WEBVTT - Protesting is a Privilege 0:00:11.800 --> 0:00:14.560 Good morning, peeps, and welcome to willge F Daily with 0:00:14.560 --> 0:00:19.280 me your girl Danielle Moody recording from the Home Bunker, Folks, 0:00:19.360 --> 0:00:23.160 everywhere that you look right now around the world, there 0:00:23.200 --> 0:00:26.520 are protests that are taking place. You can look to 0:00:26.680 --> 0:00:32.240 China at the protests against the continued after three years 0:00:32.440 --> 0:00:39.400 severe COVID nineteen lockdown zero COVID policy that the Chinese 0:00:39.400 --> 0:00:44.479 have had in place since the pandemic began. Now in 0:00:44.520 --> 0:00:52.000 our minds, we experienced a fraction of what it is 0:00:52.080 --> 0:00:55.200 that the Chinese have been experiencing every day for the 0:00:55.240 --> 0:00:58.520 last three years, which is that there is no normal 0:00:58.680 --> 0:01:02.120 day to day life. There is rapid testing on a 0:01:02.160 --> 0:01:07.640 regular basis. There is quarantine to the point where you 0:01:07.680 --> 0:01:12.240 are removed physically removed from your home, from your apartment building, 0:01:12.319 --> 0:01:16.600 put into a government housing area. Children have been taken 0:01:16.600 --> 0:01:20.280 away from their families, Schools have been shut down, and 0:01:20.360 --> 0:01:27.040 this continues as they move to enforce their zero COVID 0:01:27.160 --> 0:01:32.600 policy in a country that has literally billions of people. Well, 0:01:33.000 --> 0:01:39.200 protests have broken out in multiple cities simultaneously against the 0:01:39.280 --> 0:01:42.280 Chinese government. Why is this such a big deal? Because 0:01:42.480 --> 0:01:47.240 the Chinese are not allowed to protest because protest and 0:01:47.440 --> 0:01:53.400 protesting without violence from the government is a privilege. It 0:01:53.520 --> 0:01:56.200 is a privilege that we have in this country that 0:01:56.400 --> 0:01:59.720 still hangs onto democracy by a thread. But it is 0:01:59.800 --> 0:02:03.680 not something that is experienced in other nations, namely a 0:02:03.720 --> 0:02:07.680 communist country like China. But these people are taking to 0:02:07.720 --> 0:02:11.360 the streets because they have had fucking enough. They've had enough, 0:02:11.880 --> 0:02:14.639 they've had enough, and they want their lives back. They 0:02:14.680 --> 0:02:17.160 want the ability to see people, they want the ability 0:02:17.200 --> 0:02:20.560 to shop, they want the ability to go out right again, 0:02:20.680 --> 0:02:23.120 all of the things that we've taken for granted because 0:02:23.120 --> 0:02:26.680 this country, at you, after the vaccines rolled out, we 0:02:26.760 --> 0:02:29.040 kind of threw up our hands and said, COVID is done, 0:02:29.160 --> 0:02:32.239 so we're over it. We know that COVID is still 0:02:32.280 --> 0:02:35.240 an issue, but it is not a raging issue that 0:02:35.280 --> 0:02:38.799 it was because of the vaccine push and roll out 0:02:38.840 --> 0:02:42.880 that the Biden administration did, thankfully right with the ability 0:02:42.880 --> 0:02:46.040 to save people's lives. But we also know that more 0:02:46.120 --> 0:02:48.440 than a quarter of the population in the United States 0:02:48.440 --> 0:02:51.960 still is not vaccinated, and that even the third or 0:02:52.080 --> 0:02:55.840 fourth boosters where we are right now are very low 0:02:56.040 --> 0:02:59.840 in terms of the folks that have received them. So 0:03:00.680 --> 0:03:02.840 it is not to say at all. I'm not looking 0:03:02.880 --> 0:03:05.639 at the Chinese and saying well, you should be like America, 0:03:05.720 --> 0:03:09.440 because no. But at the same time, it's when is 0:03:09.639 --> 0:03:14.079 enough enough? Right, Like when will they relax restrictions? When 0:03:14.120 --> 0:03:16.840 will people be able to have their lives back? And 0:03:16.880 --> 0:03:22.120 so these demonstrations that are taking place are really one 0:03:22.160 --> 0:03:25.960 brave right, but also show the breaking point that the 0:03:26.040 --> 0:03:30.920 Chinese