February 26, 2025 • 57 mins
Join us for an enlightening episode of Queer Voices as we explore pressing topics within the LGBTQIA+ community, featuring inspiring guests who are making a difference. In our first segment, we welcome Lou Weaver, trans activist and organizer of the Trot for Trans Visibility, an event celebrating community spirit and solidarity within the trans community. Mr. Lou Weaver passionately shares his experiences while organizing this fundraiser, emphasizing the importance of visibility and support for trans rights.
Shifting gears, we dive into the kitchen with R. Lee Ingalls, author of Cooking on the Prairie with the Ingalls. Lee discusses the inspiration behind his cookbook, celebrating beloved family recipes that capture the essence of togetherness. His heartfelt anecdotes about family gatherings and the joy of sharing meals evoke nostalgia for many listeners, illustrating how food can help build and maintain familial bonds.
Lastly, we sit down with Dr. Uchenna Ume, known as Dr. Lulu, who addresses a critical issue affecting the community: LGBTQIA+ youth suicide. Dr. Lulu shares her transformative journey as a pediatrician turned advocate, illuminating the alarming realities facing queer youth and the urgent need for parental support and affirmation. She provides valuable insights into creating safe spaces for LGBTQ+ children, emphasizing the importance of listening to and understanding their identities.
These rich conversations underscore the community's vital role in fostering resilience, hope, and joy. This episode serves as a powerful reminder of the work still needed to uplift and empower marginalized voices while encouraging listeners to engage more deeply in advocacy efforts. Tune in, get inspired, and join us in the movement for inclusivity and support within our communities!
Queer Voices airs in Houston Texas on 90.1FM KPFT and is heard as a podcast here. Queer Voices hopes to entertain as well as illuminate LGBTQ issues in Houston and beyond. Check out our socials at:
https://www.facebook.com/QueerVoicesKPFT/ and
https://www.instagram.com/queervoices90.1kpft/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello everybody.
This is Queer Voices, a podcastversion of a broadcast radio
show that's been on the air inHouston, texas, for several
decades.
This week, brett Cullum has aninterview with local trans
activist Lou Weaver about theTrot for Trans Visibility
fundraiser and social eventcoming up at the end of March.
(00:23):
Then Brett talks with hishusband, lee Ingalls, about his
new book.
It's a cookbook actually titledCooking on the Prairie with the
Ingalls.
If you want good old familyrecipes, this is it.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
By mistake, my mother sent me her macaroni salad that
she used to make for our largefamily gatherings.
Now my mother is one of 11,dad's one of six, so when our
family would gather there'd beclose to 100 people there.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
So her original macaroni salad was huge and it's
just comical to read it DavisMendoza Daruzman has an
interview with a queerNigerian-born retired
pediatrician who is dedicated topreventing LGBTQ youth suicide.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
I had to stop and ask myself what am I doing?
Writing penicillin for strepthroat in the clinic and writing
Tamiflu for flu in the clinicwhen their children are
literally trying to killthemselves?
I need to figure out what'sgoing on.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
And we have news wrap from this Way Out Queer Voices
starts now.
Speaker 4 (01:31):
I am Brett Cullum and today I am joined by
transgender icon and activist,lou Weaver.
We are talking today about theTrot for Trans Visibility 2025.
It's a Houston 5k fun run.
It's going to be held on March29th.
Start at Frost Town Brewing.
8.30 is when they gather, 9o'clock, the run starts.
This entire event is supportingthe Trans Legal Aid Clinic of
(01:55):
Texas and the AAA Alliance, so Iwanted to welcome Lou to Queer
Voices.
Hi Hi, how are you?
How did you get involved withthis event, lou?
How did they draft you?
Speaker 5 (02:08):
Well, actually there was a person running two years
ago in 2023, runningcross-country.
They started in LA and theywere on their way to Florida and
they were stopping in Austinthe end of May to coincide with
the end of the session,basically in Sinai Dai, and they
were having a 5K and I was likeI bet you, a lot of people from
Houston would want to go tothat and we can't get there.
(02:28):
So I just took a chance, Iemailed and said hey, I'd like
to see if we could do somethinghere in Houston the same day
you're doing the trot and kindof pair it together.
But do something.
It's three hours away, blah,hey, why don't we just have an
event in Houston?
I was like, okay, I knownothing about running, I'm not a
runner Me putting it on in fiveweeks and just being
(02:49):
overwhelmed with the response wegot 2023, that was in June.
It was then the Trot for TransLives, like I said, in
conjunction with Cal Dobbs, andthen a bunch of people that I'm
friends with that are actualrunners are like hey, if you
want to do this again, we'regoing to help you and we can
make it so that we can help youfigure out what you're actually
supposed to be doing andeverything.
And so last year was ourinaugural Trot for
Transvisibility and it's justincredible.
(03:12):
We had over 200 people sign up.
We had to cut signups off andthen people were still shining
up at the door, so we were justletting them in and then, hey,
you know what, whatever Frosthas the room, we have t-shirts.
Let's do this, and for me it'sa lot of fun and the people are
having fun, so that's why we'llkeep going and we'll keep doing
this.
It's just we want to make itbigger and better, and it's just
turned out to be a really,really good event for the trans
(03:34):
community.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
In March too.
5k.
I would hate to have Trot forTrans Visibility in June, july,
august, something like that.
Speaker 5 (03:42):
Transday of Visibility is March 31st and so
we're on that last weekend ofMarch.
We will always be that Saturday.
Frost is a great partner tohave.
It's not very far over one toget onto the bayou.
Then we run down.
Well, I say we, they, I don'tleave the brewery.
They run down across the streetright by University of Houston
downtown, run up, do a quickturnaround and it's about 5K.
(04:06):
So some will be back in 20minutes, some will be back in an
hour.
We're going to have a drag showand some vendors and resources
available.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
I love that it's open to all fitness levels because,
trust me, I'm not running morethan.
Speaker 5 (04:18):
Text from a friend the other day that said, hey, I
ran into so-and-so and they toldme I don't have to trot, I can
walk, I'm in.
I was like, yes, yes, it's atrot, walk, run, sashay, we
don't care, just come hang outand do whatever, because when
they get back they'll get abreakfast, taco and a drink of
their choice.
And that makes it easier on us,dude, not a whole bunch of
people showing up at the sametime.
Speaker 4 (04:38):
And you just look at the vendors, talk to people.
You don't even have to get outthere and try, unless you really
really want to.
Speaker 5 (04:49):
I mean there were some people last year that came
to support their person who didleave and do the 5K in whatever
fashion, and they just stayed atthe brewery and hung out and
when their friends got therethen they all got to hang out
together.
So it was a very, verysupportive atmosphere of anybody
who ever ran, walked atwhatever levels, or even if
people didn't leave the breweryor showed up at 10 o'clock and
they're like I know my friendsare gone and I'm here for a drag
(05:10):
show and we're just going tohave a great time.
Brostown Brewing has an amazingoutside setup.
There's park benches, kind ofthings, wooden tables out there
and it's just a good time.
It's a great place just to sit.
Hopefully it will be a littlebit warmer than 43 degrees
outside and we're going to havea good time.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
How do I get the shirt?
Speaker 5 (05:30):
We're going to sell the shirt.
I know I'm for voices, we'renot allowed to talk prices.
The entry fee for the trotitself will get you a Lululemon
tank top with our logo on thefront and a breakfast taco and,
like I I said, a drink of yourchoice.
We'll have cold brew, there'smimosas, there's obviously beer
on tap, there's even cider ontap, and then we will have
regular t-shirts for people whodon't like a tank top or who
(05:52):
want both.
Those will be available as wellto pick up there.
Those are going to be a reallynice blue color, my favorite.
So yeah, you can go home withsome swag.
If it's as beautiful as a dayas last year was, we're all
going to be in our tank tops.
Last year I think it was likedinner time before I went home
because we were just having somuch fun.
Speaker 4 (06:12):
Let's talk about your cause to Trans Legal Aid Clinic
of Texas and AAA Alliance.
What exactly are their missions?
Speaker 5 (06:20):
That Trans Legal Aid Clinic of Texas started back in
2014 because that was beforeeverybody was using Zoom and we
would have meetings here at theMontrose Center.
They very kindly gave us freespace and we would go up and
help trans folks get thedocuments they needed to go to
court and change their name andor gender marker here in the
state of Texas.
And then COVID hit and withinCOVID hit in March and by July
(06:43):
we were doing Zoom.
It was great and alsooverwhelming.
All of a sudden, we werehelping people from across the
state of Texas, not just righthere in our hometown, and we
have helped people from acrossthe state of Texas people in the
Panhandle, people down in theValley, a couple of folks in El
Paso and that's what we want.
We want to be able to helpanybody and everybody, because
it can be confusing on what youneed to do, and even more, as
(07:04):
last August there was a letterthat went out to DPS don't
change anybody's gender marker.
Then don't change anybody'sgender marker on their birth
certificate.
And then, january 20th also,the federal laws changed and so,
as a legal clinic, a lot ofwhat we're doing is I am not a
lawyer.
I'm not an attorney.
I'm just a guy who talks a lotand they let me.
We just try and help themnavigate the process and
(07:28):
understand what they can andcan't do or what they should or
shouldn't do or might or mightnot want to do.
That's our whole goal.
Last year it was the biggestyear yet and then so normally
for the legal clinic anybodythat's come through our clinic,
we help them figure out how tofile an affidavit for inability
to pay, because it costs over$250 to get this court order to
change your name and or gendermarker.
Most of the times the courtwill waive that, so we encourage
(07:49):
them to do that.
But then any other fees thatcome along with having a legal
name change or legal transition,we will help pay for those.
You need a driver's license inthe future.
You need your fingerprints doneto go there.
Do you need a doctor's letter?
All of these types of things,and even without considering the
(08:10):
$250, we're more than happy togive people a couple hundred
dollars to get these things done.
And then for people who wantedprior to last August, people who
wanted that X on something theonly way they could get it was a
passport.
So we were helping people get apassport card because it looks
a lot like a driver's license.
And then things happened inNovember and in December we were
very, very lucky to partnerwith the Montrose Center and
they helped us fund over 500folks for passports.
(08:32):
We raised enough to do about250, I think 300 on our own and
we wouldn't have been able to govery much further.
But then the Montrose Centerreally came through in a big,
huge way that we hadn't seenbefore and helped us get another
500, which we did in two weeks,the beginning of December, and
it was phenomenal.
It was just so incredible tohelp so many people that
wouldn't have been able to makethis happen, and it was really
(08:54):
like the first time we'd seenanother organization step in to
help us that way.
So it was I don't have thewords to talk to tell you what
it meant to all of us, to Peteand I he's our board chair to
make that happen.
And then we took some time off,but that's really what we're
doing.
We started back up.
We have our clinics now andit's rough.
We don't know how much we canhelp people.
A lot of it's like yeah, sorry,no, you can't do that anymore
(09:16):
and keep this for the future.
You can't change your gendermarker on any Texas IDs.
We do not suggest you attemptto change it on a passport or a
social security card, which it'strying.
It's hard, but there's also somany other legal needs that
maybe could be met with for ourfolks, like wills and powers of
attorneys and things like that.
So we're going to be looking atour future here pretty soon.
And then the AAA Alliance itstands for.
(09:38):
So the legal clinic has onelane and one lane only, and it
does it really really, reallywell, and so we want to stay in
our lane.
So the triple a alliance wasformed to kind of do some events
, and that's what it does.
It's it's moving allyship andadvocacy into action, and action
can be a bunch of differentthings.
Once a month, generally on thelast monday of the month, unless
there's an astros game frosttown brewing, which is closed on
(10:01):
mondays, is opening up just forus to have a social for the
trans and non-binary communityto come and hang out.
There's no agenda, there's nonothing.
Come and eat and just be in aspace where it's primarily for
us, with us, about us.
So that's what we do mostly.
And then we have art shows.
We also have an Off With yourChest program where last year we
were raising money for one ofthe trans guys to get to what he
(10:23):
needed to get his top surgery.
He had his top surgery inDecember and we were like you
know what, if we could do this,let's just keep doing it.
With the help of Julie Mabryover at Pearl Bar, we are
continuing to raise funds sothat we will be able to continue
to help trans masc folksachieve their dream of having
top surgery.
And then we're working on howdo we raise funds for trans
women to get what they need orfor folks that you know
sometimes it's there are otherorganizations that have access
(10:46):
to funds that they do distributesome hormones or binders and
things like this.
So how can we support thingsthat people actually need here
and now?
And a lot of that, I stronglybelieve, is community.
We need trans joy in a spacethat so many people are trying
to not only take our joy but insome instances, are taking our
lives, our identity and tryingto take that.
I'm sure you know, and hopefullymost listeners know by now,
(11:09):
that stonewall, the nationalpark, has removed any reference
to trans and queer folks, andright when you wake up and you
go oh wait, we're back in the80s and it's lgb again.
It's like it's a gut punch andthe only way to deal with that
is we have so much rage, but wealso have to have hope.
And how do we balance that?
We're not.
I'm not pollyanna I mean itmight sound like I am, but I
(11:30):
have a lot of hope, but I alsohave a lot of rage.
But my, I can't sit in my ragethe whole time, and nothing is
going to happen without hope.
