Queer Voices
Queer Voices
November 5th - Ramsey Pack of A BEAUTIFUL NOISE, Linda Gibbs and MENOPAUSE, and Thanksgiving Table Politics
In this episode, we talk about Neil Diamond, hot flashes, and turkey! Up first, Brett Cullum talks with Ramsey Pack, who is playing THE NOISE in the Neil Diamond musical A BEAUTIFUL NOISE. Ramsey is non-binary, and they discuss the show and their gender identity. Then Deborah Moncrief Bell takes on MENOPAUSE with guest Linda Gibbs. Finally, Brett and author R Lee Ingalls talk KPFT, politics, and holidays for LGBTQIA+ folks
Queer Voices airs in Houston Texas on 90.1FM KPFT and is heard as a podcast here. Queer Voices hopes to entertain as well as illuminate LGBTQ issues in Houston and beyond. Check out our socials at:
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SPEAKER_04:You are listening to Queer Voices and LGBTQIA Plus program on KPFT 90.1 FM in Houston, as well as a podcast. I'm Brett Cullum. We've been here for over five decades, and we are so glad you are with us. This show has three segments. First up, I get to talk with Ramsey Peck. They are here for the tour with a beautiful noise that runs at the Hobby Center through November 9th. Now, this is a Neil Diamond kind of greatest hits jukebox musical, and Ramsey, who identifies as non-binary, gets to play The Noise. Second up, we have Deborah Moncrief Bell speaking with Linda Gibbs about the change, or rather menopause. This is in conjunction with World Menipause Day, which is being celebrated locally in Houston with a film screening. Finally, author R. Lee Ingalls, spoiler alert, also my husband, joins me to talk about KPFT, how you can help, the holidays, and how to be a political activist, all without ever leaving your Thanksgiving table. Queer Voices starts now.
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SPEAKER_04:Hi there, I am Brett Cullum, and I am here with Ramsey Pack coming to Houston to uh be part of the tour, Beautiful Noise, which is running November 2nd through the 9th. It's part of the Broadway at the Hobby Center series. And of course, Beautiful Noise, it's a musical about the life of Neil Diamond. It was created in collaboration with Neil himself. And of course, all of those hit songs, Sweet Caroline, America, Cracklin' Rosie, all of these things going on. But Ramsey Pack, welcome. Thank you so much, Brett, for having me. It's so lovely to be here. Yeah, no, it's great to have you. Now, first up, tell me about the show. I mean, obviously, it's a Neil Diamond biography, jukebox musical type thing. Yes, all of the above.
SPEAKER_05:And it's this really beautiful experience to Neil Diamond's life, where prior to this piece, interesting enough, Neil Diamond, we really haven't had much of his material. Like he doesn't have a book or like a movie out, or didn't at the time that the musical was created. So it's like this really beautiful experience to see into Neil Diamond's world, how he created the music and his like upbringing in the music industry as well as his personal life.
SPEAKER_04:Well, I I really don't know that much about Neil Diamond personally. I mean, I I did some digging on the Wikipedias and things like that, but it's interesting. I'll be very excited to see the show because I, you know, I stole Neil Diamond albums from my parents and listen to it all the time. And I just kind of always thought of him as like Jewish Elvis or something. I don't know.
SPEAKER_06:But uh there you go.
SPEAKER_05:And you play you play there's a line in the show that's actually it touches on that. That's so beautiful. Oh funny. No, you play a character called the noise. What is the noise? Yes, that is correct. So the noise is this abstract representation of what's going on in Neil Diamond's mind. And what's wonderful is that we, as the noise, we bring to life his psyche in a way. So we get to see the inner workings of Neil Diamond actively as he's going through his journey of becoming Neil Diamond. Oh wow. This sounds very conceptual.
SPEAKER_04:So I'm gonna be very interested to see how this uh works out. Now, this is your first like national equity tour. So, how has it been being on tour? Because this is your first tour or just your first equity tour?
SPEAKER_05:Both. So it's my first tour and equity tour as well, equity national tour. And it's been such a wonderful like learning experience in that we're constantly going to these different theaters. So you really get to experience like how a sound check goes in a theater that may have been built, let's say like in the 1950s, versus one that's like very new and modern and and has all these different amenities. So it's been really cool because it's helped me like as we've been journeying to like not only sharpen my skills as a performer, but connect with all of these different audiences, other than you know, the audiences that we're exposed to, or that rather I have been exposed to in New York or in like the tri-state area. Are you from New York? Where do you live? Yes, I am from New York. I'm from Long Island, New York, born and raised in Gordon Heights, and so very familiar with like the city as well. My like upbringing was like spent between like both Long Island as well as the city and ha and Brooklyn. And it always happens when you're that close. Yeah, like it just expands, you know, it's just like natural. Yes, it does. So were you a Neil Diamond fan before this? Were you aware of Neil Diamond? I was very aware of Neil Diamond unknowingly. I feel like, and I've heard this from audience members as well, where like they have heard, or rather, they hear the music in the show and then afterwards are like, Wait, that's a Neil Diamond song, but they're familiar with the music. And so that was very it was my experience. Very like much often would listen to my grandmother just like playing records often. She would just like play them like just throughout the house. And Neil Diamond was like one of the artists that she would play that I wasn't aware of until starting this contract, and was like, snap. I remember hearing this real cool. That was really cool. That's amazing. So, do you have like a favorite song in the show? I would say probably play me is my favorite song in the show. It's such a lovely piece. I feel like it's probably not the the hot pick, but it's just so the instrumentation is so lovely. It's just this very like assoony type of song, and our background vocals are like perfect, perfect addition to the moment as well. Wow.