people have gotten to. And right now, unfortunately the 0:03:31.040 --> 0:03:35.440 police are on the hunt for protesters who you know, 0:03:35.680 --> 0:03:40.560 they will serve considerable jail time, if not worse. So 0:03:40.760 --> 0:03:43.440 as this continues and we continue to follow this story, 0:03:43.560 --> 0:03:46.840 I send out like my thoughts and solidarity to the 0:03:46.840 --> 0:03:52.000 people of China who are at their wits end. Switching 0:03:52.080 --> 0:03:55.080 gears now to a place that we have been covering 0:03:55.080 --> 0:03:57.680 on this show and that I have written about, which 0:03:57.720 --> 0:04:05.240 is Iran and Iran's continuing crackdown on the youth led 0:04:05.400 --> 0:04:10.120 and women led protests for freedom for women in Iran 0:04:11.280 --> 0:04:15.400 have been going on now for over well over a month. 0:04:16.800 --> 0:04:21.320 Protesters have been sentenced to death, people have been shot 0:04:21.640 --> 0:04:27.000 killed right because they women in this country no longer 0:04:27.120 --> 0:04:32.359 want to live under this authoritarian regime where even the 0:04:32.440 --> 0:04:34.840 slightest slip in a hey job, or wearing a hey 0:04:35.000 --> 0:04:38.840 job that people don't like, or showing a little bit 0:04:38.880 --> 0:04:43.839 of skin that the morality police have driven women following 0:04:43.880 --> 0:04:47.560 the death of Manz Mahisma in that country, the young 0:04:47.640 --> 0:04:51.839 twenty three year old woman who was stopped by morality 0:04:51.920 --> 0:04:55.520 police was detained and then ended up in a coma 0:04:55.600 --> 0:04:59.560 and then dead, all because they did not like the 0:04:59.600 --> 0:05:02.200 way at her head. Job was set on her head 0:05:02.279 --> 0:05:06.960 and she twenty three years old just killed and to 0:05:07.120 --> 0:05:09.800 women in that country and their allies have taken to 0:05:09.839 --> 0:05:12.919 the streets and have been taking to the streets four 0:05:13.040 --> 0:05:21.480 weeks now, you know. And now Iran is center stage 0:05:21.800 --> 0:05:25.719 again because of the World Cup. Now at the time 0:05:25.760 --> 0:05:29.480 that I am recording this, we don't know who will 0:05:29.560 --> 0:05:34.239 have won the game, the Men's World Cup game, which 0:05:34.279 --> 0:05:37.360 is going to decide who goes on further in the 0:05:37.360 --> 0:05:40.279 match and who goes home. But this has become like 0:05:40.320 --> 0:05:46.440 a geopolitical moment because of the men's soccer team speaking 0:05:46.480 --> 0:05:50.240 out on behalf of the women of Iran and the 0:05:50.320 --> 0:05:55.040 men's soccer team of Iran not singing the national anthem 0:05:55.240 --> 0:05:59.920 in solidarity with the people of Iran who have been protesting. 0:06:00.120 --> 0:06:04.320 But get this because again, folks like, we can say 0:06:04.400 --> 0:06:06.200 whatever the fuck it is that we want to say 0:06:06.279 --> 0:06:09.880 about other countries and their treatment of women and their 0:06:09.920 --> 0:06:14.640 treatment of marginalized people, but like, I'm kind of wondering 0:06:14.680 --> 0:06:17.400 when other countries they're going to start protesting the United 0:06:17.440 --> 0:06:22.800 States because while we want to look at Ibron and say, oh, 0:06:22.839 --> 0:06:25.679 my goodness, I can't believe that the cops are doing, 0:06:25.839 --> 0:06:28.320 you know, are beating these people, are killing them or 0:06:28.760 --> 0:06:33.000 jailing them and torturing them, which is atrocious. We also 0:06:33.120 --> 0:06:36.800 live in a country that has just overturned women's ability 0:06:37.040 --> 0:06:40.920 and people with uterus is to have an abortion right, Like, 0:06:41.520 --> 0:06:47.920 who's who's pedestal? Are we standing on to say that 0:06:47.960 --> 0:06:53.320 one country's treatment of women is wrong while I'm looking 0:06:53.320 --> 0:06:56.440 around and I'm saying, and women in this country are 0:06:56.440 --> 0:06:59.640 also treated as second class citizens. Yeah, we're able to 0:07:00.000 --> 0:07:02.800 currently wear what it