PODCAST · comedy
The Lavender Menace
by Renaissance & Sunny
Two overly online nonbinary lesbian communists of color (with gaylor tendencies) spew their opinions on pop culture and media via a three part comedy variety show: first, a discussion of a listener submitted hot take. Second, analyzing a piece of media we've both consumed together. And third, recommending books/movies/TV/music/etc. to each other. Renaissance is the film stan twitter user, and Sunny is the booktuber. We think we are hilarious and have the correct opinions, and we hope you can agree!Email us at [email protected] for your hot take submissions or business stuff. Follow us on Twitter @TheLavenderPod for live updates of our unhinged ramblings and @thelavendermenacepod on Instagram and Tik Tok for more of our short form content in between episodes. We also have a Letterboxd @thelavenderpod, if you're into that sort of thing. (Of course you are- we're all gay nerds here!!) You can support us at patreon.com/thelavendermenace for bonus episodes, early access, e
Episodes
-
our complicated relationships with Beyoncé & Taylor Swift, eating disorder culture, & living in t€KKKno-KKKapitaliSSt am€riKKKa
A very belated part 2 of our 2025 wrap up episode (LOL) recorded the same day as our most recent episode prior to this one. TLDL: art under capitalism is destroying art, anorexia is the devil and so is technology Thanks for joining us for this episode! Send your hot takes to...
-
abolition feminism, abuse apologism, & best books of 2025
A very belated 2025 wrap up episode (we recorded for over four hours back in December LOL so this is part one....) in which we discuss: Lesbian Feminist Book Club: https://www.instagram.com/lesbianfeministbookclub/ mindfulness meditation and letting ourselves be bored being anti-overconsumption…
more -
reading is CRUCIAL! discussing Caliban & the Witch by Silvia Federici & queer/feminist histories
Are white queers entitled about their history and culture? Can femmes be nonbinary? And other pressing questions that our listeners, patrons, and substack subscribers have submitted to us... (Email us your hot takes at [email protected]!!!) Queer history is so so so important and...
-
Sinners (2025) review + loving the arts & authenticity
This episode includes discussion of: “butch-femme” aesthetic photos, our problem with Pinterest, internet personas and the importance of being earnest (and also genuine!) Also: the importance of female singer-songwriters and how CINEMA IS BACK which might be a recession/fascism indicator... In...
-
Doechii's Alligator Bites Never Heal album review/ranking (CONTROVERSIAL!!!!) + the liberal arts aren't for everyone
This podcast episode brought to you today by lukewarm politics of hair takes re: Bush discourse (not the president) and Kanye/Bianca, a hot take from Sunny about the Doechii album, & Black lesbian film love from Renaissance Send your HOTTEST TAKES to [email protected] ! & Support...
-
Not everyone can be a feminist! (bell hooks shade) + documenting gay life in Michelle Tea's Against Memoir
Thank you to Clair for sending us a hot take about the madonna/whore complex lesbians are subjected to re: feminism. A reminder that you can send us a hot take about anything to [email protected] for us to discuss in a future episode! Contents of this episode include: bell hooks…
more -
We hate AI, ‘futch,’ & Spotify Wrapped
Why generative AI is deeply evil + how cottagecore wlw sapphic aesthetics have done untold damage to the lesbian community + our 2024 music in review. Happy new year! Thanks for joining us for this episode! Send your hot takes to [email protected] and support us on Patreon for...
-
Communism is the only answer!!! + Ranking & reviewing Sabrina Carpenter's Short 'n Sweet
We recorded this episode back in September when Renaissance was visiting St. Louis. Watch the full video recording + support future Sunnaissance adventures by joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheLavenderMenace How do we deal with living under capitalism, white supremacy, and...
-
Kamala lost & it's Democrats' fault. Stop blaming leftists for not voting for a genocidairess
Liberals are coping with Trump's win with racism and cringe, as expected. Almost as expected as Harris's loss...! Genuinely the Democrats have a humiliation kink and are addicted to bag fumbling. Shaming people for not voting for a genocidal maniac meanwhile you're first in line for hell grad...