If we do not have hope, nobodywill light that spark to keep us
going.
So that's where the communitycomes in.
Is is giving us hope, giving usjoy, being together, knowing
we're not alone.
Even if it's once a month, weget to show up, make new friends
and be in a community where wewant to be together.
(11:51):
We are together and nobody'sgoing to take that away from us
and I've talked to John, theowner of Frost Town, and he
understands completely and hewas like we are going to keep
doing this, we are going to keepsupporting you, and that's what
we're here for.
And that's the kind of allyshipright, he took his allyship, he
moved it into action.
The Montrose Center, julie,over at ProBorrow, they're
making action happen out of thethings that they care about, and
(12:12):
that's what we want to do isjust bring this to light, bring
this into fruition, instead ofsaying, oh yeah, well, I'm a
(12:34):
body, I'm here, it matters, itmatters to me, it matters to you
.
There's so many different waysto get involved with community
and some 90% of that is justshowing up.
Speaker 4 (12:42):
We have to work that hard, just show up.
It's hard and I think it'sbalancing that this year after
the elections and things likethat.
I, I, just I sit there and go.
How can I be an ally?
What can I do to help people?
And certainly events like thislike the trot for trans
visibility 2025 perfect way todo it.
Hang out and get some socialtime in as well, with everybody.
(13:05):
I am so just horrified atwhat's happening legally and
when I look at the Trans LegalAid Clinic and what you are
doing for people and navigatingthis process now, which has just
become what?
Just completely unwieldy.
It's always been sort ofcomplicated, but now it's like
next to impossible, right.
Speaker 5 (13:22):
Things have changed so much since we started back in
2014.
It was me and four locallawyers.
We were literally drivingpeople to Austin to try and get
this done, and then it becameeasier thanks to the help of
Claire Bowe, an amazing transactivist lawyer, who was in
Austin and what her advocacy didthere, and for a while it was I
don't want to say it wasincredibly easy, but it was kind
(13:43):
of sort of cookie cutter right.
75% of the people fit into oneor two categories and that was
really cool.
And then it just startedgetting harder and harder.
And now we're like, oh my gosh,but we're not going to stop
right, nobody's going to make astop, nobody's going to get in
our way and we're going to keepcontinuing to do what we can to
help people be who they are,both legally and as themselves,
to navigate society, knowingthat at least your name's right
(14:05):
on your ID and a lot of peopletake that for granted, but think
about every time you use yourID right.
We're talking about drinking.
I'm going to need my ID.
Voting, getting a car, gettinga hotel room, getting a job,
getting my healthcare right.
An ID is central to so much inour worlds that that can be a
game changer for folks, ourworlds, that that can be a game
changer for folks and we need tocontinue to make that happen
(14:25):
and be able to help folks getthrough that so that they can
maybe get a different job or atleast go out and get a drink
without having a bunch of hassle.
And it sounds like it's easy.
I know it's not, because evenif you're gender marker, but
hopefully people don't look atthat and they just look at the
picture and look at your nameand go, yep, yep, that's you.
Speaker 4 (14:42):
I gotcha.
Just a reminder Trot forTransvisibility 2025 is going to
happen on March 29th, veryclose to the day of
transvisibility.
Starts at about 8.30 in themorning.
They're going to gather 9o'clock if you plan to run trot,
walk, sashay, whatever you needto do, and then you come back,
and then after 10 or wheneverwe're having this vendor market
(15:04):
how?
And then you come back and thenafter 10 or whenever we're
having this vendor market.
Speaker 5 (15:07):
How long does that last, phil, probably go to?
About noon or 1, depending onhow many people are there.
The drag show starts at 10.30,and it's being done about noon.
We wanted to start earlier thisyear so more people would still
be there before running off towhatever their other activities
are.
I know that we're going to haveBrazos Bookstore there and some
other cool things to beshopping, as well as picking up
resources.
We will have testing for HIV.
Allies and Hope Legacy will bedoing cholesterol techs, things
(15:30):
like that.
So, right, we're talking abouthealthcare.
We're talking about our wholehealth as well, as you know,
being in community, but alsotaking care of everything that's
going on with ourselves,whether it's buying a book,
watching a drag show or justsitting around sharing drinks
with your friends.
Speaker 4 (15:43):
Hey, you had me at drinks drag show or just sitting
around sharing drinks with yourfriends.
Hey, you had me at drinks dragshow and books.
I'm there.
Speaker 5 (15:48):
I know.
What more could I really askfor when you design an event or
when you think about where youwant to go?
This is what I want to do.
I want to have a drink, I wantto talk about books and I want
to watch some good drag.
Let's make it happen.
So, yeah, that's why thisgame's about, because I don't
have anything better to do.
I don't have any.
I don't go to events, I'll justplan them, and then I have to
show up.
Speaker 4 (16:06):
Well, I got you.
I feel like we have to show uptoo, march 29th.
Thank you so much, lou.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
Did you know that KPFT is completely
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That means you participate inour programming just by
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(16:36):
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Thank you.
Speaker 4 (16:50):
I am Brett Cullum and I am joined by my most frequent
guest here on Queer Voices.
That is most likely because heis my husband and he is author
and social media personality RLee.
Ingalls Lee, as you might haveguessed from the last name, is
directly related to the Ingallsfamily of the Little House on
the Prairie fame, and he hastaken up Laura Ingalls Wilder's
(17:14):
idea of writing books abouteveryday life and their family's
history.
He already has two books todate and they're out there, but
lately he has released acookbook and it is called
Cooking on the Prairie with theIngalls Family.
Lee, welcome back to QueerVoices.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
Thank you, my pleasure to be here.
Thank you for inviting me.
Speaker 4 (17:35):
All right, first I want you to tell me a little bit
about this project.
It's not a history, which yourother two books have been that,
but rather a collection ofrecipes.
So how did this idea come upand get started?
Speaker 2 (17:47):
The first two books, as you said, are non-fiction.
They're continued stories ofthe Ingalls family.
This one kind of takes asidestep and looks a little
closer into the family itselfand the way that it came to be.
It started in the early 2000s.
Our family was gathering atthat time during the
thanksgiving holiday, and thisparticular year there was over
(18:08):
40 people that attended the, thelunch and in the holidays.
It's a very warm, friendly,family time of year, and then
you add to that all the foodthat we had.
It was really an amazing event.
So when I got back home afterthat trip it occurred to me
those food items should becaptured.
(18:28):
They were all so wonderful andit's just good old home cooking
comfort food.
So I reached out to the family,asked them would be willing to
share those recipes and put themin some form of a book that we
could share with not only ourfamily but those families that
have an interest in Ingalls aswell.
And so that's how the ideastarted, and then we started
(18:49):
collecting the recipes fromthere.
Speaker 4 (18:51):
As far as you know, there aren't any other Ingalls
cookbooks out there.
I mean there's certainly LittleHouse on the Prairie thing
cookbooks, but they're moreabout pioneer cooking and they
weren't authorized by anybody inyour family.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
That's correct.
Yeah, there are a lot of booksout there that do capture
recipes from that time period,but as far as I know, there
aren't any cookbooks thatactually come from the Ingalls
family itself.
Speaker 4 (19:14):
I find it interesting how folks often define their
family by food.
How many times have you heardsomebody say, oh my
grandmother's pie, or oh mymother's this or that?
So what foods immediately makeyou think in your head your
family, the Ingalls?
Speaker 2 (19:30):
And you're so right.
In most of our familygatherings it all centered
around food.
Most of them because our familyis so large were potluck events
, so everybody brought some dishto the family and some of those
that I go back to were from mygrandparents my mother's potato
salad same thing.
I've had that since I was asmall child, so those are a
(19:51):
couple of the ones that I relateback to the family.
They were at all of our familygatherings.
It takes me back every time Ihave them.
Speaker 4 (19:59):
Are all of these recipes from your family?
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Most of them are.
I try to identify the personthat they came from in the
recipe itself my grandma Ingallsher sticky bun recipe.
My mother's potato salad.
I have my grandma Patnode's piecrust recipe in there and that
probably goes back to herparents because they were
(20:22):
farmers, so her cooking skillscame from her family experience
as well.
Speaker 4 (20:25):
But some of these are family I would say chosen
family.
They're from more recent eventsin your life, right, Like
cooking clubs and things likethat.
Can you tell me where thosecame from?
Speaker 2 (20:35):
There are several recipes that came from the
cooking club and other sources.
My mother-in-law one of thesalads come from her.
They are favorite recipes thatwhen I make them, I frequently
get asked for those recipes sothat people can then make them
on their own.
So, yeah, it's a wide variety.
All of them are favoriterecipes.
Many of them come from thefamily.
(20:56):
Some of them come from mypersonal cooking as well.
Speaker 4 (20:59):
Well, shout out to my mom for actually making the
book.
I have an unfair advantagebecause I watched you try and
test each recipe, so I know thatyou actually went back and
cooked all of these.
You prepared them.
I got to taste them.
I know a lot of people aregoing to be jealous right about
now, but did you learn anythingnew about these dishes as you
did them with a book in mind?
Is there a different mindsetwhen you're making something and
(21:20):
you know that other people aregoing to follow these directions
?
Speaker 2 (21:23):
Yeah, so when I get in the kitchen these days, I
mean, I pretty much make themeals based on my memory, so
they're not always going to bethe same.
But as I prepared them for thiscookbook, I wanted to pay
attention to the details.
What is it that makes thisrecipe successful, Makes it
different than those other onesthat you would find out there?
Ease of making the recipe andgetting it to the table was also
(21:46):
in the front of my mind as Iwent through these recipes and
modified them and then, like Isay, capture the details so that
I could put them in a book form.
Anybody reading the recipewould be able to look at it.
Get it from the idea to thetable quick and simple.
Speaker 4 (22:01):
How did you start cooking?
When did that come up in yourlife?
Speaker 2 (22:05):
That's kind of a funny thing.
Raised on a farm, my parentsbelieved that the boys did all
the work outside, the girls didall the work inside.
So I grew up not really knowinghow to cook my early life.
Because of my living situation,I didn't really have to cook
until I moved out on my own inmy early 30s and then I realized
(22:25):
I'm either going to have tolearn my way around the kitchen
or starve one of the two.
So I set about trying to learnto cook and the early cooking
experiences were not good.
But eventually, through trialand error and commitment to it,
I did learn to cook.
But I more view myself as ahome comfort food kind of cooker
(22:46):
.
Speaker 4 (22:48):
I don't think anybody's going to complain
about that.
I think that most people wantkind of that home style cooking
and that's what we associatewith our family and homes and
things like that.
One of the things that wentthrough my mind in looking at
this book I was wondering iswriting a cookbook harder than
writing what you've done in thepast?
You've done a family history,you've done the story of your
mother and father, you've doneyour own story previously as two
(23:11):
separate books but what was thechallenge in writing a cookbook
?
Speaker 2 (23:15):
Far different experience.
The first two books, yeah, asyou said, are nonfiction, so it
was just capturing the detailsand writing them down.
That was kind of the easy partWith a cookbook.
There is so many variables ineach one of the recipes.
You had to make sure that younailed it down the way that you
wanted it delivered.
And then producing andpublishing the book is a far
(23:36):
different experience as well.
There's a lot more that goesinto a cookbook and creating it
and getting it done than thereis in the previous two books.
Speaker 4 (23:46):
Do you have like one recipe that everybody seems to
ask for over and over again andthat wouldn't make it into the
cookbook this time?
Speaker 2 (23:54):
Yes, yeah, there is one recipe that by far stands
out in front of all the rest ofthe recipes that I have been
requested, and that's my queso.
I've been making it for about50 years.
The original recipe is there,but I've also added the
variables that I have used overthe years to make it what it is
(24:14):
today.
Make it what it is today.
It's one recipe.
I make it a couple of times ayear.
People come into our holidayparty just for that, because
they know it's going to be there.
But there's a couple other onesalso that follow up with that,
and that's my mother's.
Potato salad is another onethat everybody asks for.
Speaker 4 (24:34):
Talking about having to really adapt these recipes.
I know from seeing yourmother's potato salad it wasn't
exactly a small quantity that itmade originally.
Did you have to adapt a lot ofthese?
Speaker 2 (24:44):
My mother's potato salad and macaroni salad.
Both are in the recipe book.
They are pretty much as shemade them, but it's for a large
family gathering.
So if you make those the waythat they're written in the
cookbook, you're going to have alarge potato salad or macaroni
salad.
And one of the funny thingsthat I included in the recipe
book, by mistake, my mother sentme her macaroni salad that she
(25:07):
used to make for our largefamily gatherings.
Now my mother is one of 11.
Dad's one of six, so when ourfamily would gather there'd be
close to 100 people there.
So her original macaroni saladwas huge and it's just comical
to read it, so I included it inthere just for the comedy aspect
.
However, if anybody needs tomake a big salad for an event,
(25:31):
now you have a recipe for it.
Speaker 4 (25:33):
Do you think there's a recipe in there that you would
think would be the toughest forsomebody to make?
Is there one that's aparticular challenge for you or
the reader?
Speaker 2 (25:42):
No, I don't really think there is.
I tried to put recipes in therethat are good for someone who's
a novice cook, someone thatdoesn't really know their way
around the kitchen that well,because at one point I was there
, this is a recipe book that Icould have used at that time to
put a full meal together.
