Isn't It Queer

Jonny is back from a meditation retreat this week while Heather is off at a writer's conference in Chicago. Still, they put together a show. Jonny recounts how flashfloods in Missouri resulted in a traumatic end to the retreat. This sets the stage for a reimmersion into the news, where nominally related stories of trauma and allegations impacting politcians caught his raw attention. In the back half of the show, Heather interviews local LGBTQ+ community advocate, Carrie Vine, about her own medical traumas and how they have and also are not impacting her work for the community. They end the episode with a promo for this coming weekend's Community Restroom Access Project (CRAP) rally on Saturday, July 18th from 11-3 at the Lost Forest Coffeehouse and Pub in Carbondale, IL (concurrent with a similar event at The Hideout in Chicago).

Jonny interviews Carbondale native, Ben. Ben was born in Carbondale and spent a significant chunk of his early life here before traveling to Peru and then settling down in Chicago. During CoVid, he returned to Carbondale. He and Jonny discuss their preference for being a rural queers and what queer even means, including neuroqueer and queer spirituality. In the back half of the show, Ben shares and digitally debuts his song, "Bullheaded and Blind." Jonny closes out the episode with an enthusiastic review of TJ Klune's We Burned So Bright.

Jonny and Heather review some of the recent Supreme Court decisions, celebating the surprisiningly good ones while also giving space to concerns and frustrations about decisions that immediately impact our lives as SCOTUS ties Title IX to "biological sex" and not gender, setting a dangerous precedent. In the back half of the show, they turn to evidence that a significant portion of the Democratice party is pushing further to the Left, with transformative ideas that may start to undo some of the damage done to freedom in our country. You know, if they can get elected and form a cohesive majority in the Senate and/or House. Along the way, they share some of the victories for queer and trans rights that have also recently been in the news.

Jonny and Heather respond to data that suggests worldwide LGBTQ+ rights advanced in the 2010s but are stagnating in the 2020s. To put a little more hopeful spin on this news, they note how the anti-LGBTQ+ movements seem to be stagnating more recently, too. They start with the failures of the Trump Administration that have been piling up. In the back half of the show they turn to some international stories that seem to give ample evidence of advances rather than stagnation. They end with a brief discussion of animation and how independent creators seem to be demonstrating advances more so than current mainstream media. In all, they see power and need in independent content creators to push forward with advancing all human rights.  

Jonny and Heather offer a brief recap of their Pride on the Strip, Carbondale PrideFest experiences before moving on to other festive events that happened this weekend. One such event on the White House lawn (next to the slimy green reflecting pool!) demonstrated how our current administration has normalized misgendering as a political insult. They contemplate that moment and point out other similar instances that have occured recently. In the back half of the show, they examine some results from recent primary elections that demonstrate how the GOP still clings to queer and trans as a distraction, even though it isn't really working that well. Meanwhile, certain Democrats are demonstrating how queer and trans can be included in pragmatic and progressive policies and campaign agendas with significant advantage. They find evidence of hope in both the failures and the successes. 

As part of Pride Month, Jonny and Heather conduct interviews with local LGBTQ+ advocates. In the front half of the shaow, Jonny interviews Father Jerry Anderson, author of Ordained by Angels; A Memoir of an AIDS Chaplain. Father Anderson, a native of Southern Illinoi and co-founder of The Episcopal Caring Response to AIDS (ECRA), will be giving a reading from his book at 11:30am this Sunday (June 14th) at the St. Andrews Episcopal Church on Mill Street in Carbondale. He will also be givig the sermon there (referencing Matthew Shepard) at 10am. In the back half of the show, Heather interviews Lindsay Church, a recent independent candidate for US Representative from Illinois District 4. Lindsay Church is a Navy veteran and co-founder of Minority Veterans of America.

Jonny interviews local drag superstar Leah Fantasy about their life, their experiences growing up nonbinary and Southern Illinois, and their amazing performances in local venues. They discuss the vibe needed for this year's Pride and how to generate it. In the back third of the show, Heather and Jonny discuss the flexibility of labels in the Alphabet Soup and why we need to claim and deploy them gently. 

