1 00:00:05,240 --> 00:00:08,680 Speaker 1: On our drive down from Denver to Westcliff. We were 2 00:00:08,720 --> 00:00:11,560 Speaker 1: first going to meet up with the Unicorns in Colorado 3 00:00:11,640 --> 00:00:15,920 Speaker 1: Springs for a little birthday dinner. James and I arrived 4 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:19,560 Speaker 1: a few hours early, so I had the bright idea 5 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:24,000 Speaker 1: to stop at the headquarters of the evangelical media organization 6 00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:28,080 Speaker 1: Focus on the Family. I hadn't been there since I 7 00:00:28,120 --> 00:00:31,720 Speaker 1: was a little Christian kid, so I was curious what 8 00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:34,240 Speaker 1: it would be like for me to walk through. Now, 9 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:37,120 Speaker 1: what was it like walking through their little headquarters and 10 00:00:37,159 --> 00:00:43,440 Speaker 1: welcome center. What were the general vibes? That was fucking 11 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:47,960 Speaker 1: Bombker's um. So we went in initially, and we've gone 12 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:53,200 Speaker 1: into the bookshop and I found a book that told 13 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:55,640 Speaker 1: me the holding hands is for play. That was called 14 00:00:55,720 --> 00:00:58,600 Speaker 1: sex in a Marriage. I've seen a book with a 15 00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:02,040 Speaker 1: pink triangle on the cover that is about OGBTQ people, 16 00:01:02,880 --> 00:01:05,319 Speaker 1: which is deeply truck and traveling. Well, it's it's it's 17 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:09,200 Speaker 1: about men struggling with their sexual identity. I see on 18 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:13,560 Speaker 1: the way to stop that struggling. Yeahide Queer elimination of 19 00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:18,240 Speaker 1: rhetoric hasn't just been confined to Christian bookstores or the Internet. 20 00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:23,360 Speaker 1: In November, it once again became very clear how this 21 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:28,560 Speaker 1: kind of NonStop hate speech being beamed into everyone's homes 22 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:33,240 Speaker 1: impacts them. On the eve of Transgender Day of Remembrance, 23 00:01:33,640 --> 00:01:37,720 Speaker 1: as Club Q gay bar in Colorado Springs was preparing 24 00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:41,119 Speaker 1: for an all ages drag show, a twenty two year 25 00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:45,160 Speaker 1: old shooter walked in and killed five people, leaving twenty 26 00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:49,760 Speaker 1: five more injured. The shooter was ultimately tackled and pistol 27 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:53,840 Speaker 1: whipped by a US Army veteran Richard Fierro, and stomped 28 00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:58,360 Speaker 1: in the face by an unidentified trans woman. A few 29 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:02,240 Speaker 1: days after the club queue uting, on so called Thanksgiving, 30 00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:07,200 Speaker 1: the Focus on the Family headquarters was defaced, leaving behind 31 00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:12,280 Speaker 1: a graffiti message pointing out the organization's culpability from pioneering 32 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:16,960 Speaker 1: the kind of gay exterminationist propaganda that the modern conservative 33 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:21,200 Speaker 1: right is embracing. The message left on the property that 34 00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:24,720 Speaker 1: James and I visited just a few months prior read quote, 35 00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:31,200 Speaker 1: their blood is on your hands, five lives taken way 36 00:02:31,240 --> 00:02:34,760 Speaker 1: back in I put together behind the Bastards on Focus 37 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:38,360 Speaker 1: on the Family and their founder, James Dobson, and I've 38 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:43,519 Speaker 1: covered Focus on the Family's increase in anti trans propaganda 39 00:02:43,639 --> 00:02:47,880 Speaker 1: earlier this year on this very show. After the graffiti 40 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:51,000 Speaker 1: was left on their headquarters on Thanksgiving, a statement was 41 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:54,239 Speaker 1: released by the Colorado People's Press, and I'm going to 42 00:02:54,480 --> 00:02:58,080 Speaker 1: read a few parts of that quote. It is no 43 00:02:58,200 --> 00:03:02,560 Speaker 1: accident that the club queue shoeing happened in Colorado Springs, 44 00:03:02,600 --> 00:03:07,720 Speaker 1: a city steeped in homophobia, transphobia, and white supremacy. It 45 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:10,440 Speaker 1: is no surprise that somebody did this in the city 46 00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:14,160 Speaker 1: that is home to such a hateful organization as Focus 47 00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:17,359 Speaker 1: on the Family. If you visit their website, you will 48 00:03:17,400 --> 00:03:21,040 Speaker 1: see them eagerly display their desire to rid the world 49 00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:24,600 Speaker 1: of all queer people. It is important to us that 50 00:03:24,639 --> 00:03:27,560 Speaker 1: you understand why Focus on the Family must be held 51 00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:32,960 Speaker 1: accountable for the ramifications of their hateful theology. You have 52 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:36,800 Speaker 1: likely seen the onslaught of anti trans legislation, of which 53 00:03:36,920 --> 00:03:39,680 Speaker 1: Focus on the Family is a huge proponent, both in 54 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:43,680 Speaker 1: funding and propaganda. Focus on the Family's goal is to 55 00:03:43,760 --> 00:03:49,640 Speaker 1: eradicate queerness. Unquote. Two of the five people killed in 56 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:53,160 