Rainbow Pridecast

Eric Marcus (author, journalist, and creator of the Making Gay History Podcast) joins us to talk about podcasting, LGBTQ+ history, his own personal struggles, and some of the books he's currently reading. *Content Warning - suicide and AIDS are discussed in this episode.

In Episode 27 Lesléa Newman shares her connection to Matthew Shepard and what compelled her to write his story in various forms of poetry for her book, October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard. A literary icon made famous by her frequently challenged picture book Heather Has Two Mommies, Lesléa takes the time to share her experience (including being mentored by Allen Ginsberg) and her advice. 

Storm Hogan shares stories and insights from his own personal journey. He doesn't shy away from sharing tough topics such as dropping out of high school, and struggling with depression and disability. However, he also shares his triumphs such as coming to terms with his own gender, transitioning, and making his way through college. He has found a love of history and now brings LGBTQ+ and disability awareness to the ability and cis/straight community through his work with the Human Library and educational workshops. 

American transgender rights advocate, Dr. Dana Beyer joins us on the Pridecast to discuss her advocacy work in the LGBTQ+ community, her research on endocrine disruptors, intersex and transgender findings, and her thoughts on the past, present, and future of the LGBTQ+ community. A very enlightening episode. If you'd like to learn more, visit our website www.rainbowpridecast.com and click on the Dr. Dana Beyer "learn more" link for a list of resources based on the topics she discusses on the Rainbow Pridecast. 

Olanrele Oni and Justin Fair team up to create a brand new nonprofit called Unmatched Athlete. Through this new organization they hope to eliminate barriers and misconceptions about sports and instead focus on team efforts, strengthening skills, and confidence building, in an environment that is accepting and welcoming to LGBTQ+ students and allies. Have a listen to learn more about their organization and how you can take part as a volunteer or participant. Visit www.unmatchedathlete.com for more information.

Joining Danielle and Uma on the Pridecast are founding members Zen Uzoma, Derek Lindsey, and Jill Franquelli of Queers for Black Lives. In June, they successfully held their first march followed by a celebration of Black lives and Black joy. Proceeds went to support Baltimore Safe Haven. Their second march for justice for Breonna Taylor is happening Saturday, September 19th. Have a listen and learn more about their mission and collaboration to bring together Queers for Black Lives.

Jey shares some of the inspirational projects they've seen in their time at Teaching Tolerance, what resources there are available for educators on tolerance.org, and shares how they have found the reflective practice of meditation.

Episode 21 features Matthew Molyett, District 1 Candidate for HCPSS Board of Education. We address some of Matthew's concerns for the current and future Board of Education as well as discuss his personal reasons for making sure LGBTQ+ awareness is a top priority should he become elected. We also discuss procedures for diversifying school media collections. 

In this episode, Adiba Jaigirdar talks about her debut young adult novel, The Henna Wars and shares about Bengali, Irish, and Brazilian language and culture, why including topics of cultural appropriation and racism were important to the book, and what her plans are for the future. Also, learn how you can take part in a future Pridecast!

In this episode we meet LGBTQ+ college students who have taken on leadership roles as 3 of the founding members of HoCo for Justice, a group of Howard County youth that joined together to mobilize and protest the wrongful deaths and mistreatment of Black men, women, and children in our country and to bring education and awareness to those who are ready to listen and take action. Their involvement in this first protest is just the beginning of what we will be seeing from this youth led organization in the future. Listen in and get inspired. 

Carly LeDroux of Carly Fuller Photography shares how her photography career started by listening to others, trusting her instincts, and then grew into a collaborative and lucrative business. Carly and I share wedding stories of our own and may or may not share a few tears. Carly also shares some tips for promising photographers as well as for those interested in tying the knot. 

What do an elementary school principal, parent, and small business owner all have in common? In this episode I have a conversation with Jennifer Sulin-Stair (LGBTQ+ parent and small business owner), Dr. Lynch (principal at Hillcrest Elementary School), and Dr. Sway (owner of Better World Imaginarium (www.bwitoys.com) about some recurring behavior in front of Hillcrest elementary school that goes against the accepting and loving nature of this small, but tight-knit, Catonsville Community. Leading with love, Sulin-Stair organized her own counter "Love is Love" visibility event to stand up to one group's scornful objection toward LGBTQ+ families.

Congratulations to Zachary Koung, soon to be senior at Howard High School and newly elected Student Member of the Board of Education (SMOB). Zach talks about how he got involved in politics, his big hopes for both his near and distant future, and the importance of being knowledgeable about political candidates and getting out to vote. He talks about his platform and the importance of financial literacy and mental health in school systems, and some ideas he has to initiate change. 