is that we want, right, but 0:07:02.880 --> 0:07:04.880 black women have had to fight to be able to 0:07:04.920 --> 0:07:08.640 wear their natural hair in a professional setting, particularly at 0:07:08.640 --> 0:07:12.360 the army, which brought that to center stage. In the military, 0:07:12.720 --> 0:07:15.560 women have had to fight for the ability to be 0:07:15.760 --> 0:07:19.000 in the workforce. We're still fighting for equal pay, which 0:07:19.080 --> 0:07:22.080 is not the law of the land in this country now, 0:07:22.120 --> 0:07:26.000 we're fighting to hang on to the patchwork of protections 0:07:26.040 --> 0:07:30.280 for abortion that we have. So it's like, sure, you 0:07:30.320 --> 0:07:35.160 want to show solidarity with these authoritarian regimes, but we're 0:07:35.200 --> 0:07:40.000 supposedly living in a fucking democracy and women and people 0:07:40.040 --> 0:07:44.680 of color in this country are treated like trash, right, 0:07:44.760 --> 0:07:47.080 So when when are people going to decide like, oh, 0:07:47.120 --> 0:07:49.440 we're not coming to the United States to play in 0:07:49.480 --> 0:07:52.040 your games or to you know, we're going to show 0:07:52.080 --> 0:07:55.560 solidarity with black people in this country, with women in 0:07:55.600 --> 0:07:59.320 this country. They don't, right, because America has the best 0:07:59.400 --> 0:08:03.920 kind of fucking pr ever, Oh, we're a democracy kind of. 0:08:04.200 --> 0:08:07.600 It's why my other show is called democracy Ish because 0:08:07.600 --> 0:08:12.240 it kind of isn't. So what has been brought to 0:08:12.280 --> 0:08:15.600 the attention right now is these two teams are going 0:08:15.680 --> 0:08:18.320 to take center stage. Is this I just want to 0:08:18.360 --> 0:08:21.360 lift this up because it's being reported from CNN and 0:08:21.440 --> 0:08:24.640 it's something that people need to pay attention to because 0:08:24.840 --> 0:08:27.760 you we look at these games and we think to ourselves, well, 0:08:27.760 --> 0:08:30.160 why won't these athletes you know, take a position, and 0:08:30.200 --> 0:08:32.679 then when we do, we applaud them. But I also 0:08:32.720 --> 0:08:35.920 want us to think about what happens to their families 0:08:35.960 --> 0:08:41.120 at home. What happens to them when they go home? Right, 0:08:41.679 --> 0:08:46.400 So CNN is reporting this. The families of Iran's World 0:08:46.400 --> 0:08:51.160 Cup soccer team have been threatened with imprisonment and torture 0:08:51.320 --> 0:08:55.600 if the players fail to quote unquote behave ahead of 0:08:55.640 --> 0:08:59.600 the match against the USA on Tuesday, a source involved 0:08:59.640 --> 0:09:03.559 in this security of the game set Following the refusal 0:09:03.760 --> 0:09:07.760 of Iranian players to sing the nation's national anthem in 0:09:07.800 --> 0:09:11.680 their opening match against England on November twenty first, the 0:09:11.679 --> 0:09:14.080 source said that the players were called to the meeting 0:09:14.800 --> 0:09:20.480 with members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps IRGC. The 0:09:20.559 --> 0:09:23.880 source said that they were told that their families would 0:09:23.880 --> 0:09:28.320 face violence and torture if they did not sing the 0:09:28.440 --> 0:09:32.400 national anthem or if they joined in any political protest 0:09:32.760 --> 0:09:36.360 against the Tehran regime. The players sang the anthem before 0:09:36.400 --> 0:09:39.880 their second game against Wales last Friday, which saw two 0:09:39.920 --> 0:09:43.720 to one victory for Iran. The source, who was closely 0:09:43.800 --> 0:09:48.600 monitoring Iran's security agencies operating in cutter over the World 0:09:48.600 --> 0:09:51.920 Cup periods, said that dozens of officers from the IRGC 0:09:52.240 --> 0:09:56.400 have been drafted in to monitor the Iranian players, who 0:09:56.400 --> 0:09:59.840 are not allowed to mingle outside the squad or meet 0:10:00.080 --> 0:10:04.199 with foreigners. There are a large number of Iranian security 0:10:04.240 --> 0:10:10.400 officers and