Jackie & Bridget Talk Politics

09/06/22 • 49 min

Today, we analyze the political landscape around LGBTQ rights, the latest rollback from the Supreme Court on abortion rights, and the clear intention of the Republican party to have control over people's bodies and turn the clock back on civil rights.

Far from falling into the blue or red dichotomy's rabbit hole, today's episode intends to invite you to pay attention to where democracy is heading and to look at the incipient growth of authoritarian tendencies, with groups in power making decisions about the lives of transgender folks, cis women, people of color, immigrants, and virtually every minority.

Jackie shares alarming statistics about people's beliefs, from people who firmly believe the country is run by a satanic cult to others who are convinced that patriots might have to resort to violence to "restore the country's order."

We also analyze how politicians use economic anxiety and the bitterness of those who feel they're missing a slice of the American dream to inflame xenophobic acts, violence, and hate against queer communities.

In addition, Jackie makes a call to action and explains the many ways you can get involved with, assist, and do something to support human rights, even if you live in a blue state or city.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

About the Republican Party's clear intention of legislating over people's bodies (7:06)
Some of the most absurd and scary beliefs people now hold (15:39)
The need for organizing, knocking on doors, and making phone calls to legislators (18:57)
How politicians use people's economic anxieties and fears to manipulate them (22:31)
About the alarming tendency to undo democracy (37:57)
Jackie reminds us of the need to remain politically active and involved (41:57)

Resources Mentioned:

United States map showing connections between abortion rights, trans rights, and percentage of residents with a master’s degree

Relevant Past Episodes:

Connect with Jackie and Bridget:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In addition, Jackie makes a call to action and explains the many ways you can get involved with, assist, and do something to support human rights, even if you live in a blue state or city.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

About the Republican Party's clear intention of legislating over people's bodies (7:06)
Some of the most absurd and scary beliefs people now hold (15:39)
The need for organizing, knocking on doors, and making phone calls to legislators (18:57)
How politicians use people's economic anxieties and fears to manipulate them (22:31)
About the alarming tendency to undo democracy (37:57)
Jackie reminds us of the need to remain politically active and involved (41:57)

Resources Mentioned:

United States map showing connections between abortion rights, trans rights, and percentage of residents with a master’s degree

Relevant Past Episodes:

Connect with Jackie and Bridget:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

Meet Toniii. The Icon. The Legend.

We’re so excited to have Toniii join us on today's episode. We discuss labels, gender-bending self-expression, drag, media representation, the need for role models in the LGBTQ+ community (especially black and brown queer folks), overcoming difficult circumstances, and improving outcomes for foster youth by providing access to diverse experiences.

Toniii is the host of the Tea Time with Toniii podcast, where he discusses a lively variety of popular and current topics, including reviews of RuPaul's Drag Race. Toniii recently earned his bachelor's degree in Recreation and Tourism Management from California State University, Northridge, which is where he met Bridget when he was a student in her speech class. As you’ll hear, Toniii has dedicated a great deal of time and energy to volunteer work and being of service helping others who also grew up in underserved communities and are members of marginalized groups.

Throughout our conversation, Toniii openly shares his background with us, which includes being born into the foster care system. He also conveys his strong desire to support and be a role model for fellow members of the LGBTQ+ community and foster youth. We talk about how Toniii doesn’t fit neatly into the labels for gender expression and how cisgender people sometimes struggle with understanding the individuality of gender expression.

Toniii tells us about his unique podcast, we establish a clear distinction between being and striving to be an ally, and we highlight the importance of increasing the visibility of role models in the LGBTQ+ community to inspire and guide younger generations.

Some Questions We Ask:

Tell us about you. Who are you, and what do we need to know about you? (4:02)

Could you talk about your experiences as a camp counselor for foster kids? (9:45)

What would you say to people who ask: "What are you? How do you define yourself"? (20:42)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

The importance of solidarity and empathy for other people's needs (7:02)

The importance of role models and inspiring stories for kids in the foster care system (14:15)

Toniii shares his thoughts on labels and talks about his gender-bending dressing style (18:39)

Toniii describes his feelings about the behavioral boxes cisgender people put LGBTQ+ community members into (23:38)

What it means to be an ally (33:27)

Connect with Toniii

Tea Time with Toniii podcast

Connect with Jackie and Bridget:

Transgender Support: Becoming a True Ally Video Course on Vimeo

Transgender School Patreon Membership with all exclusive content

Transgender School on Medium

Instagram

Website

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

Do We Cancel Transphobes?

While it’s popular in some circles to suggest that LGBTQ+ activists are “canceling” people for transphobic or homophobic comments and that being canceled can ruin someone's career, we have plenty of evidence to the contrary.

Jackie's grandfather, Bill, hosts today's show with us and brings a very interesting view on cancel culture. He invites us to reflect on what is hidden behind the idea of being canceled and its real-world consequences.

We go through several examples of blatantly transphobic public figures who faced criticism and seem to expect sympathy for supposedly being canceled as a result of their harmful, cruel remarks about the transgender community. Exploring the controversies surrounding people such as Brittany Aldean, J.K. Rowling, Dave Chapelle, or Ricky Gervais, raises the question: were they really canceled?

We also analyze social media's role in spreading misinformation and exacerbating hate speech, and we take an honest look at ourselves to think about the content we decide to consume or support. We’d like to debunk myths about what actually prevents people from being considered allies, and bring a deeper awareness to the true consequences of our words and actions.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

Bill's unique view on cancel culture and its effects (3:04)
Do canceled people get anything canceled at all? (6:44)
How semantics can totally distort the meaning of people's actions (8:04)
The role of social media algorithms in defining what is allowed to be on our timeline and what isn't (12:30)
Where and how we draw the line on the type of content we consume or decide to stop consuming (30:13)
How being canceled can actually be really good for business (41:35)

Connect with Jackie and Bridget:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.