In Episode 15, Jumel shares his role and work as Vice President of PFLAG, Howard County and founder of Howard County Pride. We discuss what lead him to this leadership role, how he continues to be a voice for the community, and how he is working to create positive change. TRIGGER WARNING: for those who are sensitive to topics of suicide, this is briefly discussed from 26:45 - 28:30.

In this episode, Shawn Theron (AKA SOGH) talks about how he got his start as an artist as well as his creative idea of creating a mobile art gallery. He talks Pride, inspiration, and advice for young artists. 

Kirsten Coombs, a member of the HCPSS Board of Education, shares some of the job duties involved in being a member of the Board of Education and how students can raise their voices when they have concerns. She talks about her experiences with coming out while holding public office and also shares her hopes for the future of LGBTQ+ inclusivity in the Howard County Public School System. 

In episode 12 I speak with Zack about his debut novel, Deposing Nathan, which features two bisexual characters and was just released last year. Zack and I talk about how he got his start as a chemical engineer and a young adult author (two very different career paths). We touch on high school, favorite movies, and what teen writers should keep in mind as they navigate the world of book publishing. Zack shares how he copes with ADHD and gives us just a very small peek at his second book which is currently in the works.

In this episode, we talk to Justin Tindall, Education and Global Programming Director at It Gets Better Project. Justin shares how It Gets Better made an impact on him and gave him the courage to be himself. We discuss religion and education, and Justin shares ways educators can be more inclusive in the classroom. You might want to grab a tissue for this episode. 

Maya and I talk about the high school experience, sex education, relationship advice, and a bit about their work at HopeWorks Howard County including their new Prism Project. For more information, please visit www.wearehopeworks.org If you have experienced sexual, dating, or domestic violence and need help, please call the 24-hour help line at 410-997-2272.

In this episode, tree and I talk about her work with Baltimore Wisdom Project, the significance of her name, and how she uses compassion and empathy from her own life experiences to help others. We can all learn something from tree. Learn more about her at www.everythingtree.info and more about Baltimore Wisdom Project at www.baltimorewisdomproject.org

Amy Bram and I talk about her role as a Director of Creative Initiatives at Camp Brave Trails. We discuss how Amy's love for camp began, and what we can do as teens and adults to move toward integrating play back into our everyday lives. To learn more about Camp Brave Trails, visit www.campbravetrails.org Register for the HoCo Rainbow Conference bit.ly/HCPSSRainbow

In episode 7, I speak with former Hammond student, Chris Hefty. Chris and I talk about his recent role as the fundraising coordinator for Howard County PFLAG, his role(s) with HoCo PRIDE, how PRIDE is going to look this year, and his hopes for our current LGBTQ+ youth. Check out more on Howard County PFLAG at https://www.pflaghoco.org/ more on HoCo PRIDE at https://www.howardcountypride.org/.

In this episode I have the chance to interview Zoe Sanders who wrote the one act play, Torn. I was also able to speak with Isabel Berry about how she came to direct the play for a recent 24 hour theatre festival at Hammond High School. You'll want to listen to this entire episode because you'll have the opportunity to listen to a performance of this play in its entirety. You're in for a real treat! 

What exactly does the organization FreeState Justice do, and why are they important to have for members of the LGBTQ+ community? In my conversation with Ezra Halstead, we learn more about his role as the Director of Education and Outreach at FreeState Justice. We also talk a bit about his college experience, and how coming out in college helped shape his future career. 

In this episode, Uma Ribeiro and I take the time to interview Uma Fox, a Montgomery County high school sophomore. Such a small world that these two Umas are both high school sophomores in neighboring counties, with similar missions - to advocate for marginalized communities. We discuss the soon to be implemented LGBTQ+ curriculum in Montgomery County and Uma Fox's continuing work with LGBTQ+ advocacy at home and across the globe. 

Today we speak with Ace Schwarz, the GLSEN 2019 Teacher of the Year, and creator of the website, Teaching Outside the Binary (www.teachingoutsidethebinary.com). We discuss a variety of topics from coming out as nonbinary with work and family vs. social media, favorite teachers, book recommendations, and advice for students who are coming to terms with their own sexual or gender identities. 

Learn more about the organization CARY, which stands for Community Allies of Rainbow Youth. Joining us is one of the founding members, Ying Matties, along with Suzi Gerb, and Robyn Page. All three address concerns for Rainbow Youth and how they are making waves and asking for policy changes for Howard County schools across the board.  

In our first Pridecast episode, we interview Uma Ribeiro, editor of the Rainbow Vision Literary Magazine - the first magazine to collect and highlight the unique LGBTQ+ student voices in Howard County, MD.