Listen to minorities and thank them feat. Ra Ra Rollins
Explicit content warning
08/16/22 • 61 min
2 Listeners
This episode is sponsored by a private donor. Thank you!!!
Content warning for mentions of George Floyd's murder and generally sensitive topics without details.
In this week’s episode, Ra Ra Rollins (he/him) shares why he claims “queer” and “gay” and the difference in meaning for him between the two terms. He ponders if he’s Black first or gay, queer first, especially since not all spaces see him as a whole person with various, complex identities. Learn about how his work can be triggering as a Black therapist and what it means for him to hold space for clients at some of his same intersections. We also discuss how he pushed back in his grad school program because he learned from white professors who talked about white theorists and had white supervisors while seeing white clients. Despite that, he did gain two incredible mentors and friends for life. Ra Ra reclaims his energy by practicing boundaries, which did not come naturally to him, including by shutting down nearly all of his social media. There's also some discussion around rules and how he liberates himself from rules that don’t work or honor him.
🎙️ Connect with Ra Ra to learn more about + support his work:
- Our guest had an online presence at the time of the recording but has since pulled it down to protect his peace.
💻 Sources and resources from this episode:
- Foster and Adoption Laws - Movement Advancement Project
- Overall United States Policy Tally - Movement Advancement Project
- Report: South Has Most LGBTQ Residents In the U.S. - Memphis Flyer
- Absolutely Not! - Are You Paying Me To Be Your Black Friend? w/ Ra Ra Rollins
- Point Foundation - The LGBTQ Scholarship Fund
- Gender Sexuality Info’s scholarship list - Scroll down toward the bottom of the page
Host Charlie Ocean, MSW (they/them), has a background in LGBTQ+ training, community organizing, and technology. Guest episodes feature at least one allyship tip, including tailored questions based on the guests' unique intersecting identities. You can follow Charlie on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Substack. *You will hear Charlie's former name in this episode and previous ones.*
This episode is sponsored by a private donor. Thank you!!!
Content warning for mentions of George Floyd's murder and generally sensitive topics without details.
In this week’s episode, Ra Ra Rollins (he/him) shares why he claims “queer” and “gay” and the difference in meaning for him between the two terms. He ponders if he’s Black first or gay, queer first, especially since not all spaces see him as a whole person with various, complex identities. Learn about how his work can be triggering as a Black therapist and what it means for him to hold space for clients at some of his same intersections. We also discuss how he pushed back in his grad school program because he learned from white professors who talked about white theorists and had white supervisors while seeing white clients. Despite that, he did gain two incredible mentors and friends for life. Ra Ra reclaims his energy by practicing boundaries, which did not come naturally to him, including by shutting down nearly all of his social media. There's also some discussion around rules and how he liberates himself from rules that don’t work or honor him.
🎙️ Connect with Ra Ra to learn more about + support his work:
- Our guest had an online presence at the time of the recording but has since pulled it down to protect his peace.
💻 Sources and resources from this episode:
- Foster and Adoption Laws - Movement Advancement Project
- Overall United States Policy Tally - Movement Advancement Project
- Report: South Has Most LGBTQ Residents In the U.S. - Memphis Flyer
- Absolutely Not! - Are You Paying Me To Be Your Black Friend? w/ Ra Ra Rollins
- Point Foundation - The LGBTQ Scholarship Fund
- Gender Sexuality Info’s scholarship list - Scroll down toward the bottom of the page
Host Charlie Ocean, MSW (they/them), has a background in LGBTQ+ training, community organizing, and technology. Guest episodes feature at least one allyship tip, including tailored questions based on the guests' unique intersecting identities. You can follow Charlie on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Substack. *You will hear Charlie's former name in this episode and previous ones.*
Previous Episode
Don't forget to live a queer, abundant life and laugh feat. Richard Follett
This episode is sponsored by Rebecca Minor, LICSW (she/her). For more information about her parent and caregiver coaching, please visit: https://www.genderspecialist.com/coaching
In this week’s episode, Richard Follett (he/him) shares how each of his intersections has shaped a portion of who he is and that while some of them may seem at odds with each other, that's not the case for him. Learn about how he knew he was gay at the age of four but found himself trying to "pray away the gay" and entered into a heterosexual marriage. We also discuss how the Metropolitan Community Church helped him to "marry" his sexuality and Christianity. Richard recalls several times people assumed he was straight/heterosexual because of myths and misconceptions people have about gay men and how he pushed for equality in his teachings with his students and colleagues throughout his career. There's also some storytelling related to his relationship with Charlie.
