March 27, 2024 • 25 mins
In this episode, some of our cast of teenagers talk about the spaces they feel joy or find sanctuary in. From online communities and tarot circles to an all-trans choir that sings about collective liberation, we explore the importance of safe spaces for queer and trans youth – and how even everyday hobbies can make us feel seen.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:08):
School of Humans.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
This is Queer Chronicles.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
This is my personal entry Queer.
Speaker 4 (00:20):
This is Queer Chronicles. My community is the people in
my real life and the people that are deeply important
to me online that are almost majority queer, just because
those are the people that I talk to.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Safe spaces. You may have heard the term nowadays. They're
mentioned casually, almost like a joke by some, but safety,
especially for lgbtquth is something that often has to be
demanded or at the very least curated, because the rest
of the world isn't always as affirming as it should be.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
I meditate a lot, and I have a lot of
like protective crystals all over my room, and they just
make me feel like grounded and calm.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
That safety we're talking about often dovetails with another buzzy word,
self care, And yet again, we deserve outlets to freely
and fully express our ideas, desires, and fears. This safety
thing isn't some special privilege. It's essential.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
No. I feel really safe in these spaces and with
these people because they affirm me, they support me, and
they love it, and they're always looking out for me
and the other trans people in their community. And I
think that's just really beautiful.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
From School of Humans, The Outspoken Podcast Network, and iHeart Podcasts.
This is Queer Chronicle, a show where queer folks document
their personal lives and experiences in their own words, and
I'm your host, Raquel Willis. This season, a group of
(02:17):
teenagers are sharing their perspectives on growing up as queer,
entrance and gender non conforming while living in mostly red states.
In this episode, we're exploring what safety means for our teens.
(02:38):
If you were a teen of the early aughts and
you had access to a computer, there's a chance that
you're no stranger to online chat rooms. The digital world
was still kind of new, a wilderness just waiting for
folks to make sense of it. I remember those days vividly.
Sometimes as soon as I made it home from school,
(03:00):
I'd hop online with the slew of faceless strangers from
around the world. Conversations flew at lightning speed, with the
dizzying mix of acronyms and emoticons. Of course, asl anyone,
it was chaotic, but welcoming, a place where I could
escape and find other queer youth who were yearning for
(03:22):
connection that they couldn't find. Irol Nowadays, in the era
of TikTok ig and other platforms, young people are continuing
the trend that started nearly two decades ago.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
Beginning of the year in like January, I joined like
a discord server.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
There's it again, one of the teens you've been hearing
from this season.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
And over time in that discord server, me and a
few other people, three other people, we ended up making
a separate server that was just us four and I
feel safe talking to them, and I feel like I
could tell them pretty much anything.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
I did a similar thing when I was a teen too,
but I was on Yahoo and the Aol chat rooms,
and if you remember, these platforms were complicated. On one hand,
you could share your most intimate thoughts with folks who
had similar interests, but it also could get dicey, especially
(04:28):
when you didn't know if people actually were who they
said they were. Similarly, for it, online spaces were both
revelatory and risky.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
The queer community online has been like very bumpy because
I was given, like you know, unrestricted access to the
Internet at the age eleven, and I was raised in
a household that was more leaning towards like like a bigoted,
(05:02):
like fairly bigoted in a lot of ways, and then
as time went on, I kind of fell them all
right pipeline online.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
Well here we are. You may have heard the phrase before,
but the quote unquote al right pipeline basically describes being
indoctrinated with extremists right wing views. This comes after consuming
a string of content that is white supremacists, anti feminists,
(05:31):
and just xenophobic altogether. Many platforms serve as breeding grounds
for these ideas, including blogs, social media forums, and famously,
YouTube videos. The pipeline can be especially alluring if you're
feeling emotionally isolated or searching for a sense of identity.
(05:53):
For it, this slice of the Internet seemed like an
escape and an avenue for connection. Even worse, it was
hearing some of the same hateful things at home.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
At the time. When I was like eleven and twelve,
I was in like anti SJW spaces and those were
shared with anti theist spaces. I was watching these YouTubers
and then I started getting like really obsessive with these YouTubers.
I was watching them, Like I said, in school, I
was in the library the whole day pretty much doing
my school work, and none of it was actually being done.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
So here's a little more context for why it was
in such a vulnerable place. Its parents had just split up,
it had moved across the country with its dad to Pennsylvania,
then it returned to Arizona to live with its mom,
and in short, there was just a lot of instability
and emotional turmoil surrounding its family.