SPEAKER_04:Well, I'll be excited to hear it. That's definitely that's a deep dive. That's a deep cut. That'll be interesting. Okay, so what has your favorite role been so far? I know you've been doing theater for a while and I've read a little bit of your biography, but do you have a favorite role other than being the noise behind Neil Diamond?
SPEAKER_05:I would say my favorite role thus far, probably Papa Gay and Once on This Island. I feel like that was like one of the most fun roles that I've played to get to play the villain and to do something that's more outside of my wheelhouse and outside of my comfort zone was like so awesome. Anytime you get to be the villain, it's amazing. I'm sorry, but it's like, come on. They're written well. It's like so much to dive into, bring to life. And it's like, yeah, it was awesome. It was so much fun.
SPEAKER_04:Now you were a graduate of Carnegie Mellon, right? So you went there for drama. How did you get into acting?
SPEAKER_05:Was it something that you did all your life, or well, it in a way, I feel found me. I have been performing since I was little, and I was like raised up singing in churches, and I remember singing in chorus one day, and my my chorus teacher in junior high was like, Hey Ramsey, have you ever thought about trying out for the musical in the high school? I'm gonna be like music directing. I think you should try. And I was like, hey, you know what? I'm gonna try. And so in high school, in the in the ninth grade, it was, I had auditioned for the musical at that time, and it was it was like kizmit. I really at that moment knew it was my calling. It was so clear.
SPEAKER_04:It's wild when you when you realize that, you're like, what? This is what I was.
SPEAKER_05:Seriously. I was like, what? Yeah, did not expect that at all.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah. Well, another thing that you kind of realized about yourself, you identify as non-binary. Tell me about how that came about, how you express it.
SPEAKER_05:And that was also interesting enough, a part of this this like inner excavation that was happening during college as an artist. It's natural because we imbue so much of our personal lives into the work that we do that like over time I had to interrogate my identity and had to really sit with myself. And I noticed that as I did so, it produced better work. And so, yeah, that was like the catalyst for just like really questioning myself and really sitting in the mirror and asking myself, well, how do I identify? Like, and now that I'm outside of home and I'm in this different environment where I get to shape my identity and have more volition in doing so, what is that identity? How can I show up in a way that's more truthful? And that's what happened. So yeah, are your parents pretty supportive about it? Or very much so. Like my mom is so loving and so understanding and has exercised that a dad has been really supportive. And I remember when I told him he was very like, why didn't she just tell me? Like it was just uh it was just uh not the response that I thought he would have at the time. So surprisingly, they've been really supportive. And of course, there are other different generations, so they don't quite have the language or the full understanding of my experience, but nonetheless, they still try to, you know, and that's all you can ask for.
SPEAKER_04:Absolutely. But it is a it's a wild world out there right now. I mean, I feel like there's a big challenge of coming out as transgene. I prefer they than pronouns because right now it's like there's this swing that just is just a bit harder.
SPEAKER_05:Of us trans folks, yeah, it's we're being targeted actively, and you know, it's it's much harder to just find a sense of peace and just being, you know, that that simple. Yeah. I have a lot of hope. And you know, as I like pay attention to just like our our trans sisters and our folks out there and our allies, just really actively resisting and supporting and just like building a network of love, it helps. It it helps to provide more hope.
SPEAKER_04:I think it's just really important. Anybody that identifies as trans right now, I mean, absolutely, to be lifted up and to have a lot of hope because I I think it'll swing the other way. I I pray and I hope that that's the outcome of all of us. But definitely I feel that and of course you're gonna bring a lot of hope to Houston by bringing in Neil Diamond music. So there you are. Yeah. Have you ever been to Houston before? I have not. This will be my first time. Okay. We have really good Tex-Mex food. That's the number one thing, probably. And of course, barbecue. But uh, Houston is a very surprisingly liberal oasis in Texas. We are always blue, we always vote blue, and so there's a lot of embracing. And so it's it's a great, it's a great place to be if you're gonna be in Texas for sure. We're excited to have you at the Hobby Center. Yeah, it starts on November 2nd through the 9th, and it's kind of a short run. It's like a week. Is that usually like what your stops are like?
SPEAKER_05:Just a week here, a week there. For the most part, it has been just like a week stop where we come in or we'll have a travel day on Monday, we'll do a show the next day on Tuesday until Sunday. And then Saturday and Sunday we'll have two show days each of those days. For the most part, it's been one week stops. We'll have at most like a three-week stop we had in San Francisco, for instance.