cutter collecting information and monitoring the players. So 0:10:10.440 --> 0:10:15.160 I just, you know, again, want to make it really 0:10:15.200 --> 0:10:22.640 clear that protesting is a privilege, and we should not 0:10:22.800 --> 0:10:29.200 place our privilege and our values in this country on 0:10:29.360 --> 0:10:34.840 other countries and other people because we have no idea, 0:10:35.000 --> 0:10:39.120 no idea what the fuck they face when they go 0:10:39.200 --> 0:10:44.120 back home and what their families face. Because you see, 0:10:44.120 --> 0:10:47.240 when you are on the world stage and you put 0:10:47.280 --> 0:10:52.520 on the uniform of your country, you are representing that country. 0:10:53.440 --> 0:10:58.199 And while for all of these athletes this is the 0:10:58.240 --> 0:11:05.280 culmination of career goals right for us, it's a game 0:11:05.360 --> 0:11:08.600 that we like to watch. For them, it's everything that 0:11:08.640 --> 0:11:11.400 they've been working for their entire lives, and it's also 0:11:11.480 --> 0:11:17.240 the ability to protect to safeguard their families, right, to 0:11:17.360 --> 0:11:22.280 protect them financially, to protect them with their fame. So 0:11:22.520 --> 0:11:30.319 a misstep by this Iranian men's soccer team shouldn't be 0:11:30.440 --> 0:11:35.560 looked at as oh, they don't support women. They would 0:11:35.640 --> 0:11:39.560 love to, but what does that mean for their safety 0:11:39.640 --> 0:11:42.120 and the safety of their family that is not even 0:11:42.240 --> 0:11:48.239 there on the field. So just want people to understand 0:11:48.280 --> 0:11:53.880 that these countries, these authoritarian regimes, these dictatorships, these you know, 0:11:54.080 --> 0:12:00.520 communist nations that have zero, zero tolerance whatsoever for dissent, 0:12:01.720 --> 0:12:06.080 that when we see these brave and courageous people taking 0:12:06.120 --> 0:12:11.640 to the streets, it is worth our time, our commentary, right, 0:12:11.720 --> 0:12:18.920 and our solidarity to uplift these stories, particularly when we 0:12:19.040 --> 0:12:23.320 know the danger that they are facing. In our minds, 0:12:23.520 --> 0:12:28.040 we can't even grapple with what happens to people that 0:12:28.120 --> 0:12:33.160 are caught in places like Russia, like Iran, like China 0:12:33.280 --> 0:12:38.280 for speaking out against their government and just know that 0:12:38.360 --> 0:12:43.280 in doing so here right like the ability for me 0:12:43.440 --> 0:12:47.840 to have shows where I can wag a finger and 0:12:47.960 --> 0:12:52.720 talk about this country's inability to live up to its 0:12:52.840 --> 0:12:57.000 creative liberty and justice for all. It is a privilege 0:12:57.360 --> 0:13:00.160 for us to be able to be on social media 0:13:00.280 --> 0:13:03.599 and share our anger and our rage and our frustration. 0:13:03.800 --> 0:13:08.600 It is a privilege that can easily be taken away 0:13:08.760 --> 0:13:11.840 because that is what the Republican Party as they look 0:13:11.880 --> 0:13:16.160 at these authoritarian regimes, that's what they want. They don't 0:13:16.160 --> 0:13:19.400 want democracy and the ability to vote and the ability 0:13:19.440 --> 0:13:24.240 to organize and protest and demand better. They want us 0:13:24.360 --> 0:13:27.079 just to shut the fuck up, keep our heads down, 0:13:27.440 --> 0:13:32.640 work right, and just be concerned with our little peace 0:13:33.400 --> 0:13:39.120 right of the scraps that they give us. So when 0:13:39.440 --> 0:13:42.520 we protest, when we are fighting, it is so that 0:13:42.559 --> 0:13:49.200 we preserve our ability to have liberty ish in this country, 0:13:50.720 --> 0:13:54.760 and doing so when we know that other people would 0:13:54.800 --> 0:14:00.760 be killed for it. I couldn't be in Russia or 0:14:00.920 --> 0:14:05.840 China or Iran because I am black, because I am queer, 0:14:06.080 --> 0:14:11.920 and because I am a political commentator. That is a 0:14:11.960 --> 0:14:15.880 privilege I have in this country that I would not 0:14:16.080 --> 