is a queer Palestinian living in the diaspora committed to connecting queer and Palestinian

Gendercast Episode 30:  Interview with Harvey Katz, Athens Boys Choir, 1st Episode of the Gendercast Art & Performance Series Join Gendercast for a very fun and relaxed interview with Katz as we caught up with him during a brief Seattle visit to perform at various events.  We get to hear about his upcoming album he's been working on for you, living in Georgia and now Brooklyn, community, relationships, the highs and lows of performing and his take on many other topics your hosts ponder. Guest Bio (from Athens Boys Choir) see website for full bio Katz's spoken-word is raw, unapologetic, witty, and soulful. As Out Magazine wrote in 2006, "Katz avoids falling into the common spoken-word trap... and instead uses engaging wordplay, razor-sharp wit, and hip-hop rhythms." He has had the honor of sharing the stage with such artists as Ani Difranco, Indigo Girls, Bitch, The Butchies, Danielle Howle, and Michelle Malone. He has also opened for poets of HBO's Def Poetry Jam on more than one occasion. Being

Gendercast Episode 29:  Reflections on the Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference 2012 & TransMission Check-in Join Sean and Jesse as they reflect on their conference experience at the Philadelphia Tran-Health 2012 Conference, which was on May 31 through June 2, 2012.  Along with Gendercast east coast intern, Gilligan, Gendercast presented a workshop, A Podcast by and for the Trans Community: Gendercast on Thursday of the conference.  Podcast basics, social justice platform and the importance of independent media done by our community were among the topics.  Gendercast thanks those who attended and appreciates the in-person dialogue. Links Our Podcasting 101 overview document Gilligan's reflections blog post, Gendercast at the Philly Trans* Health Conference The workshops Jesse mentioned on Pretty Boys and Femmes: Feminine Trans Guys Discussion and Patriarchy from a Transman's Perspective The workshops Sean mentioned on Effects of Testosteron on Mental Health and Sexuality

Gendercast Episode 28:  The Gender Book Project & Debauchery check-in interviews Guest Bio Boston Davis Bostian is a nature poet relentlessly bent on transition. He illustrates, through compositions of color, body, and sound, the unbounded fluidity of experimental gender. He spent 19 remarkable months working on the GENDER book, a fun, beautifully-crafted, community-based resource, which is available online in rough draft form here  by creators Mel Reiff Hill, Jay Mays, and Robin Mack.   He is the manager/facilitator of Genderpedia.net, a resource wiki which began as a component of the GENDER book Project for the purpose of giving community the opportunity of co-authoring the full-length version of the GENDER book. Genderpedia.net is no longer officially affiliated with the GENDER book Project, though a huge fan, always. Boston is currently working on his first poetry collection, TransPoetica_1: The Pre-Op Version, which is the first o

Gendercast Episode 27:  The Prison Industrial Complex; Roots in Slavery:  Interview with Walidah Imarisha Join Sean and Jesse for our interview with Walidah Imarisha and discussion of the Prison Industrial Complex (PIC), its roots in slavery and the 2.7 MILLION people in prison now in the US.  We will discuss the concept of borders around identity, around physical bodies, and how it is especially harmful to trans people of color.  Walidah will also cover the Black Codes and mass incarceration of people of color. We discuss prison abolition vs. criminal justice/prison reform strategies and how some abolition theory and work is coming out of queer/trans youth of color communities. Guest Bio Walidah Imarisha is a writer, organizer, educator and performance poet. She is one half of the poetic duo Good Sista/Bad Sista. She has shared the stage with Kenny Muhammad of the Roots, Chuck D, Saul Williams, war resister Stephen Funk, Ani DiFranco, John Irving, dead prez and organizer and revolutionary

Gendercast Episode 26:  Interview with Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore Join Jesse and Sean for a Gendercast interview with Mattilda to discuss her new book, Why are Faggots So Afraid of Faggots: Flaming Challenges to Masculinity, Objectification and the Desire to Conform.  You are invited to our dialogue as we dedicate much needed air time to her radical queer analyses of gay/same sex marriage, military and the repeal of DADT, family structures, gay assimilation, and the mainstream gay and lesbian movement.  Mattilda brings a widely accessable window to understanding the importance of having a critical analyses around who the mainstream gay and lesbian movement leaves out and further marginalizes. Links Mattilda's website and bio Mattilda's blog Check-in Links Tobi's blog post Translations Film Festival Report Back about the shorts films at Translations (The Seattle Transgender Film Festival) Gendercast's Philly Trans Health workshop Donate to Gendercast, Fundraiser for a n

Gendercast Episode 25: Young People's Voices, the B-GLAD Interviews Join Gendercast and our former (and very first!) intern, Cat, for our group interviews with some amazing young people who are part of a bright ray of sunshine in east King County (east of Seattle) called B-GLAD.  Listen with us as this group of young people, self-identified BGLADIATORS, tell you their stories and talk about work they are doing as they answer these three questions they  as important topics for Gendercast and our listeners to hear about: What is B-GLAD and what should people know about it? What is it like having a non-binary experience in school and work? What activism/social change are we working on? Jesse and Sean were glad to be part of these refreshing and honest dialogues, and we are so very appreciate of each and every one of these individual’s willingness and courage to get behind the mic and share their voice.  Special thanks to Kennedy (from episode 5) and Cat for setting up the interview and en

Gendercast Episode 24:  Interview with Lucien on Trans* Idenity and Sex Work Join Gendercast co-host, Jesse Lee, for an intimate and stigma-busting interview with Lucien, who shares his story around his trans* gender journey, genderqueer identity, navigating coming out multiple times and his sex work practice. Guest Bio Lucien is a 30-year-old transgender male sex worker.  He uses his work as an opportunity to observe and research gender identities, sexuality, and so much more (and to help his clients do so as well).  He stumbled upon this work accidentally, although he realized that it was by no means a coincident.  Participating in the sex trade offers him an experience of a lifetime, a window into the heart of humanity.  It is here that he's found unremarkable truths he would never have anticipated prior to his  work in this industry.  Allow him to share these truths in this podcast, his observations about where the core of humanity exists on its journey toward heali