Speaker 1: Good morning, peeps, and welcome to woke F Daily with
Speaker 1: Meet your Girl Danielle Moody. Pre recording from the Home Bunker. Folks,
Speaker 1: you know, I love whenever I get the opportunity to
Speaker 1: bring on new voices to WOKF and I'm very excited
Speaker 1: today for just a very fun, light, engaging conversation with
Speaker 1: La Portia Thomas and La Porsche is the host of
Speaker 1: Up and Out with La Porscha on the Advocate Channel,
Speaker 1: having you know, a range of conversations about culture, about politics,
Speaker 1: about black queer culture, etc. And you know, it's not often,
Speaker 1: honestly that I get to have more laughter and more
Speaker 1: light on this show than kind of marinating in the misery.
Speaker 1: And in this conversation, we talk about the upsides of
Speaker 1: being you know, black and queer identified in media, the
Speaker 1: opportunity to share stories and you know, uplift narratives and
Speaker 1: disrupt stereotypes in a lot of different ways, and also
Speaker 1: have some fun in chatting about a mutual musician that
Speaker 1: we both adore so very much. So I hope, friends,
Speaker 1: that you all enjoy this conversation. I hope that you
Speaker 1: are getting the rest and restoration and joy and relaxation
Speaker 1: on this holiday break that you all deserve and by
Speaker 1: the way, we're deserving just by being not because we've
Speaker 1: grinded ourselves into the ground all year. So coming up
Speaker 1: next my conversation with La Portia Thomas Folks. I am
Speaker 1: very excited to welcome to ok F Daily for the
Speaker 1: very first time, Laporscha Thomas, who is the host of
Speaker 1: Up and Out with La Porsche on the Advocate channel,
Speaker 1: talking about all things Black, LGBTQ, what it means to
Speaker 1: be a creative in media doing all of the things,
Speaker 1: La Porsche. Let's start off with tell us a little
Speaker 1: bit about you and how you got into media, into
Speaker 1: being a creative. I think your website, La Porsche speaks
Speaker 1: I love one because you quote Beyonce two two, because
Speaker 1: you lay out all of you know, the ways that
Speaker 1: you create and who you reach right. You talk about
Speaker 1: uh gen X and millennials and Z and Y and
Speaker 1: digital first. So I just want to get a little
Speaker 1: bit about your about your background and how you got started.
Speaker 2: So, I mean, I have been like a journalist and
Speaker 2: in front of the camera since I was eight years old.
Speaker 2: I remember I would read the cafeteria menu and I
Speaker 2: read it with my full heart on our ps TV.
Speaker 2: That's what it was called in elementary school, right, And
Speaker 2: I always knew I wanted to tell stories, and I
Speaker 2: know people always usually say I wanted to be the
Speaker 2: voice for the voiceless, and I don't believe that anybody
Speaker 2: is voiceless, right like period. I think it's our job
Speaker 2: as journalists, as media personalities to make sure that we
Speaker 2: put forth the information that people need to pay attention to.
Speaker 2: And so I got my start at the CBS affiliate
Speaker 2: in Columbus, and then I went from there to big market,
Speaker 2: top ten market right there in Atlanta, and that's where
Speaker 2: I really grew as a journalist, Danielle. I mean that's
Speaker 2: when the awards came, the digital first came, pieces came,
Speaker 2: and that really taught me one that I was very
Speaker 2: blessed to have my journalism experience in Atlanta, the black
Speaker 2: capital of the world, right because I from an early start,
Speaker 2: I've always told story with black and brown voices in mind,
Speaker 2: and I've always told stories with the LGBTQ A plus
Speaker 2: voice in mind. That's always been very important to me
Speaker 2: because I noticed we would celebrate pride, but it wasn't
Speaker 2: black ride.
Speaker 1: You're right, right, right.
Speaker 2: This Pride is marketed for everyone, but it doesn't include everyone.
Speaker 3: So I really.
