April 1, 2025 • 8 mins
Today we're taking about Lee Gordon, queer activist and organizer.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hey, this is Sanny and Samantha and alcome to stuff
I never told you production by Heart Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
And today is April first, twenty twenty five. We will
not do April Fool's Nothing because we don't like it
a and it's already been. Everything's a joke anyway, nothing
seems real, so does it really matter? No, But it
is April first, just in case you need to know.
And yesterday was Trans Day of Visibility. So to our
(00:39):
trans sisters and brothers and non binary folk, we love
you and we see you. And with that, we wanted
to take some time to celebrate a transactivist who has
been doing amazing work. And today we're talking about Lee Gordon,
who goes by They them, so just as a reminder,
Gordon is a queer activist an organizer who has been
hard at work advocating for their community and people. Here's
(01:02):
a bit from their interview with Bold Journey dot com
about themselves, and they say, I am disabled, queer, non binary, trans,
blackfem pan African LGBTQ plus liberation activist, scholar and community organizer.
I dream of a liberated, loving and resource world for
all people. I'm also National Head of Justice with Queer
Youth Assembly, a Freedom from Fear, fellow with Southerners on
(01:25):
new Ground, a national board member of Queer Trans Project,
and a steering committee member of Blackfeminist Futures Political Hive,
and they continue. I have worked with organizations such as
the Blackfeminist Collective GLAD and the National Black Women's Justice
Initiative to fight for decolonization and queer of color rights
as focus group, facilitator, organizer, and community care practitioner. I'm
(01:46):
also co author of a higher educational anthology on how
blackfilms may navigate spaces and secure communal power in academia.
To pursue their doctorates and engage in the social justice
struggle and from their LinkedIn they write, Lee Gordon They
Them is a Black LGBTQ plus community organizer, activist, black
feminist researcher, and criminal justice reform advocate who has worked
(02:08):
extensively with national nonprofits such as Queer Youth Assembly, Southerners
on new Ground, and Black Feminist Future. They hope to
pursue a career in activist scholarship focusing on civil rights,
community care, black LGBTQ plus activism, and grass riots organizing
in the South. Lee is also an undergraduate at Harvard
College and plans to jointly concentrate in sociology and statistics,
(02:30):
focusing on environmental racism and healing justice in disrupting the
medical industry complex. So a lot of goals. They have
a lot of goals. Intimidating amount of goals to the
fact that they're already doing so much at the very
young age of a believe like twenty twenty one. So
they have accomplished a lot already and are just skyrocketing
(02:51):
and all of the things that they wish to do amazing,
like it makes me tired and anxious. Amazing stuff though.
So they are the head of Racial Justice for Queer
Youth Assembly or QYA, and has been there since twenty
twenty three. And just a little bit about a Queer
Youth Assembly. Here's something from their site, Queer Youth Assembly
(03:12):
dot org.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Quote.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Queer Youth Assembly QYA is a five oh one c
three nonprofit organization founded in August twenty twenty one to
help uplift queer youth voices across the country. We strive
to provide a safe space for creative activism for the community.
Since our start, we have created waves nationwide during walkout
marches such as our National March for Queer and Trans
Youth Autonomy in March twenty twenty three, protests, and a
(03:36):
variety of ongoing initiatives, and in their section about us,
they go on saying our goal is to foster a
queer youth movement across the United States. We envision a
world where all are given safety, autonomy, joy, and the
ability to reach their fullest potential through events, projects, community collaboration, resources,
professional development, artistic endeavors, and much more. Our mission is
(03:58):
to create an inclusive and transformative world for queer youth.
Just reading things like that, I don't understand how people
think like communities like this is about trying to make
everyone something else or doing something against somebody else's will.
I'm just the constant argument about people saying things like
(04:19):
I wish they wouldn't do this, I wish that would
force this on us. It just literally says we want
autonomy anyway, okay, moving on every time anyway. And Gordon's
work with QYA and others have been part of the
reason many celebrate their advocacy. They were featured in the
twenty twenty three as one of Glad twenty Under twenty
(04:40):
and here's what Glad wrote in their Future about Gordon.
Just like Lee, Gordon pays respect to her quote queer
and trans black fore mothers who fought and died so
that she could be free. Someday future generations of LGBTQ
kids will say the same for her. A researcher, grass
roots organizer, behavioral scientists, and the current head of Racial
Justice at Querythasim Gordon has already forced a way forward
(05:02):
for LGBTQ people and Black people through her advocacy. Gordon's
legacy spans many mediums and movements, but research is her superpower.