💻 Sources and resources from this episode:
- It Gets Better Prof. Richard Follett - YouTube video
- It Gets Better Project
- Metropolitan Community Church (MCC)
- Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles
- National Coming Out Day is October 11th every year and you can find a list of more LGBTQ+ awareness events on Chris Angel’s GSI website
- California Courts - Proposition 8
- Los Angeles Times - When Gavin Newsom issued marriage licenses in San Francisco, his party was furious. Now, it’s a campaign ad
- Britannica - Obergefell v. Hodges
- IMDB - Making Love film
- HRC - What is a lavender ceremony?
Host Charlie Ocean, MSW (they/them), has a background in LGBTQ+ training, community organizing, and technology. Guest episodes feature at least one allyship tip, including tailored questions based on the guests' unique intersecting identities. You can follow Charlie on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Substack. *You will hear Charlie's former name in this episode and previous ones.*
Next Episode
Anger and fury can be turned into action that can create change feat. Jesse Freidin
This episode is sponsored by a private donor. Thank you!!!
Interested in the Corporate Guide to LGBTQ+ Events? Watch the recorded launch party on LinkedIn! You can now buy the guide here.
In this week’s episode, Jesse Freidin (he/him) shares about his former photography projects and how he's surprised himself by working on a new series that hits close to home. The "Are you OK?" series addresses the current wave of anti-trans legislation by interviewing trans and gender nonconforming youth with their families all over the States. Jesse talks us through some of what it takes to work on such a project, including building trust with the local communities, families, and youth themselves. We also get into the steps to maintain his own safety, especially as his work has him road-tripping all over. We discuss how concepts like "being an adult" and age overall may be different for trans folks. Learn about how he decides what kind of life he wants for himself outside of the noise of any narratives our society can place upon us, including the boundaries he maintains. Jesse reflects on what the series would have meant for him as a young person and marvels at the access trans youth have to each other present day.
🎙️ Connect with Jesse to learn more about + support his work:
- Jesse Freidin’s website
- Are You OK? | Series website; please financially support the project if you have the means
- When Dogs Heal and Finding Shelter series websites
- Facebook page
💻 Sources and resources from this episode:
- Nondiscrimination Laws - Housing | Movement Advancement Project
- Will LGBTQ+ Retirees End Up Back In The Closet? | Forbes
- LGBTQ+ seniors fear having to go back in closet for the care they need | The 19th*
- LGBTQ+ Aging stats and resources | SAGE USA
- National Honor an LGBTQ+ Elder Resource Guide | You can see other LGBTQ+ awareness and related event dates here; National Honor Our LGBT Elders Day is May 16th yearly
- PFLAG’s glossary
- Lambda Legal’s Help Desk
- Housing Discrimination and Persons Identifying as LGBTQ | HUD’s interpretation of the Fair Housing Act
- LGBTQ Retirement Communities and Cities in the US | Host Charlie also recommends Palm Springs, California
- LGBTQ+ Social Support and Mentorship | Charlie’s list of mentoring opportunities
🧳 Traveling while LGBTQ? Some bonus resources from Charlie:
- Everywhere is Queer | A map of LGBTQ+ owned businesses
- Refuge Restrooms | Map of safe restroom access for transgender, intersex, and gender nonconforming individuals
- Yelp also allows you to access LGBTQ+-owned businesses and shows if a place has a gender-neutral restroom
Host Charlie Ocean, MSW (they/them), has a background in LGBTQ+ training, community organizing, and technology. Guest episodes feature at least one allyship tip, including tailored questions based on the guests' unique intersecting identities. You can follow Charlie on Instagram, LinkedIn, and
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