Heather and Jonny track a theme across recent stories impacting  LGBTQ+ communities that the smallness of a minority group severely limits its power. They examine several stories where a few people make a big difference, where a small local community beats a big cultural behemoth. They find queer joy in victories and hope in the ways isolating or targetting minority groups can also make them stronger.

Jonny and Heather welcome summer on the other side of Memorial Day, remembering what this coming weekend is meant to recognize. The provide some updates on the Southern Illinois Pride plans in Carbondale for Saturday, June 13th. They then celebrate that Carbondale's Pride is not (as of now) being cancelled, as too manyothers are--including China's cancelling of Hong Kong's Pride festivities. Given how excellent China proved itself at dishing out shade to our President this week, we are surprised they don't want a Pride Parade. In the back half of the show, they examine somestories closer to home that are a bit shady in the gray zone between black and white. They conclude with a confused turn to athletcis and art, noting the connections between shades and values.

Jonny and Heather face the summer with news of Southern Illinois Pride plans. This information has recently been circulated on local social media. In the process, of course, lots of anti-Pride community members have had...."interesting" things to say about Pride. Jonny and Heather remind them that their comments are public and turn to rebutting the common propaganda talking points critical of Pride and the LGBTQ+ community. In the back half of the show they run with the theme of why (this year especially) Pride is so necessary because of the ludicrous, systemic discriminations against queer and trans people. 

Jonny and Heather dive into a series of headaches for the LGBTQ+ community, starting with the DOJ's investigation of 36 school districts in Illinois for teaching gender ideology. Connecting that story to many others in the news lately, they pursue the authoritarian tactic of manufacturing problems so that the supreme leader can provide solutions tat serve to consolidate power. They examine a host of recent stories impacting LGBTQ+ communities that are examples of unnecessary solutions for made up problems. 

Jonny and Heather conduct separate interviews in this episode, featuring talks with transgender writers doing presentations in Carbondale this coming weekend. In the front half of the show, Heather interviews Nico Lang, an impressive award winning journalist who will be giving a talk about their book, American Teenager: How Trans Kids are Surviving Hate and Finding Joy in a Turbulent Era. In the back half of the show, Jonny interviews Polish cultural anthropoligist, Dr. Jay Szpilka, who will be ging a presentation titled, "Drones, Puppies, and Mecha Pilots: Erotic Stykes beyond Cisness."Presentation Schedule:Nico Lang, May 3rd, 1 pm at the Carbondale Unitarian FellowshipDr. Jay Szpilka, May 4th, 4 pm in the Kleinau Theatre, 2nd floor of the Communications Building on the SIU campus.

Jonny and Heather review a serise of recent current events where "kicking out" rather than "coming out" rings the queer content. They look at hypocritical standards for expulsion in Congress, in the Trump Cabinet, and in the military. They also discuss celebrities like Caitlen Jenner, Pete Buttigieg, Megan Rapinoe, and Sue Bird. They conclude with a quick scan of some of the cases the Supreme Court has accepted and those they have passed on as well as how some states are responding to their decision about conversion therapy. 

Heather and Jonny extend April Fools to make sense of the foolishness of the Trump Administration in the last week. Behind the clearly mockable "accomplishments" of the administration this week is a persistent theme of targeting the LGBTQ+ community. In the back half of the show they offer even more shade to the growing list of states pursuing toxic anti-LGBTQ+ policies and legislation while they cling to the glimmer of rainbows returned and proliferating. 

Jonny and Heather are a bit disturbed about recording Wednesday's show before the destructive deadline Trump has set for Iran. They discuss the posturings and firings of the administration recently, worried about what they might do with the power they have and no supervision or experienced counsel. In this light, the see Kristi Noem's hypocrisy around her husband's (perfectly okay!) kink a telling example of the double standards at the core of the Trump administration. In the back half of the show they take a deeper dive into the SCOTUS decision about Colorado's ban on conversion therapy, good stats about support for trans rights, and another methodologically flawed study trying to justify transphobic policies of exclusion.