Speaker 4 (06:50):
I was in the deepest depression I probably ever ever
rid of my life. So I was really susceptible to
all these things. And the reason that I got out
of it was selfish. It was because I realized I
was trans. That was the reason that I got out
of it.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
The realization that it was transliberated it from all right spaces,
and with that it began to take stock of its
life away from the digital screen.
Speaker 4 (07:17):
The online communities I found myself in were conflicting with
the real life communities HAS found myself in. I was
meeting people with these identities that I had this opinion on,
and they were normal people and they were talking to
me like normal people. That's where I started seeking out
like actual, like affirming communities online when I was like
(07:39):
fifteen and sixteen, and I kind of did that thing
where like when you change your opinion, did you do
like a full one to eighty like hard in the
other direction.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
Finding community IRL unlocked new levels of affirmation for it,
and it was able to go back to the Internet
with this fresh perspective, seeking out digital spaces that matched
that energy.
Speaker 4 (08:03):
The queer spaces that I agent online now tend to be.
I only really use Discord now, and I gravitated specifically
towards like two people in it, and then we ended
up making our own separate server with like three people
and me. And now these are like the closest friends
I have in my life, the closest online friends I've
(08:24):
ever had that I feel healthy in that relationship, and
they're like some of the like people that I trust
the most. But I do think it's still important to
try to find community in your area that you are
able to talk to online, because that's still useful even
if you don't meet each other in real life. Talking
to someone who understands your community's issues online is super important.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Its story feels relatable and unfamiliar all at once. Look,
I've never been caught in the al right pipeline, but
I've been on the receiving end of hate that has
come from that space. And for so long people have
said what happens online or on social media isn't real,
(09:10):
or that it shouldn't be taken too seriously. But our
digital spaces are real and do have a real impact
on our emotional, social, and spiritual health. And I'm so
glad it has carved out an online space where it
can feel fulfilled and connected to the world around it
in a safe way.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Okay, this is like the way that, like the simple,
quick way that I learned how to do it.
Speaker 5 (09:38):
So just.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
You might remember Libby. She's thirteen and from Texas. Libby's
safe space. It's all in the cards. If you can't tell,
Libby does Taro, And for the uninformed, Taro uses a
particular deck of cards meant to answer your most burning
life questions. Now before you dismiss it as to woo
(10:04):
woo cards have been used for centuries, and Libby is
simply one of the youngest folks to try her hand
at figuring out what the universe wants her to know.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
I started to get into it, all of that kind
of stuff when I was in like maybe fourth grade,
Like I started really into like crystals, and then I
discovered Tourot cards, and I was like, oh my gosh,
these are so pretty. I just thought that they were
(10:36):
like cool. And I love seeing like all different types
of Touro decks with different art And that's one of
my favorite things about them, is like the art on
the cards. And I have this one deck and like
each card has like a different artist's work on it,
and I really love that. And they're all queer artists.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Libby even let us sit in on a tarot reading
she gave to her friends.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
Oh read, it's so cute.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
I like it. Yeah, I kind of suck it shuffling. Okay,
who wants to go first? Pick a card?
Speaker 6 (11:12):
Any card?
Speaker 3 (11:15):
I'll pick this one?
Speaker 1 (11:16):
Oof?
Speaker 3 (11:18):
What is mine?
Speaker 1 (11:20):
The Moon? I lay the moon.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
The moon has a dark and deep energy that is powerful.
It's eerie yet magical beings subtly edged their way through
the dark of night as they light your path. But
there are fears and doubts inside you that you are
holding in place.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
I appreciate Libby's way of finding connection, and to be honest,
I'm no stranger to the ways of the tarot either.
The first time I encountered the cards was in college
with a group of friends who also loved comparing our
birth charts for zodiac insights. I think these tools can
help us think differently about a confusing problem in our lives,
(12:04):
our relationship, and simply our life trajectory. But aside from Tara,
Libby also uses her crystals to help her feel ground it.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
I meditate a lot, and I have a lot of
protective crystals all over my room. And when I meditate,
I normally hold palmstones in my hands. I have a
lot of Selenite. I love Selenite. I really like Onyx.