SPEAKER_04:San Francisco, big musical town. I'm sure they would be listening eating this up every night. Yeah. Well, we're excited to see it. It's it's one of those. I've never seen it. I mean, I've I've been reviewing theater for like 10 years or something like that, and I've never seen a beautiful noise. So I'm excited to see it and see you bring this to life and bring all of your artistic and and your identity onto the stage as the noise, which I'm I'm gonna have to like get back to you about what I think about that because I I still have no idea what this the noise is, but I'm excited to see it.
SPEAKER_05:I'm so excited and looking forward to your take on it. And like I like, I'm so looking forward to getting to be in Houston and getting to see the lovely folks that may be listening to this. Yeah, so feel free to give us a shout out at the stage door or reach out on Instagram. My Instagram handle is RamseyPack, that's at RamseyPack, that's R-A-N-S-E-Y-P-A-C-K. Feel free to reach out.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, I noticed that you're pack, like a pack, like you're packing. Yeah. So Ramsey. So it's it's pretty easy. And you've got a pretty good Instagram account there. So definitely worth a follow. But thank you so much. Thank you. I will see you well, this week, I guess. So there you go. See you soon.
SPEAKER_05:Thank you so much again, Brad. Alrighty, take care.
SPEAKER_01:This is Deborah Monkey's Bell, and guess what's coming up? World menopause day. Now, don't change the station because this is something everyone needs to learn about. Because whether you're identifying as female or whatever your history is, there are people in your life that are going through what is called the change. And World Menopause Day, I would say celebrated on November 18th. And we have with us to talk more about that, Linda Gibbs. Linda is what is your title over there at Gibbs Media?
SPEAKER_00:I am the founder, producer, director, CEO, all of the above, educator, all of the above. She has all the hats. All the hats.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. And the way that we're going to recognize World Menopause Day in Houston is with a film screening and an expert panel doing a QA. Now, Linda, tell me about this uh film, which is actually a documentary series, The Change, Unleasing the Wild Woman. How did this project come about?
SPEAKER_00:Yes. Well, first I want to thank you very much for having me on. I'm totally grateful for the opportunity to share this information because I feel it's very needed. And a huge thanks to the Health Museum of Houston for providing their venue on November 10th and that International Menopause Society who founded World Menopause Day in 2009. We couldn't be more thankful for the efforts of those before us who raised awareness about menopause to improve the experiences of women, you know, and I just have to thank the people who did that. So this year, you know, I decided that I wanted to do something very special on this day. And since October 18th was not available, we decided on November 16th would be the day that we would have our first screening of our promotional film for our docuseries that I've been working on, it seems like forever. But, you know, it was so important that I do this on to celebrate this on this day and have as many women as I can get to attend to see this first screening. The change, Unleashing the Wild Woman, is a series and it will shift this narrative by offering answers and solutions that millions of women are already to receive. I mean, so many women are so not knowing what's going on with them, their hormone hormones. And so what I want to do is educate them. I have been an educator for a very long time, and now I feel that the women of the world is my student. And I need to educate them about what's going on with their menopausal experience, starting with perimenopause to postmenopause. And so this film actually talks about all of the alternative options that they can have to look at during these stages and to provide them with options, some treatment options, holistic treatment options that, you know, they're not getting that information from their health professional. And so I feel this was a void that needed to be filled. You know, I've I am so inclined to do it. And I've been working on this for the last 15 years.
SPEAKER_01:So uh the actual date of World Medical Pause Day is October 18th.
SPEAKER_00:It's October 18th, and we're celebrating it on November 16th at the Health Museum, Houston, and they have a McGovern theater there that is beautiful, and I just knew that that was the space I wanted to show the film, the first screening. And it just worked out so wonderfully. I met with them, they saw the vision, they said yes, and we're collaborating, and it's a wonderful thing.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, menopause is something that uh you kind of don't know anything about until suddenly it it's happening to you. And they they didn't tell us all that paramenopause stuff. That's when people talk about menopause, most of the time they're actually talking about the paramenopause, and that's the period leading up to actual menopause, which is a full year of the absence of men's. And I know a couple of women that got in trouble because they thought they were done and hello, hello, here's a pregnancy. And of course, the use of hormones is used for many people for many different reasons. Uh uh some people have endocrological issues. It is something that you can use to navigate menopause. I don't like to say cures or treatment so much, but for a while I did lesbian health at the Montreux Center, and my task was mainly to talk about breast cancer, and certainly hormones play a part in that. Be uh for for women to be aware of what they need to do in order to uh check themselves and to get mammograms and all that, so that if there is breast cancer, it's detected early. And there is a small uh risk factor for lesbians, mainly uh based on most of them do not have children. Actually, having children puts you in a little bit better place, I guess because you used your hormones, I don't know, concerning breast cancer. But but what we found as we were talking about the issue of breast cancer, and the two biggest risk factors for that are being female and aging. And so we we were talking about that age group, and then suddenly these issues around menopause came in. And what what I found, I mean, I I had a hysterectomy, so I used uh hormones for a period. I I kept my ovaries, which was the conventional wisdom at the time. And so I actually did go through a mini a natural menopause in that way. The boy, our listeners are like, what is she going on about? My goodness. But it's important because it every person is different. And of course, we have trans men who may still have their uh reproductive system intact. Uh, we have trans women that take hormones, and so all of these things can be at play. And men actually also go through a menopause, but it's a little bit different, and it's not as I I would say, I think it's what happens when they talk about a man having a midlife crisis, but men also have monthly, it's more like six, six-week cycles. And so if they're aware of that and they pay attention to that, it can help them in navigating their life because you you you can understand what's going on. And the same thing with menopause. Let me ask you, what was the most interesting thing you have found out since you started this journey?