That would be both good andimpressive, and you can do that
several times over.
(26:03):
So I don't really think there'sany there that are particularly
difficult.
Speaker 4 (26:07):
Is there any type of cooking that you look at and you
go, oh gosh, this is not mystrength, or what are your
strong points as a cook?
What are your weaker points?
Speaker 2 (26:15):
I try to stay away from those things that I don't
think I can do well.
So, from a cooking perspective,I again I'm a comfort food
cooker, so most of the recipesin there that's what you're
going to get is you're going toget something that's a comfort
food.
One of those things that I dotry to stay away from are those
meats or vegetables or thosekind of things that are
(26:36):
difficult to cook, and you won'tfind any of those here.
Speaker 4 (26:41):
I noticed in the back of the book you have cooking
tools, you have like conversioncharts and instructions on how
to do things, how to do certainprocedures.
Where did that index come from?
Where did those basics comefrom?
Speaker 2 (26:53):
Early on, my mother and I worked on this largely
together.
We were the two maincontributors.
One of the things that she saidwas that, as she was a young
cook, she found it verydifficult and frustrating that
she could not find a completeset of kind of tutorial items in
any one cookbook.
She had to have several to getall the information that she
(27:13):
needed and she really wanted toput it in one book so that
someone could use that as asource for all kinds of things.
So measuring cooking terms,replacing one ingredient with
another ingredient, how much youdo that one of the changes that
you need to make with that.
Her and I put it together.
She did all the research.
I have to give her credit forthat.
She would send me thatinformation and then I put it in
(27:36):
the form that you see in thecookbook today.
So hopefully this can be asingle source informational book
for someone, especially peoplethat are new to cooking that may
not know all the terms.
Speaker 4 (27:49):
We're talking with R Lee Ingalls.
The name of the book is Cookingon the Prairie with the Ingalls
Family.
Where can we find this book?
Speaker 2 (27:58):
The book can be found on Amazon.
That's the easiest way to do it.
I have not received my authorcopies yet, but once I do get
those signed copies will beavailable through my social
media sites.
My family social media page isInstagram.
Ingalls on the Prairie alljammed together lowercase.
On Facebook you can find meunder R Lee Ingalls.
Speaker 4 (28:21):
And how long have you been doing this kind of history
of the Ingalls family andthings?
Speaker 2 (28:24):
like that Always been interesting to me the history
and a family's history, not justour family, but a family's
history and my dad was a bigphotographer amateur
photographer so he took tons ofphotos so I have all that
information so I occasionallypost that.
This is, like I said, taking asidestep away from the family
(28:46):
history itself and kind ofgiving a glimpse into what our
family gatherings were like.
Speaker 4 (28:52):
The book is called Cooking on the Prairie with the
Ingalls family.
It is available on Amazon R.
Lee Ingalls is the author,somebody that I know very well
because he is also my husband.
So thank you, Lee, for being myguest and for being my spouse
and for cooking most of ourdinners every night.
But I do want to go on therecord and say that I do cook
occasionally, at least a lunchhere and there out of the air
(29:13):
fryer.
Maybe he does some leftovers inthe microwave, that kind of a
thing.
But you are always my favoriteguest here on Career Voices and
thank you.
Speaker 2 (29:20):
Well, thank you for having me here today and, yes,
thank you for the lunches andbreakfast.
Speaker 1 (29:26):
This is KPFT 90.1 FM Houston, 89.5 FM Galveston, 91.9
FM Huntsville, and worldwide onthe internet at kpftorg.
Speaker 8 (29:42):
I'm Davis Mendoza-Duruzman.
I'm speaking today with DrUchenna Ume, more popularly
known as Dr Lulu or theMomatrician.
Dr Lulu is a queerNigerian-born retired
pediatrician, retired US AirForce Lieutenant Colonel and
current parent and life coachdedicated to preventing LGBTQ
(30:02):
plus youth suicide, assistingparents in creating supportive
environments for their queer andgender non-conforming children.
Dr Lulu is also a TEDx speakerand has been featured on
platforms like Oprah Daily.
Please welcome Dr Lulu.
Speaker 3 (30:18):
Thank you so much for having me.
I appreciate it.
Speaker 8 (30:21):
And your journey from pediatrician and your journey
into LGBTQ plus advocate is onethat's deeply personal.
You've touched on it a bit, butcould you just share a moment
when you realized that youneeded to pivot your career to
focus on preventing youthsuicides and then LGBTQ plus
youth suicides?
Speaker 3 (30:42):
I lost my first patient to suicide in 2015.
I lost my first friend tosuicide in the year 2000.
She was a colleague just likeme.
She was a Nigerian immigrantfemale physician.
We trained together in Nigeriaand she took her life and
actually that put me in labor.
(31:02):
I had my second child six weeksearly because of her death.
Then, eight years later or fouryears later, I lost a patient
to suicide.
That hurts more than my friendbecause I was this child's
physician and I missed the signs.
I didn't think it would everhappen to someone that I know as
(31:22):
a patient.
I missed the signs.
I remember the day the kid wasin the office and the mother
said she was concerned that hewas using drugs and he came out
clean.
He didn't have any drugs, hisurine was negative, but he just
the light was off in his eyesand we couldn't figure out what
(31:42):
it was.
I, at least, still neverfigured out what it was.
The next time I saw the mother,she came to tell me that he had
ended his life and maybe acouple of years after that I had
a seven-year-old who tried todo the same thing.
So I had to stop and ask myselfwhat am I doing writing
penicillin for strep throat inthe clinic and writing Tamiflu
(32:05):
for flu in the clinic, whentheir children literally trying
to kill themselves.
I need to figure out what'sgoing on.
So at that point in time Ihadn't even thought about my
child being trans.
I hadn't thought anything inthat realm.
I was just worried about mypatients.
And my ex-wife was the one whosaid you know, every day you
(32:27):
come back, you tell me aboutthese kids struggling with
depression and struggling withtrying to kill themselves.
She said do you think maybeyou're talking to the wrong
person?
I said what do you mean?
She said maybe you should betalking to their parents.
And I was like, oh, my goodness, you're right, I need to be
figuring out why a child wouldwant to end their life, I mean,
why we need to go to at leastthe first source, which is the
(32:48):
parent.
And so that's kind of how Istarted thinking.
I was thinking let me figureout what the parents are missing
.
What's going on in the house,house, why does a child want to
run and jump?
And then, about the same time,my own child.
I started kind of thinking, well, maybe we're gay, maybe we're
gay.
And I was like okay, so are yougay?
(33:08):
And they're like no, I'm not.
I'm not sure.
And as a black immigrant mother, I heard I'm not sure.
And I took it and I ran with itbecause parents don't want
their kids to be queer.
No matter what anybody tellsyou in today's world, no parent
will say yes, I want my child tobe queer, I want my child to be
gay.
Nobody just wants that, even asa queer person myself.
(33:30):
We don't want our kids tosuffer, we don't want our kids
to be ostracized, we don't wantour kids to be bullied.
We don't want our kids to bebullied.
We don't want our kids to to beerased, which is what's
happening today.
So, trying to put two and twotogether, I was still trying to
put my mind around that and thenat the graduation from stanford
we found out by accident,because the the announcer was,
(33:52):
he was using they, them pronouns.
So my kid and I was like wait,what's?
Who are all these people thisman is talking about?
I thought you're the only onegetting the award, because my
kid was getting the award ofexcellence at the graduation and
I was like, why does he keepsaying they, them, who are these
people?
And then my middle child waslike mom, I think it's because X
is non-binary.
I'm like what the?
Is that?
What is non-binary?
(34:13):
I thought you were just gay andso, truly, we miss the whole
gender diversity aspect of thechild.
And I tell people all the timethat queer people, those of us
who are sexual minority or whoare in the LGBTQ space, we are
(34:33):
not always thinking T Many of usdon't realize that there's a
difference between sexuality andgender identity.
I didn't know that.
I'm not going to sit here andlie to you.
I had no idea and it's notsomething I was taught in
medical school.
It's not something I was taughtin life.
I had to learn.
When my child presented thisidea to me Somewhere along the
line, I decided these kids whoare trying to jump?
(34:57):
What exactly is going on withthem?
And I found out almost 80% ofthem were in the LGBTQ space.
I'm like wait, what Is this?
What is happening?
And then, by the time I did myfirst TED Talk, I found out that
Black or African Americanchildren aged 5 through 12 are
twice as likely to die bysuicide as their white
(35:18):
counterparts.
This study was done in 2016 andthen again in 2018.
And both times the results werethe same.
So I'm like wait, what's goingon with African-American kids?
Why are they trying to killthemselves?
Enter intersectionality, enterracism and bullying and just
societal rejection.
It's bad enough that the childis Black and now the child is
(35:41):
also queer.
That's a double jeopardy, so tosay.
And so I can't tell you thatthere was a moment when I was
like this is the day that Irealized it was all just.
I think Steve Jobs is the onethat said you can always end up
connecting the dots backwards.
So, looking back, I found thatit has always been something
that I was meant to do.
(36:01):
It wasn't one moment.
I was like okay, let me just doit today.
It was just I'm a queer person.
Growing up in Nigeria, I told myfather that I liked boys and I
liked girls, and he thought itwas a phase and I believed him.
I went to medical school and Iwas told it's a mental illness.
So of course, I remained hidingin plain sight, because I'm
like I'm not trying to letpeople think I'm crazy, because
(36:22):
I know I'm not.
And then I became a young adultand I did what everybody
expected me to do, which ismarry a man, live happily ever
after.
Or did I?
I was hiding again in plainsight.
Then I had my first kid and Iwas like, okay, I don't want
this child to be gay, I don'twant this child to be anything
that people are going to thinkis abnormal or different.
But the whole time I wasthinking that, I was thinking
(36:46):
about myself.
I never for one moment thoughtabout the child, and that's my
job to help parents think aboutwhat the child is going through.
Think about what the child isgoing through.
Because of the book that I justpublished, I now know that it
takes an average of 10 to 14years before most children will
tell their parents that they'requeer.
(37:07):
10 to 14 years.
So in my own case, I was 16.
Of course, it makes sense thatit's 10 to 14 years or more,
right?
In my kid's case, she was 20.
So there you have it.
The day you find out that you'requeer is usually not the day
you tell your parents, becausefirst of all, you're like wait,
I'm not, I don't want to be.
So we have that internalizedhomophobia or internalized
(37:29):
oppression or internalizedracism, whatever we're fighting
with ourselves.
Could this be true?
Could this not be true?
Can it please not be true?
Please, god, take it away fromme.
I don't want it to be All ofthose things.
And then, finally, you come tothe point you're like okay,
self-acceptance.
Now who do I tell?
Am I feeling safe enough totell my parents?
Are my parents safe enough forme to tell them?
Which is why I don't use thephrase coming out, I use the
(37:52):
phrase inviting in, as my secondTED Talk will tell you.
So it's been a mixture of abeautiful dance and a beautiful
poem, so to say, my life in thisadvocacy work and then, being
as outspoken as I am, I used toask God all the time why me?
Why me, why me?
Finally, god said, why not you?
(38:14):
Why not you?
I mean, who do you think youare?
That can be you.
You know, you're outspoken,you're a mom, you're a
pediatrician, you're black,you're fierce, you're all these
things.
Who else do you think I'm gonnatell to do this work?
And so it was humbling for me.
It was a cross that Ireluctantly carried that now I'm
(38:34):
very happy to carry, becauseone thing that the universe will
do is it will always send youpeople to help you get the work
done.
But you have to do the work,and so this is like queer voices
.
You are one of the people thatthe universe sent to me to help
me magnify my voice, not becauseI don't have a voice, but
because it needs to be magnifiedto spaces where maybe it
(38:56):
wouldn't get to if I didn't haveyou.
And that's the same thing thatparents do with their kids.
Their kids are not voiceless.
Their kids have a voice, buttheir parents have to help
magnify the voice and befearless, especially today when
an entire legislation, entiregovernment wants to erase my
child's existence.
(39:16):
That's impossible.
My child exists, whether thegovernment likes it or not.
Speaker 8 (39:22):
I really appreciate you sharing your story, because
I wanted to close this out withsomething for some of our
listeners may really resonatewith, which is the fact that
many parents tend to strugglewith accepting and affirming
their LGBTQ plus children, oftendue to cultural or religious or
just personal beliefs.
(39:43):
My last question is what advicedo you have for parents who are
trying to reconcile theirpersonal values with supporting
their child's identity?
Speaker 3 (39:53):
If I had a penny for every time I get that question,
I'll probably be a millionaireby now.
The truth is, your childactually does not need to be
accepted.
Your child needs to be affirmed.
The person that needs to beaccepted is you.
What I tell the parents all thetime is you have to reconcile
your own identity as the parentof a queer child.
(40:15):
The struggle is between you andyourself.
Your child is who they arealready, regardless of how you
feel and how you think, and sothe first thing to do is to
examine your thoughts about thequeer community, your ideology
about the queer community.
Where did that idea come from?
Did it come from a queer person?
(40:36):
Did it come from society?
When was the last time societywas right?
The truth is, society is notalways right.
We know that because most upona time in America, a black human
being was assumed to be oneperson.