Onyx is like one of those like protective crystals like
(12:38):
to scatter around your room and stuff. They just they
make me feel like everything's be okay and stuff, Like
after like a long day, like I'll like sit down
on my bed and like hold like a crystal in
my hands. And when I'm like going to the capital
and stuff, I ask my mom to bring little bitty
(13:00):
bitty like crystals this big and pass them out to
people who are like having a hard time or something.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
Yet again, Libby's interests in crystals isn't uncommon. They have
been used even longer than Taro to explore a divine
connection for health and protection or for manifesting dreams. These
pockets of joy and safety have been useful for Libby
and her mom, especially while they're standing up for LGBTQ
(13:29):
rights at her state's capital.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
A lot of the time, I don't feel safe when
there's legislators earned a ton of people yelling hateful things
at me, videoing me.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
There's one place in the Capitol where Libby knows she
can always go to recharge.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
I feel safe a Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett's office. When there
were people yelling at us and saying hateful things and
recording me and my friends. She offered her personal office
as a sanctuary for us. And that's like our sanctuary
(14:09):
at the art Texas Capital.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
Shout out to Congresswoman Crockett. She models the type of
leadership our teens deserve to see an experience in their
everyday lives. Now, go charge those crystals and we'll be
right back after the break.
Speaker 7 (14:49):
To my others, my lovers, civic sisters and brothers, the
SKilda world made for us too.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
Those cherubic voices are them Youth Ensemble and all transquire
in Arizona. Their singers range in age anywhere from thirteen
to twenty four years old, and one of our teens
is a member.
Speaker 3 (15:14):
I really wanted to be like a professional singer when
I was younger.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
That's Daniel, a sixteen year old and Tucson, and joining
them youth ensemble was a dream he's had for a while.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
My mom saw the person who runs the music ensemble.
My mom was like, oh my god, Nikki, my kid
loves to sing. He should join the choir. And he
was like, oh, I love that, but we have to
wait till he's thirteen, and so then four years go by.
(15:48):
In it's seventh grade. My mom was like, oh my god,
it's your thirteenth birthday. You can join the Muthic Ensemble now.
And I'm like, oh mg, you're right. And then I
have my first like practice, but it was over zoomed
because it was during the pandemic or during I guess
lockdown I should say, and yeah, that's how I got
into it.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
Daniel's been involved in the choir ever since, singing and
playing guitar, bass and drums, and he really connects with
the messages of the music. They sing a mix of
covers and original songs written by members.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
It's really cool because all the songs we sing are
about like empowerment or how we need to be protecting
the land we live on, you know, and finding euphoria
like or what's the term being like euphoric and your
(16:45):
own self you know, self love.
Speaker 4 (16:48):
This is a story about the land. It's a story
about the land and the people and the things that
are grained and are closer to touching the sky than
any of us will ever be.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
What you just heard was thirteen year old Daniel narrating
a poem for a Them Youth Ensemble music video. Daniel
really found more than just a place to sing. He
found a group of people that understand and embrace him
for who he is.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
So we were able to kind of like lean on
each other for support while also being able to like
connect artistically. You know. Also just think that having like
even if you're not always talking about it, by having
like the silent understanding, I think that's my two main
reasons for why it feels like a safe space. I
(17:40):
silent understand and that you're with a group.
Speaker 4 (17:42):
That gets you.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
I can totally relate to this. Having a group of
people who just get you without explanation is one of
the most comforting and empowering things. Much like Daniel, I
had my own support crew during my college days, and
I found my unapologetic self expression in the LGBTQ Student
(18:04):
Center and through drag performance. A lot of the time,
I was the only black person in those spaces, but
those connections played a huge role in helping me grow
and understand myself better. Looking back, if I hadn't been
part of those communities, especially during college, I might not
(18:26):
have started my transition when I did. Meeting other trans
folks was a certified game changer. Those spaces gave me
a sense of purpose and unbridled joy, and I'm thrilled
that Daniel has found something similar, a place he not
only has made lasting friendships, but where he can unwind
(18:47):
and make his voice heard.
Speaker 3 (18:50):
A lot of representation in media is most of the
time these sad stories of trans people who aren't accepted
in their homes, who aren't supported by their friends. And
as much as those stories are true and people live
through them, I really feel like it's important for people
(19:11):
to see that that's not how it has to be. Like,
if you are a trans that's not how it's always
going to be. That there will be people who live
and support you that you can live a joyous life,
that you can live a very full life. And I
think that's my main thing. I want people to know.