Jonny and Heather are joined by T--Dr. T!--who recently defended his dissertation about leaving a local cult. They discuss the No Kings protest, the Supreme Court's decision on conversion therapy bans, and the cult like qualities of MAGA all through the lens of surviving an actual cult. Now that the dissertation is done and the degree is earned, Dr. T moves on to diving into local engagement through a variety of art and performance projects, motivated by connection to community as the best response for the global and national news that keeps pressing us down. 

Jonny welcomes Heather back from complications with a routine operation removing a kidney stone. They dive right into the hot mess that is the war/not war with Iran, noting the slipperyness of the Administration in sticking with or abanding strict definitions when it suits their purposes. They connect this to the rationales for demonizing trans people for not fitting their rigid gender definitions. In the back half of the show, they take this critique of binary thinking to the SAVE Act, the Senate confirmation of Markwayne Mullin, and the-on-the fence dilemma faced by Tulsi Gabbard, among other political shenanigans of the week. They end with the usual response these frustrations of destructive reductive thinking to engage more in local community involment, including the 3rd No Kings rally and local events associated with the Trans Day of Visibility. 

Jonny is joined by Craig to discuss queer neurodivergence and bullying. In the front half of the show they focus on a TikTok video by Christopher Macken who responds to a woman who promises to be her son's first bully if he ever "acts gay." In the back half of the show they share an example of the work of TikTok and Instagram content creator, Emile Ennis Jr. and his regular videos on the "Gay Agenda." Taken together, these videos and a frame of bullying allow a perspective on anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and policies that serve as a kind of cultural bullying while also providing key lessons/strategies on pushing back and preventing bullying. 

Jonny and Heater interview Samantha Boucher, Founder and Executive Director of Trans Liberty, the first US political action organization dedicated solely to defending the civil rights of transgenderAmericans. In the front half of the show they explore Samantha's background and the creation of Trans Liberty. In the back half of the show they talk about some of Trans Liberty's current projects, including Project Lifeboat, responding to recent legislation in Kansas targeting transgender citizens and their legal IDs. You can find more information about the organization here: Trans Liberty PAC For more information about Operation Lifeboat and how you can help out, go here: Operation Lifeboat

Heather and Jonny commiserate over the eruption og globala military actions and the controversyies around the Trump Administrations actions and (lack of) explanations. They posit the role of conflict in controling and manipulating others. They then take this theme of x vs. y to other conflicts recently impacting the LGBTQ+ community, some further illuminating the US vs. Iran conflict eclipsing all others at the moment.

After taking a break for a few weeks from the Epstein Files, Jonny and Heather return to discuss them and other stories that show the limits of trying to control what the public can know. Even so, an administration and a party desperate to control our attention continues to go to extraordinary lengths to scapegoat minorities for ridiculous reasons. After reviewing some of those distractions by assaulting rights, they turn to some good news coming out of the end of the Winter Olympics and some proof that we will not be erased, even in the most conservative of states.

Heather and Jonny confront two stories of mass shootings this week, one in Canada with a confirmed transgender assailant and one in Rhode Island with an alleged transgender shooter. They approach this difficult topic with a couple of key reminders: First, an inventory of their local organizations and meeting groups available to help people struggling to know that they have support and a community. Second, they review the crime statistics which have not changed significantly even if these are acts of violence by transgender people.Finally, they examine this phenomenon as something profoundly exacerbated by disconfirmations, interpersonal and institutional. They review an inventory of this week's LGBTQ+ disconfirmations. 

Jonny and Heather celebrate an unnexpacted and probably lasting warmer rest of February. They turn their attention to the World Human Rights report that notes the USAmerican impact on LGBTQ+ rights globally. They examine several examples of this unfortunate trend in Democratic Recession. In the back half of the show they turn to the great cultural distraction of ahtletics where two big sporty rituals--the Winter Olympics and The Superb Owl--give examples of both queer victories and queer losses. But with a bite of an ambiguously diverse oatmeal cookie, we are still in the game!