A student organizer at Harvard focused on statistics in African
American studies, Gordon established the first chapter wide trans plus
anti discrimination standard for Friendship Public Charter School, a fifteen
campus academic body in Washington, DC. Gordon is also credited
(05:26):
as an author in Black Women Navigating the Doctoral Journey,
a comprehensive guide providing insight on mentorship ways to combat
the systemic racism that alienates Black women and pass for
success at a crucial early stage of their careers. And
in the interview with Bill Journey, they were asked advice
for others seeking success, and Gordon replied, this way. For
(05:47):
those who wish to develop their activist tools set, I
would highly encourage you to look for value aligned organizations
hosting remote workshops and teachings. There are several groups that
do work in climate, racial, LGBTQ plus and abolition Justice
that curate open town halls to discuss the current political landscape.
Attending these events has allowed me to continue informing my
own political beliefs. I've also met so many incredible people
(06:10):
from these sessions. They really allow you to witness how
beautiful the organizing community can be and how we can
sustainably evolve. So that's just a bit from what they
have been doing. Obviously, there's so much more they do.
They are featured on a podcast episode with Angelica Ross.
No Opportunity Wasted is what the podcast is called, and
they talk about power of collective action and community care. Again,
(06:33):
we're talking about people who are doing so much work
when it comes to communities and advocacy work, and right
now is the time. Obviously I mean anytime, but we're
seeing it on a whole what collectivism looks like when
it comes to working in protests against illegal things as
well as very inhumane things such as taking rights away
(06:53):
from trends people. So they have talked a lot about
what they're doing, these type of organizations. You know, we
love highlight lighting these organizations and the work that they do,
so we've definitely had to feature a little bit about
them as well, and just love watching people likely doing
such amazing work, being so young and still fighting and
having all of these amazing golden dreams that we know
(07:16):
will be accomplished.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
And are incredibly important. So Yes, Listeners has always let
us know if you have any suggestions for this segment.
You can email us at Hello at stephbone nevertold You
dot com. You can find us on Blue Sky at
mom Stuff podcast, or on Instagram and TikTok Stuff Never
Told You or us on YouTube. We have a t
billet store and we have a book you can get
(07:40):
wherever you get your books. Thanks as always to a
super producer Christina or executive producer Maya and architecture Joey.
Thank you, Thanks to you for listening stuffhone Never Told
You his production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from my
Heart Radio, you can check out the Heart Radio app,
Apple podcasts, wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
A LO
Hey, this is Sanny and Samantha and alcome to stuff
I never told you production by Heart Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
And today is April first, twenty twenty five. We will
not do April Fool's Nothing because we don't like it
a and it's already been. Everything's a joke anyway, nothing
seems real, so does it really matter? No, But it
is April first, just in case you need to know.
And yesterday was Trans Day of Visibility. So to our
(00:39):
trans sisters and brothers and non binary folk, we love
you and we see you. And with that, we wanted
to take some time to celebrate a transactivist who has
been doing amazing work. And today we're talking about Lee Gordon,
who goes by They them, so just as a reminder,
Gordon is a queer activist an organizer who has been
hard at work advocating for their community and people. Here's
(01:02):
a bit from their interview with Bold Journey dot com
about themselves, and they say, I am disabled, queer, non binary, trans,
blackfem pan African LGBTQ plus liberation activist, scholar and community organizer.
I dream of a liberated, loving and resource world for
all people. I'm also National Head of Justice with Queer
Youth Assembly, a Freedom from Fear, fellow with Southerners on
(01:25):
new Ground, a national board member of Queer Trans Project,
and a steering committee member of Blackfeminist Futures Political Hive,
and they continue. I have worked with organizations such as
the Blackfeminist Collective GLAD and the National Black Women's Justice
Initiative to fight for decolonization and queer of color rights
as focus group, facilitator, organizer, and community care practitioner. I'm
(01:46):
also co author of a higher educational anthology on how
blackfilms may navigate spaces and secure communal power in academia.
To pursue their doctorates and engage in the social justice
struggle and from their LinkedIn they write, Lee Gordon They
Them is a Black LGBTQ plus community organizer, activist, black
feminist researcher, and criminal justice reform advocate who has worked
(02:08):
extensively with national nonprofits such as Queer Youth Assembly, Southerners
on new Ground, and Black Feminist Future. They hope to
pursue a career in activist scholarship focusing on civil rights,
community care, black LGBTQ plus activism, and grass riots organizing
in the South. Lee is also an undergraduate at Harvard
College and plans to jointly concentrate in sociology and statistics,
(02:30):
focusing on environmental racism and healing justice in disrupting the
medical industry complex. So a lot of goals. They have
a lot of goals. Intimidating amount of goals to the
fact that they're already doing so much at the very
young age of a believe like twenty twenty one. So
they have accomplished a lot already and are just skyrocketing
(02:51):
and all of the things that they wish to do amazing,
like it makes me tired and anxious. Amazing stuff though.