I want people I mean, I want people to see
(19:35):
me being happy and having fun and to understand that
I'm just a kid who has dreams and aspirations and
hobbies and interests like any other kid.
Speaker 6 (20:00):
I guess my own safe place is myself, because I
know that no matter where I'll go, I'll be a
whole person, and I will know that I can make
myself happy if I try.
Speaker 7 (20:11):
To my hardest.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
There's a reality for queer and trance people, especially young people,
that I want to leave with you today, and it's
that sometimes this idea of a safe space just doesn't
actually exist, or at the very least, it's not as
straightforward as a hobby or a physical location.
Speaker 5 (20:32):
The past two months have taught me that nothing is
permanent board But through the past two months, I've learned
to be able to call myself my own home and
my own safe spot. In my own safe place.
Speaker 1 (20:44):
That's Sully. He's nineteen years old and you might remember
him from our first episode. He lives on a reservation
in Montana and identifies as two spirits. Some of his
ten years have been consumed by financially supporting his family
while attending high school. That means buying growth series, paying bills,
(21:07):
and just a ton of responsibility.
Speaker 6 (21:10):
I never really had parents to depend on. It's more
of my parents depended on me.
Speaker 8 (21:15):
I've always had to grow up faster and take care
of people around me and have a stable income so
the people around me could have a sustainable life.
Speaker 1 (21:28):
Since we started this show, Sully's living situation has only
become more complicated. After an altercation between his boyfriend and stepfather,
he was essentially kicked out. This led him to CouchSurfing
at other relatives homes and having stints of living out
of his car.
Speaker 6 (21:48):
I felt like crying in that moviment because I felt
like just the regular mathing was just yanked, you know,
and my support system that I knew I was going
to have till I graduate and go to college was
gone in that liver of a moment.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
Housing, healthcare, and financial stability are things that so so
many queer and trans youth across the country go without.
And we can't talk about safe spaces without acknowledging that truth.
Adequate housing and care is safety, and when Sully was
kicked out of his home, he felt the impact of
(22:22):
losing something so many people take for granted. After Sully
and his boyfriend landed at his aunt's house, going back
to school the next week was disorienting.
Speaker 6 (22:34):
It still is a shell shock. It was weird to
go to school and see everyone just look happy normal.
They didn't have to worry about whether they're going to
sleep in the couch or in their car. But it
felt weird to go to school and pretend like nothing
ever happened.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
While dealing with the turmoil of his personal life, Sully
started to fall behind in school. He considered dropping out,
but his school's administration started working to accommodate him, and
he set to graduate high school in the spring of
twenty twenty four. Ali has to be independent from a
really young age, but now he's getting better at building
(23:11):
solace for himself.
Speaker 6 (23:14):
I always knew that I'm the only person that can
fix my own problems and make my own solutions, and
from that, I always knew that I only will always
have my own safe space, but other people can always
be there for me as well. I do have moments
that I see my situation, and I'm realizing that I
can find my own interface as long as I have
that quiet time that I always had before, and that
(23:37):
I have my calmness. But knowing that I can just
go to a quiet place in the house, or.
Speaker 7 (23:42):
Go on a walk or even for a simple drive
and just think to myself that everything will be okay,
That's when I know my interview is fine and that
I'll be okay.
Speaker 1 (24:03):
Queer Chronicles is a production of School of Humans, The
Outspoken Podcast Network and iHeart Podcasts. I'm your host Raquel Willis.
You can find a list of resources in the show notes,
including trans Lifeline and the Trevor Project. This show was
written by Jordan Bailey, Eedialise Perez, Aaron Edwards, and me.
(24:27):
Our story editors are Aaron Edwards and Julia Furlan, Produced
by Jordan Bailey, Julia Farlan and Edalis Perez. Our senior
producer is Amelia Brock, directed by ediis Perez, Sound design
and mixed by m b al Raheem. Theme song composed
(24:48):
by Jesse Niswanger. Special thanks to Nicky Manlove and them
Youth Ensemble for providing the track and will be free
casting by Jordan Bailey and Julia Furlan, fact checking by
Savannah Hugley. Our production manager is Daisy Church. Executive producers
(25:10):
include Jay Brunson and Me from The Outspoken Podcast Network,
Michael Alder June and Noel Brown from iHeart Podcasts, Virginia Prescott,
Brandon Barr and Elsie Crowley from School of Humans and
The Cats Company. If you're enjoying the show, please share
it with friends and family, and don't forget to rate
(25:31):
and review in your favorite podcast app. Tune in again
next week
School of Humans.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
This is Queer Chronicles.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
This is my personal entry Queer.