Speaker 2: Always moved like that in the newsroom, and I said,
Speaker 2: my goal is to be a media mogul, so I
Speaker 2: have to leave the newsroom and learn other skill sets
Speaker 2: outside of the newsroom. And so I went and did
Speaker 2: some podcasting and I got to work with Carlos King,
Speaker 2: and now I have my own show, and I'm taking
Speaker 2: part in a lot of the building and the branding
Speaker 2: at Equal Pride. So it's really been an interesting ride,
Speaker 2: a fun ride. I've done a a lot. Like sometimes
Speaker 2: people ask me to tell my story, I'm like.
Speaker 3: Which part, Yeah, yeah, journalism one like which part? I
Speaker 3: don't know?
Speaker 1: No, And I get that, and I think, you know what,
Speaker 1: what I really enjoy is the fact that, you know,
Speaker 1: for far too long, there were very few black queer
Speaker 1: out voices in media, right, and whenever folks were called
Speaker 1: upon myself included, it was in the beginning just to
Speaker 1: talk about being black and being gay. And then you know,
Speaker 1: thankfully that has evolved over time, right, And it is
Speaker 1: it is definitely is the perspective and lens with which
Speaker 1: I see the world through, But it is not the
Speaker 1: only thing that I'm called upon to talk to talk about.
Speaker 1: And so for you, how has your storytelling and kind
Speaker 1: of your narrative grown and changed since the beginning to
Speaker 1: now in terms of like what you focus on and
Speaker 1: talk about and how you focus and talk about those things.
Speaker 2: I definitely think that I recognize that I have had
Speaker 2: a very blessed experienced family wise, right, so there was
Speaker 2: no coming out process for me.
Speaker 3: And just to be clear, I'm paying you know what
Speaker 3: I mean?
Speaker 2: And so I see the world through the lens of
Speaker 2: loving everyone, do you know what I mean? It's not
Speaker 2: like or at least understanding that everyone has their own
Speaker 2: story and just because you don't understand it doesn't mean
Speaker 2: that it's not real or doesn't exist.
Speaker 3: And so.
Speaker 2: I feel like because I've always had that thought that
Speaker 2: I remember telling my mom, I'm gonna send this episode
Speaker 2: to my mom. I remember telling my mom like my
Speaker 2: mom was like, you know, honey, it's okay, you're gay,
Speaker 2: And I was like, I'm not gay. I knew for
Speaker 2: me young age, I'm not gay, right, And she was like, okay, well,
Speaker 2: why don't you have no boyfriend?
Speaker 4: And I was like, but she just damn she couldn't
Speaker 4: understand that I was so focused on my goals that
Speaker 4: like nothing could distract me, right, Like I was like,
Speaker 4: I don't know, I'm just not chasing that, Like that's
Speaker 4: not what I was after.
Speaker 2: But I always knew that, you know, I wasn't completely straight.
Speaker 2: I always knew that, And so now there are words.
Speaker 1: For it, like yeah, yeah, and I'm like, oh, there's
Speaker 1: words for it.
Speaker 3: But I've never my mom my auntie.
Speaker 2: They never made me feel like I was weird or
Speaker 2: wrong or anything for being.
Speaker 3: Who I was.
Speaker 2: And so coming into the actual world and seeing people
Speaker 2: get kicked out of their homes, their families not respect.
Speaker 3: That, it was like a what but yeah, why why
Speaker 3: does this matter?
Speaker 2: And I that train of thought, Dan Yelle really allowed
Speaker 2: me to always keep an open mind.
Speaker 3: Like they're people who say they keep an open mind. No, yeah,
Speaker 3: my life is an open mind.
Speaker 2: So that's really how I've used my own experience experiences
Speaker 2: to really become a great storyteller. You know, if you're
Speaker 2: not even limited in certain things that you do, then
Speaker 2: there is a higher chance that you're going to be
Speaker 2: a limitless storyteller.