So they are the head of Racial Justice for Queer
Youth Assembly or QYA, and has been there since twenty
twenty three. And just a little bit about a Queer
Youth Assembly. Here's something from their site, Queer Youth Assembly
(03:12):
dot org.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Quote.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Queer Youth Assembly QYA is a five oh one c
three nonprofit organization founded in August twenty twenty one to
help uplift queer youth voices across the country. We strive
to provide a safe space for creative activism for the community.
Since our start, we have created waves nationwide during walkout
marches such as our National March for Queer and Trans
Youth Autonomy in March twenty twenty three, protests, and a
(03:36):
variety of ongoing initiatives, and in their section about us,
they go on saying our goal is to foster a
queer youth movement across the United States. We envision a
world where all are given safety, autonomy, joy, and the
ability to reach their fullest potential through events, projects, community collaboration, resources,
professional development, artistic endeavors, and much more. Our mission is
(03:58):
to create an inclusive and transformative world for queer youth.
Just reading things like that, I don't understand how people
think like communities like this is about trying to make
everyone something else or doing something against somebody else's will.
I'm just the constant argument about people saying things like
(04:19):
I wish they wouldn't do this, I wish that would
force this on us. It just literally says we want
autonomy anyway, okay, moving on every time anyway. And Gordon's
work with QYA and others have been part of the
reason many celebrate their advocacy. They were featured in the
twenty twenty three as one of Glad twenty Under twenty
(04:40):
and here's what Glad wrote in their Future about Gordon.
Just like Lee, Gordon pays respect to her quote queer
and trans black fore mothers who fought and died so
that she could be free. Someday future generations of LGBTQ
kids will say the same for her. A researcher, grass
roots organizer, behavioral scientists, and the current head of Racial
Justice at Querythasim Gordon has already forced a way forward
(05:02):
for LGBTQ people and Black people through her advocacy. Gordon's
legacy spans many mediums and movements, but research is her superpower.
A student organizer at Harvard focused on statistics in African
American studies, Gordon established the first chapter wide trans plus
anti discrimination standard for Friendship Public Charter School, a fifteen
campus academic body in Washington, DC. Gordon is also credited
(05:26):
as an author in Black Women Navigating the Doctoral Journey,
a comprehensive guide providing insight on mentorship ways to combat
the systemic racism that alienates Black women and pass for
success at a crucial early stage of their careers. And
in the interview with Bill Journey, they were asked advice
for others seeking success, and Gordon replied, this way. For
(05:47):
those who wish to develop their activist tools set, I
would highly encourage you to look for value aligned organizations
hosting remote workshops and teachings. There are several groups that
do work in climate, racial, LGBTQ plus and abolition Justice
that curate open town halls to discuss the current political landscape.
Attending these events has allowed me to continue informing my
own political beliefs. I've also met so many incredible people
(06:10):
from these sessions. They really allow you to witness how
beautiful the organizing community can be and how we can
sustainably evolve. So that's just a bit from what they
have been doing. Obviously, there's so much more they do.
They are featured on a podcast episode with Angelica Ross.
No Opportunity Wasted is what the podcast is called, and
they talk about power of collective action and community care. Again,
(06:33):
we're talking about people who are doing so much work
when it comes to communities and advocacy work, and right
now is the time. Obviously I mean anytime, but we're
seeing it on a whole what collectivism looks like when
it comes to working in protests against illegal things as
well as very inhumane things such as taking rights away
(06:53):
from trends people. So they have talked a lot about
what they're doing, these type of organizations. You know, we
love highlight lighting these organizations and the work that they do,
so we've definitely had to feature a little bit about
them as well, and just love watching people likely doing
such amazing work, being so young and still fighting and
having all of these amazing golden dreams that we know
(07:16):
will be accomplished.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
And are incredibly important. So Yes, Listeners has always let
us know if you have any suggestions for this segment.
You can email us at Hello at stephbone nevertold You
dot com. You can find us on Blue Sky at
mom Stuff podcast, or on Instagram and TikTok Stuff Never
Told You or us on YouTube. We have a t
billet store and we have a book you can get
(07:40):
wherever you get your books. Thanks as always to a
super producer Christina or executive producer Maya and architecture Joey.
Thank you, Thanks to you for listening stuffhone Never Told
You his production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from my
Heart Radio, you can check out the Heart Radio app,
Apple podcasts, wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
A LO
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