June 8, 2021 • 13 mins
For today's installment of Women Around the World, we focus on LGBTQIA+ activist and advocate Ruby Corado.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hey, this is Annie and Samantha and welcome to Stephane
never told your production by Heart Radio. Welcome, Welcome, welcome,
and for today's women around the world, we've got a
good one. However, I have a question first Anny, Okay,
(00:28):
I was just wondering, as it is Pride month this month,
and we've talked about your sexual orientation and just kind
of overall your journey in this. Can you kind of
talk about at the beginning of your journey when you
started questioning just kind of your sexual identity and why
that was something that you explored. Yes, and that is
(00:52):
a very good question because I think for a lot
of people, but especially in my case, things sort of
happen organically and you don't understand them at the time,
and if you don't have the terminology or even um
you don't see you representation of a certain thing, then
(01:14):
you might not only try to fit into what you
think you should be or how you think you should
be just because that's all you know, but you you
might not even realize that you're going through these things
until you look back later. So that was very much
my experience where I didn't realize, as we've spoken about before,
there were so many ways to identify. But that being said,
(01:39):
when in seventh grade, I was on a one of
those notorious field shows where you go away for like
the weekend, you know, and it's it's like rife with
drama and you know who kissed who and who's doing
what with whom, and it's it's the time when you're
an adolescent and those kind of questions are happening anyway,
(02:01):
where you're starting to feel like this interest in people
I had previously. I know, I've shared the story many times.
Realized that I liked both male and female fictional characters,
like I would feel flutters and more in my stomach
that I couldn't explain. But I told my friend I
thought it was orgasms and she was like, it's definitely
not well, and I was like, well, it's something. And
(02:23):
I feel the same for both Scully and Molder. So
I think I pretty early on, because bisexual was the
term I was familiar with, thought okay, I'm interested in both.
And then on that trip to Jakol Island in seventh grade,
I had people where I was like, oh, I would
make out with her. I know who, I would make
out with him, And at the time, it was kind
(02:45):
of like, am I just excited by all these new
like these feelings and emotions, Maybe I'm not understanding them.
Later in high school it became much more. I felt
like I had to fit in by open wanting to
date with a dude and want to have sex with
that dude. So it was I wouldn't say I was
(03:06):
living a lie, but I would let people believe, like
I would make very sexual jokes and I would let
people believe what they would from that. But I think
that was like, looking back, that does feel like that
was when I was first I was a sexual or
dimisexual or whatever it was. But I was trying so hard.
I didn't realize that I didn't know those were things,
(03:26):
but I was trying to be like fit into this
straight existence and I really wanted that, like I That's
one thing I remember so clearly is I wanted it
because my friends sounded so happy about it, and it
just seemed like to fit in, you had to want that.
But this is a very long winded story to say.
I think pretty early on I just didn't have an
understanding or the tools or words um until looking back,
(03:51):
where I do kind of feel sad that I didn't
because I was trying. I did things I wish I
hadn't done because I thought I would fit in or
that I had to right. That may be sad, and
just so the y'all y'all know I did give any
heads up and as commission, So I don't want to
be like, how do you? Because I think it's really
(04:14):
important too. And we've talked about this many times about
what it looks like when you have that aha moment
of that's who I am. Oh my god, I've been
missing this piece of who I was, and um, I
love that we after we released the episode about the
A B C's of being Ace, and so many people
try me in about oh my god, I didn't know,
(04:34):
but that's me and just having that feeling of relief
and release and kind of identifying that that part of you.
And I think it's beautiful. As I have, I come
from a little older generation of trying to understand and
and being allies and trying to see what it was
and not just seeing it as a uh titles, and
(04:56):
I think that's for so long that's how I kind
of saw them as and just coming to the point
of saying how beautiful it is not only to be
able to for people to identify that way, but also
the fluidity of being able to just love and truly love.