That didn't make it right.
Once upon a time, blacks werenot allowed to drink from the
same fountain as white people.
(40:58):
That didn't make it right.
Society has a long history ofbeing wrong.
Should we go to Hitler?
Should we go to the Jews?
Should we go to what'shappening today in America If
your ideology about queer peopleis coming from society.
That is incorrect.
In my third TED Talk I make acase for that.
I say we should parent asstudents of our children.
(41:20):
Our children should teach uswho they are.
The truth is that you, as aparent, you have to teach your
parents who you are.
People always teach you whothey are, but you have to first
allow them.
So the first lesson is examineyour thoughts about the queer
community.
The second lesson and I usuallyuse A, B, C, D, E, F as my
(41:41):
little example so that peoplecan remember that so the A is
awareness.
Become aware of your thoughtsabout the queer community.
Acknowledge that you don't knowwhat you don't know about your
child.
And then the third A is acceptyourself and your new identity
as a parent of a trans child ora queer child or whatever your
child is in that community.
(42:01):
The letter B is believe yourchild when they tell you who
they are.
The truth is whether youbelieve them or not.
They are who they are, but yourbest choice to affirm them is
to believe them.
The C is create a safe space inyour heart and in your home so
that your child can invite youin.
My child was 20 years oldbefore I got invited in.
(42:22):
Did I even get invited in?
It was an accident, I didn'teven find out truly in.
Did I even get invited in?
It was an accident, I didn'teven find out truly.
So allow your child to inviteyou in by creating a safe space
for them to do so.
The D is make a decision toaffirm your child, regardless of
what anybody else says.
And affirming your child lookslike saying the right things.
(42:44):
Asking your child what do theywant?
How can you help them?
How can you support them?
Only the person wearing theshoes knows where the shoes hurt
.
Only the person who is transknows how they want you to
affirm them.
Just because I tell you, Mom,I'm a lesbian, doesn't mean I
want you to fly a flag.
I may not want you to do that,or I might want you to do that.
(43:04):
So ask your child how do theywant you to do that, or I might
want you to do that.
So ask your child how do theywant you to approach the support
your child knows.
And then F is finish strongFind community.
A lot of parents think thatthey're doing this by themselves
.
I thought I was the only one,and the truth is we always think
we're the only ones.
But go online, find a community, find a PF, a p flag, find a
(43:29):
human rights campaign, find thetexas equality trying the aclu.
Find somebody somewhere whoknows what you're going through.
Another parent who is not aparent of a child cannot
understand my story.
Another parent who is a whiteparent of a trans child cannot
understand my story.
Another black parent may noteven understand my story because
(43:50):
they are not a black immigrant.
So finding the person whomatches your story is the best
place to begin.
And I happen to be a blackimmigrant, female physician, mom
of a trans kid.
Those are all my intersectionalidentities.
Trans kid, those are all myintersectional identities.
And so I need parents,especially black parents, to
hear me when I say your childdoes not choose to be queer,
(44:14):
your child does not choose to betrans.
This is not a religious thing,this is not a cultural thing.
This is who your child is.
And until we begin to close thegap between what we're thinking
about our kids and who our kidsreally are, it's going to be
almost impossible for our kidsto invite us in.
(44:35):
So the summary of that answer isnumber one examine your
thoughts Examine the way youfeel about the queer community
as a whole.
As a matter of fact, one of thepeople in my book said if you
don't want to have a transgenderchild, don't have a child at
all.
That is a very powerfulstatement, because you don't get
to choose who your child is.
(44:55):
The book is called About yourBlack Transgender Child answers
to most of your burningquestions.
The Kindle version is out.
The paperback should be out inthe next week or so.
Tell me what you think aboutthe book and let's have the
conversation.
Let's normalize theconversation.
My name is Dr Lulu and I'm donespeaking.
Speaker 8 (45:13):
Wow, that's incredible.
I want to thank you so much forall of your amazing life-saving
work it really is life-savingand for joining us on Queer
Voices.
I've been Davis Mendoza deRoosman speaking with Dr Lulu.
Thank you so much for being onthe show.
Speaker 3 (45:27):
Thank you so much for having me.
I appreciate you, David.
The night is long and the pathis dark.
Speaker 7 (45:36):
Look to the sky for one place where the dawn will
come.
Speaker 1 (45:46):
This is Queer Voices.
Speaker 9 (45:53):
I'm Michael LeBeau and I'm Melanie Keller With News
Wrap, a summary of some of thenews in or affecting LGBTQ
communities around the world forthe week ending February 22,
2025.
February 22, 2025.
The world's first out gay imamis dead.
Killed in broad daylight on thestreets of the South African
city of Nabiara, the car MussonHendricks was riding in was
(46:18):
blocked off by a pickup truck.
As seen on closed circuit video, two hooded figures emerged
from the truck and opened fireinto the back seat where
Hendricks was sitting.
His driver was uninjured.
Eastern Cape police say themotive is unknown and the
investigation is ongoing.
To South Africa's second biggestpolitical party.
(46:39):
The nature of the killingstrongly suggests a professional
hit, as a Democratic Alliancerepresentative told the CBC.
The 57-year-old Hendricks cameout as gay in 1996.
He held his first meetings inhis home, then in a mosque he
established where all Muslimscould pray without judgment.
(46:59):
The February 15 murder sentshockwaves throughout the queer
Muslim community and local andglobal equality advocacy groups.
The International Lesbian, gay,bisexual, trans and Intersex
Association called on localauthorities to thoroughly
investigate what we fear may bea hate crime.
Ilga World Executive DirectorJulia Ert called Hendricks' life
(47:23):
a testament to the healing thatsolidarity across communities
can bring in everyone's lives.
The Muslim Judicial Council andthe United Ulama Council of
South Africa condemned thekilling.
Both leading South AfricanMuslim organizations
consistently criticizeHendrick's efforts at
(47:43):
reconciliation.
Hendricks' efforts atreconciliation.
Both maintain the traditionalview of Islam that the Koran
prohibits romantic, same-genderrelationships.
His high-profile advocacy madeHendricks the frequent target of
death threats In the 2022documentary the Radical.
He said about his coming outthe need to be authentic was
(48:06):
greater than the fear to die.
Musson Hendrick's funeral wasreportedly held in Cape Town.
Speaker 6 (48:14):
About 30 young children and adults are
traumatized after the invasioninto an Auckland, new Zealand
drag king story time by some 50far-right Christians.
Hugo Girl's February 15th eventwas part of the city's annual
LGBTQ pride celebration.
The disruptive protestersaffiliated with the
fundamentalist Destiny Churchpunched, pushed and shoved their
(48:38):
way inside the building.
According to local mediaaccounts, when they refused to
leave the event, organizers wereeventually forced to cancel.
Auckland Police Inspector SimonWalker thinks the protesters
crossed the line.
In his words, the group'sactions caused considerable
distress and concern amongchildren, library staff and
(49:00):
visitors.
Nobody, especially children,should ever be made to feel
unsafe.
Walker says that theinvestigation is in the early
stages.
Several hours after the libraryattack, destiny Church members
broke through barricades andtried to block the Auckland
Rainbow Parade.
Police forced them to dispersewithout any physical
(49:21):
confrontations.
No arrests have been announced.
Speaker 9 (49:26):
Judge Ana Reyes says the claim that trans pronoun use
undermines troop effectivenessis frankly ridiculous.
She heard arguments on February18th in the US District Court
for the District of Columbiachallenging President Donald
Trump's executive order to banmilitary service by qualified
transgender and lesbians.
(49:46):
Reyes found some of thegovernment's arguments
biologically inaccurate andcalled them simply evidence of
unadulterated animus towardstrans people.
The lesbian jurist demanded canwe agree that the greatest
fighting force that worldhistory has ever seen is not
(50:06):
going to be impacted in any wayby less than one percent of the
soldiers using a differentpronoun than others might want
to call them?
Reyes is clearly expected torule for the plaintiffs.
Jennifer Levi is senior directorof Transgender and Queer Rights
for GLBTQ Legal Advocates andDefenders or GLAD Law.
Her group has joined with theNational Center for Lesbian
(50:29):
Rights to represent theplaintiffs.
Levi told the Washington Bladethe government cannot justify
discharging transgender troopswho have honorably served our
country for years.
Judge Reyes still mustofficially decide whether to
issue a temporary restrainingorder blocking implementation of
Trump's January 27th anti-transorder.
Reyes still must officiallydecide whether to issue a
temporary restraining orderblocking implementation of
Trump's January 27th anti-transorder.
(50:51):
Earlier this month, anothergroup of transgender service
members filed a separatechallenge to the ban on Fifth
and First Amendment grounds in afederal court in Washington
state.
They're represented byattorneys from Lambda Legal and
the Human Rights Campaign.
Speaker 6 (51:08):
Kansas Democratic Governor Laura Kelly tried again
, but the third time.
The overwhelming Republicanmajority in the state
legislature overrode her veto ofa measure outlawing pediatric
gender-affirming health care.
It's one of the nation'sharshest trans health care bans.
Providers can be stripped oftheir medical licenses for
(51:28):
unprofessional conduct or suedby individuals for treating
young trans patients.
Even the use of state funds toprovide psychological support
for transgender use isprohibited.
Virtually every professionalmedical and mental health
organization in the US endorsespediatric gender-affirming
health care.
Experts agree that for somepatients it can literally be
(51:51):
life-saving.
Kansas joins more than half ofthe states in the country to
enact some form of restrictionor ban on gender-affirming
health care for trans youngpeople.
The US Supreme Court heardarguments in a case challenging
Tennessee's ban late last year.
It's expected to announce aruling before the end of its
current term this June.
Speaker 9 (52:14):
Other Democratic governors are on the front lines
battling the federal anti-LGBTQplus onslaught.
Trump called out Maine GovernorJanet Mills over her state's
policy in favor of transgenderstudent-athletes at a February
21st White House meeting.
Is the main here?
Speaker 2 (52:30):
the governor of Maine , are you not going to comply
with it?
Speaker 7 (52:35):
I'm complying with state and federal laws.
Speaker 2 (52:37):
Well, we are the federal law.
Speaker 7 (52:39):
So you better comply, because otherwise you're not
getting any federal funding.
Speaker 9 (52:44):
See you in court.
Governor Janet Mills says shewon't be intimidated by Trump's
threats or by an investigationinto Maine's policies by the
Department of Education.
Illinois Democratic Governor JBPritzker skewered the Trump
administration during his annualState of the State address on
February 19th, Reaffirming hisstate's safe haven for LGBTQ
(53:09):
plus people.
Pritzker echoed the starkwarnings of Lutheran pastor
Martin Niemöller about AdolfHitler's rise to power, one
ostracized group at a time.
Speaker 7 (53:18):
The authoritarian playbook is laid bare here.
They point to a group of peoplewho don't look like you and
tell you to blame them for yourproblems.
I just have one question whatcomes next After we've
discriminated against, deportedor disparaged all the immigrants
(53:38):
and the gay and lesbian andtransgender people, the
developmentally disabled, thewomen and the minorities, once
we've ostracized our neighborsand betrayed our friends?
After that, when the problemswe started with are still there
staring us in the face, whatcomes next?
All the atrocities of humanhistory lurk in the answer to
(54:01):
that question, and if we don'twant to repeat history, then,
for God's sake, in this momentwe'd better be strong enough to
learn from it.
Speaker 9 (54:13):
Illinois, governor JB Pritzker.
Speaker 6 (54:16):
Finally, questions abound about how much art will
survive at Washington DC's JohnF Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts.
F Kennedy Center for thePerforming Arts, the former star
of the Apprentice has saidyou're fired to the Progressive
Board of Trustees and installedhimself as chair at the home of
the annual Kennedy Center Honors.
Just before what's seen as ahostile takeover, the center
(54:39):
announced the cancellation of APeacock Among Pigeons
celebrating 50 years of pride.
The special world prideperformance starring the city's
gay men's chorus, the NationalSymphony Orchestra, had been
scheduled for May 21st.
Nso Executive Director GeneDavidson blamed the postponement
on financial and schedulingfactors.
(55:01):
The center will produce apride-honoring performance of
the Wizard of Oz to take itsplace.
The chorus will now perform APeacock Among Pigeons during
World Pride's InternationalChoral Festival.
A statement from the Gay Men'sChorus called the decision
deeply disappointing.
The group vows to advocate forartistic expression that
(55:23):
reflects the depth and diversityof our community and country.
We will continue to sing andraise our voices for equality.
Meanwhile, artists have alreadylaunched protest actions around
the Kennedy Center.
Speaker 9 (55:36):
That's News Wrap, global queer news with attitude
for the week ending February22nd 2025.
Follow the news in your areaand around the world.
An informed community is astrong community.
Speaker 6 (55:48):
News Wrap is written by Greg Gordon and Lucia
Chappell, produced by BrianDeShazer and brought to you by
you.
Speaker 9 (55:55):
Thank you.
Help keep us in ears around theworld at thiswayoutorg, where
you can also read the text ofthis newscast and much more.
For this Way Out, I'm MichaelLeBeau.
Stay healthy.
Speaker 6 (56:07):
And I'm Melanie Keller.
Stay safe.