0:14:19.920 have in other places. So I just I don't want 0:14:20.040 --> 0:14:23.800 us to look at these games and to look at 0:14:23.840 --> 0:14:25.880 what is happening in China, and look at what is 0:14:25.880 --> 0:14:30.120 happening on the streets of Iran and not recognize the 0:14:30.320 --> 0:14:35.600 power and the courage and the bravery that these women, 0:14:35.720 --> 0:14:40.240 these people are showing. It is worth our time and 0:14:40.280 --> 0:14:44.320 attention to continue to lift it up on whatever platforms 0:14:44.360 --> 0:14:49.440 it is that we have. Coming up next, folks, on 0:14:49.600 --> 0:14:56.640 my continued conversations with young queer people. Again, you know, 0:14:56.800 --> 0:15:05.400 I say this because in other countries, in other countries, 0:15:05.640 --> 0:15:10.400 it is not okay to be gay, it is not 0:15:10.520 --> 0:15:12.960 okay to be non binary. It's not okay to be 0:15:13.040 --> 0:15:17.360 trans It's barely okay here. But here we've come to 0:15:17.440 --> 0:15:23.200 a place where schools still have GSAs, where there are 0:15:23.280 --> 0:15:30.360 clubs and organizations and safe spaces that are created for 0:15:30.520 --> 0:15:34.280 young queer people not to feel alone, and It Gets 0:15:34.320 --> 0:15:40.400 Better project continues to lift up LGBTQ youth so that 0:15:40.560 --> 0:15:43.360 we don't see the rash of suicides that we did 0:15:43.480 --> 0:15:47.040 in the early two thousands that sparked that It Gets 0:15:47.120 --> 0:15:51.760 Better project. And so I'm just so grateful for these 0:15:51.800 --> 0:15:54.880 young people to come on to woke a F to 0:15:55.040 --> 0:15:58.040 talk about what it is like to be in high 0:15:58.080 --> 0:16:02.360 school right now, what it is like to be out 0:16:02.920 --> 0:16:06.680 in Red States as a young person, and the support 0:16:07.160 --> 0:16:11.120 that they get or don't get, and what they think 0:16:11.600 --> 0:16:15.640 about being used as a political football. So today I 0:16:15.800 --> 0:16:22.240 sit down with ray Sweet Sandoval to discuss more on 0:16:23.640 --> 0:16:28.800 why It Gets Better project is important, why it is necessary, 0:16:28.840 --> 0:16:31.680 and why it is something that we should not take 0:16:31.760 --> 0:16:39.640 for granted. Ever, that conversation is coming up next, folks. 0:16:39.640 --> 0:16:42.280 I'm really excited to welcome to will Gate f for 0:16:42.440 --> 0:16:45.560 the first time to round out our conversations that we've 0:16:45.600 --> 0:16:49.560 been having with a youth, Queer youth that attended the 0:16:49.600 --> 0:16:53.359 Youth Summit that is hosted by the It Gets Better Project, 0:16:53.800 --> 0:16:57.000 and so now I have the delightful pleasure of speaking 0:16:57.040 --> 0:17:01.240 with Ray Sweet Sandoval, who is the education coordinator at 0:17:01.280 --> 0:17:04.520 the It Gets Better Project and heads the It Gets 0:17:04.600 --> 0:17:11.080 Better Youth Voices Program. Ray, um one, thank you so 0:17:11.160 --> 0:17:15.400 much for for making the time to join woke. Ass Um. 0:17:15.440 --> 0:17:17.600 The first question I want to ask you is about 0:17:17.680 --> 0:17:21.199 the Youth Summit, and UM, you know, give us a 0:17:21.200 --> 0:17:25.399 little bit of background about the summit, about how the 0:17:25.520 --> 0:17:29.120 young people come together, UM, and what what happens while 0:17:29.160 --> 0:17:33.800 they're that they're all together. Yeah. Absolutely, and thank you 0:17:33.880 --> 0:17:36.840 so much for having me, Um, for having us, UM, 0:17:36.880 --> 0:17:40.960 I'm really excited. UM. Yeah, the the this was the 0:17:40.960 --> 0:17:44.520 first youth summit that we've had. UM. The Youth Voice 0:17:44.520 --> 0:17:48.760 program is actually fairly new. UM. We started in during 0:17:48.840 --> 0:17:53.320 Pride of twenty twenty and UM it's really like grown 0:17:53.480 --> 0:17:57.960 since then. UM. And we've been working with you know, 0:17:58.000 --> 0:18:00.960 a group of anywhere between like five to thirteen kids 0:18:01.000 --> 0:18:04.800 for a full year, really