Join us as we welcome the dynamic siblings Ray and Sareyah Criswell, who bring an infusion of energy and commitment from Houston's LGBTQ+ community. Fresh from the LGBT Summit 2025, Ray offers insights into the world of community safety, underscoring the wisdom shared by Atlantis Narcissus and Ethan of Q Patrol on self-defense and the power of not standing idly by. Meanwhile, Sareyah's experiences in medical and gender-affirming care workshops highlight the critical need for self-advocacy and holding healthcare providers accountable. Their stories are a testament to how personal empowerment and engagement can ripple out to build stronger communities.
Discover the transformative power of advocacy as we introduce Linked, a nonprofit destined to bridge gaps for marginalized communities with vital resources. We'll explore how simple actions, like sharing your story or standing up against inadequate care, can lead to significant societal shifts. Linked isn't just about the queer community—it's about fostering inclusivity and accessibility for all marginalized groups. By focusing on building a community calendar and shared resources, Linked aims to amplify voices that often go unheard and turn activism into a collaborative and inclusive effort.
We're thrilled to feature the inspiring journeys of Adrienne Warren and Greg Chapman, each forging unique paths. Adrienne takes us from her roots in Chesapeake to her Broadway debut, sharing lessons learned from working alongside Tina Turner and her groundbreaking role as the first Black Annie. Then, Greg Chapman enters with tales of self-discovery and triumph in the realm of science fiction, revealing the creative endeavors that followed his pivotal coming-out moment. As we wrap up with discussions on the Mankind Project and the latest in gender-affirming care, this episode promises a diverse tapestry of stories and advocacy that resonate across 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 podcast
version of a broadcast radioshow that's been on the air in
Houston Texas for severaldecades.
This week, debra Moncrief-Bellchats with Ray Criswell and his
sister, saraya Criswell, abouttheir experience attending the
LGBT Summit 2025 held last monthat the Montrose Center.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Advocacy doesn't have to be complex.
Center advocacy doesn't have tobe complex, it doesn't have to
be big, it doesn't have to befinancial.
Sometimes it's just sayingsomething, saying that you see a
problem and making it known toother people that we're not
going to just sit quiet and takeit.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Brett Cullum has a conversation with Adrienne
Warren, who is a Broadway starwho won a Tony for playing Tina
Turner in the Tina musical onBroadway.
Debra chats with Greg Chapmanabout his recently released book
Star Horizon.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
I've been on a writing journey for 30 years, so
I've gone through manyiterations of trying to write
the novel that I ended upwriting.
I started with no knowledge ofthe craft and it just took me a
very long time to figure outwhat I wanted to write and to
get the skill set to reallyexecute a novel.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
And we have news wrap from this Way Out Queer Voices
starts now this way out.
Speaker 4 (01:29):
Queer Voices starts now.
This is Deborah Moncrief-Belland I'm talking with Ray
Criswell and Soraya Criswell,siblings who are getting
involved in the Houstoncommunity and, hopefully, will
soon become part of the QueerVoices crew.
They went to the LGBT summitthat was held at the Montrose
Center, and I'm going to askthem some questions about their
experiences there.
(01:49):
So, ray, let's start with you.
What drew you to attend thatevent?
Speaker 5 (01:55):
Well, mostly, I'm starting a nonprofit with my
sister and a few other friends,and we've been looking to get
involved in the community asmuch as we can.
One of the great ways wethought to learn more about how
to get involved in the communityas much as we can One of the
great ways we thought to learnmore about how to get involved
in the community and get incontact with other people who
want to do so was the Montroseevent.
We heard about it on Instagram.
All got together and thoughtit'd be a really good idea to
(02:17):
stop by, and it definitely was.
We learned a lot of greatthings.
We talked to a lot of reallygreat people, made so many
connections, and we're reallylooking for a way to get
ourselves into the community andget ourselves started, and
that's exactly what we found.
Speaker 4 (02:30):
And Soraya.
What was your experience?
Speaker 2 (02:33):
I had a really good time.
I started off seeing it onInstagram just by looking for
some events to go to.
I really enjoyed the summit.
It was really nice to meetother people who are doing
really good things in thecommunity and really looking out
for LGBT people.
I also enjoyed the differentpanels that they had.
(02:58):
I really liked just having thedifferent perspectives from
everyone and seeing how, liketheir everyday life kind of
played into what they had to sayand how they felt like things
were being handled in theircommunity.
It was really eye-opening tohear things from everyone.
Speaker 4 (03:15):
And this question is for both of you and we'll take
it one at a time what workshopsdid you attend?
Speaker 5 (03:23):
I attended the safety workshop first in the morning.
I also attended the medicalcare and gender affirming care
workshop and I believe I alsoattended the civil rights
workshop.
Speaker 4 (03:36):
Tell me what the safety workshop was about.
Speaker 5 (03:40):
The safety workshop was mostly about how to defend
yourself and how to stay safe.
As an LGBT individual in theHouston community, I know that
we're facing a lot of turmoil inthe community.
A lot of people are concernedabout how to be safe and so,
having a talk to professionalsin this kind of field, we talked
to Atlantis Narcissus as wellas Ethan.
Ethan is leading the I thinkit's Q Patrol and they assist
(04:05):
HDPD, or at least they used to.
Now they patrol the area,helping keep LGBT people safe
and teaching people self-defensetechniques and whatnot, and
Atlantis Narcissus specificallyworks with HDPD to help them be
more educated on trans issuesand things of that nature, and
they were able to provide a lotof really useful information on
how to not be a bystander andkeep yourself active in
(04:26):
situations and look out forpeople and stay active and stay
alert, as well as making sureyou're taking care of yourself
and you feel protected ininstances where you are under
attack or under duress.
It was very, very eye-opening.
There were a lot of storiesthat were shared by queer
individuals in the audience, alot of questions that were
raised about how to not be abystander, how to feel safe
(04:47):
walking down the street and theywere able to provide a lot of
great examples like carry aflashlight with you at all times
, something as simple as that,shining a light, blowing a
whistle, making sure your voiceis heard, making sure you know
that other people are aware ofthe duress that you're in.
And if you're seeing somethinglike that, make the diverse that
you're in and if you're seeingsomething like that, make sure
you say something, say seesomething, say something kind of
a thing.
And throughout the entire thingthey were dropping wonderful,
(05:08):
wonderful gems that I had towrite down and I will keep to
myself and give it and give thatadvice to my queer friends and
community around me.
So it was very, very helpful.
Speaker 4 (05:16):
And the medical care.
What was that about?
Speaker 5 (05:20):
It was mostly about gender affirming care, but also
about holding those who give youthat care accountable, where to
find that care and beingeducated on your own issues.
A great example is I identifyas male.
I was born male.
I grew up not knowing a lotabout HPV, ks and their links to
cancer and things of thatnature, and that's a very, very
(05:48):
important issue, especially fortrans men and certain people in
the community who have to dealwith those kinds of issues.
And that was something I wasn'teven aware of and certain
nuggets that people weredropping, such as you can kind
of advocate for yourself just bybeing yourself.
A lot of people feel that theyneed to have some professional
education when it comes togender-referring care in order
to stand up for themselves or tohave a seat at the table, and
they were letting us all knowthat our experience just by
being queer individuals in thecommunity is enough to grant us
that seat at the table and is anactual important aspect of
(06:10):
having a seat at the table,because your past and your
experiences as this queerindividual inform people who are
providing the medical care toyou and it will allow them to
learn more about yourexperiences and learn more about
how to care for you, while alsokeeping in mind that you need
to keep these people accountable, and if they're not able to
provide you the care that you'relooking for, you can always
stand up for yourself andadvocate for yourself with your
(06:31):
feet, by leaving, getting out ofthere and making sure that
people know that you are herefor help, and you will not
accept anything that you do notdeserve.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
So Raya did you attend different workshops?
Speaker 2 (06:42):
I actually attended the safety planning in the
morning with Ray.
But my second workshop wasdifferent.
I actually went to thesupporting queer youth workshop.
Speaker 4 (06:51):
And what did that then tell?
Speaker 2 (06:53):
That one had a panel of different people from
different organizations.
There were a few people fromGrace Place and Tony's Place.
I think there's also a group ofmoms of trans children and they
kind of would ask a questionand each person gave their
answer and it was basically justhow we're going to make safe
(07:13):
spaces for queer youth.
I'm seeing how a lot of thingsare changing in their schools.
Some of them don't even pertainto their gender, their queer
identities.
Some of them are just the wholeshootings that have been going
on, or like having issues withthe library or like your
counselor, your teacher, thingslike that.
It was really enjoyable.
(07:33):
Since I don't have any kidsNone of that really applies to
me and my family, I guess,directly, but I do like to work
with children and I enjoychildren.
I mean it was really nice tosee all these people some who
also do not have children whoare willing to stand up for kids
and advocate for safe spacesand safe practices and raising
(07:56):
them.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
I think that's so important that we realize that
it does take a village and inour queer village, it is upon
all of us to have that empathy,to have that care, to take
action, to be there for theyouth, because there's just so
much going on right now and it'sjust so important that we are
(08:21):
there for them and helpstrengthen them.
And it becomes such a cliche tosay they are our future, but
they are.
So I for one, I have just a bigissue with how queer youth are
treated and the trans youth andwhat they're facing.
So I think that's wonderfulthat you went to that.
(08:42):
Again, a question for both ofyou and Ray.
We'll start with you.
What do you think was yourbiggest takeaway from the event?
Or was there something thatsomeone said that really touched
you or gave you food forthought?
Speaker 5 (09:00):
When I was in the meeting earlier in the morning,
at the safety meeting withAtlantis Narcissus, one of the
things that she said was thatwhen she's working with HPD, her
goal is to be not a seat at thetable but she wants to be a leg
at the table.
And that really stuck with meand felt really profound,
because I feel like a lot oftimes as marginalized people
we're fighting and fighting andfighting to have a seat at the
(09:21):
table and once we're grantedthat seat at the table it feels
amazing and then sometimes weend up being forgotten about.
And Atlantis' goal of being aleg at the table instead of just
a seat felt really empoweringbecause she's approaching the
situation from being a part ofthe table, not just being
someone who's at the table, butbeing a foundation of the table,
someone who's helping the tablestand.
(09:41):
And as a community, Ipersonally feel that if we're
not standing together, we're notstanding at all.
We're not standing for eachother, we're not standing as a
community unless we're allinvolved.
And so that goal of being a legat the table really symbolizes
being a pillar in the communityand being recognized as a pillar
of the community andappreciated as such.
So that definitely stuck withme.
Speaker 4 (10:01):
Was there anything else?
Speaker 5 (10:08):
really stuck with me.
Was there anything else?
Definitely, when Lou, duringthe gender affirming care
session, mentioned advocatingfor yourself with your feet,
it's one of the most simple waysI believe you can advocate for
yourself and kind of get yourvoice out.
There is by, like I mentionedbefore, not accepting the care
that you don't deserve.
It's a simple matter of justwalking out of the doctor's
office or out of a therapysession or holding people
accountable for the care thatthey claim to provide is really
(10:30):
important and a lot of timesactivism and community service
can feel a little overwhelmingand something as simple as just
saying this is not for me andI'm not going to accept it can
cause a lot more ripple effectsthan you think, than you think
of in the moment, and it'sreally important to have that
self-confidence and reallyadvocate for yourself in that
way.
Speaker 4 (10:49):
Soraya, how about you ?
What was your biggest takeaway?
Speaker 2 (10:54):
One of the things I like the most about the first
workshop was just how inclusiveit was of.
One of the things that someoneasked was simply just what do I
do?
Can anybody do?
Because not everybody is meantto be a protester or to start
their own nonprofit or to go outthere and be in the streets.
(11:15):
Like what can people do if theydon't know what to do?
And I loved their answer it wasmake noise.
It was make noise.
It sounds so simple, but reallyall it is is spreading the word
If something is upsetting youand something is harmful to
those around you, if you seesomething, again, like where he
said say something.
I really enjoyed that.
It was just like I said, sosimple, straight and to the
(11:36):
point.
Advocacy doesn't have to becomplex, it doesn't have to be
big, it doesn't have to befinancial.