-
brat review + song ranking (we love gay people & queer history soooo much)
lovely listeners of the lavender menace!!! thank you so much for being so patient and eager for our return. after yet another unintentional multi-month long hiatus, we have sooo much to share with y'all. (+ a reminder to keep emailing us your hot takes to our email inbox @...
-
can straight people say "queer?" stanning Chappell Roan, criticizing Cowboy Carter
table of contents: 1. Good Luck Babe! is so fucking goodddddd 2. is Chappell Roan queer? bi? lesbian?! 3. recommendations to get your Gen X mom (who doesn't read books) to care about feminist and lesbian shit 4. hot take: straight people shouldn't be using certain gay terms 5. pre-Sunnaissance...
-
Lesbian books (sorry, F/F romance novels) suck! But "Kissing Jessica Stein" (2001) is brilliant
Reviewing inane comments under Sunny's video "The Problem With Lesbian Romance" https://youtu.be/AkGbysZRB_w?si=Y9jqARsgJTQp6ZWJ & talking about how Renaissance's interpretation of the 2001 lesbian rom-com Kissing Jessica Stein is the one true understanding of the film. Get bonus episodes & early...
-
Ethics of media piracy, gender essentialism & “male feminists,” Big Swiss by Jen Beagin
Hello listeners! Here is a new episode where we talk about feminism at length… who’s surprised? But before we get into the feminism of it all, we discuss various facets and corners in the world of media piracy and consuming digital content in response to a listener email. We continue to wonder…
more -
2023 movies, music, & books in review: our favorites & flops
It's our year end wrap up episode! Discussing the movies, music, and books consumed in 2023. episode timestamps: Intro 0:00 11:00 movies! Number of films watched compared to previous years, Letterboxd stats/logs, watching each other’s recommendations or watching films together like The Children’s...
-
Misogyny on the left, lesbian dating apps, Barbie (2023) thoughts & review
Post-hiatus episode recorded in the summer for our beloved listeners! In which we discuss a listener-submitted hot-take about misogyny within leftist discourse and the failure of people to effectively address patriarchy or take sexism seriously. Then we hard-shifted to a hot-take about making...
-
Lesbians for a Free Palestine
Uncut livestream recording where we discuss the genocide against Palestinians we are witnessing right now and countering of Zionist propaganda. From student organizing to the non-existence of American democracy, this moment of mass, unprecedented radicalization regarding settler colonialism and...
-
No more male artists!!! 🤬 Who can identify as femme? 🤔 Also contemporary cinema flopping... 🙊
It's time to revisit Olivia Rodrigo, and the potential beef regarding her and other female artists (that we kind of know nothing about.) What we do know is that we fuck with Vampire! And we do not fuck with Morgan Wallen, because truly, who the fuck is he??? Listener submitted hot-takes for this...
-
Speak Now (Gaylor's Version) ranking & review, re-recordings/"Taylor's Version" & building narrative
Shorter episode for y'all!!! Featuring: boygenius concert etiquette hot-take and trying to beat the annoying teenager allegations, and discussing the relevancy and role of "Taylor's Version" album rereleases. Controversial listener submitted opinion: idgaf. Of course, gaylor content re: The (gay)...
-
postmodern gender identities, anti-Zionism/pinkwashing, 90s feminism & 90s girlypop film
In this Sunnaissance IRL (California edition!) episode, we're discussing post-modern gender theory and queer/feminist studies in response to a listener-submitted hot take about the counterrevolutionary nature of contemporary usage of 'nonbinary' identity. We talk about Judith Butler and other...
-
Politics of media consumption & comparing two queer American literature class syllabuses
Happy pride month! The hot takes for this episode feature a very belated discussion on the Matty Healy x Taylor Swift controversy, our response to a listener's questioning of their own identity as a lesbian, and offering advice on reading difficult texts— basically how to read theory!!! We also...
-
Why you're wrong about gaylor, problems with 'sapphic spaces,' & lesbian feminist legacies
Hello Beloved listeners (a little nod to the butchfemme zine you should totally check out the first 2 issues + adorable lesbian merch of belovedzine.com)! Here is a special liminal space episode for you (post-break Taylor break up but before this M*tty H**ly mess)! Our hot-takes this episode are...