Speaker 4 (00:20):
This is Queer Chronicles. My community is the people in
my real life and the people that are deeply important
to me online that are almost majority queer, just because
those are the people that I talk to.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Safe spaces. You may have heard the term nowadays. They're
mentioned casually, almost like a joke by some, but safety,
especially for lgbtquth is something that often has to be
demanded or at the very least curated, because the rest
of the world isn't always as affirming as it should be.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
I meditate a lot, and I have a lot of
like protective crystals all over my room, and they just
make me feel like grounded and calm.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
That safety we're talking about often dovetails with another buzzy word,
self care, And yet again, we deserve outlets to freely
and fully express our ideas, desires, and fears. This safety
thing isn't some special privilege. It's essential.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
No. I feel really safe in these spaces and with
these people because they affirm me, they support me, and
they love it, and they're always looking out for me
and the other trans people in their community. And I
think that's just really beautiful.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
From School of Humans, The Outspoken Podcast Network, and iHeart Podcasts.
This is Queer Chronicle, a show where queer folks document
their personal lives and experiences in their own words, and
I'm your host, Raquel Willis. This season, a group of
(02:17):
teenagers are sharing their perspectives on growing up as queer,
entrance and gender non conforming while living in mostly red states.
In this episode, we're exploring what safety means for our teens.
(02:38):
If you were a teen of the early aughts and
you had access to a computer, there's a chance that
you're no stranger to online chat rooms. The digital world
was still kind of new, a wilderness just waiting for
folks to make sense of it. I remember those days vividly.
Sometimes as soon as I made it home from school,
(03:00):
I'd hop online with the slew of faceless strangers from
around the world. Conversations flew at lightning speed, with the
dizzying mix of acronyms and emoticons. Of course, asl anyone,
it was chaotic, but welcoming, a place where I could
escape and find other queer youth who were yearning for
(03:22):
connection that they couldn't find. Irol Nowadays, in the era
of TikTok ig and other platforms, young people are continuing
the trend that started nearly two decades ago.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
Beginning of the year in like January, I joined like
a discord server.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
There's it again, one of the teens you've been hearing
from this season.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
And over time in that discord server, me and a
few other people, three other people, we ended up making
a separate server that was just us four and I
feel safe talking to them, and I feel like I
could tell them pretty much anything.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
I did a similar thing when I was a teen too,
but I was on Yahoo and the Aol chat rooms,
and if you remember, these platforms were complicated. On one hand,
you could share your most intimate thoughts with folks who
had similar interests, but it also could get dicey, especially
(04:28):
when you didn't know if people actually were who they
said they were. Similarly, for it, online spaces were both
revelatory and risky.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
The queer community online has been like very bumpy because
I was given, like you know, unrestricted access to the
Internet at the age eleven, and I was raised in
a household that was more leaning towards like like a bigoted,
(05:02):
like fairly bigoted in a lot of ways, and then
as time went on, I kind of fell them all
right pipeline online.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
Well here we are. You may have heard the phrase before,
but the quote unquote al right pipeline basically describes being
indoctrinated with extremists right wing views. This comes after consuming
a string of content that is white supremacists, anti feminists,
(05:31):
and just xenophobic altogether. Many platforms serve as breeding grounds
for these ideas, including blogs, social media forums, and famously,
YouTube videos. The pipeline can be especially alluring if you're
feeling emotionally isolated or searching for a sense of identity.
(05:53):
For it, this slice of the Internet seemed like an
escape and an avenue for connection. Even worse, it was
hearing some of the same hateful things at home.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
At the time. When I was like eleven and twelve,
I was in like anti SJW spaces and those were
shared with anti theist spaces. I was watching these YouTubers
and then I started getting like really obsessive with these YouTubers.
I was watching them, Like I said, in school, I
was in the library the whole day pretty much doing
my school work, and none of it was actually being done.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
So here's a little more context for why it was
in such a vulnerable place. Its parents had just split up,
it had moved across the country with its dad to Pennsylvania,
then it returned to Arizona to live with its mom,
and in short, there was just a lot of instability
and emotional turmoil surrounding its family.