Speaker 1: the club queue shooting were trans people, and in the 57 00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:57,080 Speaker 1: days after the attack, figures on the right continued to 58 00:03:57,120 --> 00:04:00,520 Speaker 1: call for attacks on trans people and drag queens, using 59 00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:05,000 Speaker 1: their familiar language of groomers and grooming while of course 60 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:08,160 Speaker 1: completely ignoring multiple figures within their own myths to have 61 00:04:08,760 --> 00:04:12,080 Speaker 1: very well documented relationships with people convicted or suspected of 62 00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:15,640 Speaker 1: sex crimes. But obviously evidence or logic doesn't really make 63 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:19,039 Speaker 1: a difference in these types of situations. What's happened is 64 00:04:19,080 --> 00:04:22,240 Speaker 1: that a handful of figures on the right have decided 65 00:04:22,279 --> 00:04:26,120 Speaker 1: that they can gain power, influence, and money by whipping 66 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:30,239 Speaker 1: up hatred towards queer people. With this hate has come 67 00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:34,760 Speaker 1: an uptick in violence, and this only makes queer havens 68 00:04:34,839 --> 00:04:40,520 Speaker 1: like the Tenacious Unicorn Ranch more important. Last month, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 69 00:04:40,640 --> 00:04:43,599 Speaker 1: after a donut shop hosted a drag queen and queer 70 00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:46,680 Speaker 1: art event, a man in a maca hat smashed the 71 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:49,039 Speaker 1: windows of the store with a baseball bat and threw 72 00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:53,039 Speaker 1: in a Molotov cocktail. The attacker also taped a note 73 00:04:53,160 --> 00:04:57,159 Speaker 1: with Bible verses and homophobic and transphobic slurs on the 74 00:04:57,200 --> 00:05:00,520 Speaker 1: window of a neighboring shop. This wasn't the time the 75 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:03,800 Speaker 1: store had been targeted, and this attack happened a day 76 00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:07,440 Speaker 1: before the shop was set to host another drag art event. 77 00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:11,520 Speaker 1: On December three, a right wing activist and former U. 78 00:05:11,760 --> 00:05:16,400 Speaker 1: S Army psychological operations officer claimed on Facebook that God 79 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:20,400 Speaker 1: had caused a power outage in Moore County, North Carolina 80 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:23,240 Speaker 1: in an effort to shut down a drag show that 81 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:27,640 Speaker 1: was currently taking place in a local theater. Earlier that 82 00:05:27,839 --> 00:05:31,560 Speaker 1: same day, a holiday themed drag show in Columbus, Ohio, 83 00:05:31,880 --> 00:05:36,479 Speaker 1: hosted by a Unitarian Universalist church was canceled due to 84 00:05:36,520 --> 00:05:41,640 Speaker 1: threats and protests outside by Proud Boys, Patriot Front and 85 00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:46,520 Speaker 1: a number of unidentified armed men in Cammo. Patriot Front 86 00:05:46,640 --> 00:05:51,200 Speaker 1: chanted blood, liberty, and victory, while the Proud Boys chanted 87 00:05:51,480 --> 00:06:10,120 Speaker 1: Feds Feds Feds back at them. Despite their disagreements, the 88 00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:14,000 Speaker 1: two groups seemed perfectly fine working together to shut down 89 00:06:14,160 --> 00:06:17,760 Speaker 1: the drag event. The Nazi group White Lives Matter Ohio 90 00:06:17,880 --> 00:06:20,039 Speaker 1: was set up a few blocks away in their skull 91 00:06:20,120 --> 00:06:25,000 Speaker 1: masks and were seek hiling two drivers passing by. After 92 00:06:25,040 --> 00:06:27,400 Speaker 1: it became clear the drag show was not going to 93 00:06:27,440 --> 00:06:30,880 Speaker 1: take place, the groups moved to a busier, more visible 94 00:06:30,920 --> 00:06:35,279 Speaker 1: street to wave their groomer signs. A few dozen Patriot 95 00:06:35,360 --> 00:06:39,520 Speaker 1: Front members stood chanting outside of a Chipotle as a 96 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:44,920 Speaker 1: Christian Diminiist flag flew behind them. On December seven, someone 97 00:06:44,960 --> 00:06:47,080 Speaker 1: fired a gun through the window of a bar in 98 00:06:47,120 --> 00:06:50,040 Speaker 1: rent in Washington after threats against the bar were posted 99 00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:54,159 Speaker 1: online for hosting a drag queen story time. Just a 100 00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:58,960 Speaker 1: few days ago. On December, the FBI designated extremist militia 101 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:04,440 Speaker 1: group named This is Texas Freedom Force showed up armed 102 00:07:04,440 --> 00:07:07,680 Speaker 1: with guns outside of a Christmas themed drag show in 103 00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:11,320 Speaker 1: San Antonio, Texas. Other right wing groups like the San 104 00:07:11,320 --> 00:07:15,680 Speaker 1: Antonio Family Association and the Fascist Patriot Front also had 105 00:07:15,760 --> 00:07:19,920 Speaker 1: members present. By the end, the crowd protesting the drag 106 00:07:19,960 --> 00:07:24,400 Speaker 1: show was greatly outnumbered by people showing up to support 107 00:07:24,520 --> 00:07:28,640 Speaker 1: and defend the queer event, some of whom also showed 108 00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:43,120 Speaker 1: up armed. What do we do? Something that was mentioned 109 00:07:43,120 --> 00:07:46,320 Speaker 1: across the multiple interviews we did while visiting the ranch 110 00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:51,920 Speaker 1: is the idea of microcosm and macrocosm. The Tenacious Unicorn 111 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:54,440 Speaker 1: Ranch story and the threats of violence that they have 112 00:07:54,560 --> 00:07:59,640 Speaker 1: faced really does embody a microcosm version of the transphobic 113 00:07:59,760 --> 00:08:04,760 Speaker 1: and queer eliminationist rhetoric and genocide campaign that the