Speaker 1: And I love the fact that you started to at
Speaker 1: the top with talking about the fact that you're not.
Speaker 1: You've never aspired to be a voice of somebody or something,
Speaker 1: which assumes that there is no voice. Right, that we
Speaker 1: all actually have stories to tell. It's just about being
Speaker 1: past the microphone. It's about or creating the space in
Speaker 1: place for yourself. But like all of our stories, if
Speaker 1: we learn from them, you would see how they intertwine
Speaker 1: with one another. But also you know how interesting, sting
Speaker 1: and colorful everyone's experience is, right, And I talk about
Speaker 1: that in a lot of ways in terms of politics,
Speaker 1: in moving with a curious mind as opposed to from
Speaker 1: a place of fear. Right that where we find ourselves
Speaker 1: right now, I think in this political climate is that
Speaker 1: there is this huge gap in terms of knowledge that
Speaker 1: people have about the quote unquote other. And instead of
Speaker 1: being excited and curious about what you know, how people pray,
Speaker 1: how they love, who they are, how they identify, they
Speaker 1: have instead been programmed to be fearful of it. And
Speaker 1: that's why I think that storytelling is so important and
Speaker 1: stories are so important, and we see bands that happen
Speaker 1: right now in terms of books and programming, in all
Speaker 1: of those things, because the more that people see and consume,
Speaker 1: the more curious, they become the less afraid that they become.
Speaker 1: And that's what I think is really powerful about storytelling.
Speaker 3: I agree.
Speaker 2: I think storytelling, you know, the right conversation can change
Speaker 2: the world. That's like a thing that I have said
Speaker 2: throughout my life. Conversations can change the world, because I've
Speaker 2: seen conversations change the world. You know, at first, it's
Speaker 2: like the way you may have viewed the black gay man,
Speaker 2: you know, was this way, and then you realize like,
Speaker 2: oh no, there are different versions of the black gay man.
Speaker 2: And I always am telling you know, my homeboys, you
Speaker 2: only look at the black gay man as this flamboyant person,
Speaker 2: but there.
Speaker 3: Are lent two a people money that are you're chilling
Speaker 3: with right now?
Speaker 2: Yeah, that it is also at black gay men. But
Speaker 2: you have confined yourself to thinking through different media and
Speaker 2: different and stuff like this, that oh, this is the
Speaker 2: only version that exists of this person. And I do
Speaker 2: think that that's our job. I think it's our job
Speaker 2: to really tell the world that, hey, you know, here,
Speaker 2: look who I found a look all the good that
Speaker 2: this person is doing. Also look at this other person
Speaker 2: who's doing bad. You know, I'm not here to be
Speaker 2: the positive train all the time because sometimes the world
Speaker 2: war hurts, Like, yeah, you need to see that these
Speaker 2: kids are dying, you know what I mean, so that
Speaker 2: you can call you a congresment congressman and say something
Speaker 2: about it, like those are things that need to happen.
Speaker 3: You know.
Speaker 2: You can't just see the oh it's kumbaya, you know,
Speaker 2: because then that's not how change happens, you know.
Speaker 1: So yes, so talk to us about up and out
Speaker 1: your show and the kinds of conversations that you have
Speaker 1: on there.
Speaker 2: So up and out it's all about like culture charisma.
Speaker 2: I really wanted to bring the funk over there to
Speaker 2: Equal Pride, Equal Pride Owns Advocate Magazine, Out Magazine, Pride Magazine,
Speaker 2: those huge lgbt Q i A plus magazines. And it's
Speaker 2: my first time really working at a company like this,
Speaker 2: and the one thing that I noticed is that we
Speaker 2: really need more blackness here, you know what I mean. Yeah,
Speaker 2: that's the thing because what we do know, Danielle, is
Speaker 2: that black queer culture dominates a lot and are the
Speaker 2: pioneers for a lot of cultures. So it's extremely important
Speaker 2: to make sure that we feature that. And that's what
Speaker 2: I'm really here to bring and we have some other
Speaker 2: things coming down the pipeline line, some new shows and
Speaker 2: stuff like that, and I'm excited about that and really
Speaker 2: looking forward to see what happens over this next year.