Speaker 4 (06:50):
I was in the deepest depression I probably ever ever
rid of my life. So I was really susceptible to
all these things. And the reason that I got out
of it was selfish. It was because I realized I
was trans. That was the reason that I got out
of it.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
The realization that it was transliberated it from all right spaces,
and with that it began to take stock of its
life away from the digital screen.
Speaker 4 (07:17):
The online communities I found myself in were conflicting with
the real life communities HAS found myself in. I was
meeting people with these identities that I had this opinion on,
and they were normal people and they were talking to
me like normal people. That's where I started seeking out
like actual, like affirming communities online when I was like
(07:39):
fifteen and sixteen, and I kind of did that thing
where like when you change your opinion, did you do
like a full one to eighty like hard in the
other direction.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
Finding community IRL unlocked new levels of affirmation for it,
and it was able to go back to the Internet
with this fresh perspective, seeking out digital spaces that matched
that energy.
Speaker 4 (08:03):
The queer spaces that I agent online now tend to be.
I only really use Discord now, and I gravitated specifically
towards like two people in it, and then we ended
up making our own separate server with like three people
and me. And now these are like the closest friends
I have in my life, the closest online friends I've
(08:24):
ever had that I feel healthy in that relationship, and
they're like some of the like people that I trust
the most. But I do think it's still important to
try to find community in your area that you are
able to talk to online, because that's still useful even
if you don't meet each other in real life. Talking
to someone who understands your community's issues online is super important.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Its story feels relatable and unfamiliar all at once. Look,
I've never been caught in the al right pipeline, but
I've been on the receiving end of hate that has
come from that space. And for so long people have
said what happens online or on social media isn't real,
(09:10):
or that it shouldn't be taken too seriously. But our
digital spaces are real and do have a real impact
on our emotional, social, and spiritual health. And I'm so
glad it has carved out an online space where it
can feel fulfilled and connected to the world around it
in a safe way.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Okay, this is like the way that, like the simple,
quick way that I learned how to do it.
Speaker 5 (09:38):
So just.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
You might remember Libby. She's thirteen and from Texas. Libby's
safe space. It's all in the cards. If you can't tell,
Libby does Taro, And for the uninformed, Taro uses a
particular deck of cards meant to answer your most burning
life questions. Now before you dismiss it as to woo
(10:04):
woo cards have been used for centuries, and Libby is
simply one of the youngest folks to try her hand
at figuring out what the universe wants her to know.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
I started to get into it, all of that kind
of stuff when I was in like maybe fourth grade,
Like I started really into like crystals, and then I
discovered Tourot cards, and I was like, oh my gosh,
these are so pretty. I just thought that they were
(10:36):
like cool. And I love seeing like all different types
of Touro decks with different art And that's one of
my favorite things about them, is like the art on
the cards. And I have this one deck and like
each card has like a different artist's work on it,
and I really love that. And they're all queer artists.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Libby even let us sit in on a tarot reading
she gave to her friends.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
Oh read, it's so cute.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
I like it. Yeah, I kind of suck it shuffling. Okay,
who wants to go first? Pick a card?
Speaker 6 (11:12):
Any card?
Speaker 3 (11:15):
I'll pick this one?
Speaker 1 (11:16):
Oof?
Speaker 3 (11:18):
What is mine?
Speaker 1 (11:20):
The Moon? I lay the moon.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
The moon has a dark and deep energy that is powerful.
It's eerie yet magical beings subtly edged their way through
the dark of night as they light your path. But
there are fears and doubts inside you that you are
holding in place.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
I appreciate Libby's way of finding connection, and to be honest,
I'm no stranger to the ways of the tarot either.
The first time I encountered the cards was in college
with a group of friends who also loved comparing our
birth charts for zodiac insights. I think these tools can
help us think differently about a confusing problem in our lives,
(12:04):
our relationship, and simply our life trajectory. But aside from Tara,
Libby also uses her crystals to help her feel ground it.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
I meditate a lot, and I have a lot of
protective crystals all over my room. And when I meditate,
I normally hold palmstones in my hands. I have a
lot of Selenite. I love Selenite. I really like Onyx.