country 114 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:08,840 Speaker 1: as a whole is experiencing. It's just that this local 115 00:08:08,840 --> 00:08:12,960 Speaker 1: manifestation of it happened to be on an outpaca farm 116 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:17,920 Speaker 1: as odd as that maybe apparently kind of funny. And 117 00:08:17,920 --> 00:08:19,920 Speaker 1: and then with the way they run with their head 118 00:08:19,960 --> 00:08:23,760 Speaker 1: all the way down to the ground and just yeah 119 00:08:23,840 --> 00:08:31,840 Speaker 1: that impracticalities. Yeah, little camels animals straight out of you know, 120 00:08:32,160 --> 00:08:38,800 Speaker 1: they really are. They have the same amount of magic. Yeah. 121 00:08:38,920 --> 00:08:45,040 Speaker 1: Just driving up here seeing them, I was like, wow, Yeah, 122 00:08:45,400 --> 00:08:48,000 Speaker 1: they are like unicorns are like a mythical and it's 123 00:08:48,040 --> 00:08:50,560 Speaker 1: just kind of like, wow, is this real. It's like 124 00:08:50,600 --> 00:08:54,840 Speaker 1: a fucking tont on what's going on? They just looks 125 00:08:54,840 --> 00:08:58,120 Speaker 1: so snuggleble I want to snuggle them. And the way 126 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:04,679 Speaker 1: they walked like that, like that like crewcome. Yeah, when 127 00:09:04,679 --> 00:09:10,080 Speaker 1: they do a trot like America. This is clown. He's 128 00:09:10,120 --> 00:09:24,080 Speaker 1: an asshole, but he's a really good dad. Yeah. For 129 00:09:24,280 --> 00:09:26,920 Speaker 1: this last episode of the series, we want to give 130 00:09:26,960 --> 00:09:29,679 Speaker 1: you a sense of what regular life is like at 131 00:09:29,679 --> 00:09:32,600 Speaker 1: the ranch now that it's been almost two years since 132 00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:36,440 Speaker 1: the siege and people have had time to process, grow 133 00:09:36,600 --> 00:09:40,360 Speaker 1: and adapt. One thing that's growing is the number of 134 00:09:40,400 --> 00:09:46,600 Speaker 1: alpacas something like that. With the reason Crea is born, 135 00:09:46,640 --> 00:09:52,120 Speaker 1: we are a hundred so about a d alpaca. Um, 136 00:09:52,200 --> 00:09:55,200 Speaker 1: let's talk a little bit about alpacas. I think they're interesting, right. 137 00:09:56,200 --> 00:10:00,400 Speaker 1: You came into both your alpaca as rescues. Yea, yeah 138 00:10:00,559 --> 00:10:07,040 Speaker 1: we uh so at the original ranch, we purchased ten alpaca, 139 00:10:07,120 --> 00:10:09,880 Speaker 1: but it was like a rescue purchase. The only way 140 00:10:09,880 --> 00:10:13,000 Speaker 1: that we could get them to give them up as 141 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:15,000 Speaker 1: if we paid money for them. But they were obviously 142 00:10:15,040 --> 00:10:17,920 Speaker 1: like they needed new homes. That was all from really 143 00:10:17,960 --> 00:10:20,040 Speaker 1: lovely people. It was just like these weren't alpaca they 144 00:10:20,080 --> 00:10:24,480 Speaker 1: wanted um. And then we learned really quickly that there 145 00:10:24,559 --> 00:10:29,640 Speaker 1: is a that there's a problem in America with alpaca 146 00:10:29,760 --> 00:10:33,360 Speaker 1: ranchers aging out of being able to take care of 147 00:10:33,400 --> 00:10:37,840 Speaker 1: these really massive herds that they've built and either euthanizing 148 00:10:38,120 --> 00:10:42,240 Speaker 1: or splitting up herds, which is both things are not 149 00:10:42,360 --> 00:10:50,040 Speaker 1: great for the health of the alpaca. Yeah. Um, that 150 00:10:50,120 --> 00:10:53,800 Speaker 1: ends that story. But so we found really quickly that 151 00:10:53,840 --> 00:10:57,800 Speaker 1: there is a As a rescue we were able to 152 00:10:57,800 --> 00:11:01,640 Speaker 1: help more animals and afford animals, you know, like uh 153 00:11:02,400 --> 00:11:05,439 Speaker 1: because and because we were on the acres that were 154 00:11:05,440 --> 00:11:08,800 Speaker 1: on we could take in entire herds and not break 155 00:11:08,840 --> 00:11:11,400 Speaker 1: them up, which is a big deal. Um. And so 156 00:11:11,480 --> 00:11:18,040 Speaker 1: our first intake of rescues was seventies six alpaca from 157 00:11:18,280 --> 00:11:21,359 Speaker 1: a really great couple in horse Tooth that was retiring 158 00:11:22,240 --> 00:11:27,320 Speaker 1: really great animals, hardy, really quality fiber um and we 159 00:11:27,400 --> 00:11:29,720 Speaker 1: just kind of have been with that model ever since 160 00:11:30,280 --> 00:11:34,960 Speaker 1: as a rescue and the way you you like sustainable 161 00:11:34,960 --> 00:11:38,440 Speaker 1: as a run cheese in addition to working outside is 162 00:11:38,480 --> 00:11:41,319 Speaker 1: selling the fiber, right, the fiber from the animals. Yeah, 163 00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:45,319 Speaker 1: both sheep and the alpaca provide fiber that we then 164 00:11:45,360 --> 00:11:47,760 Speaker 1: turned into. Really what we do is turn it into 165 00:11:47,840 --> 00:11:51,319 Speaker 1: yarn and then sell the yarn. We've never needed to 166 00:11:51,360 --> 00:11:53,360 Speaker 1: go beyond that because we've always sold out of our 167 00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:57,680 Speaker 1: yarn almost immediately. Speaking of sheep, here's a nice little 168 00:11:57,679 --> 00:12:00,960 Speaker 1: clip of James fawning over some of the door sets. 169 00:12:01,920 --> 00:12:14,200 Speaker 1: There's a dead nice looking sheep doors. There's some of 170 00:12:14,240 --> 00:12:18,280 Speaker 1: them that are mixed with the remember what the black 171 00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:22,280 Speaker 1: face Scotch black face. Yeah, um, and they're they're a 172 00:12:22,280 --> 00:12:26,160 Speaker 1: really lovely mix. Yeah, that's a nice combination. Actually pretty 173 00:12:26,240 --> 00:12:28,760 Speaker 1: rugged sheep, big and just rugged like they put up 174 00:12:28,760 --> 00:12:31,280 Speaker 1: with everything. Yeah. You can see their coats are just 175 00:12:31,320 --> 00:12:35,040 Speaker 1: like bread, like they're just a doughey. Yeah. Yeah, the 176 00:12:35,120 --> 00:12:38,360 Speaker 1: dorsets have like a nice thick fleece and they're like, 177 00:12:38,360 --> 00:12:40,840 Speaker 1: well fleas on the head and the neck. Yeah, they 178 00:12:40,880 --> 00:12:44,400 Speaker 1: make really good We mixed it with our alpacking yard 179 00:12:44,480 --> 00:12:48,360 Speaker 1: this year. It's a wonderful yarn. It's really rough thinking 180 00:12:48,400 --> 00:12:51,400 Speaker 1: that there's people that are just like fucking a pack 181 00:12:51,480 --> 00:12:55,880 Speaker 1: of farmers. What's gone wrong in your life that you 182 00:12:56,080 --> 00:13:00,520 Speaker 1: so angry at someone for looking after these fleuefy animals. Yeah, 183 00:13:00,760 --> 00:13:02,840 Speaker 1: Like the big thing was there was that moment where 184 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:06,600 Speaker 1: like they had the Nazi parade in town and that's 185 00:13:06,600 --> 00:13:09,400 Speaker 1: what really like we called them out on it and 186 00:13:09,440 --> 00:13:12,960 Speaker 1: that's what started the animosity. But like it was a 187 00:13:13,080 --> 00:13:20,120 Speaker 1: greade of Nazis, Like like, I don't feel bad, Like 188 00:13:20,800 --> 00:13:23,160 Speaker 1: it's weird that they took it to the level of 189 00:13:23,200 --> 00:13:25,760 Speaker 1: oh yeah, well we're going to burn down your house 190 00:13:25,760 --> 00:13:29,560 Speaker 1: and kill you all. That will show you. It's like, yeah, 191 00:13:29,600 --> 00:13:34,719 Speaker 1: it'll show us that your Nazis. In our conversation with 192 00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:39,120 Speaker 1: Jordan's from The Tribune, as somebody who was born and 193 00:13:39,240 --> 00:13:43,240 Speaker 1: raised in this area, he gave us his perspective on 194 00:13:43,320 --> 00:13:46,680 Speaker 1: why people may have thought they could get away with 195 00:13:46,720 --> 00:13:50,640 Speaker 1: attacking the ranch and how there has been this cultural 196 00:13:50,720 --> 00:13:54,600 Speaker 1: shift in recent years to allow this kind of reactionary 197 00:13:54,679 --> 00:13:57,600 Speaker 1: militancy you know, again, I don't think it was anything 198 00:13:57,600 --> 00:14:01,960 Speaker 1: super organized other than a bunch of these individuals that 199 00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:05,360 Speaker 1: had already been sort of organized deciding to do something 200 00:14:05,440 --> 00:14:09,480 Speaker 1: really stupid and knowing that the sheriff and a lot 201 00:14:09,480 --> 00:14:11,640 Speaker 1: of other people wouldn't take it that seriously. That's what 202 00:14:11,720 --> 00:14:13,640 Speaker 1: I wondered. Yeah, they thought they could get away with it. 203 00:14:13,720 --> 00:14:15,400 Speaker 1: And I've been a history of that, Like have they 204 00:14:15,520 --> 00:14:17,800 Speaker 1: done that sort of thing happened in the valley U 205 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:20,080 Speaker 1: in the past, and there's been plenty of just as 206 00:14:20,080 --> 00:14:22,880 Speaker 1: I said, But you know, but usually that stuff wasn't condoned, 207 00:14:22,960 --> 00:14:26,000 Speaker 1: so eventually they get caught in terms of like like 208 00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:29,640 Speaker 1: pressuring or minorities. You know, in the past, there was 209 00:14:29,920 --> 00:14:32,280 Speaker 1: there was always some of those types of things, but 210 00:14:32,360 --> 00:14:36,080 Speaker 1: it also wasn't condoned or even excused even against most 211 00:14:36,120 --> 00:14:38,640 Speaker 1: If it came out, then those people were chunned and 212 00:14:38,680 --> 00:14:43,160 Speaker 1: shamed even by Republicans. But these days it's much more like, well, 213 00:14:43,680 --> 00:14:46,840 Speaker 1: we'll look the other way, you know. Now it's tipped 214 00:14:46,960 --> 00:14:51,040 Speaker 1: the other direction. Thankfully, so far, the efforts of these 215 00:14:51,200 --> 00:14:54,680 Speaker 1: few individuals to harm or pressure the Unicorns out of 216 00:14:54,680 --> 00:14:59,480 Speaker 1: the community have unequivocally failed, and in some ways just 217 00:14:59,720 --> 00:15:03,640 Speaker 1: may stronger bonds. Yeah. They wanted you to leave. Yeah, yeah, yeah, 218 00:15:03,680 --> 00:15:06,560 Speaker 1: I mean all of it was designed to make you 219 00:15:06,640 --> 00:15:13,000 Speaker 1: so afraid you would go away. Yeah, like yeah, terrorism 220 00:15:13,040 --> 00:15:15,560 Speaker 1: and that hasn't happened, right, So you await a year 221 00:15:15,600 --> 00:15:18,400 Speaker 1: and change, a year and a half, all nice? Yeah? 222 00:15:19,120 --> 00:15:23,000 Speaker 1: Two years in. Two years and change and a year 223 00:15:23,040 --> 00:15:28,200 Speaker 1: plus since since And how are things now? I think 224 00:15:28,200 --> 00:15:31,440 Speaker 1: at this point people legitimately love us like locals, like, yeah, 225 00:15:31,600 --> 00:15:34,800 Speaker 1: people call us the unicorns and they everybody knows who 226 00:15:34,880 --> 00:15:37,200 Speaker 1: we are and it's and not in a bad way, 227 00:15:37,320 --> 00:15:42,720 Speaker 1: like it's really we feel at home here. Because of 228 00:15:42,760 --> 00:15:46,720 Speaker 1: the timing of their initial move over to Westcliffe, it 229 00:15:46,840 --> 00:15:51,760 Speaker 1: made local community building kind of challenging and little did 230 00:15:51,760 --> 00:15:55,360 Speaker 1: they know that they would crucially need community and support 231 00:15:55,760 --> 00:15:59,840 Speaker 1: in the month to come. So, because it was during 232 00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:04,120 Speaker 1: the pandemic uh and everything was on lockdown, we didn't 233 00:16:05,320 --> 00:16:09,760 Speaker 1: establish a lot of community. We Uh Annie moved in 234 00:16:10,640 --> 00:16:13,480 Speaker 1: who was somebody we knew down in birth It which 235 00:16:13,520 --> 00:16:16,280 Speaker 1: was very close to us, uh and so she moved 236 00:16:16,600 --> 00:16:18,600 Speaker 1: up here at the exact same time we were moving 237 00:16:18,680 --> 00:16:21,360 Speaker 1: up here. So we did have like somebody that we 238 00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:23,840 Speaker 1: could like talk to and interact with but they were 239 00:16:23,880 --> 00:16:26,640 Speaker 1: just as new to the area as we were. Um 240 00:16:26,760 --> 00:16:30,120 Speaker 1: and I mean honestly setting up a ranch and moving 241 00:16:30,160 --> 00:16:32,880 Speaker 1: from one location to another when you're talking about like 242 00:16:33,280 --> 00:16:36,280 Speaker 1: multiple hundreds of animals, and at that point we were 243 00:16:36,360 --> 00:16:40,000 Speaker 1: six people. Uh, we were very self focused for the 244 00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:42,600 Speaker 1: first six months we were up here. Uh. So our 245 00:16:42,680 --> 00:16:45,680 Speaker 1: general sweep was they have Shakespeare in the park and 246 00:16:45,720 --> 00:16:50,920 Speaker 1: it's a tourist town, so it seems great. We moved 247 00:16:50,960 --> 00:16:54,040 Speaker 1: here because we could afford this house and no other 248 00:16:54,120 --> 00:16:57,840 Speaker 1: house in Colorado. Uh And then and then it slowly 249 00:16:57,880 --> 00:17:00,560 Speaker 1: started to become a parent that we've moved into a 250 00:17:00,680 --> 00:17:04,960 Speaker 1: very red area. But again, there wasn't any overt signs 251 00:17:05,040 --> 00:17:09,800 Speaker 1: upon arrival, Like everybody was cool and honestly, like people 252 00:17:09,840 --> 00:17:15,720 Speaker 1: are still pretty cool of people that suck. As things 253 00:17:15,760 --> 00:17:19,600 Speaker 1: have steadily stabilized and settled into a version of normal, 254 00:17:20,040 --> 00:17:24,440 Speaker 1: the Unicorns have been getting more involved throughout the local community. 