SPEAKER_00:Well, what's happening is women are starting to get symptoms a lot sooner than we initially thought. Girls are starting their periods a lot earlier than we initially thought. And so women are being caught off guard by these menopausal symptoms that start, the perimenopausal symptoms that started, that should be starting in your 30s, late, early 40s. Now it's starting in mid 80s. And and women, it's just interesting to me that women are not educated or don't know how to articulate what's happening to them. And so it to me, that's where the void was that we need to educate women starting as early as possible so they'll know what the symptoms are, and then know how to, you know, go be aware of what they are, and then be able to go to their healthcare provider and say, look, I'm having these symptoms. I don't know why I am having these symptoms. And usually it's something that if they knew, they can articulate it. So that's the most interesting thing is that certain things are happening sooner. Women are being caught off guard by these symptoms. And so what I want to do is educate women about what the symptoms are, what the stages are, and let them know that there's help for them. They do not have to suffer in silence. And I think that's where, you know, a lot of women are just not knowing that they don't have to live and suffer. So this whole film is about preparing women for perimenopause through post-menopause. Well, perimenopause, really, and and what to do during menopause and what to do during post. And to me, that that was that's very important.
SPEAKER_01:I think peramenopause is somewhat like PMS. So anyone who's ever experienced that, you might feel more emotional, you might be very tired. There's just things that go on during the those times, but we are still fully capable and competent human beings, adult humans. And if you are equipped, then you're prepared to address the issues that may come up for you. And there is so much more awareness now. There's yes, uh, there's a delightful show that I watched on the Acorn streaming service called The Change. And it's about this woman who's who's going through menopause. And it's it's a very quirky little show. It was it was really cute the way they did it and and and talking about it. There's also a book called the uh menopause manifesto, and I know uh several women who are of that age to to to be experiencing perimenopause, and that book has been recommended. What we're talking about is the change, the experience that people have of their transition from having a reproductive system that is set up to welcome a pregnancy to that being over with and the changes that can go on in the body and what to do about it. Now, there was this delightful book I had called Off the Rag, and it was specifically about lesbians and the change. And what was so fascinating was, like I said, it can be so different for different women. Some women had been, let's say, very butch identified and suddenly they became rather feminine. There were people that were not all that interested in sex, but then after when they went through the peramenopause, suddenly they became much more hyperactive with in that regard. There were people who could use teas and herbs and different things like that that they did just fine. The the dreaded hot flashes, which is, as we know, a misnomer because it can be a sudden intense heat that can go all the way up your body and it can last from minutes to hours. So we also learned that trick of um you're in bed and you feel hot, and so you put like one side of your body kind of hanging out.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, it's called night sweats. Night sweats, yes.
SPEAKER_01:And I know some people that just really that was the worst thing for them was that experience of the hot flashes. But a lot of women, I mean, they notice it, they notice these changes, but it's not that big of an impact on their lives. And I think knowing some of the ways, I I guess that's what you're trying to do when you uh say, oh, this is going on, how can I take care of it so that I'm not uncomfortable or in pain or that I have to be concerned about? So in addition to your film, The Change, Unleashing the Wild Woman, which for the first time will be shown on November 16th at the Health Science Museum. Is it called Health Science or just Health Museum?
SPEAKER_00:Health Museum, the Health Museum of Houston.
SPEAKER_01:And so you have this panel of experts, and how did you find them? And what what can you tell me about them?