Onyx is like one of those like protective crystals like
(12:38):
to scatter around your room and stuff. They just they
make me feel like everything's be okay and stuff, Like
after like a long day, like I'll like sit down
on my bed and like hold like a crystal in
my hands. And when I'm like going to the capital
and stuff, I ask my mom to bring little bitty
(13:00):
bitty like crystals this big and pass them out to
people who are like having a hard time or something.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
Yet again, Libby's interests in crystals isn't uncommon. They have
been used even longer than Taro to explore a divine
connection for health and protection or for manifesting dreams. These
pockets of joy and safety have been useful for Libby
and her mom, especially while they're standing up for LGBTQ
(13:29):
rights at her state's capital.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
A lot of the time, I don't feel safe when
there's legislators earned a ton of people yelling hateful things
at me, videoing me.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
There's one place in the Capitol where Libby knows she
can always go to recharge.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
I feel safe a Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett's office. When there
were people yelling at us and saying hateful things and
recording me and my friends. She offered her personal office
as a sanctuary for us. And that's like our sanctuary
(14:09):
at the art Texas Capital.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
Shout out to Congresswoman Crockett. She models the type of
leadership our teens deserve to see an experience in their
everyday lives. Now, go charge those crystals and we'll be
right back after the break.
Speaker 7 (14:49):
To my others, my lovers, civic sisters and brothers, the
SKilda world made for us too.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
Those cherubic voices are them Youth Ensemble and all transquire
in Arizona. Their singers range in age anywhere from thirteen
to twenty four years old, and one of our teens
is a member.
Speaker 3 (15:14):
I really wanted to be like a professional singer when
I was younger.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
That's Daniel, a sixteen year old and Tucson, and joining
them youth ensemble was a dream he's had for a while.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
My mom saw the person who runs the music ensemble.
My mom was like, oh my god, Nikki, my kid
loves to sing. He should join the choir. And he
was like, oh, I love that, but we have to
wait till he's thirteen, and so then four years go by.
(15:48):
In it's seventh grade. My mom was like, oh my god,
it's your thirteenth birthday. You can join the Muthic Ensemble now.
And I'm like, oh mg, you're right. And then I
have my first like practice, but it was over zoomed
because it was during the pandemic or during I guess
lockdown I should say, and yeah, that's how I got
into it.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
Daniel's been involved in the choir ever since, singing and
playing guitar, bass and drums, and he really connects with
the messages of the music. They sing a mix of
covers and original songs written by members.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
It's really cool because all the songs we sing are
about like empowerment or how we need to be protecting
the land we live on, you know, and finding euphoria
like or what's the term being like euphoric and your
(16:45):
own self you know, self love.
Speaker 4 (16:48):
This is a story about the land. It's a story
about the land and the people and the things that
are grained and are closer to touching the sky than
any of us will ever be.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
What you just heard was thirteen year old Daniel narrating
a poem for a Them Youth Ensemble music video. Daniel
really found more than just a place to sing. He
found a group of people that understand and embrace him
for who he is.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
So we were able to kind of like lean on
each other for support while also being able to like
connect artistically. You know. Also just think that having like
even if you're not always talking about it, by having
like the silent understanding, I think that's my two main
reasons for why it feels like a safe space. I
(17:40):
silent understand and that you're with a group.
Speaker 4 (17:42):
That gets you.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
I can totally relate to this. Having a group of
people who just get you without explanation is one of
the most comforting and empowering things. Much like Daniel, I
had my own support crew during my college days, and
I found my unapologetic self expression in the LGBTQ Student
(18:04):
Center and through drag performance. A lot of the time,
I was the only black person in those spaces, but
those connections played a huge role in helping me grow
and understand myself better. Looking back, if I hadn't been
part of those communities, especially during college, I might not
(18:26):
have started my transition when I did. Meeting other trans
folks was a certified game changer. Those spaces gave me
a sense of purpose and unbridled joy, and I'm thrilled
that Daniel has found something similar, a place he not
only has made lasting friendships, but where he can unwind
(18:47):
and make his voice heard.
Speaker 3 (18:50):
A lot of representation in media is most of the
time these sad stories of trans people who aren't accepted
in their homes, who aren't supported by their friends. And
as much as those stories are true and people live
through them, I really feel like it's important for people
(19:11):
to see that that's not how it has to be. Like,
if you are a trans that's not how it's always
going to be. That there will be people who live
and support you that you can live a joyous life,
that you can live a very full life. And I
think that's my main thing. I want people to know.
I want people I mean, I want people to see
(19:35):
me being happy and having fun and to understand that
I'm just a kid who has dreams and aspirations and
hobbies and interests like any other kid.