Speaker 1 (56:17):
This has been Queer Voices, heard on KPFT Houston
and as a podcast available fromseveral podcasting sources.
Check our webpage queVoicesorgfor more information.
Queer Voices executive produceris Brian Levinka.
Debra Moncrief-Bell isco-producer, brett Cullum and
(56:41):
David Mendoza-Druzman arecontributors, and Brett is also
our webmaster.
The News Wrap segment is partof another podcast called this
Way Out, which is produced inLos Angeles.
Speaker 10 (56:55):
Some of the material in this program has been edited
to improve clarity and runtime.
This program does not endorseany political views or animal
species.
Views, opinions andendorsements are those of the
participants and theorganizations they represent.
In case of death, pleasediscontinue use and discard
remaining products.
Speaker 1 (57:07):
For Queer Voices.
I'm Glenn Holt, Thank you.
Hello everybody.
This is Queer Voices, a podcastversion of a broadcast radio
show that's been on the air inHouston, texas, for several
decades.
This week, brett Cullum has aninterview with local trans
activist Lou Weaver about theTrot for Trans Visibility
fundraiser and social eventcoming up at the end of March.
(00:23):
Then Brett talks with hishusband, lee Ingalls, about his
new book.
It's a cookbook actually titledCooking on the Prairie with the
Ingalls.
If you want good old familyrecipes, this is it.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
By mistake, my mother sent me her macaroni salad that
she used to make for our largefamily gatherings.
Now my mother is one of 11,dad's one of six, so when our
family would gather there'd beclose to 100 people there.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
So her original macaroni salad was huge and it's
just comical to read it DavisMendoza Daruzman has an
interview with a queerNigerian-born retired
pediatrician who is dedicated topreventing LGBTQ youth suicide.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
I had to stop and ask myself what am I doing?
Writing penicillin for strepthroat in the clinic and writing
Tamiflu for flu in the clinicwhen their children are
literally trying to killthemselves?
I need to figure out what'sgoing on.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
And we have news wrap from this Way Out Queer Voices
starts now.
Speaker 4 (01:31):
I am Brett Cullum and today I am joined by
transgender icon and activist,lou Weaver.
We are talking today about theTrot for Trans Visibility 2025.
It's a Houston 5k fun run.
It's going to be held on March29th.
Start at Frost Town Brewing.
8.30 is when they gather, 9o'clock, the run starts.
This entire event is supportingthe Trans Legal Aid Clinic of
(01:55):
Texas and the AAA Alliance, so Iwanted to welcome Lou to Queer
Voices.
Hi Hi, how are you?
How did you get involved withthis event, lou?
How did they draft you?
Speaker 5 (02:08):
Well, actually there was a person running two years
ago in 2023, runningcross-country.
They started in LA and theywere on their way to Florida and
they were stopping in Austinthe end of May to coincide with
the end of the session,basically in Sinai Dai, and they
were having a 5K and I was likeI bet you, a lot of people from
Houston would want to go tothat and we can't get there.
(02:28):
So I just took a chance, Iemailed and said hey, I'd like
to see if we could do somethinghere in Houston the same day
you're doing the trot and kindof pair it together.
But do something.
It's three hours away, blah,hey, why don't we just have an
event in Houston?
I was like, okay, I knownothing about running, I'm not a
runner Me putting it on in fiveweeks and just being
(02:49):
overwhelmed with the response wegot 2023, that was in June.
It was then the Trot for TransLives, like I said, in
conjunction with Cal Dobbs, andthen a bunch of people that I'm
friends with that are actualrunners are like hey, if you
want to do this again, we'regoing to help you and we can
make it so that we can help youfigure out what you're actually
supposed to be doing andeverything.
And so last year was ourinaugural Trot for
Transvisibility and it's justincredible.
(03:12):
We had over 200 people sign up.
We had to cut signups off andthen people were still shining
up at the door, so we were justletting them in and then, hey,
you know what, whatever Frosthas the room, we have t-shirts.
Let's do this, and for me it'sa lot of fun and the people are
having fun, so that's why we'llkeep going and we'll keep doing
this.
It's just we want to make itbigger and better, and it's just
turned out to be a really,really good event for the trans
(03:34):
community.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
In March too.
5k.
I would hate to have Trot forTrans Visibility in June, july,
august, something like that.
Speaker 5 (03:42):
Transday of Visibility is March 31st and so
we're on that last weekend ofMarch.
We will always be that Saturday.
Frost is a great partner tohave.
It's not very far over one toget onto the bayou.
Then we run down.
Well, I say we, they, I don'tleave the brewery.
They run down across the streetright by University of Houston
downtown, run up, do a quickturnaround and it's about 5K.
(04:06):
So some will be back in 20minutes, some will be back in an
hour.
We're going to have a drag showand some vendors and resources
available.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
I love that it's open to all fitness levels because,
trust me, I'm not running morethan.
Speaker 5 (04:18):
Text from a friend the other day that said, hey, I
ran into so-and-so and they toldme I don't have to trot, I can
walk, I'm in.
I was like, yes, yes, it's atrot, walk, run, sashay, we
don't care, just come hang outand do whatever, because when
they get back they'll get abreakfast, taco and a drink of
their choice.
And that makes it easier on us,dude, not a whole bunch of
people showing up at the sametime.
Speaker 4 (04:38):
And you just look at the vendors, talk to people.
You don't even have to get outthere and try, unless you really
really want to.
Speaker 5 (04:49):
I mean there were some people last year that came
to support their person who didleave and do the 5K in whatever
fashion, and they just stayed atthe brewery and hung out and
when their friends got therethen they all got to hang out
together.
So it was a very, verysupportive atmosphere of anybody
who ever ran, walked atwhatever levels, or even if
people didn't leave the breweryor showed up at 10 o'clock and
they're like I know my friendsare gone and I'm here for a drag
(05:10):
show and we're just going tohave a great time.
Brostown Brewing has an amazingoutside setup.
There's park benches, kind ofthings, wooden tables out there
and it's just a good time.
It's a great place just to sit.
Hopefully it will be a littlebit warmer than 43 degrees
outside and we're going to havea good time.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
How do I get the shirt?
Speaker 5 (05:30):
We're going to sell the shirt.
I know I'm for voices, we'renot allowed to talk prices.
The entry fee for the trotitself will get you a Lululemon
tank top with our logo on thefront and a breakfast taco and,
like I I said, a drink of yourchoice.
We'll have cold brew, there'smimosas, there's obviously beer
on tap, there's even cider ontap, and then we will have
regular t-shirts for people whodon't like a tank top or who
(05:52):
want both.
Those will be available as wellto pick up there.
Those are going to be a reallynice blue color, my favorite.
So yeah, you can go home withsome swag.
If it's as beautiful as a dayas last year was, we're all
going to be in our tank tops.
Last year I think it was likedinner time before I went home
because we were just having somuch fun.
Speaker 4 (06:12):
Let's talk about your cause to Trans Legal Aid Clinic
of Texas and AAA Alliance.
What exactly are their missions?
Speaker 5 (06:20):
That Trans Legal Aid Clinic of Texas started back in
2014 because that was beforeeverybody was using Zoom and we
would have meetings here at theMontrose Center.
They very kindly gave us freespace and we would go up and
help trans folks get thedocuments they needed to go to
court and change their name andor gender marker here in the
state of Texas.
And then COVID hit and withinCOVID hit in March and by July
(06:43):
we were doing Zoom.
It was great and alsooverwhelming.
All of a sudden, we werehelping people from across the
state of Texas, not just righthere in our hometown, and we
have helped people from acrossthe state of Texas people in the
Panhandle, people down in theValley, a couple of folks in El
Paso and that's what we want.
We want to be able to helpanybody and everybody, because
it can be confusing on what youneed to do, and even more, as
(07:04):
last August there was a letterthat went out to DPS don't
change anybody's gender marker.
Then don't change anybody'sgender marker on their birth
certificate.
And then, january 20th also,the federal laws changed and so,
as a legal clinic, a lot ofwhat we're doing is I am not a
lawyer.
I'm not an attorney.
I'm just a guy who talks a lotand they let me.
We just try and help themnavigate the process and
(07:28):
understand what they can andcan't do or what they should or
shouldn't do or might or mightnot want to do.
That's our whole goal.
Last year it was the biggestyear yet and then so normally
for the legal clinic anybodythat's come through our clinic,
we help them figure out how tofile an affidavit for inability
to pay, because it costs over$250 to get this court order to
change your name and or gendermarker.
Most of the times the courtwill waive that, so we encourage
(07:49):
them to do that.
But then any other fees thatcome along with having a legal
name change or legal transition,we will help pay for those.
You need a driver's license inthe future.
You need your fingerprints doneto go there.
Do you need a doctor's letter?
All of these types of things,and even without considering the
(08:10):
$250, we're more than happy togive people a couple hundred
dollars to get these things done.
And then for people who wantedprior to last August, people who
wanted that X on something theonly way they could get it was a
passport.
So we were helping people get apassport card because it looks
a lot like a driver's license.
And then things happened inNovember and in December we were
very, very lucky to partnerwith the Montrose Center and
they helped us fund over 500folks for passports.
(08:32):
We raised enough to do about250, I think 300 on our own and
we wouldn't have been able to govery much further.
But then the Montrose Centerreally came through in a big,
huge way that we hadn't seenbefore and helped us get another
500, which we did in two weeks,the beginning of December, and
it was phenomenal.
It was just so incredible tohelp so many people that
wouldn't have been able to makethis happen, and it was really
(08:54):
like the first time we'd seenanother organization step in to
help us that way.
So it was I don't have thewords to talk to tell you what
it meant to all of us, to Peteand I he's our board chair to
make that happen.
And then we took some time off,but that's really what we're
doing.
We started back up.
We have our clinics now andit's rough.
We don't know how much we canhelp people.
A lot of it's like yeah, sorry,no, you can't do that anymore
(09:16):
and keep this for the future.
You can't change your gendermarker on any Texas IDs.
We do not suggest you attemptto change it on a passport or a
social security card, which it'strying.
It's hard, but there's also somany other legal needs that
maybe could be met with for ourfolks, like wills and powers of
attorneys and things like that.
So we're going to be looking atour future here pretty soon.
And then the AAA Alliance itstands for.
(09:38):
So the legal clinic has onelane and one lane only, and it
does it really really, reallywell, and so we want to stay in
our lane.
So the triple a alliance wasformed to kind of do some events
, and that's what it does.
It's it's moving allyship andadvocacy into action, and action
can be a bunch of differentthings.
Once a month, generally on thelast monday of the month, unless
there's an astros game frosttown brewing, which is closed on
(10:01):
mondays, is opening up just forus to have a social for the
trans and non-binary communityto come and hang out.
There's no agenda, there's nonothing.
Come and eat and just be in aspace where it's primarily for
us, with us, about us.
So that's what we do mostly.
And then we have art shows.
We also have an Off With yourChest program where last year we
were raising money for one ofthe trans guys to get to what he
(10:23):
needed to get his top surgery.
He had his top surgery inDecember and we were like you
know what, if we could do this,let's just keep doing it.
With the help of Julie Mabryover at Pearl Bar, we are
continuing to raise funds sothat we will be able to continue
to help trans masc folksachieve their dream of having
top surgery.
And then we're working on howdo we raise funds for trans
women to get what they need orfor folks that you know
sometimes it's there are otherorganizations that have access
(10:46):
to funds that they do distributesome hormones or binders and
things like this.
So how can we support thingsthat people actually need here
and now?
And a lot of that, I stronglybelieve, is community.
We need trans joy in a spacethat so many people are trying
to not only take our joy but insome instances, are taking our
lives, our identity and tryingto take that.
I'm sure you know, and hopefullymost listeners know by now,
(11:09):
that stonewall, the nationalpark, has removed any reference
to trans and queer folks, andright when you wake up and you
go oh wait, we're back in the80s and it's lgb again.
It's like it's a gut punch andthe only way to deal with that
is we have so much rage, but wealso have to have hope.
And how do we balance that?
We're not.
I'm not pollyanna I mean itmight sound like I am, but I
(11:30):
have a lot of hope, but I alsohave a lot of rage.
But my, I can't sit in my ragethe whole time, and nothing is
going to happen without hope.
If we do not have hope, nobodywill light that spark to keep us
going.
So that's where the communitycomes in.
Is is giving us hope, giving usjoy, being together, knowing
we're not alone.
Even if it's once a month, weget to show up, make new friends
and be in a community where wewant to be together.
(11:51):
We are together and nobody'sgoing to take that away from us
and I've talked to John, theowner of Frost Town, and he
understands completely and hewas like we are going to keep
doing this, we are going to keepsupporting you, and that's what
we're here for.
And that's the kind of allyshipright, he took his allyship, he
moved it into action.
The Montrose Center, julie,over at ProBorrow, they're
making action happen out of thethings that they care about, and
(12:12):
that's what we want to do isjust bring this to light, bring
this into fruition, instead ofsaying, oh yeah, well, I'm a
(12:34):
body, I'm here, it matters, itmatters to me, it matters to you
.
There's so many different waysto get involved with community
and some 90% of that is justshowing up.
Speaker 4 (12:42):
We have to work that hard, just show up.
It's hard and I think it'sbalancing that this year after
the elections and things likethat.