SPEAKER_00:So the integrative medicine docs are gynecologists that have gone to take extra classes to understand more of the holistic side of treating women rather than just going through and giving people uh medication treatment. So I initially found one of the docs and went to her and And told her that I needed to talk to her about what my vision was, which was to try to do a docuseries that actually explained to women other alternatives about menopause than what they were receiving from their doctors, from their gone, their general gynecologist. Because, and she said, yes, I will definitely want to do this with you. And so her treatment option is bioidentical hormones, which gives women hormones that they're deficient in. And that to me is something that all women who are about or who are about to go into perimenopause or in perimenopause, they need to know where their hormone levels are. And these women, these docs, that's they're treating the whole woman. And through by doing that, they're giving them hormones that they're deficient in. A lot of women are walking around here with zero testosterone, zero estrogen, zero progesterone. And that is what causes the all the symptoms that they're experiencing. They're deficient in estrogen. And so these integrative medicine docs have been pioneers as far as giving women hormones that they're deficient in. And a lot of the other regular gynecologists, they don't, they don't believe in replacing women's hormones. And so that was the difference. I, because I was curious, I started replacing my hormones. I could not be an advocate for replacing hormones, our bioidentical hormones, and not receive it myself. So I started doing it. And my God, what a difference it made in my life. Right? My libido went up, more energy, mental clarity, so many things that I was like, oh my God, nobody told me about this. So I think the women, well, I know the women that are on this panel all believe in how do we make women feel the best that we can? And how do we do this? And they have all kinds of holistic treatment options to do that, one of which is bioidentical hormones, is a big thing. But of course, it's not just hormones. It's it's how you know women are eating, their diet. We have a functional medicine nutritionist who, you know, who believes the food is medicine. So we have two integrative medicine gynecologists, tops in their field. They're going to be there answering questions on why women have been kind of deprived of hormone knowledge. And then this nutritionist, because what women need to know is they need to know that they need to eat right, they need to exercise in order for them to feel better. Diet is a big thing for us. If you've noticed, a lot of women are having issues with weight. And it's because of diet, and they're not exercising and they're not sleeping. So we are wanting to help people with sleep. What do we need to do to help you get a good night's sleep? Progesterone may be something that you're lacking. So, you know, I wanted to get a group of women together that can clear up all of the confusion. I'm a filmmaker. Give me the content and I will put it out there. But I want to put content out there that is factual, that women can understand and use, and it will make a difference in their lives. And these women that I've invited for this event will help clear up a lot of the confusion that traditional gynecologists have placed us in. And then this film just kind of lays the groundwork on what you need to be doing now. And I've interviewed several inter um, well, one integrative medicine doc. I've in I've talked to five other experts in their fields. And then I met with women in each stage of menopause and have them give me their story on what they're experiencing in their perimenopausal experience, their menopause experience, and their postmenopausal experience. And I have this on film, and it's amazing how we've been able to intertwine these stories from experts to women in all these different uh stages, come together, talk about it, and I just feel like it's a wonderful resource for women. It's just a wonderful resource. So I really hope women can come, learn, invite your friends and just be there because I I think it's it's going to be so educational.
SPEAKER_01:I think part of it is one, lesbians do not tend to necessarily get the same gynaecological help that other women do because they don't go in for pap smears because they're not having sex with a man. Uh, believe me, you still need to do that. I would say at least once every three years. I know they say every year, and the reason they say that is because you go, oh, well, I don't really have to do it every year. I'll I'll wait till next year. And then next year comes and you say the same thing. And next thing you know, it's been five years. It's important. And also because so much for so long, doctors and other people kind of like when we had our mencies, it would be like it's all in your head, and you're like, No, I'm having extreme pain. No, I'm having migraines, no, you know, you it's it's like you just feel like you're uh screaming into the abyss because it wasn't even studied for a long time. And I think that's one reason there's much more of an awareness now. There's this fun woman on Facebook, and she has what she calls we do not care. And this is for women that are uh uh uh paramenopause, menopause, or postmenopause, and it's just like suddenly life's perspective changes because there's just things you're just you don't care about because you you you know you're concerned with uh other things and uh it's really fun. And then like there's been some other forms of awareness. I just like uh when we bring things out of the closet, if we talk about it, it helps remove the stigma, it encourages other people to share their stories, and a lot of times what we do, and this has certainly been true in family traditions, because I had a bunch of sisters as well as my mom. And so I could learn through them, through their experience, because you did talk about it in that environment. Your moms and your sisters and your aunties may not be the people with the most knowledge or the most up-to-date knowledge. And so through through science and and doctors, uh researchers studying women telling their stories. There's been this it's like suddenly this is something that we are talking about and and realizing that we need to be informed about. Like I say, if not for yourself, there's someone you know and you can help them through it. So we've we've been talking with Linda Gibbs, the founder of the Gibbs Media Group, where she wears a whole bunch of hats. And she is a uh former vice president and current member of Women in Film and Television in Houston, and she has executive produced and directed the Life Through Art documentary series and is currently producing The Change, Unleasing the Wild Woman, a project focused on holistic approaches to women's health and menopause awareness. Now, once again, Linda, where, when, and how do people find out more information about the screening of the film?
SPEAKER_00:It will be held at the Health Museum of Houston November 16th, which is on is on a Sunday from 2 to 4. And um you have to register for the event. Uh, just go to the Houston Museum uh website and register for the event. It's$10,$5 for members and$15 for uh non-members. For the price, I think it's a wealth of knowledge. I think so many, you could learn so much from the two hours that we have allocated for this event. Um, I am just elated that I'm having this wonderful opportunity to share my work and to also have such wonderful experts available to answer questions from the audience. And it's it's gonna be an amazing event. I'm just totally, totally excited.
