On this episode we talk about the fabulous Barbie, the festive Monterey Pride Parade, PFLAG, supportive families, as well as an exclusive interview with Bradley W. Joondeph of the Santa Clara University School of Law regarding recent Supreme Court rulings that directly affect the LGBTQ+ community.

Back catalog of episodes and more extensive show notes can be found at www.kmmamedia.com/podcasts/its-a-queer-thang/

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Email us at itsaqueerthang@gmail.com

It’s a Queer Thang is part of the KMMA Media Network.
Insta/Twitter: @kmma_media

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
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License code: AFMRYLKSNQGPTHXJ

Barbie & The Supreme Court

In this episode, we talk about PFLAG, the EOC’s new Little Queer Library, and the upcoming County Board of Supervisors resolution which is an overreach of epic proportions. Plus some post-Halloween fun and Kaylia has Thanksgiving jokes! Enjoy!

Show notes:

Pflag Fresno on Instagram/ @/pflag_fresno/ 

Little Queer Library Wish List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1CNISO42V8U0K/ref=hz_ls_biz_ex

The full resolution for the Fresno BOS: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=rm&ogbl#inbox/FMfcgzGwHVMBPkVjGGskWVfVdHddkXvg?projector=1&messagePartId=0.1

Information about the upcoming BOS meeting: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=rm&ogbl#inbox/FMfcgzGwHVMBPkVjGGskWVfVdHddkXvg?projector=1&messagePartId=0.2

Where to email your local Board of Supervisors: https://www.fresnocountyca.gov/Departments/Board-of-Supervisors 

Music is Catch It by Coma Media / Music by Yrii Semchyshyn from Pixabay


Facebook: www.Facebook.com/itsaqueerthang and Insta/Threads @itsaqueerthang
Email us at itsaqueerthang@gmail.com
It’s a Queer Thang is a part of the KMMA Media Network. 
Full backlog of episodes: kmmamedia.com/podcasts/its-a-queer-thang/
Insta/Twitter: @kmma_media

The Little Queer Library Vs The Board of Supervisors

The Person of the Week for June 27th, 2024 - Joe Lima - President Of PFLAG Cape Cod

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The Person of the Week for June 27th, 2024 - Joe Lima

In 2021, Eastern Michigan University Archives lecturer Matt Jones began documenting the story of Ypsilanti’s Human Rights Ordinance #1279 in an effort to explore the ways in which local queer activism has evolved multi-generationally in Ypsilanti. What began as a refusal of service by a local print shop to a small EMU student group quickly turned into a years-long battle over who was deserving of basic human rights. To the LGBTQ activists and community members documented here, they had always been present in the community: working, paying taxes, painting their houses, mowing their lawns, attending council meetings, and even serving on council. This ordinance battle was about more than just LGBT rights—it was about protecting the human rights of all Ypsilantians. On January 20th, 2022, Jones met with activist, creative, and mother, Dawn Richberg. Originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Richberg moved all across the country with her family before making her way to Ann Arbor in the 1980s. While attending graduate school at University of Michigan, she got involved with the American Friends Service Committee's LGBT Issues Program, which led to her participation in the ordinance campaigns. Richberg's experiences as a Black lesbian meant she brought an important perspective to the campaigns that was needed to help bridge the gap between Black communities and queer communities in Ypsi. In this interview, she shares those personal experiences, her work with the AFSC, and her passion for social justice. Richberg also reflects on the process of making change in the community.