I, I, just I sit there and go.
How can I be an ally?
What can I do to help people?
And certainly events like thislike the trot for trans
visibility 2025 perfect way todo it.
Hang out and get some socialtime in as well, with everybody.
(13:05):
I am so just horrified atwhat's happening legally and
when I look at the Trans LegalAid Clinic and what you are
doing for people and navigatingthis process now, which has just
become what?
Just completely unwieldy.
It's always been sort ofcomplicated, but now it's like
next to impossible, right.
Speaker 5 (13:22):
Things have changed so much since we started back in
2014.
It was me and four locallawyers.
We were literally drivingpeople to Austin to try and get
this done, and then it becameeasier thanks to the help of
Claire Bowe, an amazing transactivist lawyer, who was in
Austin and what her advocacy didthere, and for a while it was I
don't want to say it wasincredibly easy, but it was kind
(13:43):
of sort of cookie cutter right.
75% of the people fit into oneor two categories and that was
really cool.
And then it just startedgetting harder and harder.
And now we're like, oh my gosh,but we're not going to stop
right, nobody's going to make astop, nobody's going to get in
our way and we're going to keepcontinuing to do what we can to
help people be who they are,both legally and as themselves,
to navigate society, knowingthat at least your name's right
(14:05):
on your ID and a lot of peopletake that for granted, but think
about every time you use yourID right.
We're talking about drinking.
I'm going to need my ID.
Voting, getting a car, gettinga hotel room, getting a job,
getting my healthcare right.
An ID is central to so much inour worlds that that can be a
game changer for folks, ourworlds, that that can be a game
changer for folks and we need tocontinue to make that happen
(14:25):
and be able to help folks getthrough that so that they can
maybe get a different job or atleast go out and get a drink
without having a bunch of hassle.
And it sounds like it's easy.
I know it's not, because evenif you're gender marker, but
hopefully people don't look atthat and they just look at the
picture and look at your nameand go, yep, yep, that's you.
Speaker 4 (14:42):
I gotcha.
Just a reminder Trot forTransvisibility 2025 is going to
happen on March 29th, veryclose to the day of
transvisibility.
Starts at about 8.30 in themorning.
They're going to gather 9o'clock if you plan to run trot,
walk, sashay, whatever you needto do, and then you come back,
and then after 10 or wheneverwe're having this vendor market
(15:04):
how?
And then you come back and thenafter 10 or whenever we're
having this vendor market.
Speaker 5 (15:07):
How long does that last, phil, probably go to?
About noon or 1, depending onhow many people are there.
The drag show starts at 10.30,and it's being done about noon.
We wanted to start earlier thisyear so more people would still
be there before running off towhatever their other activities
are.
I know that we're going to haveBrazos Bookstore there and some
other cool things to beshopping, as well as picking up
resources.
We will have testing for HIV.
Allies and Hope Legacy will bedoing cholesterol techs, things
(15:30):
like that.
So, right, we're talking abouthealthcare.
We're talking about our wholehealth as well, as you know,
being in community, but alsotaking care of everything that's
going on with ourselves,whether it's buying a book,
watching a drag show or justsitting around sharing drinks
with your friends.
Speaker 4 (15:43):
Hey, you had me at drinks drag show or just sitting
around sharing drinks with yourfriends.
Hey, you had me at drinks dragshow and books.
I'm there.
Speaker 5 (15:48):
I know.
What more could I really askfor when you design an event or
when you think about where youwant to go?
This is what I want to do.
I want to have a drink, I wantto talk about books and I want
to watch some good drag.
Let's make it happen.
So, yeah, that's why thisgame's about, because I don't
have anything better to do.
I don't have any.
I don't go to events, I'll justplan them, and then I have to
show up.
Speaker 4 (16:06):
Well, I got you.
I feel like we have to show uptoo, march 29th.
Thank you so much, lou.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
Did you know that KPFT is completely
listener-funded.
There are no underwriters, soit's up to all of us to pay for
the freedom to say what you hearhere on Queer Voices and on
this station in general.
That means you participate inour programming just by
listening and also by pledgingyour support.
(16:36):
And also by pledging yoursupport, please do that now by
going to the KPFT website andclicking on the red Donate Now
button, and please mention QueerVoices when you do.
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (16:50):
I am Brett Cullum and I am joined by my most frequent
guest here on Queer Voices.
That is most likely because heis my husband and he is author
and social media personality RLee.
Ingalls Lee, as you might haveguessed from the last name, is
directly related to the Ingallsfamily of the Little House on
the Prairie fame, and he hastaken up Laura Ingalls Wilder's
(17:14):
idea of writing books abouteveryday life and their family's
history.
He already has two books todate and they're out there, but
lately he has released acookbook and it is called
Cooking on the Prairie with theIngalls Family.
Lee, welcome back to QueerVoices.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
Thank you, my pleasure to be here.
Thank you for inviting me.
Speaker 4 (17:35):
All right, first I want you to tell me a little bit
about this project.
It's not a history, which yourother two books have been that,
but rather a collection ofrecipes.
So how did this idea come upand get started?
Speaker 2 (17:47):
The first two books, as you said, are non-fiction.
They're continued stories ofthe Ingalls family.
This one kind of takes asidestep and looks a little
closer into the family itselfand the way that it came to be.
It started in the early 2000s.
Our family was gathering atthat time during the
thanksgiving holiday, and thisparticular year there was over
(18:08):
40 people that attended the, thelunch and in the holidays.
It's a very warm, friendly,family time of year, and then
you add to that all the foodthat we had.
It was really an amazing event.
So when I got back home afterthat trip it occurred to me
those food items should becaptured.
(18:28):
They were all so wonderful andit's just good old home cooking
comfort food.
So I reached out to the family,asked them would be willing to
share those recipes and put themin some form of a book that we
could share with not only ourfamily but those families that
have an interest in Ingalls aswell.
And so that's how the ideastarted, and then we started
(18:49):
collecting the recipes fromthere.
Speaker 4 (18:51):
As far as you know, there aren't any other Ingalls
cookbooks out there.
I mean there's certainly LittleHouse on the Prairie thing
cookbooks, but they're moreabout pioneer cooking and they
weren't authorized by anybody inyour family.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
That's correct.
Yeah, there are a lot of booksout there that do capture
recipes from that time period,but as far as I know, there
aren't any cookbooks thatactually come from the Ingalls
family itself.
Speaker 4 (19:14):
I find it interesting how folks often define their
family by food.
How many times have you heardsomebody say, oh my
grandmother's pie, or oh mymother's this or that?
So what foods immediately makeyou think in your head your
family, the Ingalls?
Speaker 2 (19:30):
And you're so right.
In most of our familygatherings it all centered
around food.
Most of them because our familyis so large were potluck events
, so everybody brought some dishto the family and some of those
that I go back to were from mygrandparents my mother's potato
salad same thing.
I've had that since I was asmall child, so those are a
(19:51):
couple of the ones that I relateback to the family.
They were at all of our familygatherings.
It takes me back every time Ihave them.
Speaker 4 (19:59):
Are all of these recipes from your family?
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Most of them are.
I try to identify the personthat they came from in the
recipe itself my grandma Ingallsher sticky bun recipe.
My mother's potato salad.
I have my grandma Patnode's piecrust recipe in there and that
probably goes back to herparents because they were
(20:22):
farmers, so her cooking skillscame from her family experience
as well.
Speaker 4 (20:25):
But some of these are family I would say chosen
family.
They're from more recent eventsin your life, right, Like
cooking clubs and things likethat.
Can you tell me where thosecame from?
Speaker 2 (20:35):
There are several recipes that came from the
cooking club and other sources.
My mother-in-law one of thesalads come from her.
They are favorite recipes thatwhen I make them, I frequently
get asked for those recipes sothat people can then make them
on their own.
So, yeah, it's a wide variety.
All of them are favoriterecipes.
Many of them come from thefamily.
(20:56):
Some of them come from mypersonal cooking as well.
Speaker 4 (20:59):
Well, shout out to my mom for actually making the
book.
I have an unfair advantagebecause I watched you try and
test each recipe, so I know thatyou actually went back and
cooked all of these.
You prepared them.
I got to taste them.
I know a lot of people aregoing to be jealous right about
now, but did you learn anythingnew about these dishes as you
did them with a book in mind?
Is there a different mindsetwhen you're making something and
(21:20):
you know that other people aregoing to follow these directions
?
Speaker 2 (21:23):
Yeah, so when I get in the kitchen these days, I
mean, I pretty much make themeals based on my memory, so
they're not always going to bethe same.
But as I prepared them for thiscookbook, I wanted to pay
attention to the details.
What is it that makes thisrecipe successful, Makes it
different than those other onesthat you would find out there?
Ease of making the recipe andgetting it to the table was also
(21:46):
in the front of my mind as Iwent through these recipes and
modified them and then, like Isay, capture the details so that
I could put them in a book form.
Anybody reading the recipewould be able to look at it.
Get it from the idea to thetable quick and simple.
Speaker 4 (22:01):
How did you start cooking?
When did that come up in yourlife?
Speaker 2 (22:05):
That's kind of a funny thing.
Raised on a farm, my parentsbelieved that the boys did all
the work outside, the girls didall the work inside.
So I grew up not really knowinghow to cook my early life.
Because of my living situation,I didn't really have to cook
until I moved out on my own inmy early 30s and then I realized
(22:25):
I'm either going to have tolearn my way around the kitchen
or starve one of the two.
So I set about trying to learnto cook and the early cooking
experiences were not good.
But eventually, through trialand error and commitment to it,
I did learn to cook.
But I more view myself as ahome comfort food kind of cooker
(22:46):
.
Speaker 4 (22:48):
I don't think anybody's going to complain
about that.
I think that most people wantkind of that home style cooking
and that's what we associatewith our family and homes and
things like that.
One of the things that wentthrough my mind in looking at
this book I was wondering iswriting a cookbook harder than
writing what you've done in thepast?
You've done a family history,you've done the story of your
mother and father, you've doneyour own story previously as two
(23:11):
separate books but what was thechallenge in writing a cookbook
?
Speaker 2 (23:15):
Far different experience.
The first two books, yeah, asyou said, are nonfiction, so it
was just capturing the detailsand writing them down.
That was kind of the easy partWith a cookbook.
There is so many variables ineach one of the recipes.
You had to make sure that younailed it down the way that you
wanted it delivered.
And then producing andpublishing the book is a far
(23:36):
different experience as well.
There's a lot more that goesinto a cookbook and creating it
and getting it done than thereis in the previous two books.
Speaker 4 (23:46):
Do you have like one recipe that everybody seems to
ask for over and over again andthat wouldn't make it into the
cookbook this time?
Speaker 2 (23:54):
Yes, yeah, there is one recipe that by far stands
out in front of all the rest ofthe recipes that I have been
requested, and that's my queso.
I've been making it for about50 years.
The original recipe is there,but I've also added the
variables that I have used overthe years to make it what it is
(24:14):
today.
Make it what it is today.
It's one recipe.
I make it a couple of times ayear.
People come into our holidayparty just for that, because
they know it's going to be there.
But there's a couple other onesalso that follow up with that,
and that's my mother's.
Potato salad is another onethat everybody asks for.
Speaker 4 (24:34):
Talking about having to really adapt these recipes.
I know from seeing yourmother's potato salad it wasn't
exactly a small quantity that itmade originally.
Did you have to adapt a lot ofthese?
Speaker 2 (24:44):
My mother's potato salad and macaroni salad.
Both are in the recipe book.
They are pretty much as shemade them, but it's for a large
family gathering.
So if you make those the waythat they're written in the
cookbook, you're going to have alarge potato salad or macaroni
salad.
And one of the funny thingsthat I included in the recipe
book, by mistake, my mother sentme her macaroni salad that she
(25:07):
used to make for our largefamily gatherings.
Now my mother is one of 11.
Dad's one of six, so when ourfamily would gather there'd be
close to 100 people there.
So her original macaroni saladwas huge and it's just comical
to read it, so I included it inthere just for the comedy aspect
.
However, if anybody needs tomake a big salad for an event,
(25:31):
now you have a recipe for it.
Speaker 4 (25:33):
Do you think there's a recipe in there that you would
think would be the toughest forsomebody to make?
Is there one that's aparticular challenge for you or
the reader?
Speaker 2 (25:42):
No, I don't really think there is.
I tried to put recipes in therethat are good for someone who's
a novice cook, someone thatdoesn't really know their way
around the kitchen that well,because at one point I was there
, this is a recipe book that Icould have used at that time to
put a full meal together.
That would be both good andimpressive, and you can do that
several times over.
(26:03):
So I don't really think there'sany there that are particularly
difficult.
Speaker 4 (26:07):
Is there any type of cooking that you look at and you
go, oh gosh, this is not mystrength, or what are your
strong points as a cook?
What are your weaker points?
Speaker 2 (26:15):
I try to stay away from those things that I don't
think I can do well.
So, from a cooking perspective,I again I'm a comfort food
cooker, so most of the recipesin there that's what you're
going to get is you're going toget something that's a comfort
food.
One of those things that I dotry to stay away from are those
meats or vegetables or thosekind of things that are
(26:36):
difficult to cook, and you won'tfind any of those here.