255 00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:27,439 Speaker 1: A little while back, they stepped up to assist with 256 00:17:27,520 --> 00:17:30,200 Speaker 1: recycling for the county. We stepped up for a small 257 00:17:30,240 --> 00:17:33,960 Speaker 1: period of time when the recycling company that was handling 258 00:17:33,960 --> 00:17:37,680 Speaker 1: the counties recycling folded. We stepped up with our horse 259 00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:42,600 Speaker 1: trailers and just collected recycling and drove it to a facility. Um. 260 00:17:42,720 --> 00:17:47,679 Speaker 1: Now there's actually a facility in the Westcliffe Landfill that 261 00:17:47,720 --> 00:17:52,680 Speaker 1: does recycling for the this county and the neighboring three counties. Um. 262 00:17:52,720 --> 00:17:55,320 Speaker 1: And that was a building that like we designed and 263 00:17:56,640 --> 00:17:59,879 Speaker 1: the person who's running at Rocky Mountain Rocky Mountain Recycling, 264 00:18:00,680 --> 00:18:04,800 Speaker 1: Joni's her name. Amazing people. They're doing great things and 265 00:18:04,840 --> 00:18:06,760 Speaker 1: we're glad that we could help in whatever we could. 266 00:18:06,960 --> 00:18:10,000 Speaker 1: It just became a government project and that's when we 267 00:18:10,040 --> 00:18:13,040 Speaker 1: stepped out because that's not really what we're about. But yeah, 268 00:18:13,200 --> 00:18:17,000 Speaker 1: and as socialization has been able to get more possible 269 00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:21,199 Speaker 1: since the pandemic, the Unicorns have developed ways to connect 270 00:18:21,320 --> 00:18:25,600 Speaker 1: with the existing community of queers and weirdos in the area. 271 00:18:26,200 --> 00:18:29,000 Speaker 1: Jen put together like a weekly game night and it's 272 00:18:29,040 --> 00:18:31,879 Speaker 1: it's like slowly growing and we're bringing in queer people 273 00:18:31,920 --> 00:18:35,480 Speaker 1: to play board games and stuff. Yeah, we've got four 274 00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:39,520 Speaker 1: different people from in town who you know, otherwise don't 275 00:18:39,560 --> 00:18:41,480 Speaker 1: really have a connection to the ranch coming in to 276 00:18:41,600 --> 00:18:46,160 Speaker 1: play a board game or maybe Magic Night and playing Suspicion. 277 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:50,119 Speaker 1: That's going to keep growing. Uh. It might be Arkham 278 00:18:50,160 --> 00:18:52,679 Speaker 1: Horror third edition, or it might be mysterium or it 279 00:18:52,800 --> 00:18:57,040 Speaker 1: might be magic, okay, m magic, because I would I 280 00:18:57,080 --> 00:18:59,760 Speaker 1: would would love to beat everyone here in a game. 281 00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:02,000 Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, you should play with us. Yes, that fun, 282 00:19:03,400 --> 00:19:05,480 Speaker 1: even little things like that, like like and it's just 283 00:19:05,600 --> 00:19:08,480 Speaker 1: always to build community. Yeah, it's important because we need 284 00:19:08,520 --> 00:19:10,280 Speaker 1: to be here when like, if it gets really bad 285 00:19:10,840 --> 00:19:15,320 Speaker 1: on the macro cosm scale, things do seem to be 286 00:19:15,400 --> 00:19:19,600 Speaker 1: getting bad. When we talked with Jordan's about how George 287 00:19:19,640 --> 00:19:24,480 Speaker 1: from The Sentinel was targeting the unicorns, the conversation segued 288 00:19:24,600 --> 00:19:28,919 Speaker 1: into how there's been this shift from economic conservatism to 289 00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:34,680 Speaker 1: this rising brand of far right Christian vanguardism. I think 290 00:19:34,680 --> 00:19:37,240 Speaker 1: if I was to classify some of the movement you 291 00:19:37,320 --> 00:19:39,359 Speaker 1: see in conservative America right now, where it all starts 292 00:19:39,400 --> 00:19:42,720 Speaker 1: to make sense is that in the past, conservatism was 293 00:19:42,720 --> 00:19:44,840 Speaker 1: always trying to push against sort of this idea of 294 00:19:44,880 --> 00:19:48,280 Speaker 1: revolution or progress or too fast. You know, they always 295 00:19:48,320 --> 00:19:50,040 Speaker 1: go back to the French Revolution. That's where of the 296 00:19:50,080 --> 00:19:52,280 Speaker 1: left and right kind of started saying, hey, if you 297 00:19:52,359 --> 00:19:54,800 Speaker 1: move too quickly with progress, everybody gets their heads chopped off, 298 00:19:54,960 --> 00:19:57,080 Speaker 1: you know. So that was kind of conservatism, which is 299 00:19:57,080 --> 00:19:59,840 Speaker 1: we don't really believe in anything necessarily we're just gonna 300 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:02,640 Speaker 1: the tradition and just kind of be saying no a lot. 301 00:20:03,520 --> 00:20:06,280 Speaker 1: But at the same time, that's how conservatism was here 302 00:20:06,560 --> 00:20:10,440 Speaker 1: until the Soviet Union fell, and then all of a 303 00:20:10,440 --> 00:20:13,080 Speaker 1: sudden something switched, which is, we have the system that won. 304 00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:15,960 Speaker 1: Our system should spread across the world, because if every 305 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:19,480 Speaker 1: day but he did American style capitalist democracy, we would 306 00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:25,040 Speaker 1: enter this weird and randy in utopia. Yeah yeah, well 307 00:20:25,080 --> 00:20:29,360 Speaker 1: into history, but on a conservative side. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly, 308 00:20:29,400 --> 00:20:31,320 Speaker 1: That's exactly what it was. And but the problems is 309 00:20:31,359 --> 00:20:34,880 Speaker 1: two thousand one, particularly here, pushed it over. It went 310 00:20:34,920 --> 00:20:37,560 Speaker 1: from like, okay, maybe two we're actually going to try 311 00:20:37,560 --> 00:20:40,800 Speaker 1: to push this on other countries. And really what I 312 00:20:40,920 --> 00:20:45,160 Speaker 1: called the right or the conservative right now they got 313 00:20:45,200 --> 00:20:47,920 Speaker 1: bit by the utopian bug, which is if everybody is 314 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:50,520 Speaker 1: armed to the teeth, if everybody lives the way that 315 00:20:50,560 --> 00:20:53,439 Speaker 1: they dictate they should live, which is some weird and 316 00:20:53,600 --> 00:20:57,680 Speaker 1: randy in version of life and morality, then we'll enter utopia. 317 00:20:57,880 --> 00:21:02,080 Speaker 1: And so if anybody stands against you as that prophet, 318 00:21:03,160 --> 00:21:06,160 Speaker 1: you are the enemy. So that can be that's why 319 00:21:06,080 --> 00:21:09,040 Speaker 1: the right now turns on themselves all the time, is 320 00:21:09,119 --> 00:21:14,080 Speaker 1: anybody stands against them is the enemy. A liberal stops utopia, 321 00:21:14,400 --> 00:21:17,119 Speaker 1: is there deffinite? Anybody that stops utopia, you have to 322 00:21:17,160 --> 00:21:20,080 Speaker 1: go through this is liberal or communist, you know. And 323 00:21:20,119 --> 00:21:21,840 Speaker 1: I think if you look at it in that lens, 324 00:21:22,040 --> 00:21:24,280 Speaker 1: the world makes a lot more sense. I don't see 325 00:21:24,400 --> 00:21:27,160 Speaker 1: very much utopianism at all on the left anymore, whereas 326 00:21:27,200 --> 00:21:30,480 Speaker 1: on the right it's everywhere. So it's one of those 327 00:21:30,520 --> 00:21:33,080 Speaker 1: weird political things that's flopped the other direction now, just 328 00:21:33,119 --> 00:21:36,560 Speaker 1: in different words, different ways. Utopianism is on the right now, 329 00:21:37,600 --> 00:21:40,399 Speaker 1: they also need to have some type of conflict. They 330 00:21:40,440 --> 00:21:43,479 Speaker 1: need to have a purging episode. You have to purge 331 00:21:43,520 --> 00:21:46,119 Speaker 1: everybody that's on the other side to enter utopia. And 332 00:21:46,119 --> 00:21:48,320 Speaker 1: that that's why Christians are really into it. They read 333 00:21:48,359 --> 00:21:51,080 Speaker 1: the book or Revelation. We have to have the civil 334 00:21:51,119 --> 00:21:54,480 Speaker 1: where we have to purge all the leftists because on 335 00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:59,000 Speaker 1: the other side we enter the Kingdom of God. It's 336 00:21:59,040 --> 00:22:01,760 Speaker 1: the exactly, it's absolute millinari is um. And that's what 337 00:22:01,800 --> 00:22:04,159 Speaker 1: we're facing here. If I was a summit up, that's 338 00:22:04,200 --> 00:22:08,119 Speaker 1: how it says, it's definitely millinari is um. In the 339 00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:22,199 Speaker 1: local forum. If we are going to look at the 340 00:22:22,200 --> 00:22:27,160 Speaker 1: tenacious Unicorn ranch story as a microcosm of transphobic violence. 341 00:22:27,440 --> 00:22:29,720 Speaker 1: Then I think it should also be seen as a 342 00:22:29,800 --> 00:22:34,280 Speaker 1: case of study of the invaluable role solidarity and community 343 00:22:34,800 --> 00:22:39,040 Speaker 1: have in resisting the concerted effort to harm queer people 344 00:22:40,119 --> 00:22:44,040 Speaker 1: back when the siege was just starting. Simply feeling able 345 00:22:44,160 --> 00:22:47,000 Speaker 1: to go to sleep because people were willing to show 346 00:22:47,080 --> 00:22:50,359 Speaker 1: up for you is just one example from this story. 347 00:22:50,400 --> 00:22:54,240 Speaker 1: That's a powerful display of the values many people claim 348 00:22:54,359 --> 00:22:58,639 Speaker 1: to have but seldom implement. We were exhausted, and so 349 00:22:58,720 --> 00:23:02,919 Speaker 1: to have people show up and be like you, like you, 350 00:23:02,920 --> 00:23:06,479 Speaker 1: you will be safe tonight, lay down, gets sleep and 351 00:23:06,840 --> 00:23:12,560 Speaker 1: trusted enough to sleep like because it was incredible. It 352 00:23:12,600 --> 00:23:16,639 Speaker 1: was incredible. As the unicorns continue to make connections and 353 00:23:16,680 --> 00:23:20,360 Speaker 1: become a known staple of the larger local community, it's 354 00:23:20,400 --> 00:23:24,800 Speaker 1: made organizing any harassment against them more difficult. I bet 355 00:23:24,800 --> 00:23:26,560 Speaker 1: a bunch of those people who hate us have tested 356 00:23:26,560 --> 00:23:29,480 Speaker 1: the waters with their friends, like all those unicorns, and 357 00:23:29,480 --> 00:23:31,560 Speaker 1: they're like what, they're cool, and oh, yeah, that's what 358 00:23:31,680 --> 00:23:36,880 Speaker 1: that's That's why I meant because um, but that's been 359 00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:41,879 Speaker 1: our ongoing precautions because it hasn't the animosity from that 360 00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:45,520 Speaker 1: group hasn't gone away, and it does resurface every once 361 00:23:45,520 --> 00:23:47,679 Speaker 1: in a while, like some people threatened to kill our 362 00:23:47,760 --> 00:23:50,760 Speaker 1: dogs a little while back and things like that. So 363 00:23:51,080 --> 00:23:56,920 Speaker 1: the same people, we're not sure possibly confirming nowadays, some 364 00:23:57,000 --> 00:24:01,320 Speaker 1: security measures have been integrated into their everyday lives thanks 365 00:24:01,359 --> 00:24:06,120 Speaker 1: to support they've gotten from strangers. We definitely we have cameras, 366 00:24:06,200 --> 00:24:09,800 Speaker 1: so we had to go fund me where people amazingly 367 00:24:09,960 --> 00:24:13,240 Speaker 1: kind of like through a large amount of money at us, 368 00:24:13,359 --> 00:24:18,960 Speaker 1: which afforded a better fence and cameras everywhere on property, 369 00:24:19,040 --> 00:24:22,280 Speaker 1: so that in things like gear, yeah, better gear and 370 00:24:22,440 --> 00:24:25,960 Speaker 1: upgrades and stuff like that. So um, we kind of 371 00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:30,400 Speaker 1: earned an ongoing keep us safe mode. But like cameras 372 00:24:30,400 --> 00:24:32,800 Speaker 1: and guns, that's how we do it. And I do, 373 00:24:32,880 --> 00:24:35,520 Speaker 1: I really do think like we showed the shitty people 374 00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:38,879 Speaker 1: of this town like don't mess with that. We we 375 00:24:38,960 --> 00:24:43,359 Speaker 1: showed what well, what we showed was that community matters 376 00:24:43,880 --> 00:24:46,800 Speaker 1: and if you weren't a ship hell, community will show 377 00:24:46,880 --> 00:24:50,600 Speaker 1: up for you. The day after the club queue shooting, 378 00:24:51,080 --> 00:24:54,520 Speaker 1: once again, the ranch posted a tweet asking for people 379 00:24:54,600 --> 00:24:58,560 Speaker 1: to come. This time, they didn't need help. They wanted 380 00:24:58,600 --> 00:25:01,919 Speaker 1: to offer it. Only an hour or so away from 381 00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:05,080 Speaker 1: Colorado Springs, and they wanted to offer their home as 382 00:25:05,119 --> 00:25:08,439 Speaker 1: a place to heal, to talk, and to begin moving 383 00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:12,240 Speaker 1: forward as a part of the community struck by violence 384 00:25:12,320 --> 00:25:16,919 Speaker 1: and hate. In addition to a home for the ranchers 385 00:25:16,960 --> 00:25:20,960 Speaker 1: and the animals, the ranch also provides emergency housing for 386 00:25:21,119 --> 00:25:25,320 Speaker 1: queer people who aren't safe wherever they currently are. There 387 00:25:25,320 --> 00:25:27,760 Speaker 1: have been lots of residents at the ranch in the 388 00:25:27,840 --> 00:25:31,160 Speaker 1: four years deep when operating. Some of them come briefly 389 00:25:31,400 --> 00:25:34,639 Speaker 1: and use the stability to get set up with a 390 00:25:34,680 --> 00:25:38,760 Speaker 1: fresh start in some place. Some others intend to stay 391 00:25:38,800 --> 00:25:42,560 Speaker 1: but find the country life isn't for them, and some 392 00:25:42,720 --> 00:25:46,920 Speaker 1: like Jay, become permanent fixtures on the ranch. The term 393 00:25:46,920 --> 00:25:48,840 Speaker 1: you've kind of used a lot to describe this place 394 00:25:48,920 --> 00:25:54,800 Speaker 1: is like a queer haven. And the past year, definitely 395 00:25:54,880 --> 00:25:59,960 Speaker 1: there's been a pretty volatile increase in transphobia and queer phobia, 396 00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:03,640 Speaker 1: even like a resurgence of homophobia. So as this type 397 00:26:03,640 --> 00:26:05,480 Speaker 1: of stuff is happening, as we're seeing more kind of 398 00:26:05,560 --> 00:26:09,320 Speaker 1: rhetoric around, like a queer genocide or queer exterminationism, how 399 00:26:09,359 --> 00:26:12,199 Speaker 1: do you see this place and you know, possible places 400 00:26:12,280 --> 00:26:15,560 Speaker 1: like it fitting into kind of how how the world 401 00:26:15,600 --> 00:26:18,919 Speaker 1: seems to be going. Yeah, so what we've seen aside 402 00:26:19,080 --> 00:26:21,639 Speaker 1: from people wanting to come up here and live permanently 403 00:26:21,800 --> 00:26:24,280 Speaker 1: that we're we've put that on hold right now because 404 00:26:24,320 --> 00:26:28,480 Speaker 1: we're just kind of, yeah, we don't have the space 405 00:26:28,520 --> 00:26:32,200 Speaker 1: to like facilitate. But what we have found is something 406 00:26:32,240 --> 00:26:35,879 Speaker 1: that we are as a haven. What the thing that 407 00:26:35,920 --> 00:26:39,000 Speaker 1: we do that's most important is groups of queer people 408 00:26:39,040 --> 00:26:42,040 Speaker 1: will come here for a recharge and to feel like 409 00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:45,399 Speaker 1: it is recharging to spend a week up here in 410 00:26:45,600 --> 00:26:49,560 Speaker 1: community with other queer people with no burden from the 411 00:26:49,600 --> 00:26:55,399 Speaker 1: outside and just being yourself bus network, yeah, and like 412 00:26:55,480 --> 00:27:00,360 Speaker 1: kind of reigniting your fire for revolution and for you're 413 00:27:00,440 --> 00:27:03,359 Speaker 1: in kind of I don't know, like I don't know, 414 00:27:03,440 --> 00:27:07,800 Speaker 1: like touching base and realizing that like the community is 415 00:27:07,840 --> 00:27:11,240 Speaker 1: still big, it is still growing, people are still standing strong. 416 00:27:11,680 --> 00:27:14,760 Speaker 1: Being able to come up here and really in vibe 417 00:27:14,840 --> 00:27:19,159 Speaker 1: that for a week or two has been from the 418 00:27:19,240 --> 00:27:22,600 Speaker 1: letters I get really important to people. And so that 419 00:27:22,600 --> 00:27:27,280 Speaker 1: that is what we like deliver routinely. Um. We do 420 00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:31,399 Speaker 1: also like emergency like save people when we can, Like 421 00:27:31,440 --> 00:27:34,119 Speaker 1: if you're just got kicked out on the street, you 422 00:27:34,160 --> 00:27:35,959 Speaker 1: don't know what to do, but you can kind of 423 00:27:36,000 --> 00:27:38,439 Speaker 1: like you have somewhere to go, but you can't get 424 00:27:38,480 --> 00:27:41,240 Speaker 1: there yet. We are a really good way station for 425 00:27:41,320 --> 00:27:44,399 Speaker 1: people in that position. You come up, uh you know, 426 00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:46,520 Speaker 1: touch grass for a week and then go back out 427 00:27:46,520 --> 00:27:50,400 Speaker 1: into the world like and given you know, climate collapse 428 00:27:50,560 --> 00:27:55,080 Speaker 1: and encroaching fascism um, which if you don't get then 429 00:27:55,160 --> 00:27:58,520 Speaker 1: you need to probably study your history. Listen to this 430 00:27:58,560 --> 00:28:03,439 Speaker 1: podcast more often. Probably probably uh there there. You know 431 00:28:03,520 --> 00:28:07,920 Speaker 1: there's gonna be rainbow railroads. Um, there's going to be 432 00:28:08,840 --> 00:28:12,680 Speaker 1: a lot of bad things happening, and it's gonna happen quickly. Well, 433 00:28:12,720 --> 00:28:14,639 Speaker 1: we'll still be here. We're trying to grow to a 434 00:28:14,720 --> 00:28:18,399 Speaker 1: size that can help people more directly. Well, but also 435 00:28:18,480 --> 00:28:21,320 Speaker 1: we are already still here. Yeah, worst we didn't grow, 436 00:28:21,359 --> 00:28:23,359 Speaker 1: we'd still be here and you could count on us, 437 00:28:23,440 --> 00:28:25,640 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. But the networks that are 438 00:28:25,720 --> 00:28:30,800 Speaker 1: set up, um, like being able to quickly get people 439 00:28:30,800 --> 00:28:33,160 Speaker 1: out of the country, being able to quickly get people 440 00:28:33,200 --> 00:28:37,199 Speaker 1: to safety from anywhere in the country. That's what we 441 00:28:37,280 --> 00:28:41,480 Speaker 1: have