just working with them to 0:18:04.840 --> 0:18:07.560 help share their voice on issues and topics that are 0:18:07.600 --> 0:18:10.920 important to them. And we just knew we wanted to 0:18:10.960 --> 0:18:12.919 bring them all together because they're from all across the 0:18:13.040 --> 0:18:17.840 US and they, like some of them, have never met 0:18:17.880 --> 0:18:24.040 another queer young person or a queer adult, and there's 0:18:24.040 --> 0:18:25.760 so much we can do online, and there's so much 0:18:25.800 --> 0:18:28.320 that we've been doing online, but there's also only so 0:18:28.400 --> 0:18:30.760 much that you can do online, and so it was 0:18:30.760 --> 0:18:33.120 just really exciting for us to bring them all into 0:18:33.119 --> 0:18:40.040 the same space. And really the goal was to there's 0:18:40.080 --> 0:18:42.800 this quote by ed Adrian Marie Brown that I love 0:18:43.000 --> 0:18:49.640 and we love them, but this quote that it goes 0:18:49.640 --> 0:18:53.840 something like, there's a conversation in the room that only 0:18:53.880 --> 0:18:57.920 these people can have right now. Find it And that 0:18:58.080 --> 0:19:00.399 was like kind of my mindset going into the summit 0:19:00.440 --> 0:19:04.600 and creating these summit was, let's create a space where 0:19:06.240 --> 0:19:08.320 it is so unique and it is so special. That 0:19:08.480 --> 0:19:11.960 is like centering and uplifting and focusing on these queer 0:19:12.000 --> 0:19:14.719 young people and having them find the conversations that they 0:19:14.880 --> 0:19:17.480 that they need to have, And it was really it 0:19:17.520 --> 0:19:21.280 was really special, and I think we did that. What 0:19:21.359 --> 0:19:25.120 are some of the conversations that the young people were 0:19:25.160 --> 0:19:30.960 having together? What was top of mind? I mean, there 0:19:31.040 --> 0:19:32.679 was a lot, there was a lot of conversations that 0:19:32.720 --> 0:19:36.679 we had um but some of the ones that really 0:19:36.720 --> 0:19:40.000 like stood out to me were we had a lot 0:19:40.040 --> 0:19:46.200 of conversations around shared identities and shared passions and shared experiences, 0:19:47.000 --> 0:19:50.399 but in a way that like, some of them have 0:19:50.560 --> 0:19:53.280 these shared identities or there's these shared experiences, but they 0:19:53.320 --> 0:19:58.800 have very different perspectives on them or very different experiences 0:19:58.800 --> 0:20:02.560 within those. One of the conversations that I found really 0:20:02.560 --> 0:20:05.720 interesting was the conversations around religion, because a lot of 0:20:05.760 --> 0:20:08.520 them grew up in very religious households and some of 0:20:08.560 --> 0:20:11.840 them are religious, some of them aren't, And that was 0:20:11.840 --> 0:20:14.480 just a really I don't know, just such an interesting 0:20:14.520 --> 0:20:16.720 conversation for these young people to have and just to 0:20:16.760 --> 0:20:20.280 be so open and vulnerable about. We also talked a 0:20:20.280 --> 0:20:25.600 lot about perceptions, especially as like trans young people, like 0:20:25.880 --> 0:20:29.200 how they're perceived in the world and how they navigate that. 0:20:29.760 --> 0:20:33.959 And a lot of them are non binary or trans, 0:20:34.200 --> 0:20:37.159 and they just have so many different experiences even though 0:20:37.200 --> 0:20:41.280 they share that identity. So I just, yeah, a lot 0:20:41.320 --> 0:20:46.119 of really interesting conversations around identities and their different experiences 0:20:46.119 --> 0:20:51.120 within those identities. You know, I often Ray talk about 0:20:51.160 --> 0:20:57.600 on Woke a f being black and queer myself and 0:20:58.040 --> 0:21:03.320 but recognizing what a challenge is now nowadays. When I 0:21:03.359 --> 0:21:07.000 was growing up, you know, while don't ask, don't tell 0:21:07.160 --> 0:21:12.640 was considered a celebration, I was considered something good that 0:21:12.760 --> 0:21:15.320 was happening. It's just like, great gay people exist, just 0:21:15.320 --> 0:21:18.560 don't talk about it, don't say anything. And now we're 0:21:18.600 --> 0:21:22.080 back in that space as you you know, know about 0:21:22.200 --> 0:21:25.240 legislation that has rolled out in Florida and in Texas. 