Speaker 1: I love that talk to us about You know, this
Speaker 1: has been in politics, which is what this show focuses on,
Speaker 1: a rough year, right. It has been a I won't
Speaker 1: even say it's been a mixed bag, as many years are,
Speaker 1: but there's been a lot of stress. Right, There's been
Speaker 1: a lot of just trauma, right, and kind of working
Speaker 1: through different version of traumas we've gone through twenty twenty three.
Speaker 1: What kind of stuck out to you, right, the good?
Speaker 1: What was a high for twenty twenty three? And then
Speaker 1: what was what was a low? Or you can do
Speaker 1: it in reverse, what was the low? And then we
Speaker 1: can go that, we can go.
Speaker 2: Oh okay, A high for me was please help me
Speaker 2: remember her name, congress Woman Florida black woman. Oh my gosh,
Speaker 2: she like read them down doing their hair and when they.
Speaker 3: Were trying to do an impeachment for Biden. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2: She's such a popular Right now, I cannot think of
Speaker 2: her name. She was recently on The Breakfast Club.
Speaker 1: Oh wait, Florida or Texas?
Speaker 3: Was it is it Texas? Maybe maybe it's Texas. Oh,
Speaker 3: it's maybe it's Texas.
Speaker 1: I think it's Texas. Hold on, keep going.
Speaker 2: Well, she was a highlight because when I tell you,
Speaker 2: I love that she came in there were her weed
Speaker 2: O love.
Speaker 1: That Jasmine Crockett. Yes, And I'm like because I had
Speaker 1: the opportunity to interview her right after that, right after
Speaker 1: that read and I was just like, I said, you
Speaker 1: single handedly get me to go to Texas first of all,
Speaker 1: because I'm like, I didn't know that they were fighters
Speaker 1: like that that were there. Yeah, and Jessin, I.
Speaker 2: Tell you, Jasmine and I know that she is not
Speaker 2: a member of my sorority, but she is a member
Speaker 2: of Delta Sigma Theta correctly, and.
Speaker 3: I said, there we go, Greek sister. That was like
Speaker 3: a highlight for me. I love that. I love that
Speaker 3: we have voices like her that look like her.
Speaker 1: I think that's yeah.
Speaker 2: I think it's really important that people see all different
Speaker 2: versions of a black woman black like you know, natural
Speaker 2: hair locks, we all of it, and know that all
Speaker 2: of us can still read you down. Yeah. Yeah, So
Speaker 2: she was definitely my highlight. The low oh, dang, no,
Speaker 2: I got one more highlight my bad. Yeah please Florida
Speaker 2: Uh was running for president.
Speaker 3: Just got caught up with the porn and the missics.
Speaker 1: Oh oh oh wait uh the Moms for Liberty.
Speaker 3: Uh, you knows, the sitting He just did a sit
Speaker 3: down with ze Way because he.
Speaker 2: Got caught up with the mischarges and different things like that.
Speaker 2: I cannot believe. I am blanket Santos.
Speaker 1: Santo, Santos Santo.
Speaker 2: I was listening, y'all. I'm I am happy that Santos
Speaker 2: is gone. Yeah, like by.
Speaker 3: Waste of our time in the first place. Honey.
Speaker 1: I'm embarrassed because he's from Long Island and I am
Speaker 1: originally from Long Island and that's who he was, but
Speaker 1: not my county. But nonetheless, but an embarrassment. Glad that
Speaker 1: he's gone. Very good highlight, Yes.
Speaker 3: Low light. Trump still has the ability.
Speaker 2: Yeah, like that is like the low point for me
Speaker 2: this year is that people are still willing to vote
Speaker 2: for Trump. And I really want our people to be
Speaker 2: freed of this idea Danielle that Trump did us good.