Sometimes it's's just sayingsomething, saying that you see a
problem and making it known toother people that we're not
going to just sit quiet and takeit a lot of times I see people
post things on facebook and Ithink you can put it on facebook
(11:57):
, but don't just put it onfacebook.
Speaker 4 (11:59):
Contact directly.
If there's an agency thatyou're going to and they're not
providing what they need to beproviding, then make sure they
know.
Talk to the board, engage yourfriends.
Heather Cox Richardson, who isa historian who has been using
her platform on Facebook andSubstack to talk about history
(12:24):
and how it relates to what'shappening now and also
documenting what is happeningnow with a look towards the
future and what historians willneed to know.
That was important for ourtimes.
And she says take up oxygen.
Exactly that.
Make your voices heard.
If you have a skill or a talent, use that.
(12:44):
Make your voices heard.
If you have a skill or a talent,use that you don't necessarily
are going to be doing podcastsor doing Facebook Live, but just
writing letters to the editor,talking to your friends and
family, letting people know notonly what's important but why
it's important.
And those personal stories thatyou talked about.
(13:05):
Some of the people in theworkshops talked about their own
experiences and how thatimpacted the work.
That's very important, such aswith the legislative session,
when people go there to lobbyand they talk about their
personal stories.
That's another way of beingheard.
So I really think that Summitit was an homage to the town
(13:30):
meeting, one that a lot of ourcommunity organizations came out
of, and it was just kind of ababy one.
If anyone's ever been toCreating Change, I said it was
kind of like a mini CreatingChange.
It was us sitting together incommunity and I think people
really enjoyed the day, werewell informed, and that it will
(13:53):
motivate people to be moreinvolved.
I'm so glad that both of youwere there, well, and Soraya
Criswell, who are brothers andsister and they are new to
Houston just a few years herebut they've been engaged with
community and they're looking todo more.
(14:13):
I'm Deborah Mon Creek Bell.
You're listening to QueerVoices and let's talk about this
project that you are interestedin starting.
You described it as anon-profit and it has something
to do with resources.
So, ray, you want to tell meabout Linked.
Speaker 5 (14:32):
Linked is an organization that we're looking
to start Me, saray and a fewother individuals.
Our goal as a business, as anon-profit, is mainly to kind of
, as it says in the title, linkour community with resources
that they need.
Our main goal is to be aresource center for people in
our community.
Too often, I find people wantto help out, people want to get
(14:54):
more involved in their community, or even people are needing
resources to help them out inhard situations, and they have a
hard time finding thoseresources or accessing those
resources.
We are currently living througha literacy crisis, and so
sometimes that information, evenwhen it is accessed, can be a
little hard to understand andnot as accessible as people may
want it to be or expect it to be.
(15:14):
As an organization, our goal isto link those individuals with
the resources that they'relooking for and help them be
easier to understand and morepalatable for the average
American, as well as providingthe community with a means to
stay in contact with each other.
One of the goals that you and Inever talked about at the
Montrose Summit was a communitycalendar, and that is something
(15:35):
that we're looking into as wellA one-stop shop, if you will,
for community members to seewhat's going on in their
community, how can they getinvolved and where.
I know that access to thisinformation can be a little bit
difficult and not asstraightforward as people would
like, so that is our main goal.
Speaker 4 (15:51):
And is this just for the queer community?
Speaker 5 (15:54):
Not specifically.
No, the queer community will beone of our main focuses.
That is our main demographic aswe currently stand, but as a
company we're open to allmarginalized communities.
Mostly we don't want to isolateanybody out.
We leave our door open andwelcome to anyone who wants to
walk in.
Speaker 4 (16:09):
And Soraya.
What would you say about Linked?
Speaker 2 (16:13):
I'm actually very proud of Linked.
We did just start.
In the beginning of the year, weput this together and got
together and really decided tomove forward with the nonprofit.
Even before that, we put on anevent during the Christmas time
to raise money for the MahoganyProject, who was also a part of
the summit that we went to acouple weeks ago.
(16:34):
Our organization is reallygoing to be dedicated to, as Ray
said, providing resources tothe community, but also one of
the main things we want to do isbe a fundraising pillar for our
community.
We've met a lot of differentorganizations and we can see
that there are already a lot ofresources that are available
here in Houston, but one of themain things that we're all
(16:55):
missing is the money, is thefunds.
We did a really good job ofraising over $500 for the
Mahogany Project for just oneevent that we did, and if we can
continue to keep this kind ofmomentum, we can be able to
allow other organizations to domore work, hire more people,
have more effect on thecommunity if we can get them
more funds and more support.
Speaker 4 (17:17):
Both the county and the city have LGBTQ plus
commission and on the city level, I think it's called an
advisory committee.
This is composed of a lot ofpeople, such as the people that
were there at the summit, togive direction in city programs
and county programs and to fillin gaps for care and services.
(17:42):
So one of the things they wantis for more individuals to step
forward and say yes, I'd like toserve on that.
The Montrose Center also ishaving an advisory committee.
How did this idea just come toyou, ray?
Was it because your ownexperience of when you were
trying to find services andresources?
Speaker 5 (18:04):
It mostly came from my community members.
I have a friend who wasundergoing cop surgery at the
end of December and luckily hehad raised enough money to do so
.
But I know of other individualswho have gender-affirming cares
and stuff like that access tothings that they need in order
to live a fulfilled life thatthey have trouble accessing.
And it all kind of started withthat event that Saraya
(18:26):
mentioned that we threw inDecember.
We were just talking to some ofour community members, and
especially my friend who wasgetting top surgery, and around
the holidays, a lot of thesepeople who live in these
marginalized communities don'talways have a place to go for
the holidays and don't have alot of people to spend time with
.
That event simply started as Ijust want to create a safe space
for my friends, for mycommunity, to get together and
(18:48):
have fun during the holidays.
The holidays are meant forhaving a good time being with
friends and family andcelebrating and being joyful for
each other, and so I reallywanted to create a space for
that.
And then from there it kind ofsnowballed into well, along with
that, along with creating asafe space, what if I can help
provide for these people, whatif I can help solve maybe a few
of their issues, make things alittle bit easier, kind of like
(19:14):
a Christmas gift to them.
We partnered with the MahoganyProject, since they are focused
specifically on helping transpeople of color, trans and
non-binary people of color inthe community.
It kind of snowballed into thatand that was so successful and
meeting more and more people atthat event and events afterwards
who were looking forspecifically the kind of event
that we were throwing and werereally tied into the vision that
I had for the community, itfelt like a natural next step.
I've been talking with my otherfounders, with Soraya and
(19:36):
Daniel, and Micah are two otherfounding members of Link.
It just kind of made sense fromhere to carry that momentum and
really put our actions whereour mouths were and stand up for
something that we believe in.
As young people in thecommunity, we definitely have a
voice and we just felt this is agood time to start using it.
Speaker 4 (19:52):
And linked is L-N-K-D , and it doesn't really stand
for anything other than linkinglinking needs and resources,
linking people to community andresources linking people to
community, making connections.
I know you're just at the babysteps.
You don't have a website yet,do you?
Speaker 5 (20:11):
No, not yet.
As you said, we are in our babysteps, but that is one of the
main things we're working on.
We will have one very soon.
Speaker 4 (20:20):
I've been talking with Ray Criswell and Soraya
Criswell about the LGBT Summitthat was held at the Montreux
Center and about Link, a newcommunity resource that they're
developing.
I'm Deborah Moncrief-Bell.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
This is Queer Voices.
Speaker 6 (20:36):
I am Brett Cullum and today I am joined by the
luminous Broadway star, adrienneWarren.
You may know Adrienne from herTony Award winning turn as Tina
Turner, both in the West End andon Broadway, or her role
opposite Audra McDonald inShuffle Along.
She is coming to the HoustonHobby Center on February 1st.
It's a one night only cabaretshow that is part of the Beyond
(20:59):
Broadway series.
Adrienne, welcome to QueerVoices.
Speaker 7 (21:03):
Thank you, thanks for having me.
Speaker 6 (21:05):
Okay, right off the bat, because it's the elephant
in the room for me.
Adrienne, welcome to QueerVoices, thank you.
Thanks for having me.
Okay, right off the bat,because it's the elephant in the
room for me, tina Turner.
Oh my gosh, it says that sheactually handpicked you to play
her in that musical.
How in the heck did that happen?
Speaker 7 (21:21):
I have no idea.
No, they were looking for thegirl to play her and I had done
a very, very, very like the veryfirst table reading the show,
before they knew what it was,before any auditions took place.
I was invited to read for herat a table read she actually
(21:42):
wasn't there, but it was thedirector was there and the
writer was there.
And at a table read sheactually wasn't there, but it
was the director was there andthe writer was there.
And at that table read weweren't singing any of the music
.
But then I thought you knowwhat?
Why not?
So one of the songs, I think itwas we Don't Need Another Hero.
I'm a big Tina Turner fan.
So I said, you know what, I'mjust going to go for it.
And I just sang it at the tableand I remember everyone just
(22:03):
kind of stopping and looking atme being like what just happened
, and I didn't hear anythingafter that.
And and then, next thing I know, I was invited to do the
workshop in London.
So it was a.
It was a long process and andthey were looking everywhere and
I wasn't available at the time,and then all of the planets
aligned and then I was availableand next thing I know I was
(22:27):
living in london so did you getto work side by side with tina
on the initial project, or Imean, how involved was she?
because it feels like she was oh, she was very much so involved.
Her story has been told manytimes in many different mediums
and this was her version of herstory that she wanted out in the
(22:48):
world.
And this was kind of this show.
Her being a part of it was kindof like a love letter to all of
her fans.
It was a way Sorry, it was away of her.
It was a way of her telling astory that she wanted her way
and, and so because of that, Iworked very closely with her.
She taught me how to chant,because she's a Buddhist and I
(23:13):
chanted in the show.
She taught me how to chant.
She taught me how, why she didthe things that she did in her
performance and performances andhow she connected with the
audience.
She taught me everything.
So I know that that's notnormal to say Tina Turner was my
mentor, but she was my mentorthroughout that process and I'm
(23:35):
incredibly grateful I learned somuch from her.
Speaker 6 (23:38):
I'm going to tell you , I feel like she's my mentor
just through her music.
But yeah.
I am very, very envious of thefact that you got to be in that
presence.
I mean just, oh my gosh, I justI can't imagine.
I've seen her in concert acouple of times, but I just
can't imagine standing next toher and saying, hey, I'm gonna
do you and I'm gonna sing yoursongs exactly.
(24:02):
Yeah, so where did you?
Speaker 7 (24:04):
grow up.
I am originally from ChesapeakeVirginia, yeah, so I'm a
Virginia girl and I moved to NewYork for college.
Speaker 6 (24:14):
Okay, how did you get into theater?
When did you know?
Oh?
Speaker 7 (24:19):
I fell in love with theater through the Hurrah
Players in Norfolk Virginia.
I was a community theatercompany at home and I started
doing theater when I was sixyears old.
And it was kind of just a hobby.
It was probably my parents' wayof, you know, sending me off to
burn off some energy, because Iwas a very active kid and I
(24:39):
just ended up falling in lovewith the community that I had
there at Hurrah Players and thenjust love telling stories with
my friends and that's where Ifell in love with it.
But I didn't really get seriousabout theater being what I
wanted to do in life until I wasin high school.
Speaker 6 (24:56):
Oh, wow, ok.
And then what was that firstshow where you thought oh my
gosh, this might actually allwork out.
I may have made it.
Speaker 7 (25:05):
Actually, I was 10 years old and I was cast as the
first Black Annie girl castBlack Annie in America at the
time.
And that was a moment where Irealized that my talents because
I was first off shocked that Igot the role the first place and
I just wanted to be an orphanand save her life and next thing
(25:28):
I know I was Annie.
That was a moment where Irealized my talents could take
me farther than I could possiblyimagine if I put in the work
and I do my best.
And that changed everything forme.
From that moment on I was likeall right, here we go, this is
what I want to do.
So let's, let's get a, let's,you know, work as hard as I can.
Speaker 6 (25:52):
This is so amazing.
These are not the answers I wasexpecting.
Speaker 7 (25:54):
I know right.
