Welcome to Rainbow District, the queer oral history podcast based in Washington, DC. In each episode, Beth shares an interview with a queer activist about their experiences with queer identity, finding community, and activism. Learn more at rainbowdistrictpodcast.com.
Rainbow District
Claim This Podcastby Beth Cogen
5.0(16 reviews)
6 episodes
Updated Weekly
Accepts GuestsHas SponsorsLocation 🇺🇸
Podcast Overview
Welcome to Rainbow District, the queer oral history podcast based in Washington, DC. In each episode, Beth shares an interview with a queer activist about their experiences with queer identity, finding community, and activism. Learn more at rainbowdistrictpodcast.com.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
1/9/2024
1 verified contact email on file for Rainbow District
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Recent Episodes
October 10, 2024
Season 1 | Episode 6: D and Susie
<p>Episode transcript available <a href="https://www.rainbowdistrictpodcast.com/episode-6-transcript" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">here</a>. </p> <p>In Episode 6 of Rainbow District, Beth talks to queer activists D and Susie about their experiences as organizers for the DC Dyke March. The DC Dyke March began annually in 1993, took a 12-year hiatus in 2007, and was brought back in 2019, which is when D and Susie got involved. In this episode, they discuss the organizing process, the <a href="https://www.washingtonblade.com/2024/06/11/photos-dyke-march-2024/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">2024 theme, "Dykes Against Genocide,"</a> and the purpose of the march. </p> <p>The first Dyke March took place on April 25, 1993 in Washington DC, attended by 20,000 self-identifying Dykes. The main organizers of the march were the <a href="https://www.lesbianavengers.com/about/history.shtml" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Lesbian Avengers</a>, a direct-action group founded in New York City in 1992. They <a href="https://apps.lib.ua.edu/blogs/empoweringvoices/activism-dyke-manifesto/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">created a manifesto</a> about the necessity of grassroots lesbian organizing, and handed out 8,000 flyers advertising the event. Due to its success, Dyke Marches were planned in various cities that June, and have since continued worldwide. </p> <p>Dyke March history sources: <a href="https://lhaexhibits.omeka.net/exhibits/show/dyke-marches/dyke-marches" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Lesbian Herstory Archives</a> (n.d.); <a href="https://dcist.com/story/19/01/08/the-first-dyke-march-happened-in-d-c-now-organizers-are-trying-to-bring-it-back/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">DCist</a> (2019); <a href="https://www.nycdykemarch.com/history" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">NYC Dyke March</a> (2018); <a href="https://www.washingtonblade.com/2019/05/29/dyke-march-to-return-during-d-c-pride-week/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Washington Blade</a> (2019). </p> <p>Please consider donating: <a href="https://linktr.ee/opolivebranch" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Operation Olive Branch</a>; <a href="https://omnatigray.org/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Omna Tigray</a>; <a href="https://sudansolidarity.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Sudan Solidarity Collective</a>; <a href="https://friendsofthecongo.org/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Friends of the Congo</a>. </p> <p>Learn more about Rainbow District, queer history, and community resources at <a href="rainbowdistrictpodcast.com" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">rainbowdistrictpodcast.com</a>. </p> <p>If you want to be notified when new episodes of Rainbow District are released, click <a href="https://www.rainbowdistrictpodcast.com/email-list" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">here</a> to join the mailing list. </p>
September 17, 2024
Season 1 | Episode 5: Ramsay and Jade
<p>Episode transcript available <a href="https://www.rainbowdistrictpodcast.com/episode-5-transcript" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">here</a>. </p> <p>In Episode 5 of Rainbow District, Beth talks to queer activist Ramsay Saunders. Ramsay has been a public elementary school teacher in Virginia for ten years. Her 15-year-old daughter, Jade, is transgender, and socially transitioned at age six. This episode is about Ramsay's experiences as a fiercely protective and supportive parent of an trans child, and the ways in which she incorporates queer activism into her classroom. </p> <p>Sources:</p> <p>Impacts of supportive parents on the wellbeing of trans youth: <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00399" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Seibel et al. (2018</a>); <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080%2F26895269.2023.2286269" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Barras & Jones (2024)</a>; <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/284988129_Impacts_of_strong_parental_support_for_trans_youth_A_report_prepared_for_Children%27s_Aid_Society_of_Toronto_and_Delisle_Youth_Services" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Travers, Baur, & Pyne (2012)</a>; <a href="https://www.thetrevorproject.org/research-briefs/behaviors-of-supportive-parents-and-caregivers-for-lgbtq-youth-may-2022/#:~:text=Among%20transgender%2C%20nonbinary%2C%20and%20gender,%2C%203)%20supporting%20youths'%20gender" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Trevor Project (2022)</a>. </p> <p><a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/557681/tomorrow-will-be-different-by-sarah-mcbride/"><em>Tomorrow Will be Different</em></a>: Memoir by <a href="https://www.sarahmcbride.