Dawn Richberg, Oral History Interview, 2022

In 2021, Eastern Michigan University Archives lecturer Matt Jones began documenting the story of Ypsilanti’s Human Rights Ordinance #1279 in an effort to explore the ways in which local queer activism has evolved multi-generationally in Ypsilanti. What began as a refusal of service by a local print shop to a small EMU student group quickly turned into a years-long battle over who was deserving of basic human rights. To the LGBTQ activists and community members documented here, they had always been present in the community: working, paying taxes, painting their houses, mowing their lawns, attending council meetings, and even serving on council. This ordinance battle was about more than just LGBT rights—it was about protecting the human rights of all Ypsilantians. On June 6th, 2022, Jones sat down with EMU alum and former Tri-Pride member, Donna Benke. Benke found her way to Eastern in the 1990s, looking to obtain degrees in social work. Noticing the absence of a student org dedicated to LGBTQ students in the Masters in Social Work program, she joined her fellow students in founding Tri-Pride. Later, after the group was denied service by the print shop in 1997 and the incident made its way to the city council, Benke became one of the first students to speak up at the Human Relations Commission Hearings. She continued to be an active presence in Tri-Pride throughout the ordinance campaigns and up until her graduation from EMU in 1998. In this interview, she recounts how her academic and personal backgrounds impacted the way she navigated the campaigns, how the Tri-Pride students supported each other, and the lessons she took with her afterwards.

Donna Benke, Oral History Interview, 2022

In 2021, Eastern Michigan University Archives lecturer Matt Jones began documenting the story of Ypsilanti’s Human Rights Ordinance #1279 in an effort to explore the ways in which local queer activism has evolved multi-generationally in Ypsilanti. What began as a refusal of service by a local print shop to a small EMU student group quickly turned into a years-long battle over who was deserving of basic human rights. To the LGBTQ activists and community members documented here, they had always been present in the community: working, paying taxes, painting their houses, mowing their lawns, attending council meetings, and even serving on council. This ordinance battle was about more than just LGBT rights—it was about protecting the human rights of all Ypsilantians. On January 18, 2022, Jones talked to community organizer and American Friends Service Committee staff member, Jan Wright. After she became a Quaker in graduate school, Wright spent some time living with fellow Quakers in Ann Arbor, and volunteering for the American Friends Service Committee. She eventually became the local AFSC's LGBT Issues Program Director. Wright and her AFSC colleagues hosted community workshops where people could learn to hold non-hostile communication with LGBT/opposing groups. As both ordinance campaigns utilized the workshops, Wright became more entwined in the cause, and found it necessary to support it. Her work with other community members, activists, and organizers left her with meaningful connections, which she reflects on in this interview. Wright also covers the importance of including the Black community in the ordinance, and working closely with religious groups to increase visibility and support through it all.

Jan Wright, Oral History Interview, 2022

In 2021, Eastern Michigan University Archives lecturer Matt Jones began documenting the story of Ypsilanti’s Human Rights Ordinance #1279 in an effort to explore the ways in which local queer activism has evolved multi-generationally in Ypsilanti. What began as a refusal of service by a local print shop to a small EMU student group quickly turned into a years-long battle over who was deserving of basic human rights. To the LGBTQ activists and community members documented here, they had always been present in the community: working, paying taxes, painting their houses, mowing their lawns, attending council meetings, and even serving on council. This ordinance battle was about more than just LGBT rights—it was about protecting the human rights of all Ypsilantians. On February 3, 2022, Jones talked to former Ypsilanti city council-member and participant in the ordinance efforts, John Gawlas. Since he was a council-member at the time that Tri-Pride's complaint was filed, Gawlas became quickly familiar with the campaigns. His position with the city put him in a place where he worked alongside fellow council-members, as well as the activists pushing for the ordinance. After the Human Relations Commission became involved, Gawlas was appointed as a member of the sub-committee tasked with drafting the ordinance proposal. During the initial passage and subsequent defense, he formed a close relationship with Lisa Zuber, former co-chair of Ypsi Campaign for Equality and another participant in this project. The couple eventually got engaged, and held their wedding on the anniversary of the ordinance's successful defense! In this interview, Gawlas recalls his fellow city council-members, the ordinance process, and how he's seen his own neighborhood here change since then.