Speaker 6 (25:57):
I noticed Bring it On was in your background too.
Was that before, tina?
Yes, bring it On, was actuallymy broadway debut ah, that's
where it is okay, how did itfeel when you got bring it on?
Were you just like, oh my gosh,I'm on broadway.
Was that like hard to yeah?
Speaker 7 (26:14):
I mean I will.
I will never forget the momentwhen they told us we were going
to broadway.
I think there were like 38broadway debuts or something in
our cast.
It was crazy and that wholeprocess of creating that show,
bringing it on.
It was my first time doing anew musical, it was my first
time creating a role and also myfirst time starring on Broadway
.
And Andy Blankenbuehler and TomKitts and you know everybody
(26:48):
that worked in that show theywere just legends and I got to
learn so much at a very, veryyoung age and yeah, I will.
I will never forget that.
And then also grateful to havemy Broadway debut with all of
those incredible people gosh,adrienne Warren, you sound like
you just jumped right into it,you know.
I did, I really did, it wasquite something.
Speaker 6 (27:05):
Yeah, okay, so you are coming on February 1st to
Houston and it's the BeyondBroadway series, and I love this
series because it gives us achance to see the stars that
we've seen in shows and thingslike that.
We've always seen you as acharacter.
Speaker 8 (27:21):
I mean whether it be Tina or Annie or yeah.
Speaker 6 (27:23):
So what can we expect with you solo just on a stage
doing your songs?
Speaker 7 (27:46):
You can expect to hear my story here how I just
was this girl with these bigdreams from Chesapeake Virginia,
and how I came to new york.
And I'm telling my storythrough music and you will get
to hear and learn about themusic that inspired me to become
the performer that I am today,this vocalist that I am today.
You can expect to learn alittle bit about, about my
experience with Tina.
You will get a little insight alittle insight, I guess, behind
(28:07):
the scenes of how my career hasdeveloped and become what it is
today.
And I always love these momentswhere I get to tour and you
know, to your point share, who Iam.
There are people who lovecoming to shows because they
love my work and being otherpeople and they love me telling
other stories.
But this is my time to tell youmy story and you get to.
(28:31):
Hopefully, you'll get to learna little bit more about me
through music.
Speaker 6 (28:35):
Well, I'm excited.
What kind of music do youlisten to when you're not
working?
I mean, like just your personalplaylist?
Yeah, oh my gosh, I mean Ilisten to your personal playlist
.
Speaker 7 (28:43):
Yeah, oh, my gosh, I mean I listen to everything, and
that's mainly because myparents were huge music fans.
I listen to everything fromjazz music, like I mean Lena
Horne to Ella Fitzgerald to, youknow, wynton Marsalis, to
(29:04):
Stevie wonder, to Tina Turner,to, depends on the day and the
vibe, to James Taylor to yeah, Imean I kind of really listened
to everything, it depends likeKendrick Lamar, hip hop.
One day, you know, I listened toeverything and and it really
has in, I think, influence theartists that I am.
I don't like to pigeonholemyself.
(29:25):
I love singing jazz.
You might hear me sing a littlebit of jazz in the show as well
.
I mean, this is Broadway andBeyond series, so it's going to
hear a little bit of Broadwayand Beyond that, and that's what
I love about the taste of musicthat I have because of my
parents, because they taught meso much about music.
Speaker 6 (29:43):
There are no rules for this one.
I mean, I've seen other peoplecome through on this series and
they let it.
They do everything.
I love it.
Have you ever been to Houstonbefore?
Speaker 7 (29:55):
I have.
I actually performed for thegala for the Hobby Center.
Yeah, I know so I'm I'mthrilled to come back.
I wasn't expecting to come backso soon and I'm I'm so happy to
be back.
I love Houston.
I can't wait to be back.
Speaker 6 (30:10):
Yeah, well, I'm glad you're back, cause I missed that
one, so now I don't have tofeel like I'm.
One thing that I always wantedto ask you, obviously, it's just
if you had one piece of adviceto somebody that's trying to
make it in this business, whatpiece of advice would you give?
What little chunk of wisdomwould you pass on to a young
(30:31):
performer or somebody that says,hey, I really want to sing and
act and become a triple threat,just like Adrian Warren?
Speaker 7 (30:38):
I would say don't be just like me.
I find the things that make youyou, those will be your
superpowers.
And I would say this journey,this career, this industry, your
path in this industry is notlinear and it is not a race,
it's a marathon.
I would say don't compareyourself to other people, let
(31:02):
your journey be what it is andlearn to appreciate the lows and
the highs, because there willbe a lot of both.
And as long as you love it andas long as it still brings you
joy to tell stories, then you'reexactly where you should be.
But the moment it doesn't, makesure you can find your joy
somewhere, because you deserveit and life is too short very
(31:25):
well said.
Speaker 6 (31:26):
Well, after this gig, somebody told me something
about a Jonas brother in yourfuture can you tell me a little
bit about what's coming up nextfor Adrian Warren not a Jonas
brother in my future.
Speaker 7 (31:37):
That's hilarious there is a Jonas brother in my
future.
Speaker 6 (31:41):
Yes.
Speaker 7 (31:42):
His name is Nick Jonas and we will be starring in
the last five years on Broadway.
So I'm coming back to Broadwaythis spring.
So Hobby Center will be one ofmy last concerts before I head
back to Broadway.
So because of that, I'm veryexcited to, I guess, see.
It's almost like ending thisconcert tour that I've had this
(32:02):
year of just doing concerts.
So I'm really excited to endthat with you all and then
hopefully you guys can make yourway to New York and come and
see the last five years.
Well, I will be the first Kathyon Broadway, so can't wait.
Speaker 6 (32:18):
Well, I can't wait either the last five years.
I'm excited to see it, andespecially with you up there.
And I'm a little bit curiouswith the jonas up there too.
Speaker 7 (32:24):
so it's gonna be.
He's amazing.
Nick is a fantastic.
People don't know like how muchtheater he did in his in his
youth like he's a theater kid,so it's exciting to see him and
his element in that way and I'ma big cheerleader of his.
I just think he's a phenomenaltalent and not only that, he's
(32:47):
an amazing person.
So I've got a great teammateand I can't wait to create this
show with him.
Speaker 6 (32:54):
Oh, come on, bring it on cheerleader, let's let him
go.
Speaker 7 (32:58):
I know right, it's crazy.
Speaker 6 (33:00):
Adrian Warren February 1st at the Hobby Center
.
Tickets start at only like42.40 or something and they're
available online atthehobbycenterorg.
You can go in person and begfor them at the Hobby Center box
office if you need to, but I amso thrilled to have spoken with
you.
I appreciate you giving me thistime and break legs everything,
and we are so honored that thisis going to be one of your
(33:22):
final appearances before youhead into rehearsals for your
big Broadway thing.
Speaker 7 (33:27):
Yeah, thank you so much for covering this.
I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (33:31):
This is KPFT 90.1 FM Houston, 89.5 FM Galveston, 91.9
FM Huntsville, and worldwide onthe internet at kpftorg.
Speaker 4 (33:47):
This is Deborah Moncrief-Bell and I'm talking
with Greg Chapman.
I know Greg from several yearsago I can't even recall the year
that it was but I learned abouthim through hearing his story
on an NPR program I think it wascalled this.
I Know For Sure and heexpressed his experience with
(34:10):
finally accepting himself as agay man and I was very moved by
it and that led to a series ofme tracking him down.
This, I think, was back when westill had phone books, and I
actually tracked him downthrough his partner, tony Pryor,
and then I invited him to comeon to Queer Voices.
Greg, a lot has happened sincethat time.
(34:32):
We became friends over theyears.
Tony was a very special personwho it's been what?
Over a year now since he passed.
Speaker 3 (34:43):
Yes, he died in april 2023 and it was three days
after our 23rd anniversary hewas a very special person.
Speaker 4 (34:53):
He taught people about using their voice and he
had sing-alongs and just was avery beloved person in the
Houston community.
Do you want to talk a littlebit about that initial NPR
program and how you came to beon it?
Speaker 3 (35:11):
The segment was this I Believe Way back in that day
they requested people just tosubmit their stories and they
had very famous people on andthen they had people that you've
never heard of before.
So they really tried to mix itup between well-known people and
and people whose stories youwould not know anything about.
So, just on a lark, I decidedto, during lunch, write up my
(35:35):
story about being gay, mystruggle with being gay and and
coming out, and I sent it.
In a of months later I got aphone call that they wanted to
put that on.
I have many people who are inthe community.
Their stories are difficult andmine certainly falls in that
category, and that was actuallymy official coming out, so I
(35:56):
decided to do it on nationalradio.
Speaker 4 (35:59):
You have worked as an accountant and I believe that
you recently retired.
Speaker 3 (36:04):
That's right, and I'm still in the glow being retired
.
I was the tax director for aFrench energy company.
They're renewables, which isvery important for me.
They do solar farms and windfarms and all that kind of stuff
.
I decided I had reached a pointin my life where I had enough
and I wanted to write full-timebecause that's the calling of my
(36:26):
heart.
Speaker 4 (36:27):
Have you always written.
Speaker 3 (36:30):
I've been on a writing journey for 30 years, so
I've gone through manyiterations of trying to write
the novel that I ended upwriting.
Working full-time.
I didn't have a lot of time, soI had to squeeze in time here
and there.
I started with no knowledge ofthe craft and it just took me a
very long time to figure outwhat I wanted to write and to
(36:52):
get the skill set to reallyexecute a novel.
Speaker 4 (36:56):
The book is.
Is it out now?
Available now.
Speaker 3 (37:01):
Yes, so it came out last month and it actually I
released it the day after Iretired, so sort of.
The timing for all of that wasperfection.
Speaker 4 (37:11):
It all just came together at the same time the
name of the book is star horizonby james gregory chapman, if
you want to look it up, and it'sone in the chronicles of the
cosmic song.
Does that mean there's going tobe another book in the series?
Speaker 3 (37:29):
it does, and I actually finished the draft of
book two a few weeks ago, so nowI'm working in the edit stage
and it will be called starfalland I will have that out a
similar time in 2025.
Speaker 4 (37:44):
Tell me a little bit about Star Horizon.
It's science fiction.
Have you always been a fan ofscience fiction?
Speaker 3 (37:52):
I've always been a science fiction nerd so I've
read thousands of sciencefiction novels.
I was definitely a Trekkie,very much into Star Wars,
farscape, babylon 5, all of thatstuff has been part of my world
since I was a kid and it madesense for me that when I wanted
(38:12):
to embark on a writing journey,to do it as a science fiction
novel, because that's what Iknow.
Speaker 4 (38:18):
Tell me a little bit about the plot line of Star
Horizon.
Speaker 3 (38:23):
So there's a young bioengineered soldier.
He's deemed a subset human andhe rebels against an oppressive
state and he travels into themost dangerous part of the Milky
Way in a search to claim hishumanity.
The more resistance he gets tothat journey, the higher the
cost escalates.
The emotional journey is verymuch around being a gay man in a
(38:45):
straight world.
In this case, the divide isbetween people who've been
engineered in various waysthey're no longer considered
fully human to those thathaven't been engineered, the
natural born that are stillconsidered divine.
For the subset humans, theirhumanity's basically been taken
away from them.
That kind of emotional journeyis what I felt like I went
(39:09):
through and I wanted to tellthat story.
But I felt like that story hadbeen told many times and told
well, as a gay man struggling ina straight world, and so I
wanted to do it using adifferent paradigm and I wanted
to do it in a science fictionsetting bioengineered.
That's not the same thing as asan android no, no, no, they're
(39:33):
still human, but they've beengenetically modified to fit
whatever purpose they weredesigned for.
So there's in this case he's aan elite soldier.
So there's elite soldiers,there's creator class, there's
worker class, there's scions,caretakers, there's various
(39:54):
engineered subclasses dataangels, cybers and they are
basically dedicated tofulfilling whatever their
function is.
It's a form of modern slavery.
The mythology in my book isthat the civilization realized
that AI was too dangerous, sothere was a whole problem with
(40:14):
AI.
So there was this need to moveaway from over-dependence of
that kind of technology becauseit was too risky.