-
top/bottom roles in lesbian sex?! beauty standards?? ranking SZA's music, CTRL deluxe & SOS!
Hello listeners! New episode for you! We respond to a hot take about top/bottom distinctions in the lesbian community from an “elder gay” and how it differs from historically rooted high femme/stone butch identities. Ultimately, these labels exist to describe and identify sexual preference and...
-
comphet & lesbian masterdoc, Poker Face TV review, our flop era (not consuming as much media)
Heyyyyyy and welcome to episode 18 of season 4. A few of you listeners sent in some fun and interesting queer discourse related questions, so we get into the social consequences, ramifications, implications etc. of the lesbian masterdoc and its circulation across the internet, especially towards...
-
Seriously unserious, reviewing 'Sort Of' on HBOmax, & Sunnaissance Nation
Welcome to episode 17 of season 4, in which we answer 3 listener submitted hot takes. The first hot take we talk about #StopCopCity and the frustrations that come from liberal and conservative pro-cop rhetoric, the break neck speed of the attention economy, and the goldfish memory of people who…
more -
bad mainstream lesbian representation & bad faith internet discourse
Helloooo lovely listeners of the pod! This is episode 16 of season 4 and even though the episode was recorded over a month ago, like our Marxist foremothers, we are topical as ever. Some shop talk at the top of the episode: 1) RIP to twitter account asunnybooknook (fly high… gone but never...
-
De-centering men, distinctly pansexual, Céline Sciamma + mothers' daughters
hello listeners! first i come to you with news of The Lavender Menace match making service currently live on the Patreon! SINGLES/NON-MONOG ONLY!!! also butches please fill out the form... the numbers are in your favor right now. episode 15 of season 4 was filmed in december 2022 and is a part of...
-
online lesbian drama & discourse: wrapping up our 2022's media input & output
Happy new year and welcome to episode 14 of season 4!!! It's the beginning of 2023, which means that it's time to reminisce on all the movies, books, shows, albums, and LGBT internet drama we discussed and reviewed in the previous year. But first, we answer a listener submitted hot-take from…
more -
forcing people out of the closet, lesbian loneliness, & Jill Gutowitz's essay collection Girls Can Kiss Now
Catching up on some hot take submissions from the past couple months, we discuss the politics of "coming out," especially within the context of online queer fanbases bullying celebrities out of the closet re: Kit Connor (whom we mistakenly call the name of an American Girl Doll in this episode...
-
fatphobia, speculating on people's sexualities, & reviewing yet another shitty teen movie
Welcome to season 4, episode 12, in which we discuss a listener-submitted-hot-take regarding the difficulties of fatphobia and butch identity, leading us into a discussion on current standards of beauty and also butch/femme dynamics (DIRE!) in the lesbian dating scene. Also, link to gf's lesbian...
-
Taylor Swift's Midnights review & song ranking & lyric analysis
Welcome to 11 of season 4, in which we discuss all of our gaylor thoughts on TS10!!! This is a special edition extra long episode for y'all, our live reaction the night of release is available on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheLavenderMenace. Thanks for joining us for this episode, and you…
more -
LAVENDER (haze) SPECIAL EDITION EPISODE: Taylor Swift NOT beating the alleGAYtions
For episode 10 of season 4 of The LAVENDER Menace, we are bringing to you all our gaylor thoughts and reactions to Lavender Haze Gate. Taylor's Instagram Reel explanation, the gay history of the word "lavender," and the constant battle against hetlors. The video recording of this episode is up on...
-
Midnights announcement & gaylor thoughts, discussing our favorite lesbian period dramas The Handmaiden (2016) & Summerland (2020)
TS10 was announced at the VMAs, and this episode was recorded soon after the night of the event. (Sorry it took so long to get out, but it was a beast to edit, since the raw footage was over 3 hours long. Our patrons got early + exclusive video access though, if you want to check out our…
more -
"Non-binary" as a 3rd gender (boo!), butch/femme (yay!), Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) review
Welcome to episode 8 of season 4! We're discussing hot takes about the political nature of non-binary and non-binary lesbian identity, the disrespect y'all have towards butches, and the historical precedent of butch/femme relationships. Then, we review the new A24 movie featuring our long time...