0:21:25.920 --> 0:21:29.600 How do the young people that you work with, how 0:21:29.640 --> 0:21:34.200 do they internalize that? What do they think about these 0:21:34.280 --> 0:21:41.439 don't say gay bills and books being banned? I'll say what, 0:21:41.600 --> 0:21:46.840 from what I've noticed, there's two reactions. One is, well, 0:21:47.000 --> 0:21:51.560 that's a generalization, but what has stood out is rage, 0:21:51.880 --> 0:21:55.959 just complete anger and yeah, just being fed up and 0:21:56.040 --> 0:22:00.760 like rightfully so. And then the other reaction is exhaustion, 0:22:01.440 --> 0:22:05.399 Like these kids just want to be kids and the 0:22:05.440 --> 0:22:07.879 fact that they are put in these positions to have 0:22:08.000 --> 0:22:14.320 to think about, you know, all of these politics and 0:22:14.400 --> 0:22:17.480 all of like being used as political pawns, and they 0:22:17.520 --> 0:22:19.600 just want to live and they just want to live authentically, 0:22:19.600 --> 0:22:21.040 and they just want to love who they want to love, 0:22:21.040 --> 0:22:22.679 and they want to be who they want to be. 0:22:23.200 --> 0:22:28.360 And it's honestly, just like it's not that like it's 0:22:28.440 --> 0:22:31.679 not like I think, um, one of these voices mentioned 0:22:31.720 --> 0:22:34.320 like it's not that out there, like it's not wild 0:22:35.000 --> 0:22:40.000 to like be this, But the way that society and 0:22:40.080 --> 0:22:45.360 the politics treats them, it's difficult to navigate, and they're 0:22:45.400 --> 0:22:47.879 exhausted and they just they just want to they just 0:22:47.920 --> 0:22:52.400 want to be and there's a lot of burnout, especially 0:22:52.400 --> 0:22:55.439 as young activists. I mean, they're very, very involved in 0:22:55.480 --> 0:23:00.600 a lot of activist spaces and it can just be 0:23:00.640 --> 0:23:04.640 so exhausting, especially you're just trying to be a young person. 0:23:04.680 --> 0:23:06.520 You're just trying to you're just trying to exist. Yeah, 0:23:07.280 --> 0:23:09.600 and so those are kind of the ways that they've 0:23:09.600 --> 0:23:13.640 been internalizing it. One of the things that I talk 0:23:13.760 --> 0:23:19.679 to a lot of people about is the emotional and 0:23:19.800 --> 0:23:24.080 spiritual safety of young people in this time. And so, 0:23:24.400 --> 0:23:31.879 as the education coordinator, how do you talk about mental health? 0:23:32.600 --> 0:23:36.400 What kind of tools and advice you know, do give 0:23:36.600 --> 0:23:38.280 the young people that are a part of the It 0:23:38.359 --> 0:23:42.080 Gets Better project, but also just in general who may 0:23:42.119 --> 0:23:47.040 be listening, you know to this episode. Now, what advice 0:23:47.119 --> 0:23:49.160 do you have for them in order to take care 0:23:49.200 --> 0:23:55.600 of them themselves in the face of so much vitriol? Yeah, 0:23:55.600 --> 0:23:59.560 That's a really good question. It's something that we're always 0:23:59.560 --> 0:24:02.480 trying to navigate, UM, because so much of this work 0:24:02.600 --> 0:24:06.480 is deeply personal and you give a lot of yourself 0:24:07.200 --> 0:24:10.200 to this work of sharing your story and being vulnerable 0:24:10.280 --> 0:24:13.760 with a large audience. That's that's a huge part of 0:24:13.760 --> 0:24:19.560 this work. And the biggest thing that we really like 0:24:20.680 --> 0:24:23.840 stick to is like it's it's it comes down to consent, 0:24:23.920 --> 0:24:26.960 Like what are you consenting to give to this platform, 0:24:27.040 --> 0:24:30.320 Like what do you UM, what energy do you have, 0:24:30.560 --> 0:24:33.719 and just checking in and like being human about it 0:24:33.760 --> 0:24:36.119 and just saying like if you are exhausted and you 0:24:36.160 --> 0:24:39.160 don't have the energy to like speak on this topic, 0:24:39.240 --> 0:24:41.600 