been focusing on. What watching much like we started 442 00:28:41,960 --> 00:28:45,320 Speaker 1: in response to the violence that was that was ratcheting 443 00:28:45,320 --> 00:28:50,160 Speaker 1: because of the Trump administration. We haven't lessened that right 444 00:28:50,200 --> 00:28:53,920 Speaker 1: like we are we're setting up networks and possibilities to 445 00:28:53,920 --> 00:28:59,480 Speaker 1: get people safe from very unsafe situations in this country, 446 00:28:59,480 --> 00:29:02,640 Speaker 1: and that's kind of where it's going fucking everywhere right now. 447 00:29:02,760 --> 00:29:06,720 Speaker 1: So that kind of networking has we've found not only 448 00:29:06,760 --> 00:29:10,800 Speaker 1: bolstered people, but is really important. The need for places 449 00:29:10,880 --> 00:29:15,000 Speaker 1: like these is growing just as quickly as the manufactured 450 00:29:15,000 --> 00:29:19,680 Speaker 1: panic around drag shows. In response, the Unicorns have decided 451 00:29:19,760 --> 00:29:23,240 Speaker 1: to expand to another property in the valley and one 452 00:29:23,360 --> 00:29:27,560 Speaker 1: in Boulder County. These properties will allow them to serve 453 00:29:27,600 --> 00:29:32,040 Speaker 1: a larger community, to grow crops, have horses, and increase 454 00:29:32,080 --> 00:29:36,320 Speaker 1: the amount of emergency housing they can provide. The Unicorns 455 00:29:36,360 --> 00:29:38,800 Speaker 1: have launched a new go fund meat to help cover 456 00:29:38,880 --> 00:29:41,640 Speaker 1: some of the starting costs to get the new locations 457 00:29:41,720 --> 00:29:46,240 Speaker 1: up and running and begin farming operations. The additions would 458 00:29:46,320 --> 00:29:50,080 Speaker 1: not only be providing more housing and income, but also 459 00:29:50,200 --> 00:29:53,640 Speaker 1: add the ability to offer support groups and host queer 460 00:29:53,640 --> 00:29:56,880 Speaker 1: events that are safe and accessible to focus in and 461 00:29:56,920 --> 00:30:00,360 Speaker 1: around Boulder County, Colorado. You know, we've had some really 462 00:30:01,280 --> 00:30:04,000 Speaker 1: intimate conversations with some queer people that are like, you know, 463 00:30:04,120 --> 00:30:06,760 Speaker 1: like what you're doing is kind of keeping me going. 464 00:30:07,880 --> 00:30:16,960 Speaker 1: So it's it's pretty seriously because it's why we weigh 465 00:30:16,960 --> 00:30:19,280 Speaker 1: everything so heavily because it's like, look, we can't fail. 466 00:30:20,520 --> 00:30:25,840 Speaker 1: Like where people people put that much faith and like 467 00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:28,520 Speaker 1: belief in what you're doing, you can't you can't let 468 00:30:28,600 --> 00:30:31,200 Speaker 1: them down. Like we've said from the beginning, like this 469 00:30:31,240 --> 00:30:34,120 Speaker 1: project isn't about us, like this project is about the 470 00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:38,080 Speaker 1: community and giving giving us a stronghold of just fucking hope. 471 00:30:39,400 --> 00:30:43,080 Speaker 1: Instead of walking away from this series thinking, oh, I'm 472 00:30:43,120 --> 00:30:46,840 Speaker 1: gonna go move to the ranch because I guarantee there's 473 00:30:46,920 --> 00:30:51,160 Speaker 1: not enough room for everybody listening, even with the ongoing expansion. 474 00:30:51,720 --> 00:30:55,360 Speaker 1: But people should take what we've learned from the Tenacious 475 00:30:55,400 --> 00:30:59,600 Speaker 1: Unicorn Ranch and apply it elsewhere wherever you are. You 476 00:30:59,600 --> 00:31:02,920 Speaker 1: can lie this example, with all of its ups and downs, 477 00:31:03,360 --> 00:31:08,200 Speaker 1: to prospective havens across the continent, whether in cities or 478 00:31:08,240 --> 00:31:12,680 Speaker 1: in the country. Building queer zones doesn't need to take 479 00:31:12,800 --> 00:31:18,320 Speaker 1: form as a completely isolated, closed off commune as we've 480 00:31:18,360 --> 00:31:22,600 Speaker 1: seen here. Having connections and fostering community with those around 481 00:31:22,600 --> 00:31:26,480 Speaker 1: you is a crucial part of maintaining a livelihood beyond 482 00:31:26,640 --> 00:31:31,760 Speaker 1: just mere survival. While this has been a story about 483 00:31:31,840 --> 00:31:36,400 Speaker 1: the Internet and how it provides both positive connections and 484 00:31:36,480 --> 00:31:39,640 Speaker 1: a medium for some of the worst beginned hatred and 485 00:31:40,080 --> 00:31:43,080 Speaker 1: of story about guns, both how they have been used 486 00:31:43,120 --> 00:31:45,920 Speaker 1: as a tool to protect trans people and rule Colorado, 487 00:31:46,480 --> 00:31:49,200 Speaker 1: as well as being part of the original threat to 488 00:31:49,280 --> 00:31:54,080 Speaker 1: translives and now a seemingly increasing one. But if there's 489 00:31:54,120 --> 00:31:56,640 Speaker 1: one thing that I hope people can take away from 490 00:31:56,640 --> 00:32:01,640 Speaker 1: this story, it's how all of these positive aspects are 491 00:32:01,720 --> 00:32:06,640 Speaker 1: meaningless unless people are willing to demonstrate solidarity and work 492 00:32:06,680 --> 00:32:10,960 Speaker 1: towards building a community that's capable of ensuring a queer 493 00:32:11,040 --> 00:32:14,800 Speaker 1: haven like the Tenacious Unicorn Ranch is able to continue 494 00:32:15,160 --> 00:32:19,960 Speaker 1: despite threats from queer exterminationists. If you want to keep 495 00:32:20,040 --> 00:32:22,920 Speaker 1: up with the ranch, you can find them at Tenacious 496 00:32:23,040 --> 00:32:26,480 Speaker 1: Unicorn Ranch dot com, where you can also find their 497 00:32:26,480 --> 00:32:30,080 Speaker 1: Patreon and the go fund me page for their expansion. 498 00:32:31,040 --> 00:32:34,160 Speaker 1: You can find James at James Stout and you can 499 00:32:34,160 --> 00:32:37,719 Speaker 1: find me at Hungry About I See you on the 500 00:32:37,760 --> 00:32:44,440 Speaker 1: other side. It Could Happen Here is a production of 501 00:32:44,440 --> 00:32:47,400 Speaker 1: cool Zone Media. For more podcasts from cool Zone Media, 502 00:32:47,480 --> 00:32:49,960 Speaker 1: visit our website cool zone media dot com, or check 503 00:32:50,000 --> 00:32:52,320 Speaker 1: us out on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 504 00:32:52,360 --> 00:32:55,400 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can find sources 505 00:32:55,400 --> 00:32:57,960 Speaker 1: for It Could happen here, updated monthly at cool Zone 506 00:32:58,000 --> 00:33:00,800 Speaker 1: media dot com, slash sources, Thanks for listening.