October 26th Queer Voices

Send us Fan MailFormer Houston Mayor Annise Parker and Graphic Novel author Mike CuratoWe speak with former Houston mayor Annise Parker who is now president and CEO of the LGBTQ Victory Fund. LGBTQ Victory Fund works to achieve and sustain equality by increasing the number of openly LGBTQ elected officials at all levels of government while ensuring they reflect the diversity of those they serve. Since 1991, Victory Fund has helped elect thousands of LGBTQ people to positions at all levels of government. These LGBTQ voices have made significant contributions to advancing equality for LGBTQ Americans – from passing non-discrimination laws to defeating amendments to ban marriage equality.GUEST: Annise Parkerhttps://victoryfund.orgThen, we speak with author Mike Curato about his book "Flamer". Mike has just released his debut Young Adult graphic novel, FLAMER (Macmillan, 09/01/2020), a coming-of-age story that confronts ideas of racism, homophobia, body image and coming to terms with identity in every sense of the word. Curato's YA graphic novel follows 14-year-old Aiden Navarro who navigates friendships, deals with bullies, and spends time with Elias (a boy he can't stop thinking about), as he finds himself on a path of self-discovery and acceptance. Unfolding over the course of the last week of Boy Scout camp in 1995, Aiden's story is heavily inspired by Mike's own experience coming out as a teenager. It's about how young men are indoctrinated into a culture of toxic masculinity, how faith and scouting intersect with queer identity, and how friendships can devolve into bullying. This book also is a contributor to a much-needed conversation about how we can better support LGBTQIA+ youth. A disturbing recent survey released by the Trevor Project and reported on by NPR notes that 40% of LGBTQ people have considered suicide in the last year; that rises to more than half for trans and non-binary youth. One of the most heartbreaking scenes in FLAMER deals with suicide ideation as the main character considers taking his life. This book can serve as a road map for teens dealing with bullying in their friend groups and at home and Mike speaks incredibly well to these subjects.GUEST: Mike Curatohttps://www.mikecurato.com/flamerQueer Voices airs in Houston Texas on 90.1FM KPFT and is heard as a podcast here.  Queer Voices hopes to entertain as well as illuminate LGBTQ issues in Houston and beyond.  Check out our socials at:https://www.facebook.com/QueerVoicesKPFT/ andhttps://www.instagram.com/queervoices90.1kpft/