-
celebrity culture, "queer" vs. "lesbian," reviewing + ranking Beyoncé's RENAISSANCE
Who else is thrilled that our co-host Renaissance has had Beyoncé album named after them??? Welcome to episode 7 of season 4, in which we discuss the Taylor Swift private jet CO2 emission discourse, JoJo Siwa saying she doesn't like the word 'lesbian' in an interview, and the dominance of female...
-
Carolina knows what? Sally Rooney-verse, & politics of p0rnography
Hello The Lavender Menace listeners! Finally, here is the long awaited episode where we discuss the Sally Rooney literary universe, after Renaissance finished reading Beautiful World, Where Are You while in St. Louis. This was a major agenda point in this year’s Sunnissance in St. Louis era, of...
-
Gaylor evidence, But I'm A Cheerleader (dir. Jamie Babbit, 1999), high femme blondes
Welcome to episode 5 of season 4! Sunnaissance is still in St. Louis, so catch all our unabridged video content on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/TheLavenderMenace and follow us on social media (@thelavendermenacepodcast basically everywhere) to keep up with our comings and goings. Anyways! On...
-
IRL era! Solidarity vs. privilege, Nordic model vs. communism, Heartstopper vs. First Kill (battle of the Netflix LGBTQ teen adaptations)
Join our Patreon to access exclusive videos & bonus content, especially since we are in the same city right now (for a limited time only, sadly...): https://www.patreon.com/TheLavenderMenace It's finally time for episode 4 of season 4, in which both Renaissance and Sunny are in St. Louis!!! How...
-
Queer identity & liberation, Derry Girls, & universal teenage girlhood experiences in media
Today in episode 3 of season 4, we respond to a listener submitted hot take and talk about class being the primary contradiction and why we are not radical feminists, the usage of the label or word “sapphic,” and the myth of queer solidarity. Then we revisit the lesbophobia vs. biphobia discourse...
-
defending Amber Heard against the insane Johnny Depp fans, shit talking CRUSH (2022), hating & complaining
Get access to 2 bonus mini-episodes a month on our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheLavenderMenace For episode 2 of season 4, we discuss the much publicized Heard/Depp case that many of you have asked us to talk about! But before that conversation, we get to a listener submitted hot take about...
-
Lesbians against Harry Styles, Russian Doll Season 2 review, & matriarchies
Welcome to the season 4 premiere of The Lavender Menace Podcast! It's been a month since our last season, but if you want 2 bonus mini-episodes every month, early access to episodes, and exclusive video content, check out our Patreon https://www.patreon.com/TheLavenderMenace! In this episode, we...
-
introductory communist theory recommendations, more online LGBTQ discourse, & Gaylor Easter eggs: 1 year anniversary & season 3 finale
Happy 1 year anniversary of The Lavender Menace Podcast! We are dedicating our anniversary, season 3 finale, and 2022 Easter episode to answering three listener submitted hot takes, going over all of Taylor Swift’s Easter eggs pointing to her being gay, and reflecting on the media recommendations...
-
movie adaptation controversies (The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Where The Crawdads Sing, & Taylor Swift) + a new favorite movie (Everything Everywhere All At Once)
Welcome to episode 12 of our 3rd season, in which we we discuss Taylor Swift related movie adaptation controversies (The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo + Where The Crawdads Sing) & how much we love the new Asian led, A24 sci-fi/action film Everything Everywhere All At Once! Which is Chris...
-
gaylor swifties of color thoughts on race, gender, & Charli XCX's album CRASH 💥⚡️
episode 11 of season 3: an 80 minute episode from us???? crazy! in responding to a listener submitted hot take from Adin, we discuss our experiences with and how we engage with race/gender/perception and community as gaylor swifties of color, when a lot of the gaylor community seems to be white....