SPEAKER_01:Well, whatever changes anyone is going through in their life, there's a way to deal with it. And a film like this is one way that we know about what's going on. And so I appreciate you being with us on Queer Voices, Linda Gibbs, and I'm Deborah Moncrief Belly.
SPEAKER_04:Hi there. This is Brett and Lee, and we are going to talk a little bit about some different things, but I wanted to remind you that right now we are fundraising for KPFT. It is part of our pledge drive. So I wanted you, if you like Queer Voices, if you listen to KPFT like I do, go to KPFT.org and hit donate. It's on the upper right-hand side, right at that front page. And then when you specify the show that you're donating for, please just scroll down and hit queer voices. That is one of the drop-down boxes. And you can choose us as the person that made you come and donate. And I think it's so important to donate to basically, this is listener-funded radio. It's not even public radio. I mean, KPFT is not supported by any federal funds, no state funds, no city funds. You are not paying for the station with your tax dollars. This is listener-funded. Nobody on the air that you are hearing today is getting paid. Your donations go 100% to running the station. And believe it or not, this station was founded about 55 years ago by media professionals who recognized the need for a voice that was not corporate-sponsored, beholden to advertisers, some kind of political agenda, or subject to conformity. There were two men that founded KPFT, Larry Lee from the Associated Press and Don Gardner from the Houston Post were the founders. They went on the air March 1st, 1970. And pretty much from the start, queer voices was there. Lee, what do you feel about listener-funded radio? Do you think it's important?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, absolutely. I mean, more now than ever, or or certainly that in most recent years, it's important to have our voices out there and have them genuine and authentic and not being influenced by outside entities, whether it's a corporation or or other people, et cetera. So yeah, if we can continue to ke the personal funding, keep us on the air, you're going to be able to hear genuine voices of our community.
SPEAKER_04:What do you think about media? I know that sometimes you kind of are not as trusting of media as as I am, but I've worked in mainstream media and I wanted to get your opinion on it.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, no, uh, well, so the media has changed over the years. So I do believe that a lot of what we see today is more entertainment focused rather than just giving us the facts and the information that we're looking for. So in a show like Wear Voices, we don't really have that. We are able to express our opinions, give the news as we know it, or information about what's happening in our community without all the added other stuff. So you get it, you just get the raw data.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, no, we don't have an agenda. When I covered the crosswalks, I talked to Jack Velensky, who used to be a host on Queer Voices, and I'm going to bring him into the show every chance that I get. On our segment, we were one of the only media outlets that actually mention those rainbow crosswalks were actually a memorial for a young man who passed away, Michael Alex Hill. He was 21 years old, killed in 2016 by a hit and run driver. And those rainbow crosswalks were for him. That was his memorial. And so when they painted over that with Metro and the mayor, that that was erasing his memorial, Michael Alex Hill's memorial. But I didn't see that mentioned on ABC 13 or Channel 11 or any of these other places that are media outlets.
SPEAKER_02:So I And we also don't sensationalize things. I think we talk in a very real, matter-of-fact manner, the way that you would with somebody that you're having dinner with, where on the news medias, and I don't want to say they're all this way and all the time. However, the first reports that we saw about that was more sensationalized. And you're right. They did not mention that it was a memorial until late in the reporting. I think they finally found out or somebody told them you might want to mention that this is a memorial, not just uh happened to paint them rainbow for the area that they're located in.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah. Well, so many people just thought it was a statement about pride. And I I really wanted to get it out there that it was more than that. It was a memorial. I mean, it was definitely something to as a tribute to somebody. And I feel like we need our voices out there more than ever. And look, I love a good mainstream media. I watch it all day, every day. I that's where I get my news a lot, but I do get it from other sources and I listen to KPFT a lot. I mean, I really try to listen to a lot about other shows. There's some great ones in the morning. Democracy Now is amazing. There's a couple of different programs here, and it's great because you can hear all these quirky and unfiltered voices. And I think we need that right now. I mean, don't you?
SPEAKER_02:Absolutely. It's very important. And like I said, I think it's more important at this particular time in our nation's history than it was in most more recent years.
SPEAKER_04:The website again, kpft.org. You just hit donate. It's up there on the upper right-hand side. If you can please specify queer voices, that actually helps us. It helps the station know that it's coming from us and we're actually bringing in listeners, and it's important to you. And this show has been on the air since the beginning, like almost five decades. It's got a few different iterations, maybe some title changes, but the same people have been involved with it. So many people in our community that are just icons like Jack Falenski, JD Doyle, and Maria Gonzalez, and all these people, Judy Breeves, that have been on the show, and Deborah Moncreep Bell, who's the current host. I mean, she's a legend in our community and has done so much. Of course. And we want to keep bringing this stuff to you. I mean, that's the that's the crux of it.
SPEAKER_02:We want to continue to be a voice for our community in a way that you don't often see it out there.
SPEAKER_04:Well, one thing I wanted to talk to you about, it's November. And I feel like Mariah Carey has defrosted. It's out there now.
unknown:We're in the holidays.
SPEAKER_02:I know, I know. I am so tempted to respond to some of those that are saying they're trying to hold off on it. And I thought, yeah, it's useless. Well, that would be me.