Speaker 2: Trump did not do us good. I don't think a
Speaker 2: lot of people really understand that there was, you know,
Speaker 2: a democratic House at one point, a Democratic stenting at
Speaker 2: one point that was really making a lot.
Speaker 3: Of those moves.
Speaker 2: And I do feel like it's our job to make
Speaker 2: sure as this next election come up, people know, maybe
Speaker 2: Trump didn't do.
Speaker 1: That, right, he didn't right? Yeah? Yeah, people, I mean
Speaker 1: that is the thing about disinformation and misinformation, right, and
Speaker 1: trying to break through, break through that noise in a
Speaker 1: lot of ways. With a couple of minutes that we have,
Speaker 1: I do because I just want to be in fun
Speaker 1: with you. Yeah. So did you see Renaissance? Did you
Speaker 1: go and see the film?
Speaker 3: Also?
Speaker 2: I'm okay, I saw the concert twice. I saw the
Speaker 2: film twice. I just did an interview with the King
Speaker 2: of the Beehive May and him. Somebody invited us to
Speaker 2: do an interview together deron Okays, especially you on Instagram,
Speaker 2: and we.
Speaker 3: Had a bless I loved beyon Say so much. And
Speaker 3: when I heard that you loved Beyonce to us, said
Speaker 3: tell her, I'm.
Speaker 1: Damn And I will tell you that this Renaissance album
Speaker 1: for me was like an experience, a movement, a an
Speaker 1: honoring and like a blessing in all of the ways.
Speaker 1: Like I have gone to a couple of Beyonce's shows.
Speaker 1: This was renaissance, was not a show. And that's how
Speaker 1: my sister and I. I took my sister for her
Speaker 1: birthday over the summer and it was just like, this
Speaker 1: was not a show. It was from everyone flooding in
Speaker 1: the look, the outfits, the feeling, the creativity. It was
Speaker 1: just beyond for me. That was like the absolute highlight
Speaker 1: of the year. Was that was that show?
Speaker 2: I mean, so Beyonce told me she loved me literally
Speaker 2: on stage. I have it on camera and that was
Speaker 2: my of the year. Yes, that was my personal highlight.
Speaker 2: I literally cry. I was like, this really happened. I've
Speaker 2: been doing Beyonce recreation videos. Girl, I've been I've driven,
Speaker 2: I've taken a mega bus with only one hundred dollars
Speaker 2: in my pocket to go see her with my best
Speaker 2: friend Darren. Shout out to Darren, like, we have literally
Speaker 2: traveled all up and down the East Coast to see Beyonce.
Speaker 2: And so when we got our shout out, we promised
Speaker 2: we would never tell how we got the shout out
Speaker 2: at least now right now, and we just want to
Speaker 2: say we're just gonna sit in our delusion. Okay, oh yea,
Speaker 2: that the shout out was real, that was really us,
Speaker 2: and it was such a Beyonce Beyonce and you know,
Speaker 2: just really quick, Danielle.
Speaker 3: My favorite part of the film.
Speaker 2: That keeps me going right there is when Beyonce said,
Speaker 2: sometimes being a black woman, you know, people will.
Speaker 3: Just try to play in your face.
Speaker 2: Yes, still they realized this bitch won't give up. And
Speaker 2: that that really resonated with me because that is something
Speaker 2: that I'm sure you face, that I face in this industry.
Speaker 2: Just that to rise you just had a you know
Speaker 2: which that's a whole other different episode, but I just
Speaker 2: really really needed her to say that she was so
Speaker 2: on time, and it reminded us that she is in
Speaker 2: fact a human, not a robot, and that she deals
Speaker 2: with the same thing on an even bigger level, you know.
Speaker 2: Like I love when she was like, oh so there's
Speaker 2: nothing bigger, So there's nothing bigger.