And I love that concept in general and just loving
what that is and and as it is pride. We
(05:17):
we also want to keep talking about all the different
people who have come to this point and have been
such inspirations for others as well in any other ured
inspiration for so many um I think many of the
listeners would agree. And because of that, we wanted to
focus on someone who has won many awards in her
(05:39):
activism as well. Ash pushed to advocate for the rights
and justice for the trans and the LGBTQ plus community,
and especially those of color in the U S and
around the world, and we were talking about Ruby Corrado. Yes, so.
Ruby Corrado is an activist, advocate, and survivor. She was
originally born in El Salvador, where she fled at the
age of sixteen to the United State dates and it
(06:00):
has not been an easy road for her. She endured
her harassment, sexual assault, gun violence, and even incurceration. She
went through hard times, including having job loss, homelessness, and
continued harassment and physical violence, but she was able to
persevere and she continued to grow and learn more about herself.
She came to understand the lack of community and help
(06:22):
for someone like her, that it didn't really exist, and
she wasn't able to start her transition until a bit
after she came to the United States and did so
after being able to safely access it right. And it
was actually after the death of trans woman Tyra Hunter
in nine who was refused treatment by the e m
S at that time and so therefore died, and that
(06:45):
pushed Courado to start volunteering and start her journey as
an advocate for the l g b d Q ples community,
and she has not slowed down at all, still active today.
She later started to work with the Coalition to Clarify
the d See Human Rights Act or later named DC
Chains Coalition, which pushed to include quote protections for gender
(07:06):
identity or expression to the DC Human Rights Act, which
took effect in March two thousand and six. And this
all took place after she became kind of a name
in the LGBTQ activism circle for her work and organizing
skills including organizing marches and vigils to five recognition and
justice for those who had been murdered, and it was
(07:26):
kind of after the death and the murder of Evangelista
that she started to really pick up and with the
experience and fierce passion and advocating for a community, Karado
has used all her past life traumas and experiences to
provide a safe space for others while experiencing sexual violence
and trafficking, homelessness, domestic violence, continued mis gendering that led
(07:46):
to more trauma within the incurse ration system as well
as healthcare systems, and overall lack of support. Through all
of that, Karada created the Casa Ruby and and from
their site quote, her drive and dream was to bring
resources to historic, clear, underserved, and under resource communities in
order to create more success stories for transgender and queer
folks Yea and she did this with a group of
(08:07):
friends and they have a long list of services offered,
everything from shelter to health services, to immigration services, to
domestic violence services as well as care for youths. And
their mission statement is pretty simple, to create success life
stories among transgender, gender, queer, gender, nonconforming, gay, lesbian, and
bisexual individuals and um They've gone global, starting with a
(08:30):
location in El Savador, as she states she is quote
a Salvadorian who migrated, but a part of her stayed there,
and she felt she wanted to fight for that community
and continue to bring services. Of course, she also talked
about her fear that they might be outed and they
would have to flee as well, but more than anything,
she just wanted there to be a safe space for
(08:50):
that community and for her community there. But of course,
there are still many battles ahead, and in fact Groado
has been dealing with a whole new level of vitriol
and rets this past year. She stated in twenty that
she has been receiving many threats against her and her organization.
She said she thinks it's in part due to the
pandemic and how it has pushed everyone to become more
(09:11):
on edge, and that it's causing people to lash out right.
She talked about the fact that not only has she
gotten personal threats, but threats against her organization, so they've
been on high alert um and she's no stranger to
the threats, including being sent many threats after events such
as the Pulse nightclub shooting. She said that she started
getting phone calls after that and there was an uptick
(09:33):
after the election when she didn't hold back in the
fact that you've had fears of the things to come
with that administration and trying to actually advocate for her
community at that point in time, as there was a
lot of anti trans and currently and a lot of
anti trans laws trying to be pushed forward. So she's
definitely being seen and she's definitely been targeted, and yeah,
(09:55):
she has continued and will continue to work for the
better and for the activism of her community. As in fact,
she's actually stepping down because she was the CEO and
head of an executive leader of CASA Ruby, but she's
stepping down to allow for others, as she says, to
come and take her place. And she actually talked about
(10:15):
the fact that she feels that having a black trans
woman come and lead after her, saying that this is
a whole conversation about who's in leadership and why it's
important for everyone to be seen. And she has been
a fierce advocate for the brown and black communities within
the trans communities as well and about how they need
to be seen and be represented, and um, I love that.