Jonny welcomes Heather back to the show, although there is still snow on the roads and the cold is only now slowly loosening its grip. They vortex out from Southern Illinois, discussing new assaults on LGBTQ+ rights, beyound ICE protests or the Epstein Files. In the back half of the show, they look to entertainment, significant political wins, and polling from a surprising source that this assault on human rights and turn to authoritarianism are encountering serious resistance. Throughout the show, they shout-out to the "Puzzle and Podcast" weekly event being hosted by the Paulette Curkin Pride Resource Center on the SIU Campus. 

Jonny and Heather are both snowed in this week, but Jonny has a good mic and computer and power at home, so he offers this episode born from staying home during snow and SERIOUS cold. He begins with acknowledgement of the weather and the hypocrisy of climate change denial before moving to Trump administration hypocrisy about Anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis, especially around the shooting of Alex Pretti. He then shares a post from an online gay men's group expressing the rest of the word's frustration with Trump, followed by his own posted response laying out the dangers of assuming the current geopolitical crisis is the result of one man. Picking up onpart of his response, in the back half of the show he leans into queer-friendly and queer-written S/F and a contemplation of how visions of the future or alternative realities are more often estranged visions of aspects of the now. If you are interested in the GRIS book club mentioned in the podcast, you can find more about here: https://www.goldenrainbows.org/services-2(The GRIS website identifies this as a 2025 activity, but it is still going on. The contact information there is still uptodate.)

Jonny is fresh back from the annual winter retreat of Gay Spirit Visions' winter gathering where the theme was protecting our joy while we live through a dumpster fire. Heather helps him unpack the necessity to be aware of the dumpster fire even as we choose to put our energies elsewhere. They review several of the last week's turns in the news that build the flames even as Minnesota learns to use ice against ICE. In the back half of the show they turn to a disturbing trend in declining support for LGBTQ+ rights, including marriage equality, even among younger members of the population. They explore various factors that might have caused it and recent trends in popular culture that give them hope declining support is more of a temporary dip than the edge of a cliff.

Jonny and Heather dive deep into the implications of an ICE agent's killing of Rene Good in Minneapolis this past week. The murder of a queer mother of three is bad enough, but the government's reactions demonstrate an  accumulating pattern of response that is most disturbing. In the back half of the show, they examine rights and retirements under fire and the court cases to defend the rights and pensions of those wronged. In this collection of stories, Jonny and Heather highlight the evidence that the Trump Administration's reach is actually facing serious pushback from within. Stick around to the end to learn why Heather deserves a big CONGRATULATIONS!

Jonny and Heather offer an overview of trends from 2025, linking the hard lessons learned about AI to the hard lessons learned from the first year of Trump 2.0. In the back half of the show, they turn a prophetic gaze toward the future and make some broad predictions for 2026. They dare to hope that after all of the suffering the world might actually be learning to be a little less phobic toward human diversity.

Jonny assembes a mix tape of 2025's contributors to IIQ as well as a sampling of some of the strange stories he and Heather have discussed in the past year. The show may be queer but the year was just downright WEIRD!

Jonny and Heather lean into the holiday season to see the various factors affecting LGBTQ+ communities as gifts--some are gifts we never wanted, some are incomplete, some come from Secret Santas, and some are true charitable contributions to the community. In the podcast, we mention our Flipboard magazing where you can find lists of good LGBTQ+ Nonprofit organizations to support this holiday season. Go here for the lists: Isn't It Queer on Flipboard.

Jonny and Heather take a deep dive into what "community" means when we reference the LGBTQ+ community and the idea that leanng into community is how we protect ourselves from the abuses of power that threaten us. In the back (not quite) half of the show, they demonstrate how the current infighting and boundary breaking of the MAGA community is a real indication of what can happen when community fails.

Jonny and Heather prepare for a pending brutal cold streak by diving into the heat of ongoing culture wars. It's not just political power that forms authoritarian states; despots gotta change the culture! So far, that aint going so well for our would-be dear leader. Where his cult brings on the pressure, many are pushning back--and not just in this country. Queer and trans folks are definitely increasingly targetted, but we ain't takin' it lying down. It may not be easy as pie, but at least our awards are well earned!

Jonny and Heather discuss a host of current event stories that indicate the political winds are shifting. Ultimately, this is good news for the LGBTQ+ community, even if the current turbulence is still causing us torubles.Real evidence emerges that MAGA is breaking up and the Trump Administration's iron grip of the GOP is crumbling.