That's how the engineering ofhumans for specific purposes
came into being, a way of kindof creating the flowering of
empire, but through the use ofoppressive state of slavery.
Speaker 4 (40:35):
Set in the year 2750, so quite a ways from today.
The world that you'redescribing reminds me a little
bit of brave new world, whichwas one of my favorite books in
high school, because there werepeople that were in those kind
of classifications.
I want to imagine that there'sa love story somewhere in here
(40:57):
oh yeah, yeah, there is.
Speaker 3 (40:58):
The sexual politics are complex.
They're also very.
For me, sexual diversity isjust a norm, so it's not
something I point out, it justexists.
My character comes fromessentially an all-male world.
They were designed to be apartfrom civilization completely, so
he has a partner that he'sbetrothed to.
(41:20):
The initial energy of the storycomes off of a tragedy that
occurs between them.
Eventually, however, during hisquest, he actually starts to
fall in love with a woman.
She's on the other side.
That journey is complicated andintense, and part of the
(41:43):
message for me was that we'remore than the labels were
defined by.
The world at large wants todefine him and others into the
specific box, and part of hisjourney is to claim who he is,
whatever that is, apart fromwhat the culture at large is
telling him who he is, if thatmakes sense and what is the
(42:06):
character's name?
core k-o-r.
Does that have any significance?
It does, because the novel isvery much about the core of who
I am and so yeah, so kind of itwas a little bit of a literal
thing with with how I came upwith his name so he's trying to
find the core of who he is.
(42:28):
He's trying to claim that core.
That name just made sense forme you're listening to queer
voices.
Speaker 4 (42:35):
I'm deborah moncrief bell talking to greg chapman,
who has written a book calledstar horizon under the names
James Gregory Chapman, and ifyou go to YouTube and look up
Star Horizon 1, you can see atrailer for the book.
It came out recently and iscurrently available in several
(42:57):
places.
Greg, what is your hope to havehappen with this book?
Do you see I don't know atelevision series?
Speaker 3 (43:09):
Well, actually, I think it would make an awesome
movie.
There's a lot of what I wouldconsider iconic scenes that are
part of the book.
I have, as much as I can, triedto detach myself from any
outcomes.
I love to write, and I wantedto get this out into the world,
(43:29):
and I'm curious at what reactionif any reaction that I get from
what I've written.
Speaker 4 (43:37):
Whatever that is, though, I'm going to keep going
right, there's a certain energyand well, it's a genesis, what I
don't know quite how todescribe it, but when you write
and you're expressing yourself,and it also is a way of thinking
as well, because, as you'reworking out, you've created this
(43:58):
world, you're telling a story,there are layers.
I really encourage you to keepat it.
I think it's wonderful thatyou're doing this.
It's interesting because I knowseveral people who have been
writers for 30 years but neverdid anything with it, who are
just now beginning to have booksand stories published, and
(44:21):
there seems to be in the gayworld.
There is science fiction andmagical elements, often in the
writing.
I think it goes back to, as yousay, our experiences as gays
and lesbians and trans folks andbisexual folks.
We get labels slapped on us andwe're supposed to fit in this
(44:45):
certain definition, and we evendo it to each other like well,
you're a gay man, so that meansX, and we know that that's not
the case.
We can be many different thingsin our lives Before we go.
Is there anything else that youwant folks to know that I
didn't ask about?
Speaker 3 (45:03):
I do have a website so you can go to the website.
I love the video.
I had an artist who did a lotof art for me, for me to be
inspired and get to know mycharacters at a deeper level.
I had a videographer put thatinto the video stream on YouTube
.
I think it's really cool andawesome and it looks like a
trailer for a TV show andawesome and it looks like a
(45:26):
trailer for a tv show.
Do you want to give us the nameof the artist?
His name is brad follis.
He is local to houston and he'ssomeone I've known for a long
time and I think he's brilliant.
He did the cover, which Ireally love it sounds very
interesting.
Speaker 4 (45:38):
I'll be looking forward to diving into it and
enjoying it.
Another thing that you'reinvolved with is the Mankind
Project.
Speaker 3 (45:48):
That's right.
I'm deeply involved withmankind.
Speaker 4 (45:52):
I know that's been part of your journey for a while
now.
Explain what that is and, forpeople who might want to know
more about it, a little bitabout how they can get involved
mankind project is a communityof men.
Speaker 3 (46:07):
They do these new warrior adventure weekends and
it's basically a place where yougo and do your work, you heal,
you figure out who you are andwhy you are.
I'm in a men's circle thatmeets every week.
They have a women equivalentcalled Women Within.
Probably the best way if youwant to get involved is there's
(46:30):
a website, mkp Connect, that youcan go to figure out who you
need to touch base with.
Anyone in the project would bewilling to talk to you about it.
We recently had, like like lastweek, a weekend that was
dedicated for gay, bisexual,trans, non-binary men.
Most of the weekends are mixed,so straight and gay men.
(46:52):
I find that there's a strongneed to be in containers where
you can be vulnerable and safe,show who you are, be seen and be
heard what is the dynamic withthis mixed group where it's
straight men and gay men?
Speaker 4 (47:10):
I imagine there's a lot of growth for both in that
process there is, and I willhave to say so.
Speaker 3 (47:17):
I'm in a circle.
It it's mostly straight men,but there are other gay men in
there.
I absolutely love all the menin there.
There's tremendous diversity,both in class, political belief,
sexuality very diverse.
I love and trust all these menin my group because we have been
vulnerable with each other.
(47:38):
For me that's been very healingand it's very healing for me for
people like outside the circle,because what it's what it tells
me is that even though we haveall these apparent differences
about us, we may be on oppositesides of the political divide.
You know, our sexual preferencesmay be better, someone may be
very rich or not hardly have anymoney at all, but we have a lot
(48:00):
of shared humanity and being inthese circles week after week,
I get to see that and I kind ofget to see the lie that I I'll
speak for myself that I havewalked around with on how much
division I think there isbetween us.
But I can see that you knowwhat, at the end of the day
we're all human and our stories,although they look a lot
(48:22):
different, at the end of the daythey're very much the same.
For me, it's very healthy foreveryone to be in a circle a
women's circle and a men'scircle and then I'm actually in
a co-ed circle.
That's also really good andvery healing for both the men
and the women in different ways.
It's really a way for you to beheard and seen and for you to
(48:43):
see and hear other people.
Speaker 4 (48:45):
We've been talking with Greg Chapman about his book
Star Horizon, written under thenames James Gregory Chapman,
and his other activities sincewe first met him decades ago.
You're listening to QueerVoices.
Speaker 8 (49:04):
I'm Tanya Kane Perry and I'm Joe Bainline With News
Wrap, a summary of some of thenews in or affecting LGBTQ
communities around the world forthe week ending February 1st
2025.
Gender-affirming health carefor Australia's trans and
gender-diverse young people isunder review.
(49:25):
The National Health and MedicalResearch Council will conduct
the study, which will includethe efficacy of hormone
treatments and puberty blockers.
Queensland's January 29thannouncement of its own review
moved the federal government totake action.
Two days later moved thefederal government to take
(49:46):
action.
Two days later, the state plansto pause access to all
gender-affirming health care fornew patients under the age of
18.
Australian Health Minister,mark Butler urged Queensland
officials to yield to thefederal review and allow
treatment to continue for thestate's current young trans
patients.
Pending those results, he wantstreatment guidelines to be
(50:10):
nationally consistent.
Butler says the committee ofexperts conducting the review
will look at treatmentguidelines in other countries.
It will include publicconsultation and, importantly,
the lived experiences of youngtrans and gender diverse
patients.
An interim report on thespecific use of puberty blockers
(50:30):
for young people with genderdysphoria is expected by the
middle of 2026.
There are no time projectionsfor reports regarding other
forms of pediatricgender-affirming care.
Of pediatric gender-affirmingcare.
The antagonistic, grassrootsAustralian Christian lobby is
urging the government to ensurethat the review is truly
(50:52):
independent, free from activistinfluence and grounded in
medical evidence, not ideology.
Meanwhile, most LGBTQ advocacygroups are cautiously optimistic
about the national review.
Equality Australia vows itsparticipation in the process and
(51:12):
urges Queensland officials toabandon their temporary pause so
pediatric gender-affirming carecontinues to be delivered to
patients across the country.
Ceo Anna Brown said.
Delivered to patients acrossthe country.
Ceo Anna Brown said politiciansshould not be in the business
of making medical decisions foryoung people and families they
have never met and whoseexperience of life are
(51:33):
unimaginable to most of them.
Transcend Australia CEO JeremyWiggins expressed the fears of
parents in his organizationabout the review, but hopes If
this federal process remainsethical, draws on evidence and
the right people, includingthose with lived experience, we
(51:54):
are confident the outcome willbe positive for trans children
and young people.
Speaker 9 (52:01):
US President Donald Trump has blood on his hands.
In the words of Advocates forTrans Equality Executive
Director Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen.
Trump's latest and perhaps mostegregious anti-transgender
(52:25):
executive order restrictnecessary gender-affirming care,
endangering tens of thousandsof transgender adolescents.
The fallacy-ridden screed readsin part it is the policy of the
United States that it will notfund, sponsor, promote, assist
or support the so-calledtransition of a child from one
sex to another.
Assist or support the so-calledtransition of a child from one
(52:46):
sex to another, and it willrigorously enforce all laws that
prohibit or limit thesedestructive and life-altering
procedures.
The ban includes hormonetherapies and puberty blockers,
both of which are reversible.
It prohibits pediatricgender-affirming surgery, which
is rarely a recommendedtreatment option.
The order halts funding throughfederally-run insurance
programs such as Medicaid andthe military family's TRICARE.
(53:08):
Lgbtq policy analysts from theWilliams Institute at UCLA
issued a brief saying thatTrump's order requires further
administrative rulemaking.
Therefore, it will not takeeffect immediately.
Like many of Trump'sshock-and-awe flurry of edicts,
the legality of his ban ongender-affirming care for young
people will almost certainly bechallenged in court.
Speaker 8 (53:30):
One Trump executive order is already on its way to
court.
The Human Rights Campaign andLambda Legal are taking on the
new ban on service in the USmilitary by transgender and
gender-diverse enlistees.
The same two national queerrights groups successfully
blocked the first Trumpadministration's attempted
(53:51):
military service ban in the 2017Karnofsky v Trump case.
Trump reversed a Bidenadministration order that had
open service to qualified transpeople, then specifically
excluded them with another.
It affects new recruits, but itcould also impact currently
serving trans and gender diversepersonnel.
(54:13):
In the words of Lambda LegalCounsel Sasha Burkett, thousands
of current service members aretransgender and many have been
serving openly, courageously andsuccessfully in the US military
(54:34):
for more than eight years.
Speaker 9 (54:42):
HRC Vice President of Legal, sarah Warbelow says the
order insults their service andputs our national security at
risk.
The United States Supreme Courthas agreed to hear tales of a
family attending an LGBTQ prideevent, a girl meeting her
uncle's husband-to-be and aprince's love for a knight as
they battle a dragon together.
A group of parents inMontgomery County, maryland,
want the right to pull theirchildren from elementary school
(55:02):
classes that include suchstorybooks.
They claim that their religiousbeliefs are being violated if
they cannot shield their kidsfrom LGBTQ content.
They've already lost in anappeals court.
Lawyers for the Washington DCsuburb school system had asked
the high court to reject thecase.
They argued that the storybooksbeing challenged touch on
(55:24):
themes of adventure, confrontingnew emotions and making oneself
heard, just like the classicsSnow White, cinderella and Peter
Pan.
The district wrote parents whochose to send their children to
public schools are not deprivedof their right to freely
exercise their religion simplybecause their children are
exposed to curricular material.
The parents find offensive.
(55:45):
The parents are beingrepresented by Eric Baxter,
senior counsel at the BeckettFund for Religious Liberty.
He insists that the schooldistrict is cramming down
controversial gender ideology onthree-year-olds.
It's unclear if the SupremeCourt will hear arguments in the
case before its new term beginsin October.
Speaker 8 (56:06):
According to the Associated Press.
That's News Wrap, global queernews with attitude for the week
ending February 1st 2025.
Follow the news in your areaand around the world.
An informed community is astrong community.