Speaker 4 (26:41):
I noticed in the back of the book you have cooking
tools, you have like conversioncharts and instructions on how
to do things, how to do certainprocedures.
Where did that index come from?
Where did those basics comefrom?
Speaker 2 (26:53):
Early on, my mother and I worked on this largely
together.
We were the two maincontributors.
One of the things that she saidwas that, as she was a young
cook, she found it verydifficult and frustrating that
she could not find a completeset of kind of tutorial items in
any one cookbook.
She had to have several to getall the information that she
(27:13):
needed and she really wanted toput it in one book so that
someone could use that as asource for all kinds of things.
So measuring cooking terms,replacing one ingredient with
another ingredient, how much youdo that one of the changes that
you need to make with that.
Her and I put it together.
She did all the research.
I have to give her credit forthat.
She would send me thatinformation and then I put it in
(27:36):
the form that you see in thecookbook today.
So hopefully this can be asingle source informational book
for someone, especially peoplethat are new to cooking that may
not know all the terms.
Speaker 4 (27:49):
We're talking with R Lee Ingalls.
The name of the book is Cookingon the Prairie with the Ingalls
Family.
Where can we find this book?
Speaker 2 (27:58):
The book can be found on Amazon.
That's the easiest way to do it.
I have not received my authorcopies yet, but once I do get
those signed copies will beavailable through my social
media sites.
My family social media page isInstagram.
Ingalls on the Prairie alljammed together lowercase.
On Facebook you can find meunder R Lee Ingalls.
Speaker 4 (28:21):
And how long have you been doing this kind of history
of the Ingalls family andthings?
Speaker 2 (28:24):
like that Always been interesting to me the history
and a family's history, not justour family, but a family's
history and my dad was a bigphotographer amateur
photographer so he took tons ofphotos so I have all that
information so I occasionallypost that.
This is, like I said, taking asidestep away from the family
(28:46):
history itself and kind ofgiving a glimpse into what our
family gatherings were like.
Speaker 4 (28:52):
The book is called Cooking on the Prairie with the
Ingalls family.
It is available on Amazon R.
Lee Ingalls is the author,somebody that I know very well
because he is also my husband.
So thank you, Lee, for being myguest and for being my spouse
and for cooking most of ourdinners every night.
But I do want to go on therecord and say that I do cook
occasionally, at least a lunchhere and there out of the air
(29:13):
fryer.
Maybe he does some leftovers inthe microwave, that kind of a
thing.
But you are always my favoriteguest here on Career Voices and
thank you.
Speaker 2 (29:20):
Well, thank you for having me here today and, yes,
thank you for the lunches andbreakfast.
Speaker 1 (29:26):
This is KPFT 90.1 FM Houston, 89.5 FM Galveston, 91.9
FM Huntsville, and worldwide onthe internet at kpftorg.
Speaker 8 (29:42):
I'm Davis Mendoza-Duruzman.
I'm speaking today with DrUchenna Ume, more popularly
known as Dr Lulu or theMomatrician.
Dr Lulu is a queerNigerian-born retired
pediatrician, retired US AirForce Lieutenant Colonel and
current parent and life coachdedicated to preventing LGBTQ
(30:02):
plus youth suicide, assistingparents in creating supportive
environments for their queer andgender non-conforming children.
Dr Lulu is also a TEDx speakerand has been featured on
platforms like Oprah Daily.
Please welcome Dr Lulu.
Speaker 3 (30:18):
Thank you so much for having me.
I appreciate it.
Speaker 8 (30:21):
And your journey from pediatrician and your journey
into LGBTQ plus advocate is onethat's deeply personal.
You've touched on it a bit, butcould you just share a moment
when you realized that youneeded to pivot your career to
focus on preventing youthsuicides and then LGBTQ plus
youth suicides?
Speaker 3 (30:42):
I lost my first patient to suicide in 2015.
I lost my first friend tosuicide in the year 2000.
She was a colleague just likeme.
She was a Nigerian immigrantfemale physician.
We trained together in Nigeriaand she took her life and
actually that put me in labor.
(31:02):
I had my second child six weeksearly because of her death.
Then, eight years later or fouryears later, I lost a patient
to suicide.
That hurts more than my friendbecause I was this child's
physician and I missed the signs.
I didn't think it would everhappen to someone that I know as
(31:22):
a patient.
I missed the signs.
I remember the day the kid wasin the office and the mother
said she was concerned that hewas using drugs and he came out
clean.
He didn't have any drugs, hisurine was negative, but he just
the light was off in his eyesand we couldn't figure out what
(31:42):
it was.
I, at least, still neverfigured out what it was.
The next time I saw the mother,she came to tell me that he had
ended his life and maybe acouple of years after that I had
a seven-year-old who tried todo the same thing.
So I had to stop and ask myselfwhat am I doing writing
penicillin for strep throat inthe clinic and writing Tamiflu
(32:05):
for flu in the clinic, whentheir children literally trying
to kill themselves.
I need to figure out what'sgoing on.
So at that point in time Ihadn't even thought about my
child being trans.
I hadn't thought anything inthat realm.
I was just worried about mypatients.
And my ex-wife was the one whosaid you know, every day you
(32:27):
come back, you tell me aboutthese kids struggling with
depression and struggling withtrying to kill themselves.
She said do you think maybeyou're talking to the wrong
person?
I said what do you mean?
She said maybe you should betalking to their parents.
And I was like, oh, my goodness, you're right, I need to be
figuring out why a child wouldwant to end their life, I mean,
why we need to go to at leastthe first source, which is the
(32:48):
parent.
And so that's kind of how Istarted thinking.
I was thinking let me figureout what the parents are missing
.
What's going on in the house,house, why does a child want to
run and jump?
And then, about the same time,my own child.
I started kind of thinking, well, maybe we're gay, maybe we're
gay.
And I was like okay, so are yougay?
(33:08):
And they're like no, I'm not.
I'm not sure.
And as a black immigrant mother, I heard I'm not sure.
And I took it and I ran with itbecause parents don't want
their kids to be queer.
No matter what anybody tellsyou in today's world, no parent
will say yes, I want my child tobe queer, I want my child to be
gay.
Nobody just wants that, even asa queer person myself.
(33:30):
We don't want our kids tosuffer, we don't want our kids
to be ostracized, we don't wantour kids to be bullied.
We don't want our kids to bebullied.
We don't want our kids to to beerased, which is what's
happening today.
So, trying to put two and twotogether, I was still trying to
put my mind around that and thenat the graduation from stanford
we found out by accident,because the the announcer was,
(33:52):
he was using they, them pronouns.
So my kid and I was like wait,what's?
Who are all these people thisman is talking about?
I thought you're the only onegetting the award, because my
kid was getting the award ofexcellence at the graduation and
I was like, why does he keepsaying they, them, who are these
people?
And then my middle child waslike mom, I think it's because X
is non-binary.
I'm like what the?
Is that?
What is non-binary?
(34:13):
I thought you were just gay andso, truly, we miss the whole
gender diversity aspect of thechild.
And I tell people all the timethat queer people, those of us
who are sexual minority or whoare in the LGBTQ space, we are
(34:33):
not always thinking T Many of usdon't realize that there's a
difference between sexuality andgender identity.
I didn't know that.
I'm not going to sit here andlie to you.
I had no idea and it's notsomething I was taught in
medical school.
It's not something I was taughtin life.
I had to learn.
When my child presented thisidea to me Somewhere along the
line, I decided these kids whoare trying to jump?
(34:57):
What exactly is going on withthem?
And I found out almost 80% ofthem were in the LGBTQ space.
I'm like wait, what Is this?
What is happening?
And then, by the time I did myfirst TED Talk, I found out that
Black or African Americanchildren aged 5 through 12 are
twice as likely to die bysuicide as their white
(35:18):
counterparts.
This study was done in 2016 andthen again in 2018.
And both times the results werethe same.
So I'm like wait, what's goingon with African-American kids?
Why are they trying to killthemselves?
Enter intersectionality, enterracism and bullying and just
societal rejection.
It's bad enough that the childis Black and now the child is
(35:41):
also queer.
That's a double jeopardy, so tosay.
And so I can't tell you thatthere was a moment when I was
like this is the day that Irealized it was all just.
I think Steve Jobs is the onethat said you can always end up
connecting the dots backwards.
So, looking back, I found thatit has always been something
that I was meant to do.
(36:01):
It wasn't one moment.
I was like okay, let me just doit today.
It was just I'm a queer person.
Growing up in Nigeria, I told myfather that I liked boys and I
liked girls, and he thought itwas a phase and I believed him.
I went to medical school and Iwas told it's a mental illness.
So of course, I remained hidingin plain sight, because I'm
like I'm not trying to letpeople think I'm crazy, because
(36:22):
I know I'm not.
And then I became a young adultand I did what everybody
expected me to do, which ismarry a man, live happily ever
after.
Or did I?
I was hiding again in plainsight.
Then I had my first kid and Iwas like, okay, I don't want
this child to be gay, I don'twant this child to be anything
that people are going to thinkis abnormal or different.
But the whole time I wasthinking that, I was thinking
(36:46):
about myself.
I never for one moment thoughtabout the child, and that's my
job to help parents think aboutwhat the child is going through.
Think about what the child isgoing through.
Because of the book that I justpublished, I now know that it
takes an average of 10 to 14years before most children will
tell their parents that they'requeer.
(37:07):
10 to 14 years.
So in my own case, I was 16.
Of course, it makes sense thatit's 10 to 14 years or more,
right?
In my kid's case, she was 20.
So there you have it.
The day you find out that you'requeer is usually not the day
you tell your parents, becausefirst of all, you're like wait,
I'm not, I don't want to be.
So we have that internalizedhomophobia or internalized
(37:29):
oppression or internalizedracism, whatever we're fighting
with ourselves.
Could this be true?
Could this not be true?
Can it please not be true?
Please, god, take it away fromme.
I don't want it to be All ofthose things.
And then, finally, you come tothe point you're like okay,
self-acceptance.
Now who do I tell?
Am I feeling safe enough totell my parents?
Are my parents safe enough forme to tell them?
Which is why I don't use thephrase coming out, I use the
(37:52):
phrase inviting in, as my secondTED Talk will tell you.
So it's been a mixture of abeautiful dance and a beautiful
poem, so to say, my life in thisadvocacy work and then, being
as outspoken as I am, I used toask God all the time why me?
Why me, why me?
Finally, god said, why not you?
(38:14):
Why not you?
I mean, who do you think youare?
That can be you.
You know, you're outspoken,you're a mom, you're a
pediatrician, you're black,you're fierce, you're all these
things.
Who else do you think I'm gonnatell to do this work?
And so it was humbling for me.
It was a cross that Ireluctantly carried that now I'm
(38:34):
very happy to carry, becauseone thing that the universe will
do is it will always send youpeople to help you get the work
done.
But you have to do the work,and so this is like queer voices
.
You are one of the people thatthe universe sent to me to help
me magnify my voice, not becauseI don't have a voice, but
because it needs to be magnifiedto spaces where maybe it
(38:56):
wouldn't get to if I didn't haveyou.
And that's the same thing thatparents do with their kids.
Their kids are not voiceless.
Their kids have a voice, buttheir parents have to help
magnify the voice and befearless, especially today when
an entire legislation, entiregovernment wants to erase my
child's existence.
(39:16):
That's impossible.
My child exists, whether thegovernment likes it or not.
Speaker 8 (39:22):
I really appreciate you sharing your story, because
I wanted to close this out withsomething for some of our
listeners may really resonatewith, which is the fact that
many parents tend to strugglewith accepting and affirming
their LGBTQ plus children, oftendue to cultural or religious or
just personal beliefs.
(39:43):
My last question is what advicedo you have for parents who are
trying to reconcile theirpersonal values with supporting
their child's identity?
Speaker 3 (39:53):
If I had a penny for every time I get that question,
I'll probably be a millionaireby now.
The truth is, your childactually does not need to be
accepted.
Your child needs to be affirmed.
The person that needs to beaccepted is you.
What I tell the parents all thetime is you have to reconcile
your own identity as the parentof a queer child.
(40:15):
The struggle is between you andyourself.
Your child is who they arealready, regardless of how you
feel and how you think, and sothe first thing to do is to
examine your thoughts about thequeer community, your ideology
about the queer community.
Where did that idea come from?
Did it come from a queer person?
(40:36):
Did it come from society?
When was the last time societywas right?
The truth is, society is notalways right.
We know that because most upona time in America, a black human
being was assumed to be oneperson.
That didn't make it right.
Once upon a time, blacks werenot allowed to drink from the
same fountain as white people.
(40:58):
That didn't make it right.
Society has a long history ofbeing wrong.
Should we go to Hitler?
Should we go to the Jews?
Should we go to what'shappening today in America If
your ideology about queer peopleis coming from society.
That is incorrect.
In my third TED Talk I make acase for that.
I say we should parent asstudents of our children.
(41:20):
Our children should teach uswho they are.
The truth is that you, as aparent, you have to teach your
parents who you are.
People always teach you whothey are, but you have to first
allow them.
So the first lesson is examineyour thoughts about the queer
community.
The second lesson and I usuallyuse A, B, C, D, E, F as my
(41:41):
little example so that peoplecan remember that so the A is
awareness.
