38 min listen
Strange Fruit #122: Racism in Queer Spaces
FromStrange Fruit
ratings:
Length:
30 minutes
Released:
Jun 6, 2015
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
Performing as DJ Syimone, Victoria Syimone Taylor spends a lot of time in gay and gay-friendly bars. She joins us this week to talk about racism in queer spaces - including a recent incident in a local bar, and the community's response. Taylor was celebrating her birthday in a crowded local bar when a patron got angry about where her bag was. He repeatedly called her the n-word. She says she felt victimized for a second time when some people in the community minimized her experience, and encouraged her not to make a fuss about the incident. Taylor describes "being pulled into a corner and then being told by certain people, 'Just ignore that. [...] Don't let that bother you.'" Taylor says she was shocked, in the moment, and didn't know how to respond. "It happened so fast. I couldn't even process it," she says. "It's like being in a movie." She also says the issue is bigger than just her recent experience. "We know this goes on at every gay bar, anywhere." She hopes that by telling her story, she'll encourage more people to have difficult but necessary conversations about race. "I need people to understand that they need to really dig deep within themselves and understand how to approach race. How to talk about it. How to not be uncomfortable with it." Our own Jaison and Kaila share similar experiences with being called the n-word in spaces they believed to be safe for them, as queer people. And in our Juicy Fruit segment, we talk about Caitlyn Jenner's coming out, her photo shoot, and the role she plays in the trans movement and in trans visibility.
Released:
Jun 6, 2015
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
Strange Fruit #41: Film Examines Guatemala's Breakdancing Culture; Orange is the New Juicy: This week we meet Coury Deeb, founder and director of [Nadus Films](http://nadusfilms.com/). The Louisville filmmaker's latest film, [Bboy for Life](http://nadusfilms.com/#bboy-for-life), takes us into Guatemala's breakdancing subculture, and shows how gang violence affects the lives of the dancers - many of whom are pacifists, themselves. In our Juicy Fruit segment we _finally_ talk about [Orange Is the New Black](https://www.facebook.com/OITNB). And Jaison gives us an update on [Marco McMillan's murder](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/03/marco-mcmillian-murder_n_3701583.html) (McMillan was a black gay man running for mayor in Mississippi, and a friend of Jai's). by Strange Fruit