Speaker 9 (56:20):
News Wrap is written by Greg Gordon and Lucia
Chappell, produced by BrianDeShazer, brought to you by you.
Speaker 8 (56:27):
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 TanyaCain Perry.
Stay healthy.
Speaker 1 (56:40):
And I'm Joe bainline, stay safe this has been queer
voices, heard on kpft houstonand as a podcast available from
several podcasting sources.
Check our web page queerorg formore information.
(57:04):
Queer Voices executive produceris Brian Levinka, debra
Moncrief-Bell is co-producer,brett Cullum and David
Mendoza-Druzman are contributors, 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 (57:27):
Some of the material in this program has been edited
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Views, opinions andendorsements are those of the
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In case of death, pleasediscontinue use and discard
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Speaker 1 (57:40):
For Queer Voices.
I'm Glenn Holt.
Hello everybody, this is Queer Voices, a podcast
version of a broadcast radioshow that's been on the air in
Houston Texas for severaldecades.
This week, debra Moncrief-Bellchats with Ray Criswell and his
sister, saraya Criswell, abouttheir experience attending the
LGBT Summit 2025 held last monthat the Montrose Center.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Advocacy doesn't have to be complex.
Center advocacy doesn't have tobe complex, it doesn't have to
be big, it doesn't have to befinancial.
Sometimes it's just sayingsomething, saying that you see a
problem and making it known toother people that we're not
going to just sit quiet and takeit.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Brett Cullum has a conversation with Adrienne
Warren, who is a Broadway starwho won a Tony for playing Tina
Turner in the Tina musical onBroadway.
Debra chats with Greg Chapmanabout his recently released book
Star Horizon.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
I've been on a writing journey for 30 years, so
I've gone through manyiterations of trying to write
the novel that I ended upwriting.
I started with no knowledge ofthe craft and it just took me a
very long time to figure outwhat I wanted to write and to
get the skill set to reallyexecute a novel.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
And we have news wrap from this Way Out Queer Voices
starts now this way out.
Speaker 4 (01:29):
Queer Voices starts now.
This is Deborah Moncrief-Belland I'm talking with Ray
Criswell and Soraya Criswell,siblings who are getting
involved in the Houstoncommunity and, hopefully, will
soon become part of the QueerVoices crew.
They went to the LGBT summitthat was held at the Montrose
Center, and I'm going to askthem some questions about their
experiences there.
(01:49):
So, ray, let's start with you.
What drew you to attend thatevent?
Speaker 5 (01:55):
Well, mostly, I'm starting a nonprofit with my
sister and a few other friends,and we've been looking to get
involved in the community asmuch as we can.
One of the great ways wethought to learn more about how
to get involved in the communityas much as we can One of the
great ways we thought to learnmore about how to get involved
in the community and get incontact with other people who
want to do so was the Montroseevent.
We heard about it on Instagram.
All got together and thoughtit'd be a really good idea to
(02:17):
stop by, and it definitely was.
We learned a lot of greatthings.
We talked to a lot of reallygreat people, made so many
connections, and we're reallylooking for a way to get
ourselves into the community andget ourselves started, and
that's exactly what we found.
Speaker 4 (02:30):
And Soraya.
What was your experience?
Speaker 2 (02:33):
I had a really good time.
I started off seeing it onInstagram just by looking for
some events to go to.
I really enjoyed the summit.
It was really nice to meetother people who are doing
really good things in thecommunity and really looking out
for LGBT people.
I also enjoyed the differentpanels that they had.
(02:58):
I really liked just having thedifferent perspectives from
everyone and seeing how, liketheir everyday life kind of
played into what they had to sayand how they felt like things
were being handled in theircommunity.
It was really eye-opening tohear things from everyone.
Speaker 4 (03:15):
And this question is for both of you and we'll take
it one at a time what workshopsdid you attend?
Speaker 5 (03:23):
I attended the safety workshop first in the morning.
I also attended the medicalcare and gender affirming care
workshop and I believe I alsoattended the civil rights
workshop.
Speaker 4 (03:36):
Tell me what the safety workshop was about.
Speaker 5 (03:40):
The safety workshop was mostly about how to defend
yourself and how to stay safe.
As an LGBT individual in theHouston community, I know that
we're facing a lot of turmoil inthe community.
A lot of people are concernedabout how to be safe and so,
having a talk to professionalsin this kind of field, we talked
to Atlantis Narcissus as wellas Ethan.
Ethan is leading the I thinkit's Q Patrol and they assist
(04:05):
HDPD, or at least they used to.
Now they patrol the area,helping keep LGBT people safe
and teaching people self-defensetechniques and whatnot, and
Atlantis Narcissus specificallyworks with HDPD to help them be
more educated on trans issuesand things of that nature, and
they were able to provide a lotof really useful information on
how to not be a bystander andkeep yourself active in
(04:26):
situations and look out forpeople and stay active and stay
alert, as well as making sureyou're taking care of yourself
and you feel protected ininstances where you are under
attack or under duress.
It was very, very eye-opening.
There were a lot of storiesthat were shared by queer
individuals in the audience, alot of questions that were
raised about how to not be abystander, how to feel safe
(04:47):
walking down the street and theywere able to provide a lot of
great examples like carry aflashlight with you at all times
, something as simple as that,shining a light, blowing a
whistle, making sure your voiceis heard, making sure you know
that other people are aware ofthe duress that you're in.
And if you're seeing somethinglike that, make the diverse that
you're in and if you're seeingsomething like that, make sure
you say something, say seesomething, say something kind of
a thing.
And throughout the entire thingthey were dropping wonderful,
(05:08):
wonderful gems that I had towrite down and I will keep to
myself and give it and give thatadvice to my queer friends and
community around me.
So it was very, very helpful.
Speaker 4 (05:16):
And the medical care.
What was that about?
Speaker 5 (05:20):
It was mostly about gender affirming care, but also
about holding those who give youthat care accountable, where to
find that care and beingeducated on your own issues.
A great example is I identifyas male.
I was born male.
I grew up not knowing a lotabout HPV, ks and their links to
cancer and things of thatnature, and that's a very, very
(05:48):
important issue, especially fortrans men and certain people in
the community who have to dealwith those kinds of issues.
And that was something I wasn'teven aware of and certain
nuggets that people weredropping, such as you can kind
of advocate for yourself just bybeing yourself.
A lot of people feel that theyneed to have some professional
education when it comes togender-referring care in order
to stand up for themselves or tohave a seat at the table, and
they were letting us all knowthat our experience just by
being queer individuals in thecommunity is enough to grant us
that seat at the table and is anactual important aspect of
(06:10):
having a seat at the table,because your past and your
experiences as this queerindividual inform people who are
providing the medical care toyou and it will allow them to
learn more about yourexperiences and learn more about
how to care for you, while alsokeeping in mind that you need
to keep these people accountable, and if they're not able to
provide you the care that you'relooking for, you can always
stand up for yourself andadvocate for yourself with your
(06:31):
feet, by leaving, getting out ofthere and making sure that
people know that you are herefor help, and you will not
accept anything that you do notdeserve.
Speaker 4 (06:38):
So Raya did you attend different workshops?
Speaker 2 (06:42):
I actually attended the safety planning in the
morning with Ray.
But my second workshop wasdifferent.
I actually went to thesupporting queer youth workshop.
Speaker 4 (06:51):
And what did that then tell?
Speaker 2 (06:53):
That one had a panel of different people from
different organizations.
There were a few people fromGrace Place and Tony's Place.
I think there's also a group ofmoms of trans children and they
kind of would ask a questionand each person gave their
answer and it was basically justhow we're going to make safe
(07:13):
spaces for queer youth.
I'm seeing how a lot of thingsare changing in their schools.
Some of them don't even pertainto their gender, their queer
identities.
Some of them are just the wholeshootings that have been going
on, or like having issues withthe library or like your
counselor, your teacher, thingslike that.
It was really enjoyable.
(07:33):
Since I don't have any kidsNone of that really applies to
me and my family, I guess,directly, but I do like to work
with children and I enjoychildren.
I mean it was really nice tosee all these people some who
also do not have children whoare willing to stand up for kids
and advocate for safe spacesand safe practices and raising
(07:56):
them.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
I think that's so important that we realize that
it does take a village and inour queer village, it is upon
all of us to have that empathy,to have that care, to take
action, to be there for theyouth, because there's just so
much going on right now and it'sjust so important that we are
(08:21):
there for them and helpstrengthen them.
And it becomes such a cliche tosay they are our future, but
they are.
So I for one, I have just a bigissue with how queer youth are
treated and the trans youth andwhat they're facing.
So I think that's wonderfulthat you went to that.
(08:42):
Again, a question for both ofyou and Ray.
We'll start with you.
What do you think was yourbiggest takeaway from the event?
Or was there something thatsomeone said that really touched
you or gave you food forthought?
Speaker 5 (09:00):
When I was in the meeting earlier in the morning,
at the safety meeting withAtlantis Narcissus, one of the
things that she said was thatwhen she's working with HPD, her
goal is to be not a seat at thetable but she wants to be a leg
at the table.
And that really stuck with meand felt really profound,
because I feel like a lot oftimes as marginalized people
we're fighting and fighting andfighting to have a seat at the
(09:21):
table and once we're grantedthat seat at the table it feels
amazing and then sometimes weend up being forgotten about.
And Atlantis' goal of being aleg at the table instead of just
a seat felt really empoweringbecause she's approaching the
situation from being a part ofthe table, not just being
someone who's at the table, butbeing a foundation of the table,
someone who's helping the tablestand.
(09:41):
And as a community, Ipersonally feel that if we're
not standing together, we're notstanding at all.
We're not standing for eachother, we're not standing as a
community unless we're allinvolved.
And so that goal of being a legat the table really symbolizes
being a pillar in the communityand being recognized as a pillar
of the community andappreciated as such.
So that definitely stuck withme.
Speaker 4 (10:01):
Was there anything else?
Speaker 5 (10:08):
really stuck with me.
Was there anything else?
Definitely, when Lou, duringthe gender affirming care
session, mentioned advocatingfor yourself with your feet,
it's one of the most simple waysI believe you can advocate for
yourself and kind of get yourvoice out.
There is by, like I mentionedbefore, not accepting the care
that you don't deserve.
It's a simple matter of justwalking out of the doctor's
office or out of a therapysession or holding people
accountable for the care thatthey claim to provide is really
(10:30):
important and a lot of timesactivism and community service
can feel a little overwhelmingand something as simple as just
saying this is not for me andI'm not going to accept it can
cause a lot more ripple effectsthan you think, than you think
of in the moment, and it'sreally important to have that
self-confidence and reallyadvocate for yourself in that
way.
Speaker 4 (10:49):
Soraya, how about you ?
What was your biggest takeaway?
Speaker 2 (10:54):
One of the things I like the most about the first
workshop was just how inclusiveit was of.
One of the things that someoneasked was simply just what do I
do?
Can anybody do?
Because not everybody is meantto be a protester or to start
their own nonprofit or to go outthere and be in the streets.
(11:15):
Like what can people do if theydon't know what to do?
And I loved their answer it wasmake noise.
It was make noise.
It sounds so simple, but reallyall it is is spreading the word
If something is upsetting youand something is harmful to
those around you, if you seesomething, again, like where he
said say something.
I really enjoyed that.
It was just like I said, sosimple, straight and to the
(11:36):
point.
Advocacy doesn't have to becomplex, it doesn't have to be
big, it doesn't have to befinancial.
Sometimes it's's just sayingsomething, saying that you see a
problem and making it known toother people that we're not
going to just sit quiet and takeit a lot of times I see people
post things on facebook and Ithink you can put it on facebook
(11:57):
, but don't just put it onfacebook.
Speaker 4 (11:59):
Contact directly.
If there's an agency thatyou're going to and they're not
providing what they need to beproviding, then make sure they
know.
Talk to the board, engage yourfriends.
Heather Cox Richardson, who isa historian who has been using
her platform on Facebook andSubstack to talk about history
(12:24):
and how it relates to what'shappening now and also
documenting what is happeningnow with a look towards the
future and what historians willneed to know.
That was important for ourtimes.
And she says take up oxygen.
Exactly that.