(10:38):
As in fact, she's also talking about possibly getting into
politics with a consideration to run for the DC City
Council in three which will open up at that point
in time, which would make her, I believe, the first
openly transgender council person in the city's second ever transgender
elected official, behind Monica Nameth who was appointed as a
(11:00):
advisory Neighborhood commission in so past. Your fingers would definitely
advocate for her. But yeah, she's not slowing down like
I said. She's going global, launching different businesses as well
on top of as these nonprofits that she just recently
launched Kossa Ruby's new pharmacy in DC um hoping to
(11:20):
give more healthcare access as well for the transgender community.
So big things and not surprisingly, she's been awarded many,
many awards, yes, including the Capital Pride Engendered Spirit Awards
in eleven, Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance g l l
(11:42):
A Distinguished Service Award in twelve, the Activists of the
Year by the African American Prison Awards in twelve, the
DC Center Community Center Service Award, and Gay and Lesbians
Opposing Violence Community Service Award also in two thirteen, right
and just recently this year, she was awarded the twenty
twenty one Community Build Award by the National Center for
(12:02):
Transgender Equality, which is dedicated to the grassroots activists and
organizers who have put forward at collaboration and fuel the
transgender liberation movement. So congratulations to her, but obviously she
has been a fierce voice and someone that we should
definitely look up to and look out for. Totally agreed
and as always, listeners, we love hearing suggestions for you
(12:25):
for this segment or any other segment. We welcome them all.
Uh you can email those suggestions to us at stuffyr
mom Stuff at I hurt media dot com. You can
find us on Twitter at mom Stuff Podcast or on
Instagram at stuff I've Never Told You. Thanks as always
to our super producer Christina, thank you and thanks to
you for listening Stuff I Never Told You his protection
of I Heart Radio. For more podcast from I Hear
Radio is the I Hear Radio app, Apple podcast, or
(12:47):
wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Hey, this is Annie and Samantha and welcome to Stephane
never told your production by Heart Radio. Welcome, Welcome, welcome,
and for today's women around the world, we've got a
good one. However, I have a question first Anny, Okay,
(00:28):
I was just wondering, as it is Pride month this month,
and we've talked about your sexual orientation and just kind
of overall your journey in this. Can you kind of
talk about at the beginning of your journey when you
started questioning just kind of your sexual identity and why
that was something that you explored. Yes, and that is
(00:52):
a very good question because I think for a lot
of people, but especially in my case, things sort of
happen organically and you don't understand them at the time,
and if you don't have the terminology or even um
you don't see you representation of a certain thing, then
(01:14):
you might not only try to fit into what you
think you should be or how you think you should
be just because that's all you know, but you you
might not even realize that you're going through these things
until you look back later. So that was very much
my experience where I didn't realize, as we've spoken about before,
there were so many ways to identify. But that being said,
(01:39):
when in seventh grade, I was on a one of
those notorious field shows where you go away for like
the weekend, you know, and it's it's like rife with
drama and you know who kissed who and who's doing
what with whom, and it's it's the time when you're
an adolescent and those kind of questions are happening anyway,
(02:01):
where you're starting to feel like this interest in people
I had previously. I know, I've shared the story many times.
Realized that I liked both male and female fictional characters,
like I would feel flutters and more in my stomach
that I couldn't explain. But I told my friend I
thought it was orgasms and she was like, it's definitely
not well, and I was like, well, it's something. And
(02:23):
I feel the same for both Scully and Molder. So
I think I pretty early on, because bisexual was the
term I was familiar with, thought okay, I'm interested in both.
And then on that trip to Jakol Island in seventh grade,
I had people where I was like, oh, I would
make out with her. I know who, I would make
out with him, And at the time, it was kind
(02:45):
of like, am I just excited by all these new
like these feelings and emotions, Maybe I'm not understanding them.