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Sarah McBride</a>, the first openly transgender US state senator (pg. 254-255). </p> <p>Queer liberation and Palestinian liberation are inextricably linked. Human rights monitors, journalists, and United Nations agencies have concluded that Israel’s actions in and regarding Gaza since October 7, 2023 <a href="https://www.humanrightsnetwork.org/genocide-in-gaza">violate the Genocide Convention of 1948</a>, yet the US continues to <a href="https://www.cfr.org/article/us-aid-israel-four-charts#:~:text=The%20United%20States%20has%20provisionally,amid%20its%20war%20with%20Hamas.">send billions of dollars of aid</a> to Israel. Click <a href="https://pcrf1.app.neoncrm.com/forms/gaza-recovery">here</a> to provide urgent humanitarian aid to people in Gaza by donating to the <a href="https://www.pcrf.net/">Palestine Children's Relief Fund</a>, and <a href="https://www.rainbowdistrictpodcast.com/palestine">here</a> for queer Palestine solidarity resources. </p> <p>If you want to be notified when new episodes of Rainbow District are released, click <a href="https://www.rainbowdistrictpodcast.com/email-list" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">here</a> to join the mailing list. </p> <p>Learn more about Rainbow District, queer history, and queer community resources at <a href="rainbowdistrictpodcast.com">rainbowdistrictpodcast.com</a>. </p>
September 10, 2024
Season 1 | Episode 4: Dr. Rob and Big Gay Smiles
<p>Episode transcript available <a href="https://www.rainbowdistrictpodcast.com/episode-4-transcript" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">here</a>. </p> <p>In Episode 4 of Rainbow District, Beth talks to queer activist <a href="https://lgbtqhealthcaredirectory.org/provider/robert-mckernan" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Dr. Robert Mckernan</a>. Dr. Rob is a dentist at <a href="https://www.whitman-walker.org/">Whitman Walker Health</a>, a public health clinic offering high-quality healthcare to the queer community and individuals affected by HIV/AIDS. He is the founder of and lead dentist at <a href="https://www.biggaysmiles.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">Big Gay Smiles</a>, an LGBTQ2IA+ owned practice in Washington, DC that provides queer- (and ally-) focused dental care. 10% of Big Gay Smiles' yearly revenue is <a href="https://www.washingtonblade.com/2024/01/05/robert-mckernan-big-gay-smiles/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">donated to HIV/AIDS nonprofits</a> that provide services to some of the most vulnerable members of the queer community. </p> <p>Dr. Rob was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), or Mormon Church. In the LDS Church, "acting on same-sex attraction" is <a href="https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/official-statement/same-gender-attraction">considered a sin</a>. The Church's <a href="https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/statement-proposed-rule-sexual-orientation-gender-identity-change" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">official stance</a> is that it opposes <a href="https://www.hrc.org/resources/the-lies-and-dangers-of-reparative-therapy" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">conversion therapy</a>, the pseudoscientific and dangerous practices intended to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity; still, LDS organizations such as <a href="https://www.northstarsaints.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">North Star</a> provide "faith-affirming" resources for managing queerness, as if it were a mental illness. Dr. Rob escaped this toxic culture when he moved to New York for medical school, and began embracing his queer identity. Now he passionately serves his community along with his husband, helping the world Smile with Pride™! </p> <p>Queer liberation and Palestinian liberation are inextricably linked. Human rights monitors, journalists, and United Nations agencies have concluded that Israel’s actions in and regarding Gaza since October 7, 2023 <a href="https://www.humanrightsnetwork.org/genocide-in-gaza">violate the Genocide Convention of 1948</a>, yet the US continues to <a href="https://www.cfr.org/article/us-aid-israel-four-charts#:~:text=The%20United%20States%20has%20provisionally,amid%20its%20war%20with%20Hamas.">send billions of dollars of aid</a> to Israel. Click <a href="https://pcrf1.app.neoncrm.com/forms/gaza-recovery">here</a> to provide urgent humanitarian aid to people in Gaza by donating to the <a href="https://www.pcrf.net/">Palestine Children's Relief Fund</a>, and <a href="https://www.rainbowdistrictpodcast.com/palestine">here</a> for queer Palestine solidarity resources. </p> <p>If you want to share your oral history for the podcast, <a href="https://www.jotform.com/232897319687072" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">schedule an interview</a> with Beth. </p> <p>Learn more about Rainbow District, queer history, and queer community resources at <a href="rainbowdistrictpodcast.com">rainbowdistrictpodcast.com</a>. </p> <p><br></p>
6 total episodes available
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Frequently asked questions
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- What is Rainbow District?
- How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates weekly.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 7 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
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