Category Archives: Queer

Victoria Law on the Struggles of Incarcerated Women

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This week’s show features a conversation with Victoria Law.

This week we speak to Vikki about the second edition of her book, Resistance Behind Bars: The Struggles of Incarcerated Women.” We discuss patriarchy, criminalization & invisibility that is faced by those held in women’s prisons. We also talk about resistance, organizing, support and engagement of those on the inside and about the organizing that formerly incarcerated people do to help their comrades on the inside.

From her PM Press Author’s page:

“Victoria Law is a writer, photographer, and mother. After a brief stint as a teenage armed robber, she became involved in prisoner support. In 1996, she helped start Books Through Bars-New York City, a group that sends free books to prisoners nationwide. In 2000, she began concentrating on the needs and actions of women in prison, drawing attention to their issues by writing articles and giving public presentations. Since 2002, she has worked with women incarcerated nationwide to produce Tenacious: Art and Writings from Women in Prison and has facilitated having incarcerated women’s writings published in larger publications, such as Clamor magazine, the website “Women and Prison: A Site for Resistance” and the upcoming anthology Interrupted Lives.”

What if we could swish AND fight? (2012 Redux of Stonewall show)

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This week’s show is a conversation with Parks (a member of Tranzmission Prison Project) about Stonewall, the cooptation of it’s rememberance in the form of Pride marches, the split of the liberation movement into the pride movement and continued radical struggles.

The playlist for the show can be found here

Dean Spade on Critical Trans Politics; Freedom For Chris French

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This week features a conversation with attorney, educator and trans activist, Dean Spade about his new book, “Normal Life: Administrative Violence, Critical Trans Politics and the limits of law”, just out from South End Press. Normal Life is a finalist for the 2012 Lambda Literary Awards. Follow Mr. Spade’s writing at http://www.deanspade.net/

Before hearing from Dean Spade, though, we hear from Bailey, who’s doing support for Christopher French, an Atlanta Anarchist who’s facing multiple felony charges and has to raise $25,000 to be bonded out in relation to the recent anti-NATO demonstrations in Chicago. More information about Christopher’s case can be found at:
http://freedomforchris.wordpress.com

Support CeCe McDonald

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This week’s show features a conversation with Katie Burgess of the Trans Youth Support Network about the case of CeCe McDonald. Chrishaun âCeCeâ McDonald is a young African American transgender woman who is charged with two counts of âsecond degree murderâ after an incident that began when she was violently assaulted because of her gender and race. We’ll talk about some of the realities of how gender and race are dealt with by police and prisons and critiques of the effectiveness of Hate Crimes legislation.

There are 3 upcoming days of action around the case: 11am on 11/21/11 in Minneapolis, a day of call-ins/faxes/emails on 11/22/11, and court solidarity on 12/05/11.

Tranzmission Prison Project + CA Prisoner Hungerstrikes Resume

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from AFM

Today’s show featured an interview with with Bender, a volunteer with Tranzmission Prison Project. From their facebook, “The Tranzmission Prison Project is an Asheville, NC based group which offers support for queer, trans, and gender non-conforming people who are incarcerated. This support comes in the form of providing people with books, zines, resource lists and penpals.” We talk about the group, Prison Abolition and how to get people involved. Contact them at tranzmissionprisonproject@gmail.com

But, first, we talk a bit about Occupy Asheville and the resumption of hunger strikes by prisoners in CA. Prisoners there are claiming that the state officials have not implemented any of the rights demanded by hunger strikers in July. AND the CDCR (California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation) has stated that it will be punishing hunger strikers as if they were rioters. Please support their cause, starting by visiting Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity to keep up on news.

The Mount Hope Infinity

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In November of 2008, 13 identified individuals entered a mega-church in Lansing, MI, known for it’s active anti-gay stance and organizing. These 13, deemed the Mount Hope Infinity as the number of Jane and John Does (20) kept growing in the civil law suit that followed, threw leaflets telling the congregation (particularly the youth) that it’s ok not to be straight, kissed at the pulpit and chanted slogans. A two and a half year civil suit was subsequently brought by the Alliance Defense Fund (a legal group devoted to the end of persecution to Christians) under the auspices of the “Freedom of Access to Clinical Entrances Act” (a law passed to stop people from blocking access to clinics that offer abortions). This week’s hour is a discussion with one defendant about the case, the events and the aftermath.

Bash Back! communique on Mount Hope: http://www.myspace.com/bashbacklansing/blog/448202823

The Mount Hope Infinity website: https://themounthopeinfinity.wordpress.com/

Ryan Conrad: Against Equality in Marriage (February 27, 2011)

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A live conversation with Ryan Conrad, blogger at Against Equality blog and editor of Against Equality: Queer Critiques of Gay Marriage. During the hour we discuss inclusion, mainstreaming, marriage as an institution and the “rights” that come with it. We also discuss the lobbying groups pushing for same-sex marriage.

Be warned, about 2 minutes of silence on this file version
http://www.againstequality.org/stuff/against-equality-queer-critiques-of-gay-marriage/

Survivors of Bashings Speak Out in Exclusive Interview (May 09, 2010)

A resurfaced archive of our first show on May 09, 2010. From the blog post:

We were lucky enough to be allowed to interview two folks from the LGBTQI communities this week directly effected by the spate of bashings in Asheville. We’ll talk about their and others’ attempts to organize for more safety in the streets of our city, the March taking place on Wednesday (5/12) in the Montford neighborhood, and their experiences of being female assigned and LGBTQI/LGBTQI-perceived. We’ll also talk about concerns about going to the police and the mainstream media with reports.

 
For more info on the march, check out the facebook and myspace pages for Safe Streets Asheville. Also, see the newly published article in the Mountain Xpress