Later in high school it became much more. I felt
like I had to fit in by open wanting to
date with a dude and want to have sex with
that dude. So it was I wouldn't say I was
(03:06):
living a lie, but I would let people believe, like
I would make very sexual jokes and I would let
people believe what they would from that. But I think
that was like, looking back, that does feel like that
was when I was first I was a sexual or
dimisexual or whatever it was. But I was trying so hard.
I didn't realize that I didn't know those were things,
(03:26):
but I was trying to be like fit into this
straight existence and I really wanted that, like I That's
one thing I remember so clearly is I wanted it
because my friends sounded so happy about it, and it
just seemed like to fit in, you had to want that.
But this is a very long winded story to say.
I think pretty early on I just didn't have an
understanding or the tools or words um until looking back,
(03:51):
where I do kind of feel sad that I didn't
because I was trying. I did things I wish I
hadn't done because I thought I would fit in or
that I had to right. That may be sad, and
just so the y'all y'all know I did give any
heads up and as commission, So I don't want to
be like, how do you? Because I think it's really
(04:14):
important too. And we've talked about this many times about
what it looks like when you have that aha moment
of that's who I am. Oh my god, I've been
missing this piece of who I was, and um, I
love that we after we released the episode about the
A B C's of being Ace, and so many people
try me in about oh my god, I didn't know,
(04:34):
but that's me and just having that feeling of relief
and release and kind of identifying that that part of you.
And I think it's beautiful. As I have, I come
from a little older generation of trying to understand and
and being allies and trying to see what it was
and not just seeing it as a uh titles, and
(04:56):
I think that's for so long that's how I kind
of saw them as and just coming to the point
of saying how beautiful it is not only to be
able to for people to identify that way, but also
the fluidity of being able to just love and truly love.
And I love that concept in general and just loving
what that is and and as it is pride. We
(05:17):
we also want to keep talking about all the different
people who have come to this point and have been
such inspirations for others as well in any other ured
inspiration for so many um I think many of the
listeners would agree. And because of that, we wanted to
focus on someone who has won many awards in her
(05:39):
activism as well. Ash pushed to advocate for the rights
and justice for the trans and the LGBTQ plus community,
and especially those of color in the U S and
around the world, and we were talking about Ruby Corrado. Yes, so.
Ruby Corrado is an activist, advocate, and survivor. She was
originally born in El Salvador, where she fled at the
age of sixteen to the United State dates and it
(06:00):
has not been an easy road for her. She endured
her harassment, sexual assault, gun violence, and even incurceration. She
went through hard times, including having job loss, homelessness, and
continued harassment and physical violence, but she was able to
persevere and she continued to grow and learn more about herself.
She came to understand the lack of community and help
(06:22):
for someone like her, that it didn't really exist, and
she wasn't able to start her transition until a bit
after she came to the United States and did so
after being able to safely access it right. And it
was actually after the death of trans woman Tyra Hunter
in nine who was refused treatment by the e m
S at that time and so therefore died, and that
(06:45):
pushed Courado to start volunteering and start her journey as
an advocate for the l g b d Q ples community,
and she has not slowed down at all, still active today.
She later started to work with the Coalition to Clarify
the d See Human Rights Act or later named DC
Chains Coalition, which pushed to include quote protections for gender
(07:06):
identity or expression to the DC Human Rights Act, which
took effect in March two thousand and six. And this
all took place after she became kind of a name
in the LGBTQ activism circle for her work and organizing
skills including organizing marches and vigils to five recognition and
justice for those who had been murdered, and it was
(07:26):
kind of after the death and the murder of Evangelista
that she started to really pick up and with the
experience and fierce passion and advocating for a community, Karado
has used all her past life traumas and experiences to
provide a safe space for others while experiencing sexual violence
and trafficking, homelessness, domestic violence, continued mis gendering that led
(07:46):
to more trauma within the incurse ration system as well
as healthcare systems, and overall lack of support. Through all
of that, Karada created the Casa Ruby and and from
their site quote, her drive and dream was to bring
resources to historic, clear, underserved, and under resource communities in
order to create more success stories for transgender and queer
folks Yea and she did this with a group of
(08:07):
friends and they have a long list of services offered,
everything from shelter to health services, to immigration services, to
domestic violence services as well as care for youths. And
their mission statement is pretty simple, to create success life
stories among transgender, gender, queer, gender, nonconforming, gay, lesbian, and
bisexual individuals and um They've gone global, starting with a
(08:30):
location in El Savador, as she states she is quote
a Salvadorian who migrated, but a part of her stayed there,
and she felt she wanted to fight for that community
and continue to bring services. Of course, she also talked
about her fear that they might be outed and they
would have to flee as well, but more than anything,
she just wanted there to be a safe space for
(08:50):
that community and for her community there. But of course,
there are still many battles ahead, and in fact Groado
has been dealing with a whole new level of vitriol
and rets this past year. She stated in twenty that
she has been receiving many threats against her and her organization.