-
Lesbophobia online? Can men direct movies about women? Why is Russian Doll so good?
Get 2 bonus episodes a month, early access, exclusive merch & more by supporting us on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheLavenderMenace Welcome to episode 10 of season 3! Thank you to the listeners who emailed us their hot take submissions, as it allowed us to shit talk that awful Tik Tok song...
-
Ranking our top 10 favorite Taylor Swift songs, rehashing Tik Tok drama, & battling Hetlors with The Archers podcast cohosts Madyson & Katie!!!
Katie and Madyson of The Archers podcast join us to discuss the lovely emails we get from our listeners and talk about the Gaylor internet! Then, we go through our top ten Taylor Swift songs of all time (not set in stone, of course) and all of our queer, personal, literary interpretations of…
more -
Hating on validity politics, corny lesbian short films, & podcast updates!
BONUS EPISODE ON HBO EUPHORIA'S SEASON 2 FINALE UP ON PATREON! https://www.patreon.com/join/TheLavenderMenace Welcome to episode 8 of season 3! Here is a comma separated, hopefully exhaustive list of things we discuss: "tankies," the misuse of the word "nuance," debunking the idea of “state...
-
discussing misandry, white women, & Chinese lesbian representation in "Saving Face" (2004) dir. Alice Wu
The opening question for Season 3 Episode 7: do you say "Sunny and Renaissance" or "Renaissance and Sunny"??? Following our typical three part structure, we discuss a listener submitted hot take, a movie we watched together, and recommend each other media. Our lovely patron Elle (we appreciate…
more -
Marxist feminists vs. internet discourse on sex, Fleabag, & lamenting abysmal media literacy/comprehension levels
Episode 6 of our 3rd season- in which we discuss hot takes about reading theory, fanfiction, the split attraction model, sex work, and tumblr queers. Sunny reads some excerpts from Caliban and the Witch by Sylvia Federici to make some points about Marxist feminism. Renaissance has finally...
-
our advice to LGBTQ high schoolers & very belated review of Adele's latest album, 30
Disclaimer: this episode was recorded back in November of 2021, but we said what we said! We respond to a listener's negative experiences with male entitlement (trigger warning for sexual harassment) as well as their hot take on the Madonna/Whore dynamic in relationship to lesbianism. This...
-
Shawn Mendes is gay, look back on 2021's trials & tribulations, slays & cancellations
Welcome to episode 4 of season 3 of The Lavender Menace podcast! Today we will be recapping our past year of podcasting- the journey we've been on from starting season 1 in April to being in the midst of season 3 now, in January of 2022. But first, we respond to some of our listener submitted hot...
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
Two overly online nonbinary lesbian communists of color (with gaylor tendencies) spew their opinions on pop culture and media via a three part comedy variety show: first, a discussion of a listener submitted hot take. Second, analyzing a piece of media we've both consumed together. And third, recommending books/movies/TV/music/etc. to each other. Renaissance is the film stan twitter user, and Sunny is the booktuber. We think we are hilarious and have the correct opinions, and we hope you can agree!Email us at [email protected] for your hot take submissions or business stuff. Follow us on Twitter @TheLavenderPod for live updates of our unhinged ramblings and @thelavendermenacepod on Instagram and Tik Tok for more of our short form content in between episodes. We also have a Letterboxd @thelavenderpod, if you're into that sort of thing. (Of course you are- we're all gay nerds here!!) You can support us at patreon.com/thelavendermenace for bonus episodes, early access, e
HOSTED BY
Renaissance & Sunny
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Lavender Menace have?
The Lavender Menace currently has 75 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Lavender Menace about?
Two overly online nonbinary lesbian communists of color (with gaylor tendencies) spew their opinions on pop culture and media via a three part comedy variety show: first, a discussion of a listener submitted hot take. Second, analyzing a piece of media we've both consumed together. And third,...
How often does The Lavender Menace release new episodes?
The Lavender Menace has 75 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to The Lavender Menace?
You can listen to The Lavender Menace on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Lavender Menace?
The Lavender Menace is created and hosted by Renaissance & Sunny.
URL copied to clipboard!