Make your voices heard.
If you have a skill or a talent, use that.
(12:44):
Make your voices heard.
If you have a skill or a talent,use that you don't necessarily
are going to be doing podcastsor doing Facebook Live, but just
writing letters to the editor,talking to your friends and
family, letting people know notonly what's important but why
it's important.
And those personal stories thatyou talked about.
(13:05):
Some of the people in theworkshops talked about their own
experiences and how thatimpacted the work.
That's very important, such aswith the legislative session,
when people go there to lobbyand they talk about their
personal stories.
That's another way of beingheard.
So I really think that Summitit was an homage to the town
(13:30):
meeting, one that a lot of ourcommunity organizations came out
of, and it was just kind of ababy one.
If anyone's ever been toCreating Change, I said it was
kind of like a mini CreatingChange.
It was us sitting together incommunity and I think people
really enjoyed the day, werewell informed, and that it will
(13:53):
motivate people to be moreinvolved.
I'm so glad that both of youwere there, well, and Soraya
Criswell, who are brothers andsister and they are new to
Houston just a few years herebut they've been engaged with
community and they're looking todo more.
(14:13):
I'm Deborah Mon Creek Bell.
You're listening to QueerVoices and let's talk about this
project that you are interestedin starting.
You described it as anon-profit and it has something
to do with resources.
So, ray, you want to tell meabout Linked.
Speaker 5 (14:32):
Linked is an organization that we're looking
to start Me, saray and a fewother individuals.
Our goal as a business, as anon-profit, is mainly to kind of
, as it says in the title, linkour community with resources
that they need.
Our main goal is to be aresource center for people in
our community.
Too often, I find people wantto help out, people want to get
(14:54):
more involved in their community, or even people are needing
resources to help them out inhard situations, and they have a
hard time finding thoseresources or accessing those
resources.
We are currently living througha literacy crisis, and so
sometimes that information, evenwhen it is accessed, can be a
little hard to understand andnot as accessible as people may
want it to be or expect it to be.
(15:14):
As an organization, our goal isto link those individuals with
the resources that they'relooking for and help them be
easier to understand and morepalatable for the average
American, as well as providingthe community with a means to
stay in contact with each other.
One of the goals that you and Inever talked about at the
Montrose Summit was a communitycalendar, and that is something
(15:35):
that we're looking into as wellA one-stop shop, if you will,
for community members to seewhat's going on in their
community, how can they getinvolved and where.
I know that access to thisinformation can be a little bit
difficult and not asstraightforward as people would
like, so that is our main goal.
Speaker 4 (15:51):
And is this just for the queer community?
Speaker 5 (15:54):
Not specifically.
No, the queer community will beone of our main focuses.
That is our main demographic aswe currently stand, but as a
company we're open to allmarginalized communities.
Mostly we don't want to isolateanybody out.
We leave our door open andwelcome to anyone who wants to
walk in.
Speaker 4 (16:09):
And Soraya.
What would you say about Linked?
Speaker 2 (16:13):
I'm actually very proud of Linked.
We did just start.
In the beginning of the year, weput this together and got
together and really decided tomove forward with the nonprofit.
Even before that, we put on anevent during the Christmas time
to raise money for the MahoganyProject, who was also a part of
the summit that we went to acouple weeks ago.
(16:34):
Our organization is reallygoing to be dedicated to, as Ray
said, providing resources tothe community, but also one of
the main things we want to do isbe a fundraising pillar for our
community.
We've met a lot of differentorganizations and we can see
that there are already a lot ofresources that are available
here in Houston, but one of themain things that we're all
(16:55):
missing is the money, is thefunds.
We did a really good job ofraising over $500 for the
Mahogany Project for just oneevent that we did, and if we can
continue to keep this kind ofmomentum, we can be able to
allow other organizations to domore work, hire more people,
have more effect on thecommunity if we can get them
more funds and more support.
Speaker 4 (17:17):
Both the county and the city have LGBTQ plus
commission and on the city level, I think it's called an
advisory committee.
This is composed of a lot ofpeople, such as the people that
were there at the summit, togive direction in city programs
and county programs and to fillin gaps for care and services.
(17:42):
So one of the things they wantis for more individuals to step
forward and say yes, I'd like toserve on that.
The Montrose Center also ishaving an advisory committee.
How did this idea just come toyou, ray?
Was it because your ownexperience of when you were
trying to find services andresources?
Speaker 5 (18:04):
It mostly came from my community members.
I have a friend who wasundergoing cop surgery at the
end of December and luckily hehad raised enough money to do so
.
But I know of other individualswho have gender-affirming cares
and stuff like that access tothings that they need in order
to live a fulfilled life thatthey have trouble accessing.
And it all kind of started withthat event that Saraya
(18:26):
mentioned that we threw inDecember.
We were just talking to some ofour community members, and
especially my friend who wasgetting top surgery, and around
the holidays, a lot of thesepeople who live in these
marginalized communities don'talways have a place to go for
the holidays and don't have alot of people to spend time with
.
That event simply started as Ijust want to create a safe space
for my friends, for mycommunity, to get together and
(18:48):
have fun during the holidays.
The holidays are meant forhaving a good time being with
friends and family andcelebrating and being joyful for
each other, and so I reallywanted to create a space for
that.
And then from there it kind ofsnowballed into well, along with
that, along with creating asafe space, what if I can help
provide for these people, whatif I can help solve maybe a few
of their issues, make things alittle bit easier, kind of like
(19:14):
a Christmas gift to them.
We partnered with the MahoganyProject, since they are focused
specifically on helping transpeople of color, trans and
non-binary people of color inthe community.
It kind of snowballed into thatand that was so successful and
meeting more and more people atthat event and events afterwards
who were looking forspecifically the kind of event
that we were throwing and werereally tied into the vision that
I had for the community, itfelt like a natural next step.
I've been talking with my otherfounders, with Soraya and
(19:36):
Daniel, and Micah are two otherfounding members of Link.
It just kind of made sense fromhere to carry that momentum and
really put our actions whereour mouths were and stand up for
something that we believe in.
As young people in thecommunity, we definitely have a
voice and we just felt this is agood time to start using it.
Speaker 4 (19:52):
And linked is L-N-K-D , and it doesn't really stand
for anything other than linkinglinking needs and resources,
linking people to community andresources linking people to
community, making connections.
I know you're just at the babysteps.
You don't have a website yet,do you?
Speaker 5 (20:11):
No, not yet.
As you said, we are in our babysteps, but that is one of the
main things we're working on.
We will have one very soon.
Speaker 4 (20:20):
I've been talking with Ray Criswell and Soraya
Criswell about the LGBT Summitthat was held at the Montreux
Center and about Link, a newcommunity resource that they're
developing.
I'm Deborah Moncrief-Bell.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
This is Queer Voices.
Speaker 6 (20:36):
I am Brett Cullum and today I am joined by the
luminous Broadway star, adrienneWarren.
You may know Adrienne from herTony Award winning turn as Tina
Turner, both in the West End andon Broadway, or her role
opposite Audra McDonald inShuffle Along.
She is coming to the HoustonHobby Center on February 1st.
It's a one night only cabaretshow that is part of the Beyond
(20:59):
Broadway series.
Adrienne, welcome to QueerVoices.
Speaker 7 (21:03):
Thank you, thanks for having me.
Speaker 6 (21:05):
Okay, right off the bat, because it's the elephant
in the room for me.
Adrienne, welcome to QueerVoices, thank you.
Thanks for having me.
Okay, right off the bat,because it's the elephant in the
room for me, tina Turner.
Oh my gosh, it says that sheactually handpicked you to play
her in that musical.
How in the heck did that happen?
Speaker 7 (21:21):
I have no idea.
No, they were looking for thegirl to play her and I had done
a very, very, very like the veryfirst table reading the show,
before they knew what it was,before any auditions took place.
I was invited to read for herat a table read she actually
(21:42):
wasn't there, but it was thedirector was there and the
writer was there.
And at a table read sheactually wasn't there, but it
was the director was there andthe writer was there.
And at that table read weweren't singing any of the music
.
But then I thought you knowwhat?
Why not?
So one of the songs, I think itwas we Don't Need Another Hero.
I'm a big Tina Turner fan.
So I said, you know what, I'mjust going to go for it.
And I just sang it at the tableand I remember everyone just
(22:03):
kind of stopping and looking atme being like what just happened
, and I didn't hear anythingafter that.
And and then, next thing I know, I was invited to do the
workshop in London.
So it was a.
It was a long process and andthey were looking everywhere and
I wasn't available at the time,and then all of the planets
aligned and then I was availableand next thing I know I was
(22:27):
living in london so did you getto work side by side with tina
on the initial project, or Imean, how involved was she?
because it feels like she was oh, she was very much so involved.
Her story has been told manytimes in many different mediums
and this was her version of herstory that she wanted out in the
(22:48):
world.
And this was kind of this show.
Her being a part of it was kindof like a love letter to all of
her fans.
It was a way Sorry, it was away of her.
It was a way of her telling astory that she wanted her way
and, and so because of that, Iworked very closely with her.
She taught me how to chant,because she's a Buddhist and I
(23:13):
chanted in the show.
She taught me how to chant.
She taught me how, why she didthe things that she did in her
performance and performances andhow she connected with the
audience.
She taught me everything.
So I know that that's notnormal to say Tina Turner was my
mentor, but she was my mentorthroughout that process and I'm
(23:35):
incredibly grateful I learned somuch from her.
Speaker 6 (23:38):
I'm going to tell you , I feel like she's my mentor
just through her music.
But yeah.
I am very, very envious of thefact that you got to be in that
presence.
I mean just, oh my gosh, I justI can't imagine.
I've seen her in concert acouple of times, but I just
can't imagine standing next toher and saying, hey, I'm gonna
do you and I'm gonna sing yoursongs exactly.
(24:02):
Yeah, so where did you?
Speaker 7 (24:04):
grow up.
I am originally from ChesapeakeVirginia, yeah, so I'm a
Virginia girl and I moved to NewYork for college.
Speaker 6 (24:14):
Okay, how did you get into theater?
When did you know?
Oh?
Speaker 7 (24:19):
I fell in love with theater through the Hurrah
Players in Norfolk Virginia.
I was a community theatercompany at home and I started
doing theater when I was sixyears old.
And it was kind of just a hobby.
It was probably my parents' wayof, you know, sending me off to
burn off some energy, because Iwas a very active kid and I
(24:39):
just ended up falling in lovewith the community that I had
there at Hurrah Players and thenjust love telling stories with
my friends and that's where Ifell in love with it.
But I didn't really get seriousabout theater being what I
wanted to do in life until I wasin high school.
Speaker 6 (24:56):
Oh, wow, ok.
And then what was that firstshow where you thought oh my
gosh, this might actually allwork out.
I may have made it.
Speaker 7 (25:05):
Actually, I was 10 years old and I was cast as the
first Black Annie girl castBlack Annie in America at the
time.
And that was a moment where Irealized that my talents because
I was first off shocked that Igot the role the first place and
I just wanted to be an orphanand save her life and next thing
(25:28):
I know I was Annie.
That was a moment where Irealized my talents could take
me farther than I could possiblyimagine if I put in the work
and I do my best.
And that changed everything forme.
From that moment on I was likeall right, here we go, this is
what I want to do.
So let's, let's get a, let's,you know, work as hard as I can.
Speaker 6 (25:52):
This is so amazing.
These are not the answers I wasexpecting.
Speaker 7 (25:54):
I know right.
Speaker 6 (25:57):
I noticed Bring it On was in your background too.
Was that before, tina?
Yes, bring it On, was actuallymy broadway debut ah, that's
where it is okay, how did itfeel when you got bring it on?
Were you just like, oh my gosh,I'm on broadway.
Was that like hard to yeah?
Speaker 7 (26:14):
I mean I will.
I will never forget the momentwhen they told us we were going
to broadway.
I think there were like 38broadway debuts or something in
our cast.
It was crazy and that wholeprocess of creating that show,
bringing it on.
It was my first time doing anew musical, it was my first
time creating a role and also myfirst time starring on Broadway
.