SPEAKER_04:But you're not alone. Yeah. But I always thinking about when I always think about the mainstream media and things like that, we are facing a very strange holiday season because we are going to go into our families that they didn't vote the way that we voted. They don't think the way that we think politically. They're not in our community. So how do you, how are we going to handle that over the holidays?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it is really difficult. You know, I don't think that most people, even though that I have tried to explain it in the past, but if you're not part of our community, if you don't walk in our world, you don't understand our world and what it's like when we go into an event like a family gathering, and most times we are the only one or the only two gay people in the room. So we completely immerse ourselves in an environment and a community that we don't live or operate in. And it's difficult. And we hear the comments, people are trying to be funny with at the expense of other people, and we hear all of that, and we're expected to just sit there and and listen to it and not say or do anything about it. So, so what happens when you do that? I am not very good at concealing about how I feel. So people can tell when I'm agitated or or not happy and want to go as quickly as possible. They feel like we don't want to spend time with them. We don't want to spend time with them when they're in their bad behavior, that's for sure. Uh not considering who's in the room and within earshot when they make those comments. So it is a difficult situation for us to go into that. However, you know, my family is always very, very close. So we don't talk about politics or religion either one for that very reason.
SPEAKER_04:My family has a tendency to actually broach that topic. I think that they insert it into the conversation. And sometimes they slip it in in a almost a passive aggressive way and talk about people that we follow negatively or imply that they're somehow crooked or on the dull or you know, being bribed. And I I I'm just like, oh my gosh, what I could bring up with your side.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, yeah. Well, okay. So we both have those situations in both sides of our family. But I would have to say in my family's defense, it's not my siblings that do that. It's typically their other half that does that. Uh they'll slip these little comments in there, like the last time that we were up there, there were two comments that were made that I thought, okay, I've got to go back and approach those. One was what they're teaching in school. Well, what are they teaching in school? I wasn't able to do it right then because it would have been, it would have seemed very confrontational, although that that would have been okay with me. And the other one was, you know, the governor supplying all these funds for illegal aliens. And I thought, okay, so I want I need to know more about that. Where what is your source? And and what funds are you talking about? But I didn't. And the same thing on your side of the family. You know, I don't know that it's actually your blood relative, but who they're with is making comments. But you know, I'm there, I'm not shy about it. I'll I'll speak up.
SPEAKER_04:I have. Well, I mean, I I get what you're saying here and everything, but I do think it sometimes it is my family. I mean, I do think that it's sometimes I feel it come from them. And I think that we're more sensitive to our own family. I mean, as versus a stranger, because maybe it's somebody that is such a just no casually, it's it's not that big of a deal, but it's when somebody that you've spent your whole life with. I think that that makes the holidays particularly difficult for us, just because it's it's there and it's bubbling under the surface the whole time. And it's just, and you do feel outnumbered. You feel like you are just ganged up on sometimes. Yeah, it's always hard.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it is. It's very hard. And and it's it's so it's outside of my instincts and behavior to sit there quietly and not join in in conversations, etc. However, I do find myself at those family gatherings to sit there quietly just because I don't want to get into any type of confrontation with anyone that's sitting in the room. Rather just revolt and then move on.
SPEAKER_04:Well, I'm definitely not a confrontational guy, but I definitely will spike up if if things start getting needed, I will definitely do it and and try to.
SPEAKER_02:I totally have to agree with you. Yeah, you say you're not confrontational, and I don't think you are. However, you will go after them, which you know I'm very proud of you when you do that.
SPEAKER_04:Well, I'm glad because otherwise we'd have a problem, I guess. But it's it's really difficult during the holidays. And I I definitely think that that's one of the reasons why queer voices is so important, because we do get a chance to have a platform and we do have a chance to be activists and and talk about our things and and issues and the community and things like that. And I hope that that helps. I hope that there's an outlet here sometimes for you to hear a friendly voice instead of what's coming at you across the Thanksgiving table.
SPEAKER_02:Right, right, right. Someone else expressing the same environment that you're ex someone that's having the same experience that you're having and saying it out loud does help.
SPEAKER_04:Yes. Well, you know, the political climate, talking about that, you know, it's been difficult to navigate the last couple of years. There's a lot of things specifically in Texas politics and the federal politics that are aimed against our community. I mean, just blatantly. And they're really targeting, they're really going after certain members of our community and things like that. How do you just day-to-day handle it? What what do you do to cope with all of this coming from like a legislature or people that are elected officials?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, you so you have to look at her. For my what I have always done is look at those things that I can control and change and be part of the discussion or or in this case voting. I do what I can and I try to have conversations with people that don't get to the point of anger, because that doesn't serve anyone very well. But if you can have a reasonable conversation with people, you know, sometimes you can persuade them and and and in this particular time in history, you're not likely to persuade them. But having the conversation, at least they've heard all the right things. You've expressed it, given them opportunity to go out there and find out for themselves. So that's how I approach it. Uh, because there are I, you know, you can get very frustrated over what's going on right now, but there you can't do anything more than what you can do. So make sure you don't let an opportunity pass you by. Do what you can in those opportunities and know that you've done everything that you can.