Speaker 3: Oh well, that's funny because I.
Speaker 1: Just looked at it because I just googled it. That's
Speaker 1: weird that you're telling me that, like this can't happen,
Speaker 1: like y really and I and it's just like when
Speaker 1: I watched that portion and I was just like, still,
Speaker 1: like this is still happening, like people are still like
Speaker 1: the answer should be yes, and if not, I'll figure
Speaker 1: it out. Like I'm just confused, and that Beyonce is
Speaker 1: still being told no, this can't happen, Are you insane?
Speaker 3: Right?
Speaker 1: Like she's not asking to go to the moon like tomorrow, right,
Speaker 1: and if she was, right, figure it out. So, you know,
Speaker 1: and I love the fact that you just you know,
Speaker 1: I know, we'll have a couple of seconds left. But
Speaker 1: you know, Taraji p Henson bringing up, you know, the
Speaker 1: consistent struggles and the disrespect in the industry that she
Speaker 1: continues to face that black women continue to face, and
Speaker 1: then to listen to watch like all of these other
Speaker 1: people pipe up. I think is really important because when
Speaker 1: people see the success, the glitz and the glam, they
Speaker 1: honestly don't know in comparison to these no name white
Speaker 1: actresses that you may have seen in one flick, like
Speaker 1: are making twenty thirty million dollars a picture, and this
Speaker 1: person who has all of these accolades and all of this,
Speaker 1: you know, all of this history behind her, is still
Speaker 1: struggling to like make things happen. And when you see
Speaker 1: people have eight, nine to ten jobs, it's not because
Speaker 1: they want to right, like in a lot of cases.
Speaker 1: So I really appreciated her being very honest and just
Speaker 1: kind of lifting the veil on what the experience still
Speaker 1: is even in our eyes to people who we think,
Speaker 1: quote unquote have made it.
Speaker 2: I definitely think and for everyone saying that Monique also
Speaker 2: brought this up, I do understand that, but sometimes it's
Speaker 2: the it's the messenger at the time.
Speaker 1: Yeah, the messenger at time.
Speaker 2: Means a lot. I love me some Monique, and I
Speaker 2: know Monique. I still with Monique when she was saying
Speaker 2: it right because I got under I understand this. I
Speaker 2: feel like most black women in this industry understand people
Speaker 2: trying to play in our face when it comes to money.
Speaker 3: We've all had to face that. And if you haven't,
Speaker 3: power to your sister.
Speaker 2: But I have had to fight for our money me
Speaker 2: and I think that what's beautiful is that now people
Speaker 2: everywhere are speaking out with Taraji, and I think it
Speaker 2: seemed like such a genuine moment. You know, Gail was
Speaker 2: asking her this question, and it was supposed to be
Speaker 2: this playful girl, You're not going anywhere, and then this
Speaker 2: real genuine like, y'all, I'm only working this much because
Speaker 2: they won't pay me what Julia Waders is getting paid.
Speaker 2: And I've done the you know, accomplished amount of work.
Speaker 2: I'm in at least some of those same veils. I'm
Speaker 2: not going to say the exact same veils list everyone,
Speaker 2: but she deserves Taraji deserves her money. So I'm so
Speaker 2: happy that she's speaking up. I'm hoping that this only
Speaker 2: works in her favor.
Speaker 1: I'm yeah, you can do it.
Speaker 2: Then she's opening up the door for me and yeah,
Speaker 2: many others, So I'm praying that you know.
Speaker 1: It's not backlash for her. Yeah, yeah, Well, la Portia Thomas,
Speaker 1: this has been fantastic. Thank you so much for making
Speaker 1: the time for wok F and I hope that we
Speaker 1: get to talk to you again soon.
Speaker 3: Of course, Thank you, Danielle.
Speaker 1: That is it for me today, Dear friends on wok F.
Speaker 1: As always, power to the people and to all the people. Power,
Speaker 1: get woke and stay woke as fuck.