And Andy Blankenbuehler and TomKitts and you know everybody
(26:48):
that worked in that show theywere just legends and I got to
learn so much at a very, veryyoung age and yeah, I will.
I will never forget that.
And then also grateful to havemy Broadway debut with all of
those incredible people gosh,adrienne Warren, you sound like
you just jumped right into it,you know.
I did, I really did, it wasquite something.
Speaker 6 (27:05):
Yeah, okay, so you are coming on February 1st to
Houston and it's the BeyondBroadway series, and I love this
series because it gives us achance to see the stars that
we've seen in shows and thingslike that.
We've always seen you as acharacter.
Speaker 8 (27:21):
I mean whether it be Tina or Annie or yeah.
Speaker 6 (27:23):
So what can we expect with you solo just on a stage
doing your songs?
Speaker 7 (27:46):
You can expect to hear my story here how I just
was this girl with these bigdreams from Chesapeake Virginia,
and how I came to new york.
And I'm telling my storythrough music and you will get
to hear and learn about themusic that inspired me to become
the performer that I am today,this vocalist that I am today.
You can expect to learn alittle bit about, about my
experience with Tina.
You will get a little insight alittle insight, I guess, behind
(28:07):
the scenes of how my career hasdeveloped and become what it is
today.
And I always love these momentswhere I get to tour and you
know, to your point share, who Iam.
There are people who lovecoming to shows because they
love my work and being otherpeople and they love me telling
other stories.
But this is my time to tell youmy story and you get to.
(28:31):
Hopefully, you'll get to learna little bit more about me
through music.
Speaker 6 (28:35):
Well, I'm excited.
What kind of music do youlisten to when you're not
working?
I mean, like just your personalplaylist?
Yeah, oh my gosh, I mean Ilisten to your personal playlist
.
Speaker 7 (28:43):
Yeah, oh, my gosh, I mean I listen to everything, and
that's mainly because myparents were huge music fans.
I listen to everything fromjazz music, like I mean Lena
Horne to Ella Fitzgerald to, youknow, wynton Marsalis, to
(29:04):
Stevie wonder, to Tina Turner,to, depends on the day and the
vibe, to James Taylor to yeah, Imean I kind of really listened
to everything, it depends likeKendrick Lamar, hip hop.
One day, you know, I listened toeverything and and it really
has in, I think, influence theartists that I am.
I don't like to pigeonholemyself.
(29:25):
I love singing jazz.
You might hear me sing a littlebit of jazz in the show as well
.
I mean, this is Broadway andBeyond series, so it's going to
hear a little bit of Broadwayand Beyond that, and that's what
I love about the taste of musicthat I have because of my
parents, because they taught meso much about music.
Speaker 6 (29:43):
There are no rules for this one.
I mean, I've seen other peoplecome through on this series and
they let it.
They do everything.
I love it.
Have you ever been to Houstonbefore?
Speaker 7 (29:55):
I have.
I actually performed for thegala for the Hobby Center.
Yeah, I know so I'm I'mthrilled to come back.
I wasn't expecting to come backso soon and I'm I'm so happy to
be back.
I love Houston.
I can't wait to be back.
Speaker 6 (30:10):
Yeah, well, I'm glad you're back, cause I missed that
one, so now I don't have tofeel like I'm.
One thing that I always wantedto ask you, obviously, it's just
if you had one piece of adviceto somebody that's trying to
make it in this business, whatpiece of advice would you give?
What little chunk of wisdomwould you pass on to a young
(30:31):
performer or somebody that says,hey, I really want to sing and
act and become a triple threat,just like Adrian Warren?
Speaker 7 (30:38):
I would say don't be just like me.
I find the things that make youyou, those will be your
superpowers.
And I would say this journey,this career, this industry, your
path in this industry is notlinear and it is not a race,
it's a marathon.
I would say don't compareyourself to other people, let
(31:02):
your journey be what it is andlearn to appreciate the lows and
the highs, because there willbe a lot of both.
And as long as you love it andas long as it still brings you
joy to tell stories, then you'reexactly where you should be.
But the moment it doesn't, makesure you can find your joy
somewhere, because you deserveit and life is too short very
(31:25):
well said.
Speaker 6 (31:26):
Well, after this gig, somebody told me something
about a Jonas brother in yourfuture can you tell me a little
bit about what's coming up nextfor Adrian Warren not a Jonas
brother in my future.
Speaker 7 (31:37):
That's hilarious there is a Jonas brother in my
future.
Speaker 6 (31:41):
Yes.
Speaker 7 (31:42):
His name is Nick Jonas and we will be starring in
the last five years on Broadway.
So I'm coming back to Broadwaythis spring.
So Hobby Center will be one ofmy last concerts before I head
back to Broadway.
So because of that, I'm veryexcited to, I guess, see.
It's almost like ending thisconcert tour that I've had this
(32:02):
year of just doing concerts.
So I'm really excited to endthat with you all and then
hopefully you guys can make yourway to New York and come and
see the last five years.
Well, I will be the first Kathyon Broadway, so can't wait.
Speaker 6 (32:18):
Well, I can't wait either the last five years.
I'm excited to see it, andespecially with you up there.
And I'm a little bit curiouswith the jonas up there too.
Speaker 7 (32:24):
so it's gonna be.
He's amazing.
Nick is a fantastic.
People don't know like how muchtheater he did in his in his
youth like he's a theater kid,so it's exciting to see him and
his element in that way and I'ma big cheerleader of his.
I just think he's a phenomenaltalent and not only that, he's
(32:47):
an amazing person.
So I've got a great teammateand I can't wait to create this
show with him.
Speaker 6 (32:54):
Oh, come on, bring it on cheerleader, let's let him
go.
Speaker 7 (32:58):
I know right, it's crazy.
Speaker 6 (33:00):
Adrian Warren February 1st at the Hobby Center
.
Tickets start at only like42.40 or something and they're
available online atthehobbycenterorg.
You can go in person and begfor them at the Hobby Center box
office if you need to, but I amso thrilled to have spoken with
you.
I appreciate you giving me thistime and break legs everything,
and we are so honored that thisis going to be one of your
(33:22):
final appearances before youhead into rehearsals for your
big Broadway thing.
Speaker 7 (33:27):
Yeah, thank you so much for covering this.
I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (33:31):
This is KPFT 90.1 FM Houston, 89.5 FM Galveston, 91.9
FM Huntsville, and worldwide onthe internet at kpftorg.
Speaker 4 (33:47):
This is Deborah Moncrief-Bell and I'm talking
with Greg Chapman.
I know Greg from several yearsago I can't even recall the year
that it was but I learned abouthim through hearing his story
on an NPR program I think it wascalled this.
I Know For Sure and heexpressed his experience with
(34:10):
finally accepting himself as agay man and I was very moved by
it and that led to a series ofme tracking him down.
This, I think, was back when westill had phone books, and I
actually tracked him downthrough his partner, tony Pryor,
and then I invited him to comeon to Queer Voices.
Greg, a lot has happened sincethat time.
(34:32):
We became friends over theyears.
Tony was a very special personwho it's been what?
Over a year now since he passed.
Speaker 3 (34:43):
Yes, he died in april 2023 and it was three days
after our 23rd anniversary hewas a very special person.
Speaker 4 (34:53):
He taught people about using their voice and he
had sing-alongs and just was avery beloved person in the
Houston community.
Do you want to talk a littlebit about that initial NPR
program and how you came to beon it?
Speaker 3 (35:11):
The segment was this I Believe Way back in that day
they requested people just tosubmit their stories and they
had very famous people on andthen they had people that you've
never heard of before.
So they really tried to mix itup between well-known people and
and people whose stories youwould not know anything about.
So, just on a lark, I decidedto, during lunch, write up my
(35:35):
story about being gay, mystruggle with being gay and and
coming out, and I sent it.
In a of months later I got aphone call that they wanted to
put that on.
I have many people who are inthe community.
Their stories are difficult andmine certainly falls in that
category, and that was actuallymy official coming out, so I
(35:56):
decided to do it on nationalradio.
Speaker 4 (35:59):
You have worked as an accountant and I believe that
you recently retired.
Speaker 3 (36:04):
That's right, and I'm still in the glow being retired
.
I was the tax director for aFrench energy company.
They're renewables, which isvery important for me.
They do solar farms and windfarms and all that kind of stuff
.
I decided I had reached a pointin my life where I had enough
and I wanted to write full-timebecause that's the calling of my
(36:26):
heart.
Speaker 4 (36:27):
Have you always written.
Speaker 3 (36:30):
I've been on a writing journey for 30 years, so
I've gone through manyiterations of trying to write
the novel that I ended upwriting.
Working full-time.
I didn't have a lot of time, soI had to squeeze in time here
and there.
I started with no knowledge ofthe craft and it just took me a
very long time to figure outwhat I wanted to write and to
(36:52):
get the skill set to reallyexecute a novel.
Speaker 4 (36:56):
The book is.
Is it out now?
Available now.
Speaker 3 (37:01):
Yes, so it came out last month and it actually I
released it the day after Iretired, so sort of.
The timing for all of that wasperfection.
Speaker 4 (37:11):
It all just came together at the same time the
name of the book is star horizonby james gregory chapman, if
you want to look it up, and it'sone in the chronicles of the
cosmic song.
Does that mean there's going tobe another book in the series?
Speaker 3 (37:29):
it does, and I actually finished the draft of
book two a few weeks ago, so nowI'm working in the edit stage
and it will be called starfalland I will have that out a
similar time in 2025.
Speaker 4 (37:44):
Tell me a little bit about Star Horizon.
It's science fiction.
Have you always been a fan ofscience fiction?
Speaker 3 (37:52):
I've always been a science fiction nerd so I've
read thousands of sciencefiction novels.
I was definitely a Trekkie,very much into Star Wars,
farscape, babylon 5, all of thatstuff has been part of my world
since I was a kid and it madesense for me that when I wanted
(38:12):
to embark on a writing journey,to do it as a science fiction
novel, because that's what Iknow.
Speaker 4 (38:18):
Tell me a little bit about the plot line of Star
Horizon.
Speaker 3 (38:23):
So there's a young bioengineered soldier.
He's deemed a subset human andhe rebels against an oppressive
state and he travels into themost dangerous part of the Milky
Way in a search to claim hishumanity.
The more resistance he gets tothat journey, the higher the
cost escalates.
The emotional journey is verymuch around being a gay man in a
(38:45):
straight world.
In this case, the divide isbetween people who've been
engineered in various waysthey're no longer considered
fully human to those thathaven't been engineered, the
natural born that are stillconsidered divine.
For the subset humans, theirhumanity's basically been taken
away from them.
That kind of emotional journeyis what I felt like I went
(39:09):
through and I wanted to tellthat story.
But I felt like that story hadbeen told many times and told
well, as a gay man struggling ina straight world, and so I
wanted to do it using adifferent paradigm and I wanted
to do it in a science fictionsetting bioengineered.
That's not the same thing as asan android no, no, no, they're
(39:33):
still human, but they've beengenetically modified to fit
whatever purpose they weredesigned for.
So there's in this case he's aan elite soldier.
So there's elite soldiers,there's creator class, there's
worker class, there's scions,caretakers, there's various
(39:54):
engineered subclasses dataangels, cybers and they are
basically dedicated tofulfilling whatever their
function is.
It's a form of modern slavery.
The mythology in my book isthat the civilization realized
that AI was too dangerous, sothere was a whole problem with
(40:14):
AI.
So there was this need to moveaway from over-dependence of
that kind of technology becauseit was too risky.
That's how the engineering ofhumans for specific purposes
came into being, a way of kindof creating the flowering of
empire, but through the use ofoppressive state of slavery.
Speaker 4 (40:35):
Set in the year 2750, so quite a ways from today.
The world that you'redescribing reminds me a little
bit of brave new world, whichwas one of my favorite books in
high school, because there werepeople that were in those kind
of classifications.
I want to imagine that there'sa love story somewhere in here
(40:57):
oh yeah, yeah, there is.
Speaker 3 (40:58):
The sexual politics are complex.
They're also very.
For me, sexual diversity isjust a norm, so it's not
something I point out, it justexists.
My character comes fromessentially an all-male world.
They were designed to be apartfrom civilization completely, so
he has a partner that he'sbetrothed to.