John Gawlas, Oral History Interview, 2022

In 2021, Eastern Michigan University Archives lecturer Matt Jones began documenting the story of Ypsilanti’s Human Rights Ordinance #1279 in an effort to explore the ways in which local queer activism has evolved multi-generationally in Ypsilanti. What began as a refusal of service by a local print shop to a small EMU student group quickly turned into a years-long battle over who was deserving of basic human rights. To the LGBTQ activists and community members documented here, they had always been present in the community: working, paying taxes, painting their houses, mowing their lawns, attending council meetings, and even serving on council. This ordinance battle was about more than just LGBT rights—it was about protecting the human rights of all Ypsilantians. On January 3, 2022, Jones talked to community organizer, activist, and member of Ypsilanti Campaign for Equality, Lisa Zuber. Zuber had close ties to the ordinance early on thanks to her work with PFLAG in Ann Arbor, which granted her the opportunity to speak at the very first council meeting. She became an important figure in the ordinance campaigns from there, eventually taking on the role of volunteer coordinator in YCFE. Zuber worked tirelessly alongside her fellow community members and organizers, and ensured that all the canvassing and cold-calling ran smoothly. During the course of the campaigns, she formed a relationship with former city council-member John Gawlas, and they married on the anniversary of the ordinance's defense. In this interview, Zuber describes the level of coordination and work it took to successfully organize volunteers for the campaigns, the highs and lows of the movement, and how she's seen Ypsi change since then.

Lisa Zuber, Oral History Interview, 2022

In 2021, Eastern Michigan University Archives lecturer Matt Jones began documenting the story of Ypsilanti’s Human Rights Ordinance #1279 in an effort to explore the ways in which local queer activism has evolved multi-generationally in Ypsilanti. What began as a refusal of service by a local print shop to a small EMU student group quickly turned into a years-long battle over who was deserving of basic human rights. To the LGBTQ activists and community members documented here, they had always been present in the community: working, paying taxes, painting their houses, mowing their lawns, attending council meetings, and even serving on council. This ordinance battle was about more than just LGBT rights—it was about protecting the human rights of all Ypsilantians. On December 15, 2021, Jones talked with former EMU Director of University Publications and Student Media, and YCFE co-chair, Paul Heaton. Heaton arrived in Ypsilanti to work in media and communications at EMU, and remained somewhat on the outside of Ypsi civic life until the Tri-Pride incident in 1997. He became involved with the ordinance efforts early on, attending the first Citizens for Community meetings, and later became a co-chair of YCFE. Heaton worked in tandem with his community members and co-chair Beth Bashert to ensure the campaign would be successful. He was highly regarded for his expertise with communications and messaging, and is still credited with keeping the mission on task. Heaton had to manage the messages and ideas coming from his fellow organizers while also making sure the campaign's focus remained clear and cohesive. Throughout this interview he recalls the reasoning behind YCFE and how its mission worked, along with the ins and outs of working with conflicting opinions, and how he became involved with the campaigns in the first place!

Paul Heaton, Oral History Interview, 2021

On this episode we interview Drew Harbaugh with PFLAG Fresno and Ray Quenga with Rainbow Of Light. We discuss the LGBTQ+ makeup of the United States, attacks on the transgender community, red cards, immigration, a brave NFL player protest, Cynthia Erivo, Target, and what's on our current streaming list. Oh, and we can't talk enough about...balls.

https://www.pflagfresno.org/ 
https://www.rainbow-of-light.com/

Sources and past episodes at www.kmmamedia.com/podcasts/its-a-queer-thang/

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Music by Yurii Semchyshyn from Pixabay
GO FUNK BY MARTEKA
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Rainbows, Protests and Balls

It's A Queer Thang covers local and national LGBTQ+ issues and events. We focus on politics, civil rights, news and, entertainment. Special guests are featured with interviews focusing on issues relevant to the LGBTQ+ community in Fresno and the Central Valley. Hosted by Chris Jarvis and Kaylia Metcalfe.

Queer Thang welcomes viewer input, suggestions. and questions at itsaqueerthang(at)gmail(dot)com.

One of the last radio stations in the United States that not only features local/regional content, but never forgets that radio is a one on one mode of communication. And, of course, we bring you classic rock/folk/world music from the 20th Century, but Americana from the last and this century as well.

New tracks tagged #PFLAG