you don't have to. And just but if you are 0:24:41.880 --> 0:24:46.240 energized and you're and you're either feeling very passionate or 0:24:46.440 --> 0:24:48.800 or full of rage or whatever it is, if you're 0:24:48.840 --> 0:24:51.480 feeling those emotions and you need a place to let 0:24:51.480 --> 0:24:54.679 it out, like we want this to be a space 0:24:54.720 --> 0:25:00.720 for that. UM. But really like really leaning into UM 0:25:01.480 --> 0:25:03.840 giving what you want to give, and also just like 0:25:03.920 --> 0:25:06.760 leaning into the community of it all UM. You know, 0:25:07.200 --> 0:25:10.280 the youth voices We meet twice a month over zoom 0:25:10.720 --> 0:25:14.919 UM and a part of it is a collaborative space 0:25:14.960 --> 0:25:19.000 of how can we better amplify their voices? And then 0:25:19.080 --> 0:25:20.919 another part of it is just checking in how are 0:25:20.920 --> 0:25:23.440 you doing? How is school? How are called applications? Going? 0:25:23.960 --> 0:25:28.520 Um and just being in community together. UM. Another resource 0:25:28.560 --> 0:25:31.359 that it Gets Better has actually um been been a 0:25:31.400 --> 0:25:35.359 part of is imy um i am I, which is 0:25:35.560 --> 0:25:40.199 a digital mental health tool where young people can you know, 0:25:40.320 --> 0:25:42.919 just kind of go through it, spend like five minutes 0:25:43.040 --> 0:25:46.959 or something in there and um they you know, you 0:25:46.960 --> 0:25:50.280 can go through these activities of like you know, breaking 0:25:50.280 --> 0:25:53.560 down your gender identity or like exploring pronouns or you 0:25:53.560 --> 0:25:57.760 know doing breath breath breathwork for for anxiety or stress. UM. 0:25:57.880 --> 0:26:00.600 So imy is like the best resource that I can 0:26:01.240 --> 0:26:04.920 shout out when it comes to mental health. Definitely, Oh well, 0:26:04.920 --> 0:26:07.479 I'll definitely have to put that in the notes of 0:26:07.560 --> 0:26:09.600 the of the show so that people can check that 0:26:09.640 --> 0:26:12.919 out right just with the you know, a couple of 0:26:13.040 --> 0:26:18.760 that with the minute that we have left for people 0:26:18.760 --> 0:26:21.960 that want to get involved in the It Gets Better project. 0:26:22.400 --> 0:26:25.560 Because you all have done such amazing work, you continue 0:26:25.600 --> 0:26:30.399 to do such amazing work. How can either lgbtq I 0:26:30.600 --> 0:26:37.520 A adults or allies get involved. It Gets Better is 0:26:37.640 --> 0:26:42.040 really all about storytelling and so engaging with those stories, 0:26:42.119 --> 0:26:45.000 like that's the best way to get involved is going 0:26:45.040 --> 0:26:49.720 into our our YouTube channel, our Twitch channel and watching 0:26:49.720 --> 0:26:53.040 these stories, sharing these stories. But we've also have a 0:26:53.040 --> 0:26:56.680 lot of resources around the stories. As the education coordinator, 0:26:56.720 --> 0:27:00.600 I'm really excited about our EEDU Guides, which is like 0:27:00.720 --> 0:27:05.840 fully fleshed out lesson plans that educators or GSA leads 0:27:05.880 --> 0:27:08.359 can like bring into a classroom, bring into a club, 0:27:08.640 --> 0:27:11.560 and it gives you, you know, a guide on how 0:27:11.600 --> 0:27:15.520 to introduce these stories in those settings. There's a lot 0:27:15.560 --> 0:27:18.240 of like fun activities to do around them. There's discussions 0:27:18.280 --> 0:27:21.280 that you can have around them, so like just taking 0:27:21.359 --> 0:27:23.760 it that step further, and it's also just a way 0:27:23.800 --> 0:27:26.679 to open up a space to have those conversations to 0:27:26.720 --> 0:27:30.360 begin with. So yeah, definitely just engaging in the stories 0:27:30.440 --> 0:27:34.800 and UM and talking to young people about the stories 0:27:34.840 --> 0:27:38.840 and how they feel and what they resonate with. Ray, 0:27:39.160 --> 0:27:41.280 thank you so much for making the time to join 0:27:41.320 --> 0:27:43.320 woke app and thank you for the work that you're 0:27:43.359 --> 0:27:46.960