(41:20):
The initial energy of the storycomes off of a tragedy that
occurs between them.
Eventually, however, during hisquest, he actually starts to
fall in love with a woman.
She's on the other side.
That journey is complicated andintense, and part of the
(41:43):
message for me was that we'remore than the labels were
defined by.
The world at large wants todefine him and others into the
specific box, and part of hisjourney is to claim who he is,
whatever that is, apart fromwhat the culture at large is
telling him who he is, if thatmakes sense and what is the
(42:06):
character's name?
core k-o-r.
Does that have any significance?
It does, because the novel isvery much about the core of who
I am and so yeah, so kind of itwas a little bit of a literal
thing with with how I came upwith his name so he's trying to
find the core of who he is.
(42:28):
He's trying to claim that core.
That name just made sense forme you're listening to queer
voices.
Speaker 4 (42:35):
I'm deborah moncrief bell talking to greg chapman,
who has written a book calledstar horizon under the names
James Gregory Chapman, and ifyou go to YouTube and look up
Star Horizon 1, you can see atrailer for the book.
It came out recently and iscurrently available in several
(42:57):
places.
Greg, what is your hope to havehappen with this book?
Do you see I don't know atelevision series?
Speaker 3 (43:09):
Well, actually, I think it would make an awesome
movie.
There's a lot of what I wouldconsider iconic scenes that are
part of the book.
I have, as much as I can, triedto detach myself from any
outcomes.
I love to write, and I wantedto get this out into the world,
(43:29):
and I'm curious at what reactionif any reaction that I get from
what I've written.
Speaker 4 (43:37):
Whatever that is, though, I'm going to keep going
right, there's a certain energyand well, it's a genesis, what I
don't know quite how todescribe it, but when you write
and you're expressing yourself,and it also is a way of thinking
as well, because, as you'reworking out, you've created this
(43:58):
world, you're telling a story,there are layers.
I really encourage you to keepat it.
I think it's wonderful thatyou're doing this.
It's interesting because I knowseveral people who have been
writers for 30 years but neverdid anything with it, who are
just now beginning to have booksand stories published, and
(44:21):
there seems to be in the gayworld.
There is science fiction andmagical elements, often in the
writing.
I think it goes back to, as yousay, our experiences as gays
and lesbians and trans folks andbisexual folks.
We get labels slapped on us andwe're supposed to fit in this
(44:45):
certain definition, and we evendo it to each other like well,
you're a gay man, so that meansX, and we know that that's not
the case.
We can be many different thingsin our lives Before we go.
Is there anything else that youwant folks to know that I
didn't ask about?
Speaker 3 (45:03):
I do have a website so you can go to the website.
I love the video.
I had an artist who did a lotof art for me, for me to be
inspired and get to know mycharacters at a deeper level.
I had a videographer put thatinto the video stream on YouTube
.
I think it's really cool andawesome and it looks like a
trailer for a TV show andawesome and it looks like a
(45:26):
trailer for a tv show.
Do you want to give us the nameof the artist?
His name is brad follis.
He is local to houston and he'ssomeone I've known for a long
time and I think he's brilliant.
He did the cover, which Ireally love it sounds very
interesting.
Speaker 4 (45:38):
I'll be looking forward to diving into it and
enjoying it.
Another thing that you'reinvolved with is the Mankind
Project.
Speaker 3 (45:48):
That's right.
I'm deeply involved withmankind.
Speaker 4 (45:52):
I know that's been part of your journey for a while
now.
Explain what that is and, forpeople who might want to know
more about it, a little bitabout how they can get involved
mankind project is a communityof men.
Speaker 3 (46:07):
They do these new warrior adventure weekends and
it's basically a place where yougo and do your work, you heal,
you figure out who you are andwhy you are.
I'm in a men's circle thatmeets every week.
They have a women equivalentcalled Women Within.
Probably the best way if youwant to get involved is there's
(46:30):
a website, mkp Connect, that youcan go to figure out who you
need to touch base with.
Anyone in the project would bewilling to talk to you about it.
We recently had, like like lastweek, a weekend that was
dedicated for gay, bisexual,trans, non-binary men.
Most of the weekends are mixed,so straight and gay men.
(46:52):
I find that there's a strongneed to be in containers where
you can be vulnerable and safe,show who you are, be seen and be
heard what is the dynamic withthis mixed group where it's
straight men and gay men?
Speaker 4 (47:10):
I imagine there's a lot of growth for both in that
process there is, and I willhave to say so.
Speaker 3 (47:17):
I'm in a circle.
It it's mostly straight men,but there are other gay men in
there.
I absolutely love all the menin there.
There's tremendous diversity,both in class, political belief,
sexuality very diverse.
I love and trust all these menin my group because we have been
vulnerable with each other.
(47:38):
For me that's been very healingand it's very healing for me for
people like outside the circle,because what it's what it tells
me is that even though we haveall these apparent differences
about us, we may be on oppositesides of the political divide.
You know, our sexual preferencesmay be better, someone may be
very rich or not hardly have anymoney at all, but we have a lot
(48:00):
of shared humanity and being inthese circles week after week,
I get to see that and I kind ofget to see the lie that I I'll
speak for myself that I havewalked around with on how much
division I think there isbetween us.
But I can see that you knowwhat, at the end of the day
we're all human and our stories,although they look a lot
(48:22):
different, at the end of the daythey're very much the same.
For me, it's very healthy foreveryone to be in a circle a
women's circle and a men'scircle and then I'm actually in
a co-ed circle.
That's also really good andvery healing for both the men
and the women in different ways.
It's really a way for you to beheard and seen and for you to
(48:43):
see and hear other people.
Speaker 4 (48:45):
We've been talking with Greg Chapman about his book
Star Horizon, written under thenames James Gregory Chapman,
and his other activities sincewe first met him decades ago.
You're listening to QueerVoices.
Speaker 8 (49:04):
I'm Tanya Kane Perry and I'm Joe Bainline With News
Wrap, a summary of some of thenews in or affecting LGBTQ
communities around the world forthe week ending February 1st
2025.
Gender-affirming health carefor Australia's trans and
gender-diverse young people isunder review.
(49:25):
The National Health and MedicalResearch Council will conduct
the study, which will includethe efficacy of hormone
treatments and puberty blockers.
Queensland's January 29thannouncement of its own review
moved the federal government totake action.
Two days later moved thefederal government to take
(49:46):
action.
Two days later, the state plansto pause access to all
gender-affirming health care fornew patients under the age of
18.
Australian Health Minister,mark Butler urged Queensland
officials to yield to thefederal review and allow
treatment to continue for thestate's current young trans
patients.
Pending those results, he wantstreatment guidelines to be
(50:10):
nationally consistent.
Butler says the committee ofexperts conducting the review
will look at treatmentguidelines in other countries.
It will include publicconsultation and, importantly,
the lived experiences of youngtrans and gender diverse
patients.
An interim report on thespecific use of puberty blockers
(50:30):
for young people with genderdysphoria is expected by the
middle of 2026.
There are no time projectionsfor reports regarding other
forms of pediatricgender-affirming care.
Of pediatric gender-affirmingcare.
The antagonistic, grassrootsAustralian Christian lobby is
urging the government to ensurethat the review is truly
(50:52):
independent, free from activistinfluence and grounded in
medical evidence, not ideology.
Meanwhile, most LGBTQ advocacygroups are cautiously optimistic
about the national review.
Equality Australia vows itsparticipation in the process and
(51:12):
urges Queensland officials toabandon their temporary pause so
pediatric gender-affirming carecontinues to be delivered to
patients across the country.
Ceo Anna Brown said.
Delivered to patients acrossthe country.
Ceo Anna Brown said politiciansshould not be in the business
of making medical decisions foryoung people and families they
have never met and whoseexperience of life are
(51:33):
unimaginable to most of them.
Transcend Australia CEO JeremyWiggins expressed the fears of
parents in his organizationabout the review, but hopes If
this federal process remainsethical, draws on evidence and
the right people, includingthose with lived experience, we
(51:54):
are confident the outcome willbe positive for trans children
and young people.
Speaker 9 (52:01):
US President Donald Trump has blood on his hands.
In the words of Advocates forTrans Equality Executive
Director Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen.
Trump's latest and perhaps mostegregious anti-transgender
(52:25):
executive order restrictnecessary gender-affirming care,
endangering tens of thousandsof transgender adolescents.
The fallacy-ridden screed readsin part it is the policy of the
United States that it will notfund, sponsor, promote, assist
or support the so-calledtransition of a child from one
sex to another.
Assist or support the so-calledtransition of a child from one
(52:46):
sex to another, and it willrigorously enforce all laws that
prohibit or limit thesedestructive and life-altering
procedures.
The ban includes hormonetherapies and puberty blockers,
both of which are reversible.
It prohibits pediatricgender-affirming surgery, which
is rarely a recommendedtreatment option.
The order halts funding throughfederally-run insurance
programs such as Medicaid andthe military family's TRICARE.
(53:08):
Lgbtq policy analysts from theWilliams Institute at UCLA
issued a brief saying thatTrump's order requires further
administrative rulemaking.
Therefore, it will not takeeffect immediately.
Like many of Trump'sshock-and-awe flurry of edicts,
the legality of his ban ongender-affirming care for young
people will almost certainly bechallenged in court.
Speaker 8 (53:30):
One Trump executive order is already on its way to
court.
The Human Rights Campaign andLambda Legal are taking on the
new ban on service in the USmilitary by transgender and
gender-diverse enlistees.
The same two national queerrights groups successfully
blocked the first Trumpadministration's attempted
(53:51):
military service ban in the 2017Karnofsky v Trump case.
Trump reversed a Bidenadministration order that had
open service to qualified transpeople, then specifically
excluded them with another.
It affects new recruits, but itcould also impact currently
serving trans and gender diversepersonnel.
(54:13):
In the words of Lambda LegalCounsel Sasha Burkett, thousands
of current service members aretransgender and many have been
serving openly, courageously andsuccessfully in the US military
(54:34):
for more than eight years.
Speaker 9 (54:42):
HRC Vice President of Legal, sarah Warbelow says the
order insults their service andputs our national security at
risk.
The United States Supreme Courthas agreed to hear tales of a
family attending an LGBTQ prideevent, a girl meeting her
uncle's husband-to-be and aprince's love for a knight as
they battle a dragon together.
A group of parents inMontgomery County, maryland,
want the right to pull theirchildren from elementary school
(55:02):
classes that include suchstorybooks.
They claim that their religiousbeliefs are being violated if
they cannot shield their kidsfrom LGBTQ content.
They've already lost in anappeals court.
Lawyers for the Washington DCsuburb school system had asked
the high court to reject thecase.
They argued that the storybooksbeing challenged touch on
(55:24):
themes of adventure, confrontingnew emotions and making oneself
heard, just like the classicsSnow White, cinderella and Peter
Pan.
The district wrote parents whochose to send their children to
public schools are not deprivedof their right to freely
exercise their religion simplybecause their children are
exposed to curricular material.
The parents find offensive.
(55:45):
The parents are beingrepresented by Eric Baxter,
senior counsel at the BeckettFund for Religious Liberty.
He insists that the schooldistrict is cramming down
controversial gender ideology onthree-year-olds.
It's unclear if the SupremeCourt will hear arguments in the
case before its new term beginsin October.
Speaker 8 (56:06):
According to the Associated Press.
That's News Wrap, global queernews with attitude for the week
ending February 1st 2025.
Follow the news in your areaand around the world.
An informed community is astrong community.
Speaker 9 (56:20):
News Wrap is written by Greg Gordon and Lucia
Chappell, produced by BrianDeShazer, brought to you by you.
Speaker 8 (56:27):
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 TanyaCain Perry.
Stay healthy.
Speaker 1 (56:40):
And I'm Joe bainline, stay safe this has been queer
voices, heard on kpft houstonand as a podcast available from
several podcasting sources.
Check our web page queerorg formore information.
(57:04):
Queer Voices executive produceris Brian Levinka, debra
Moncrief-Bell is co-producer,brett Cullum and David
Mendoza-Druzman are contributors, 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 (57:27):
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 (57:40):
For Queer Voices.
I'm Glenn Holt.
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