The Guardian's Token

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Starting in Australia and now in the UK, Token is a podcast about marginalised identities. But it's fun - we promise. We talk about race, gender, sexuality, culture, politics and whatever else makes you feel like a token in today's world. The only constan


    • Jul 1, 2021 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 28m AVG DURATION
    • 33 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from The Guardian's Token

    Comfort Eating with Grace Dent: episode one of a new podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 1, 2021 39:46


    Have you ever wondered what famous people actually eat? In our new podcast, Guardian restaurant critic Grace Dent does just that, asking well-known guests to lift the lid on the food they turn to when they're at home alone – and what comfort foods have seen them through their lives. In the first episode, screenwriter Russell T Davies tells Grace about his childhood in Swansea, the delights of Woolworth's pork and egg pies, and how his husband's death informed his latest TV series, It's a Sin. Future guests will include Nish Kumar, Rafe Spall and Aisling Bea. Episodes willl be released every Tuesday – search for it wherever you get your podcasts

    Reverberate: episode 1 of our new series

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 8, 2021 25:34


    The Guardian has launched a new series called Reverberate that we think you'll like. Each week, Chris Michael will explore incredible stories from around the world about when music shook history. In the first episode, we hear from Kashy Keegan, an unknown singer-songwriter in a sleepy English town who became the voice of Hong Kong's nascent pro-democracy movement. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts to hear the rest of the series

    Innermost: another episode of our new series

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2020 20:21


    We wanted to bring you another episode from our Innermost series. In the last episode of our first season, two callers tell Leah Green how their relationships sent them down unexpected paths, one with criminal consequences Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts to hear the rest of the series

    Innermost: episode 1 of a new series

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 25, 2020 16:34


    The Guardian has launched a new series called Innermost that we think you will like. Each week, callers will tell Leah Green what's going on behind closed doors. In the first episode, we hear how an uncle's funeral and meals with an emotionally distant brother help James and Jess think about their families in new and unexpected ways. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts to hear the rest of the series

    Why are there so few BAME leaders in Britain?

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 29, 2017 30:03


    The Colour of Power project has shown that just 3% of Britain's most powerful people are non-white. What can be done to change this?

    End of season 2 – Token podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2017 4:20


    Leah and Freddy bring you a quick update on Token. Unfortunaly it's going to have to be put on pause because, among other things, there's a general election taking place in the UK and their day jobs need all the time they have. They're just so great! But they should be back sooner rather than later

    The 'why do you walk like that?' episode – Token podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2017 30:06


    This week Leah Green and Freddy McConnell are joined by Gideon Goldberg, their colleague and token disabled person. They discuss ‘when to ask', inspiration porn, and the awkwardness of disabled summer camps

    The 'I Am Not Your Negro' episode - Token podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2017 25:34


    Leah Green and Freddy McConnell are joined by Raoul Peck, director of the Oscar-nominated documentary I am Not Your Negro. They talk about the legacy of James Baldwin, white fragility and the irrelevance of #OscarsSoWhite I am Not Your Negro will be released in UK cinemas on 7th April

    The 'can you be an atheist Jew?' episode – Token podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2017 31:48


    Freddy McConnell and Leah Green are joined by LA Times columnist and host of the Unorthodox podcast, Mark Oppenheimer

    The 'I got the job because I'm Asian' episode – Token podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2017 28:59


    Freddy McConnell and Leah Green are joined by the Guardian's political editor Anushka Asthana. She talks about her experience of being a child of immigrants but wanting to be as white as possible, her passions for gender equality and how she's benefited from other people's racism WARNING: Contains very strong language

    The Valentine's Day sex advice episode – Token podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 14, 2017 40:05


    Leah and Freddy are joined by sexpert Alix Fox to answer listeners' sex and relationships questions. Their discussion spans novice polyamory, asexuality, ‘real lesbians' and jelly butt plugs

    The 'Why is black hair a thing?' episode – Token podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2017 40:29


    It's Freddy McConnell's turn to be ignorant this week as Leah Green and guest Grace Shutti lament the ups and downs of being born with Afro hair. Topics include supporting your local auntie and the problem of getting your hair touched by Europeans. Also, can we talk about white people and braids?

    The gender quiz episode – Token podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 18, 2017 41:18


    Tinder now lets you state your gender in your own words, and provides a list of options in addition to ‘female' and ‘male'. We thought the obvious response to this was to have an quiz. So, listen as Freddy McConnell (trans) and guest CJ (non binary), test Leah Green (cis) on her gender ID smarts. Plus, we chat about awkward pronoun confusion, social constructs and the London underground

    The Christmas vulva episode: part 2 – Token podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 27, 2016 33:06


    Leah and Freddy talk about more things vulva related with Guardian US data editor Mona Chalabi, who also produced and presented The Vagina Dispatches. This time, we get a bit tipsier and a lot more confessional, as we chat copper coils, loving one's period, ‘orgasmic inevitability' and ... pigeons. Listen to part one here

    The Christmas vagina episode: part 1 – Token podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2016 33:58


    Leah and Freddy are joined by Guardian US data editor Mona Chalabi to talk about all things vulva related, for a festive, slightly-tipsy, end-of-year double bill. Mona produced and presented the online video series The Vagina Dispatches, and she joins our hosts to delve deeper into everything she learned. Plus there's free-wheeling chat about the perils of sex-ed, the joys of orgasm and the challenge of labelling body parts