Jonny and Heather welcome Thanksgiving with gratitude built on how things are and how they are not. In looking at a few recent stories in the news, they frame them through the lens of "what if things had been different?" In the back half of the show, they share a scene from the recent performance "At a Crossroads" presented in the Marion Kleinau Theatre and directed/compiled by Dr. Shelby Swafford. In the scene, Jessica Paxton, Maddison Marshall, and M Kamara interweave pieces they devised for the show responding to a prompt on alternative histories, contemplating the world and the country at a crossroads and choosing a different path. 

On the other side of auroras in Southern Illinois, Jonny and Heather dive into some weird stories--like the aurora, things they thought they would never see, at least not down here. In the front half of the show they review the more typical good and bad news for the LGBTQ+ community under the current regime. In the back half of the show they dive into the truly strange, not all of it having to do with more released Epstein information.

In the front half of the show, Jonny interviews Junara, Grace, M, and Shelby--the director and some of the devising cast from "At a Crossroads," a performance in the Kleinau Theatre opening this Thursday. They discuss the crossroads metaphor and how the show leans into LGBTQ+ themes. In the back half of the show, Jonny and Heather discuss the crossroads we are currently at, following last week's off-term elections, SCOTUS decisions, and the apparent possible ending of the government shutdown. They also pause to celebrate Veterans Day, noting that LGBTQ+ people have always served in the military and always will. See our Facebook and Webpage for a link to a schedule of events for Trans Aawreness Week leading up to the Trans Day of Remembrance.

Jonny and Heather hike into the landscape of major media stories dropped in just the last week. We know President Trump saturates the airwaves in order to both benefit from the attention economy and distract from his administration's more nefarious moves. Using Heather's background in Army Intelligence, they look for patterns across the stories, and they find evidence of severe vulnerabilities. In the back half of the show they examine the two main competing strategies in the opposition and which they think is likely to be more successful and better for the LGBTQ+ community.

Jonny interviews Rosie in the first half of the show, a co-director of a local presentation of The Rocky Horror Picture Show with a shadow cast leading audience participation at The Varisty Center (https://thevarsitycenter.org/). In the back half of the show, Heather and Jonny use one of the show's songs to frame some of our current anti-LGBTQ+ issues as conflict between reality and perception.

Jonny and Heather start out the show reveling in some new media that shows representations of queer and trans identities are still prevalent in popular culture. Even where books and professors have been silenced, there are signs of successful resistance. In the back half of the show they discuss the recent No Kings protest and how the Trump Administration's and GOP's responses to it reveal how weak they really are. 

Jonny and Heather examine what appear to be cracks forming in and between the GOP and the Trump Administration. Although the authoritarian state still continues to form, it is hitting some serious snags. They discuss a wide range of responses to trans rights across a wide political spectrum. The look into military airplanes from Qatar and Texas taking up Florida's obsession with rainbow crosswalks. In the back half of the show they do a quick review of some SCOTUS questioning about conversion therapy. They also lament the power position lesbian TERF Bari Weiss will have over CBS News. They shift to good news, including a history of ice cream in LGBTQ+ protests, and end with some announcements of upcoming events in Southern Illinois. 

Jonny relies on Heather's military background to explain just how awful the Secretary Hegseth and President Trump addresses to the military flag officers was. Heather corrects Pete on what a real "warrior ehtic" is. Despite the abuse of military power, especially in attempts to turn it on the so-called "enemy within" in US cities like Chicago and Portland, the real message is one of weakness. In the back half of the show, they discuss the comedy of errors that is the government shutdown and how it, too, is a sign of growing weakness in the Trump Administration. They then turn to some stories about actual commedians before ending with a revised schedule of upcoming LGBTQ+ History Month events in the Carbondale, IL area.