Become aware of your thoughtsabout the queer community.
Acknowledge that you don't knowwhat you don't know about your
child.
And then the third A is acceptyourself and your new identity
as a parent of a trans child ora queer child or whatever your
child is in that community.
(42:01):
The letter B is believe yourchild when they tell you who
they are.
The truth is whether youbelieve them or not.
They are who they are, but yourbest choice to affirm them is
to believe them.
The C is create a safe space inyour heart and in your home so
that your child can invite youin.
My child was 20 years oldbefore I got invited in.
(42:22):
Did I even get invited in?
It was an accident, I didn'teven find out truly in.
Did I even get invited in?
It was an accident, I didn'teven find out truly.
So allow your child to inviteyou in by creating a safe space
for them to do so.
The D is make a decision toaffirm your child, regardless of
what anybody else says.
And affirming your child lookslike saying the right things.
(42:44):
Asking your child what do theywant?
How can you help them?
How can you support them?
Only the person wearing theshoes knows where the shoes hurt
.
Only the person who is transknows how they want you to
affirm them.
Just because I tell you, Mom,I'm a lesbian, doesn't mean I
want you to fly a flag.
I may not want you to do that,or I might want you to do that.
(43:04):
So ask your child how do theywant you to do that, or I might
want you to do that.
So ask your child how do theywant you to approach the support
your child knows.
And then F is finish strongFind community.
A lot of parents think thatthey're doing this by themselves
.
I thought I was the only one,and the truth is we always think
we're the only ones.
But go online, find a community, find a PF, a p flag, find a
(43:29):
human rights campaign, find thetexas equality trying the aclu.
Find somebody somewhere whoknows what you're going through.
Another parent who is not aparent of a child cannot
understand my story.
Another parent who is a whiteparent of a trans child cannot
understand my story.
Another black parent may noteven understand my story because
(43:50):
they are not a black immigrant.
So finding the person whomatches your story is the best
place to begin.
And I happen to be a blackimmigrant, female physician, mom
of a trans kid.
Those are all my intersectionalidentities.
Trans kid, those are all myintersectional identities.
And so I need parents,especially black parents, to
hear me when I say your childdoes not choose to be queer,
(44:14):
your child does not choose to betrans.
This is not a religious thing,this is not a cultural thing.
This is who your child is.
And until we begin to close thegap between what we're thinking
about our kids and who our kidsreally are, it's going to be
almost impossible for our kidsto invite us in.
(44:35):
So the summary of that answer isnumber one examine your
thoughts Examine the way youfeel about the queer community
as a whole.
As a matter of fact, one of thepeople in my book said if you
don't want to have a transgenderchild, don't have a child at
all.
That is a very powerfulstatement, because you don't get
to choose who your child is.
(44:55):
The book is called About yourBlack Transgender Child answers
to most of your burningquestions.
The Kindle version is out.
The paperback should be out inthe next week or so.
Tell me what you think aboutthe book and let's have the
conversation.
Let's normalize theconversation.
My name is Dr Lulu and I'm donespeaking.
Speaker 8 (45:13):
Wow, that's incredible.
I want to thank you so much forall of your amazing life-saving
work it really is life-savingand for joining us on Queer
Voices.
I've been Davis Mendoza deRoosman speaking with Dr Lulu.
Thank you so much for being onthe show.
Speaker 3 (45:27):
Thank you so much for having me.
I appreciate you, David.
The night is long and the pathis dark.
Speaker 7 (45:36):
Look to the sky for one place where the dawn will
come.
Speaker 1 (45:46):
This is Queer Voices.
Speaker 9 (45:53):
I'm Michael LeBeau and I'm Melanie Keller With News
Wrap, a summary of some of thenews in or affecting LGBTQ
communities around the world forthe week ending February 22,
2025.
February 22, 2025.
The world's first out gay imamis dead.
Killed in broad daylight on thestreets of the South African
city of Nabiara, the car MussonHendricks was riding in was
(46:18):
blocked off by a pickup truck.
As seen on closed circuit video, two hooded figures emerged
from the truck and opened fireinto the back seat where
Hendricks was sitting.
His driver was uninjured.
Eastern Cape police say themotive is unknown and the
investigation is ongoing.
To South Africa's second biggestpolitical party.
(46:39):
The nature of the killingstrongly suggests a professional
hit, as a Democratic Alliancerepresentative told the CBC.
The 57-year-old Hendricks cameout as gay in 1996.
He held his first meetings inhis home, then in a mosque he
established where all Muslimscould pray without judgment.
(46:59):
The February 15 murder sentshockwaves throughout the queer
Muslim community and local andglobal equality advocacy groups.
The International Lesbian, gay,bisexual, trans and Intersex
Association called on localauthorities to thoroughly
investigate what we fear may bea hate crime.
Ilga World Executive DirectorJulia Ert called Hendricks' life
(47:23):
a testament to the healing thatsolidarity across communities
can bring in everyone's lives.
The Muslim Judicial Council andthe United Ulama Council of
South Africa condemned thekilling.
Both leading South AfricanMuslim organizations
consistently criticizeHendrick's efforts at
(47:43):
reconciliation.
Hendricks' efforts atreconciliation.
Both maintain the traditionalview of Islam that the Koran
prohibits romantic, same-genderrelationships.
His high-profile advocacy madeHendricks the frequent target of
death threats In the 2022documentary the Radical.
He said about his coming outthe need to be authentic was
(48:06):
greater than the fear to die.
Musson Hendrick's funeral wasreportedly held in Cape Town.
Speaker 6 (48:14):
About 30 young children and adults are
traumatized after the invasioninto an Auckland, new Zealand
drag king story time by some 50far-right Christians.
Hugo Girl's February 15th eventwas part of the city's annual
LGBTQ pride celebration.
The disruptive protestersaffiliated with the
fundamentalist Destiny Churchpunched, pushed and shoved their
(48:38):
way inside the building.
According to local mediaaccounts, when they refused to
leave the event, organizers wereeventually forced to cancel.
Auckland Police Inspector SimonWalker thinks the protesters
crossed the line.
In his words, the group'sactions caused considerable
distress and concern amongchildren, library staff and
(49:00):
visitors.
Nobody, especially children,should ever be made to feel
unsafe.
Walker says that theinvestigation is in the early
stages.
Several hours after the libraryattack, destiny Church members
broke through barricades andtried to block the Auckland
Rainbow Parade.
Police forced them to dispersewithout any physical
(49:21):
confrontations.
No arrests have been announced.
Speaker 9 (49:26):
Judge Ana Reyes says the claim that trans pronoun use
undermines troop effectivenessis frankly ridiculous.
She heard arguments on February18th in the US District Court
for the District of Columbiachallenging President Donald
Trump's executive order to banmilitary service by qualified
transgender and lesbians.
(49:46):
Reyes found some of thegovernment's arguments
biologically inaccurate andcalled them simply evidence of
unadulterated animus towardstrans people.
The lesbian jurist demanded canwe agree that the greatest
fighting force that worldhistory has ever seen is not
(50:06):
going to be impacted in any wayby less than one percent of the
soldiers using a differentpronoun than others might want
to call them?
Reyes is clearly expected torule for the plaintiffs.
Jennifer Levi is senior directorof Transgender and Queer Rights
for GLBTQ Legal Advocates andDefenders or GLAD Law.
Her group has joined with theNational Center for Lesbian
(50:29):
Rights to represent theplaintiffs.
Levi told the Washington Bladethe government cannot justify
discharging transgender troopswho have honorably served our
country for years.
Judge Reyes still mustofficially decide whether to
issue a temporary restrainingorder blocking implementation of
Trump's January 27th anti-transorder.
Reyes still must officiallydecide whether to issue a
temporary restraining orderblocking implementation of
Trump's January 27th anti-transorder.
(50:51):
Earlier this month, anothergroup of transgender service
members filed a separatechallenge to the ban on Fifth
and First Amendment grounds in afederal court in Washington
state.
They're represented byattorneys from Lambda Legal and
the Human Rights Campaign.
Speaker 6 (51:08):
Kansas Democratic Governor Laura Kelly tried again
, but the third time.
The overwhelming Republicanmajority in the state
legislature overrode her veto ofa measure outlawing pediatric
gender-affirming health care.
It's one of the nation'sharshest trans health care bans.
Providers can be stripped oftheir medical licenses for
(51:28):
unprofessional conduct or suedby individuals for treating
young trans patients.
Even the use of state funds toprovide psychological support
for transgender use isprohibited.
Virtually every professionalmedical and mental health
organization in the US endorsespediatric gender-affirming
health care.
Experts agree that for somepatients it can literally be
(51:51):
life-saving.
Kansas joins more than half ofthe states in the country to
enact some form of restrictionor ban on gender-affirming
health care for trans youngpeople.
The US Supreme Court heardarguments in a case challenging
Tennessee's ban late last year.
It's expected to announce aruling before the end of its
current term this June.
Speaker 9 (52:14):
Other Democratic governors are on the front lines
battling the federal anti-LGBTQplus onslaught.
Trump called out Maine GovernorJanet Mills over her state's
policy in favor of transgenderstudent-athletes at a February
21st White House meeting.
Is the main here?
Speaker 2 (52:30):
the governor of Maine , are you not going to comply
with it?
Speaker 7 (52:35):
I'm complying with state and federal laws.
Speaker 2 (52:37):
Well, we are the federal law.
Speaker 7 (52:39):
So you better comply, because otherwise you're not
getting any federal funding.
Speaker 9 (52:44):
See you in court.
Governor Janet Mills says shewon't be intimidated by Trump's
threats or by an investigationinto Maine's policies by the
Department of Education.
Illinois Democratic Governor JBPritzker skewered the Trump
administration during his annualState of the State address on
February 19th, Reaffirming hisstate's safe haven for LGBTQ
(53:09):
plus people.
Pritzker echoed the starkwarnings of Lutheran pastor
Martin Niemöller about AdolfHitler's rise to power, one
ostracized group at a time.
Speaker 7 (53:18):
The authoritarian playbook is laid bare here.
They point to a group of peoplewho don't look like you and
tell you to blame them for yourproblems.
I just have one question whatcomes next After we've
discriminated against, deportedor disparaged all the immigrants
(53:38):
and the gay and lesbian andtransgender people, the
developmentally disabled, thewomen and the minorities, once
we've ostracized our neighborsand betrayed our friends?
After that, when the problemswe started with are still there
staring us in the face, whatcomes next?
All the atrocities of humanhistory lurk in the answer to
(54:01):
that question, and if we don'twant to repeat history, then,
for God's sake, in this momentwe'd better be strong enough to
learn from it.
Speaker 9 (54:13):
Illinois, governor JB Pritzker.
Speaker 6 (54:16):
Finally, questions abound about how much art will
survive at Washington DC's JohnF Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts.
F Kennedy Center for thePerforming Arts, the former star
of the Apprentice has saidyou're fired to the Progressive
Board of Trustees and installedhimself as chair at the home of
the annual Kennedy Center Honors.
Just before what's seen as ahostile takeover, the center
(54:39):
announced the cancellation of APeacock Among Pigeons
celebrating 50 years of pride.
The special world prideperformance starring the city's
gay men's chorus, the NationalSymphony Orchestra, had been
scheduled for May 21st.
Nso Executive Director GeneDavidson blamed the postponement
on financial and schedulingfactors.
(55:01):
The center will produce apride-honoring performance of
the Wizard of Oz to take itsplace.
The chorus will now perform APeacock Among Pigeons during
World Pride's InternationalChoral Festival.
A statement from the Gay Men'sChorus called the decision
deeply disappointing.
The group vows to advocate forartistic expression that
(55:23):
reflects the depth and diversityof our community and country.
We will continue to sing andraise our voices for equality.
Meanwhile, artists have alreadylaunched protest actions around
the Kennedy Center.
Speaker 9 (55:36):
That's News Wrap, global queer news with attitude
for the week ending February22nd 2025.
Follow the news in your areaand around the world.
An informed community is astrong community.
Speaker 6 (55:48):
News Wrap is written by Greg Gordon and Lucia
Chappell, produced by BrianDeShazer and brought to you by
you.
Speaker 9 (55:55):
Thank you.
Help keep us in ears around theworld at thiswayoutorg, where
you can also read the text ofthis newscast and much more.
For this Way Out, I'm MichaelLeBeau.
Stay healthy.
Speaker 6 (56:07):
And I'm Melanie Keller.
Stay safe.
Speaker 1 (56:17):
This has been Queer Voices, heard on KPFT Houston
and as a podcast available fromseveral podcasting sources.
Check our webpage queVoicesorgfor more information.
Queer Voices executive produceris Brian Levinka.
Debra Moncrief-Bell isco-producer, brett Cullum and
(56:41):
David Mendoza-Druzman arecontributors, and Brett is also
our webmaster.
The News Wrap segment is partof another podcast called this
Way Out, which is produced inLos Angeles.
Speaker 10 (56:55):
Some of the material in this program has been edited
to improve clarity and runtime.
This program does not endorseany political views or animal
species.
Views, opinions andendorsements are those of the
participants and theorganizations they represent.
In case of death, pleasediscontinue use and discard
remaining products.
Speaker 1 (57:07):
For Queer Voices.
I'm Glenn Holt, Thank you.
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