Substance Abuse & Addiction

Explicit content warning

07/16/20 • 18 min

Substance abuse and addiction do not discriminate. In fact, in the LGBTQ community, it sometimes feels like we are hit harder with dependency issues than any other community. In this episode, Alex and Phil discuss the stories of Ashley and Vernon, two people who turned to substances to help deal with their queer identities.

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Immigration

While being queer in the United States poses life-threatening risks and dangers for far too many, the U.S. represents a beacon of hope and safety for many living in other countries. In this episode, Alex and Phil discuss the stories of Ilo from Venezuela and Adrian from Jamaica, whose lives were in jeopardy in their home countries simply for being queer. Both Ilo and Adrian were granted asylum with the help of local resources and organizations.

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Race, Aging and Activism: Interview and stories by Don Bell!

When Don Bell came of age as a gay man in college, the United States was engaged in a disastrous war in Vietnam. Were it discovered that he was gay, he would’ve surely been kicked out of school and drafted into the military, a dangerous outcome at a time when Black servicemembers were disproportionately serving - and dying - overseas. We had a chance to hear these and other stories when we filmed Don back in 2017. In this episode Phil and Alex catch up with Don about his parents, the history of Chicago’s famous gay district, the parallels is our country’s social justice movements, and what his own future holds.