The Forgotten Queer Mother of the Blues

Gertrude “Ma” Rainey was an influential blues singer, literally dubbed the “Mother of the Blues.” While she’s most remembered for her singing style, beautiful voice, and electric nature, she’s also a queer icon! Join us while we discuss this absolute diva and her life. CW: discussions of racism, anti-fatness, homophobia, and dieting.Sources:https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/what-should-you-eat/protein/https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2026/americas-protein-obsession-explainedhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306919225002313https://ific.org/wp-content/uploads/2025-IFIC-Food-Health-Survey-Full-Report.pdfhttps://www.economist.com/business/2025/03/06/catering-to-protein-rich-diets-is-a-tasty-businesshttps://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/us-dietary-guidelines-protein-dairy-fat-rfk-jr-rcna252656https://www.npr.org/2026/03/18/nx-s1-5736092/health-food-nutrition-lunch-schoolhttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4045293/https://www.nyp.org/healthmatters/what-are-plant-based-proteins-and-should-you-eat-more-of-themhttps://www.vanityfair.com/style/story/protein-maga-crazehttps://erictopol.substack.com/p/our-preoccupation-with-protein-intakehttps://oss.jomh.org/files/article/20240204-196/pdf/JOMH2023100401.pdfhttps://msmagazine.com/2024/10/11/discrimination-racism-bias-fat-obese-black-women-sarah-baartman/https://kb.osu.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/29b5bc11-51b1-44e8-bb88-60f0dcfe250c/contenthttps://thecurvyfashionista.com/ma-rainey-black-bottom-fatphobia/https://www.mediaversityreviews.com/film-reviews/2021/3/24/ma-raineys-black-bottomhttps://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210216-the-forgotten-story-of-americas-first-black-superstarshttps://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2020/07/ma-rainey/https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/gertrude-ma-raineyhttps://www.gettyimages.com/search/2/image?family=editorial&phrase=ma%20rainey