Speaker 6 (20:00):
I guess my own safe place is myself, because I
know that no matter where I'll go, I'll be a
whole person, and I will know that I can make
myself happy if I try.
Speaker 7 (20:11):
To my hardest.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
There's a reality for queer and trance people, especially young people,
that I want to leave with you today, and it's
that sometimes this idea of a safe space just doesn't
actually exist, or at the very least, it's not as
straightforward as a hobby or a physical location.
Speaker 5 (20:32):
The past two months have taught me that nothing is
permanent board But through the past two months, I've learned
to be able to call myself my own home and
my own safe spot. In my own safe place.
Speaker 1 (20:44):
That's Sully. He's nineteen years old and you might remember
him from our first episode. He lives on a reservation
in Montana and identifies as two spirits. Some of his
ten years have been consumed by financially supporting his family
while attending high school. That means buying growth series, paying bills,
(21:07):
and just a ton of responsibility.
Speaker 6 (21:10):
I never really had parents to depend on. It's more
of my parents depended on me.
Speaker 8 (21:15):
I've always had to grow up faster and take care
of people around me and have a stable income so
the people around me could have a sustainable life.
Speaker 1 (21:28):
Since we started this show, Sully's living situation has only
become more complicated. After an altercation between his boyfriend and stepfather,
he was essentially kicked out. This led him to CouchSurfing
at other relatives homes and having stints of living out
of his car.
Speaker 6 (21:48):
I felt like crying in that moviment because I felt
like just the regular mathing was just yanked, you know,
and my support system that I knew I was going
to have till I graduate and go to college was
gone in that liver of a moment.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
Housing, healthcare, and financial stability are things that so so
many queer and trans youth across the country go without.
And we can't talk about safe spaces without acknowledging that truth.
Adequate housing and care is safety, and when Sully was
kicked out of his home, he felt the impact of
(22:22):
losing something so many people take for granted. After Sully
and his boyfriend landed at his aunt's house, going back
to school the next week was disorienting.
Speaker 6 (22:34):
It still is a shell shock. It was weird to
go to school and see everyone just look happy normal.
They didn't have to worry about whether they're going to
sleep in the couch or in their car. But it
felt weird to go to school and pretend like nothing
ever happened.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
While dealing with the turmoil of his personal life, Sully
started to fall behind in school. He considered dropping out,
but his school's administration started working to accommodate him, and
he set to graduate high school in the spring of
twenty twenty four. Ali has to be independent from a
really young age, but now he's getting better at building
(23:11):
solace for himself.
Speaker 6 (23:14):
I always knew that I'm the only person that can
fix my own problems and make my own solutions, and
from that, I always knew that I only will always
have my own safe space, but other people can always
be there for me as well. I do have moments
that I see my situation, and I'm realizing that I
can find my own interface as long as I have
that quiet time that I always had before, and that
(23:37):
I have my calmness. But knowing that I can just
go to a quiet place in the house, or.
Speaker 7 (23:42):
Go on a walk or even for a simple drive
and just think to myself that everything will be okay,
That's when I know my interview is fine and that
I'll be okay.
Speaker 1 (24:03):
Queer Chronicles is a production of School of Humans, The
Outspoken Podcast Network and iHeart Podcasts. I'm your host Raquel Willis.
You can find a list of resources in the show notes,
including trans Lifeline and the Trevor Project. This show was
written by Jordan Bailey, Eedialise Perez, Aaron Edwards, and me.
(24:27):
Our story editors are Aaron Edwards and Julia Furlan, Produced
by Jordan Bailey, Julia Farlan and Edalis Perez. Our senior
producer is Amelia Brock, directed by ediis Perez, Sound design
and mixed by m b al Raheem. Theme song composed
(24:48):
by Jesse Niswanger. Special thanks to Nicky Manlove and them
Youth Ensemble for providing the track and will be free
casting by Jordan Bailey and Julia Furlan, fact checking by
Savannah Hugley. Our production manager is Daisy Church. Executive producers
(25:10):
include Jay Brunson and Me from The Outspoken Podcast Network,
Michael Alder June and Noel Brown from iHeart Podcasts, Virginia Prescott,
Brandon Barr and Elsie Crowley from School of Humans and
The Cats Company. If you're enjoying the show, please share
it with friends and family, and don't forget to rate
(25:31):
and review in your favorite podcast app. Tune in again
next week
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