Heather and Jonny briefly check in on recent assaults on LGBTQIA+ rights, particularly Trans Rights. They quickly move to a celebration of upcoming events this weekend kicking off LGBTQIA+ History Month and other Southern Illinois Pride festivities. In the back half of the show, Jonny interviews Dr. Desiree Rowe about her guest artist visit to the SIU, including her presentation of "Wave 01.12.22"--a performance about grief in the wake of CoVid 19 and the persistence of anti-vax practices within the on-going pandemic. Paulette Curkin Pride Resource Center LGBTQIA+ History Month event schedule: https://smrc.siu.edu/lgbtq/programming/Rainbow Space Magic free online conference: https://www.eventbookings.com/b/event/rainbow-space-magic-2025?occurrence=3b31c1

Jonny interviews Billy of Golden Rainbows of Illinois South (GRIS) and Juniper, the coordinator of the Paulette Curkin Pride Resource Center--Southern Illinois University's LGBTQIA+ resource center. They discuss the upcoming events for LGBTQIA+ History Month in October. In the Back half of the show, Jonny talks with nomadic co-host Heather from the RV about disturbing developments for the trans community in the last week. At the time of posting, the calendar of October events is not yet up. Please connect with the Paulette Curkin Pride Resource Center (https://smrc.siu.edu/lgbtq/) or the Isn't it Queer website (https://isntitqueerwdbxsoil.blogspot.com/) for details and dates about October's MANY events!

Jonny and Heather are joined by Rey and Dan who are visiting Carbondale from Central Texas where they listen to the show. They join the team while they are on vacation to dive back into news they have otherwise successfully avoided for a week. Together, the foursome parse the consequences of Charlie Kirk's assassination last week. In the back half of the show they turn to victories, however small, for the LGBTQ+ community in this increasing hotile environment.. 

Jonny and Heather celebrate Heather's birthday by diving into the rights being taken from trans folks, from right to possess firearms to the right to use the bathroom. They also discuss the current threats to Marriage Equality and some of the ludicrous positions for its dismantlement. In the back half of the show, the move to a recounting of successful protests and challenges to the increasingly threatening choices of the current administration. They also offer resources on enhancing queer independent media. 

Jonny and Heather discuss the shooting at Annunciation Catholic School last week and the attemps on the Right to make the tragedy about the "mental illness" of transgender identity. In the back half of the show, in the spirit of Labor Day when the show was recorded, they lean into the impacts the current administration is having on labor in the nation. They also consider the consequences of loss of expertise in the CDC and the sciences in general all while rumors of President Trump's death circulate on the internet.

Jonny and Heather review some of the recent developments in the US's devolution into authoritarianism, with a focus on impacts to LGBTQ+ communities. It's dire af, y'all! In the back half of the show, they examine some queer heroes or "queeroes" stepping up to the plate. Some of them may be anti-queeroes and none of them are pure queer angels (well, almost none), but the battle is real and how we fight and defend ourselves is what matters most. 

Jonny and Heather review some recent stories about the impact of AI on the LGBTQ+ community. While some of that is chatbot horror stories, much of it also shows possibilities for building stronger communities. In that latter vein, in the back half of the show Jonny interviews Jaron Soh, co-creator of Voda, a mental health app for the LGBTQIA+ community. They discuss what Voda provides, how AI ethically assists with that, and how the app came to be. You can find more information about Voda here: https://www.voda.co/

Jonny and Heather adapt to warming conditions and the failure of AC in their ecording studio, bringing an episode made in the virtual space of a Zoom meeting. They assess some particularly aggregious new assaults on trans rights, including the failure to honor the retirement benefits of Air Force members forced into early retirement for being trans. They also weigh in on Pete Buttigieg's mixed messages on trans support and the need for clearer, unambiguous support for trans rights in the resistance. In the back half of the show, they turn to the threats posed to other LGBTQ rights, including a full court press on overturning Marriage Equality and members of the administration's connections to platforms proud of their misogyny, transphobia, and homophobia. Unfortunately, the only real solace in all of this is the infighting and incompetence among the fascists and haters.

Jonny and Heather are back from their different trips. They pick up stories they missed while away and tie a common thread through them of the problem with manipulating data when you don't agree with the findings. While this has been common practice when justifying homophobic and transphobic legislation, it is now increasingly becoming the borader practice of an emerging authoritarian state.