She said she thinks it's in part due to the
pandemic and how it has pushed everyone to become more
(09:11):
on edge, and that it's causing people to lash out right.
She talked about the fact that not only has she
gotten personal threats, but threats against her organization, so they've
been on high alert um and she's no stranger to
the threats, including being sent many threats after events such
as the Pulse nightclub shooting. She said that she started
getting phone calls after that and there was an uptick
(09:33):
after the election when she didn't hold back in the
fact that you've had fears of the things to come
with that administration and trying to actually advocate for her
community at that point in time, as there was a
lot of anti trans and currently and a lot of
anti trans laws trying to be pushed forward. So she's
definitely being seen and she's definitely been targeted, and yeah,
(09:55):
she has continued and will continue to work for the
better and for the activism of her community. As in fact,
she's actually stepping down because she was the CEO and
head of an executive leader of CASA Ruby, but she's
stepping down to allow for others, as she says, to
come and take her place. And she actually talked about
(10:15):
the fact that she feels that having a black trans
woman come and lead after her, saying that this is
a whole conversation about who's in leadership and why it's
important for everyone to be seen. And she has been
a fierce advocate for the brown and black communities within
the trans communities as well and about how they need
to be seen and be represented, and um, I love that.
(10:38):
As in fact, she's also talking about possibly getting into
politics with a consideration to run for the DC City
Council in three which will open up at that point
in time, which would make her, I believe, the first
openly transgender council person in the city's second ever transgender
elected official, behind Monica Nameth who was appointed as a
(11:00):
advisory Neighborhood commission in so past. Your fingers would definitely
advocate for her. But yeah, she's not slowing down like
I said. She's going global, launching different businesses as well
on top of as these nonprofits that she just recently
launched Kossa Ruby's new pharmacy in DC um hoping to
(11:20):
give more healthcare access as well for the transgender community.
So big things and not surprisingly, she's been awarded many,
many awards, yes, including the Capital Pride Engendered Spirit Awards
in eleven, Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance g l l
(11:42):
A Distinguished Service Award in twelve, the Activists of the
Year by the African American Prison Awards in twelve, the
DC Center Community Center Service Award, and Gay and Lesbians
Opposing Violence Community Service Award also in two thirteen, right
and just recently this year, she was awarded the twenty
twenty one Community Build Award by the National Center for
(12:02):
Transgender Equality, which is dedicated to the grassroots activists and
organizers who have put forward at collaboration and fuel the
transgender liberation movement. So congratulations to her, but obviously she
has been a fierce voice and someone that we should
definitely look up to and look out for. Totally agreed
and as always, listeners, we love hearing suggestions for you
(12:25):
for this segment or any other segment. We welcome them all.
Uh you can email those suggestions to us at stuffyr
mom Stuff at I hurt media dot com. You can
find us on Twitter at mom Stuff Podcast or on
Instagram at stuff I've Never Told You. Thanks as always
to our super producer Christina, thank you and thanks to
you for listening Stuff I Never Told You his protection
of I Heart Radio. For more podcast from I Hear
Radio is the I Hear Radio app, Apple podcast, or
(12:47):
wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Stuff Mom Never Told You News
Hosts And Creators
Anney Reese
Samantha McVey
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.