SPEAKER_04:Well, I think one of the things that we did a few years ago was we actually joined the caucus here in Houston. And I think that helped a lot because I got to meet real politicians, talk about real issues, and talk to people that were talking about those things. When you're on something like social media, like a Facebook or an Instagram or a Twitter, you just get into these petty fights and things just get into this like keyboard warrior type stuff. Yeah. And so I usually shave my activism for where I know it will make the biggest difference, like the voting booth or meeting with officials and telling them, you know, hey, Molly Cook, this is what I'm actually concerned about. You know, this is what's actually happening to me. Because if I talk to those people versus, you know, attacking my neighbors and friends on Facebook and people that I went to high school with, it's gonna be a lot more effective. And you can affect change that way. And I think that's one of the things that I've always advocated is if it really bothers you, get involved. Do some activism, you know, do the protests, talk to the politicians, let your voice be heard. I mean, that's really the theme of what we're trying to do here is when is that the best use of your voice? And how can you affect that change? And maybe it's not on social media, maybe it's not at the Thanksgiving dinner table when we're talking to people who just are not gonna listen, you know.
SPEAKER_02:Right, right, right, right. One thing that I've always thought, and you and I have talked about this before, is you know, people will invite you to have a a heated debate onto their playing field, to their area of expertise. And, you know, it's an area if you if you're not well educated in that area, you're not gonna win. So I I rarely let people decide how the conversation is going to go. And if it's a topic that I really don't know that well, then I'm not gonna discuss it with them, and I'll say that. However, if it's a topic that I do know really well, then yeah, I'm absolutely gonna go there, but I'm gonna invite them to do it on my on my playing field, if you will.
SPEAKER_04:In just spin's, we live in an age where I feel like the more information that's out there, it's suited to whatever argument you almost can make. You can find almost any support for anything on the world wide web. You know, I mean, it's all out there. It's like we live in this great age of information, but I feel like sometimes it's disinformation. It's like the truth is not always out there. There's all these like variants of everything, and it's just crazy. And like you said, I think a lot of times media is entertainment and it is doing things to to placate you or to suck you in or to, you know, confirm. Confirmation bias is something that we talk a lot about. And I think that that happens a lot. And you know you live in these echo chambers on social media where all your friends kind of agree with you. Although I actually try to seek out people that don't agree with me. I mean, I think that's an important part of it too. I mean, I want to hear the opposite side too. And I know that you and I sometimes will watch news networks that we probably wouldn't just to hear how they do it.
SPEAKER_02:You you can't speak to something you don't know. Yeah. Yes. So if you never see it, then you can't speak to it. So absolutely. You have to watch things that you would not normally know, just so that you know what other people are are hearing and then be able to refute it with actual data.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah. And the truth is always somewhere in the middle from a propaganda thing. I mean, I remember one time we were part of the gym, where we would go and they would play CNN and Fox News together simultaneously, side by side, and you could watch as they spun headlines totally differently.
SPEAKER_02:I know the same story, and they're so vastly different on the two channels, it was funny.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah. No, it was amazing to witness that live and happening in person. So yeah, well, it's a rough month, but we're here for you, definitely.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, yeah. The holidays are difficult. Like I said, it's especially for those of us that end up having to go into a community that we're not. We don't typically go into fully immerse ourselves in it. And then, you know, that for us, we're expected to go into those communities. We are expected to behave a certain way and to be very tolerant of what might happen there. That's all things that are expected of us, but we can't expect that in return. And that's difficult.
SPEAKER_04:It is very difficult. But if you want to keep the conversation going, go to kpft.org and hit donate. It's on the upper right hand sign. And it's a way to fund listener-funded radio. You get all of these kind of opinions and and differing things and and the unfiltered voices out there like queer voices every week. So I I appreciate everybody that does that. I mean, I actually do it monthly myself. So yeah. And and we've made some donations too along the way.
SPEAKER_02:So of course we have. Yes.
SPEAKER_04:Yes. Well, happy welcome to the holidays, everybody. I mean, I guess this is November, so we are smack in the middle of it.
SPEAKER_06:So yes, we are.
SPEAKER_04:My favorite time of year. It is your favorite time of year. It is. For some people I know it it's it's fraught with a lot of different things, like dealing with family and things like that. So we're here if you ever need a different voice.
SPEAKER_02:True.
SPEAKER_06:True, true.
SPEAKER_08:This has been Queer Voices, heard on KPFT Houston and as a podcast available from several podcasting sources. Check our webpage queervoices.org for more information. Queer Voices executive producer is Brian Levinka. Deborah Montcrief Bell is co-producer. Brett Cullum and David Mendoza Druisman are contributors.
SPEAKER_07:Some of the material in this program has been edited to improve clarity at runtime. This program does not endorse any political views or animal species.
SPEAKER_08:For Queer Voices, I'm Glenn Holt.