    The 'are racial preferences racist?' episode - Token podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 9, 2016 27:36


    Leah and Freddy are joined by film-festival organiser Jack Casey, to discuss the explicit racism sometimes found in the contemporary LGBTQ community

    Transparent and trans parents – the Token podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 15, 2016 33:34


    Leah Green and Freddy McConnell are joined by TV journalist Rebecca Nicholson for a chat about Transparent, the Amazon Prime show that had its third season debut in September

    The gay cake episode – Token podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2016 26:35


    Freddy McConnell and Leah Green are joined by columnist Owen Jones to discuss the case of the ‘gay cake'

    The ups and downs of strength – Token Podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 21, 2016 33:26


    Comedian Tom Ballard joins Leah Green and Freddy McConnell to talk about strength in all its forms: women's strength and Hillary Clinton; male strength and the pressures of the gym; and the potentially patronising ‘super-humans' coming out of the Paralympics

    How far should an ally go? - Token podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 14, 2016 30:53


    This week we're talking about allies: white allies, straight allies, male allies - all the allies

    Positive stereotyping and can you ever avoid being on dodgy ground? – Token podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 6, 2016 24:19


    Women relate better to gay people. Black people are better dancers. Jewish mums love to feed people. Is there any truth in these seemingly complimentary generalisations? And is it ok to have that conversation? Freddy McConnell and Leah Green discuss the good, the bad and the dodgy ground of stereotyping

    Offensive questions – Token podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 26, 2016 28:28


    WARNING: This podcast will probably offend you! When curiosity oversteps the mark – hosts Leah and Freddy create an ‘offence-free' zone to discuss what they feel are the most offensive questions they've been asked as a black Jew and a trans man

    Misogyny and homophobia at Rio 2016 - Token podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 19, 2016 19:26


    Hosts Leah Green and Freddy McConnell discuss the misogyny and homophobia that have hit the headlines, or rather have been the headlines, at Rio 2016. Should we be more forgiving and are these instances being dealt with properly?

    Do anti-racism protests do more harm than good? - Token Podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2016 25:22


    Monica Tan and Michael Safi talk over recent unrest in Melbourne and why an anti-halal app has become a smash-hit with Muslim shoppers. Plus: what happened when a famous writer asked Monica if she was ‘from mainland China'?

    Why Beyoncé can never leave her blackness at the door - Token podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later May 3, 2016 31:51


    Token co-host Monica Tan talks to Seattle-based writer Ijeoma Oluo about Beyoncé's magnum opus, Lemonade. Ijeoma says the pop superstar is living proof ‘you cannot be rich enough to escape your blackness' and that her recent displays of radical black consciousness are a product of the times: ‘These last couple of years, the pain, which was often silenced, has been brought to the forefront.' Plus Monica chats to Token co-host Michael Safi about her unfortunate fetish for the most privileged group on the planet Ijeoma Oluo's piece: Beyoncé's Lemonade is about much more than infidelity and Jay Z

    Token podcast: is Alan Jones holding Australia back?

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 13, 2016 31:31


    Podcast regulars Monica Tan and Michael Safi are joined this week by the Egyptian-born Australian musician Joseph Tawadros, one of the world's top oud players. They talk racism, multiculturalism and morning television – and if you hang on to the end, you can hear Tawadros play

    Token podcast: Hollywood is racist, but will Chris Rock's speech be a turning point?

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 29, 2016 27:41


    ‘You're damn right Hollywood's racist,' said Chris Rock as he opened the Oscars. He went on to describe an exclusive club of very nice people who just don't hire many African Americans ... So will things change now? Today's hosts – Monica Tan and Miles Martignoni – are joined by Lanre Bakare from the Guardian's New York office. Plus: special mentions for all the people of colour you may have missed in those Oscar-winning movies ...

    Token podcast: am I taking advantage of my ethnicity?

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2016 30:01


    Did our producer use his ethnicity to secure a rental property? A recent survey found minorities can be at a disadvantage when house-hunting, but he may have found the exception. Monica also goes through her experiences after having an anti-Australia Day tweet spread through conservative circles. What did she do when confronted with hatred?

    Token podcast: Here Come the Habibs – and here comes the controversy

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 14, 2016 31:05


    Tahir Bilgic, one of the creators of Channel Nine's new show Here Come the Habibs, explains how a program written by a ‘vanilla milkshake writing team' can be culturally sensitive and funny at the same time. And Monica Tan questions her own racial identity after realising she doesn't fit the stereotype of an Australian-born Chinese person

    Token Podcast: is yellowface always racist? And does it matter that Jesus wasn't white?

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2015 26:33


    Monica Tan and Michael Safi jump into the divide between racism and political correctness to assess the most interesting news of the week. Can actors and comedians play characters of different races or is it always offensive? Should we remove racist words from old artworks? And why might Michael look more like Jesus than many renaissance paintings?

    Stan Grant: 'The Australian media is incredibly offensive to Indigenous people' – Token podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 16, 2015 33:17


    In this special episode of Token, our race and cultural identity podcast, Stan Grant says Australian media fails to listen to, understand and empathise with the history and circumstances of the country's Indigenous people

    Token podcast: why are white people feeling threatened?

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 9, 2015 26:46


    Why are university students in the US forming whites-only student unions and why do people in Australia feel the need to march in the streets to ‘reclaim' their country?

    Token: a new podcast by Guardian Australia

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 4, 2015 1:21


    A sneak peek at Token, our new podcast exploring race, culture and identity in the news

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