What A Day - The Kids Are Queer, Here, And Won't Disappear

Episode Date: May 23, 2023

More than 100 trans youth from across the country gathered in front of the U.S. Capitol on Monday for Trans Prom – a demonstration to center and celebrate trans joy. They were supported by parents, allies and trans adult – including WAD host Tre’vell Anderson – who spoke with some of the youth organizers at the steps of the Supreme Court.And in headlines: an historic deal has been reached to keep the Colorado River from running too dry, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott announced his 2024 presidential bid, and TikTok has filed a federal lawsuit against Montana over a new law banning the app within the state.Show Notes:What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastCrooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffeeFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday 

it's tuesday may 23rd i'm josie defy rice and i'm treyvel anderson and this is what a day the only podcast to get a 12 minute standing ovation at canfim festival yeah eat your heart out paul dado can you dig it yes we can get it i get I don't love it, but I kind of love it. On today's show, an historic deal has been reached to keep the Colorado River from running too dry. Plus, TikTok is suing Montana over a new law banning the app within the state. But first... We're here. We're queer. We won't disappear. We're here. We're queer. We won't disappear. within the state. But first, that is sound from trans prom, a demonstration held in front of the U.S. Capitol yesterday in which more than 100 trans young people from 17 states centered and

celebrated their trans joy. They were supported by at least 100 parents, allies, and trans adults, including myself. And I brought along my microphone and recorder to document a bit of it for the WOD Squad. Okay, I want to know literally everything. Start from the beginning. I can do that, not a problem. So I received an email from the ACLU's Chase Strangio

early last month. We love Chase. We love Chase. He's been on the show before. He's doing the great work on the front lines, right, with all of the legal stuff happening. Incredible. So Chase emailed me early last month detailing this confidential action that a group of young people were organizing. The instructions to us adults were simple, to show up and surround these young folks with a circle of love and support from adults in

their community. Admittedly, I didn't know what to expect. I am not much of the demonstration type, if I do say so, okay? I like to use my pen first and foremost and then the microphone. But, you know, showing up outside in 80 degree weather and in something prom-ish, because that was the instructions. It's just typically not my ministry. OK, but I am so glad that I attended. And before I get to an interview I did with one of the youth organizers, I kind of want to give y'all a sense of why this action was so important. I think the story of Landon, a young trans woman from Mississippi, might be the best way to do that. Take a listen. As a transgender woman, I have recently experienced something tragic for me and my loved ones. I was targeted by school officials and told that I could not

attend my graduation ceremony unless I conformed to a male dress code. No way! I had dreamed of walking across the stage in my beautiful white dress that I purchased months ago in preparation for this event. This was very humiliating, discouraging, and disappointing to hear. I have worn feminine clothing throughout my entire high school career and have been supported by many teachers and peers alike. Most days they would even compliment me. I never expected this turnout of events. This definitely came

as a shock to me and the ones that love me. This is an injustice that should have been fought a long long time ago but today are here, uniting, doing what's right, and are stronger than ever before. I'm sure we can all agree the hurt we face is not and never will be easy. But together, one by one, state by state, vote by vote, we can construct a better world. Transgender youth has always been here. And rest assured, we are here to stay. I will continue advocating equality for our community and our rights. And for many others like me, I want to say, it's okay to be you and

always stand up for what you believe in. Know that you are strong and beautiful and to never let anyone else define who you are. Thank you. So beautiful. So beautifully spoken and such an outrage and upsetting that she can't graduate. I mean, like, what the fuck? Yeah, it's just was really interesting to be there and hear people kind of articulate, right? The very real experiences that they're going through in terms of discrimination, you know, in various states. But the day, the action, it began with trans adults and parents and allies in attendance forming a tunnel of love that the youth passed through once they arrived. There were performances, a whole lot

of dancing, there was a photo booth, everyone was in various stages of prom dress, there were gowns and suits, there was sequins and lace, but there were also some really powerful speeches that I want to highlight. First is that of Chase Strangio, who we've had on the show before. And he will be followed by another former guest on the pod, author and activist Raquel Willis. Today, we are here surrounded by our love for each other, unwavering in our commitment to be exactly who we are. And you are all so beautiful. I can't say it enough.

We need to relish our beauty. You are and will always be an undeniable and powerful refutation of the notion that we don't exist or that we shouldn't exist. Look at us. We are existing. We are thriving. We are making this beautiful moment here at the Capitol. And we have always existed. We have always existed making things more fabulous, more fun, and let us not forget that. Because so often we're drawn into a conversation about all the ways that we're miserable, and yes, people are trying to make us miserable, but we are at our core so joyful and so beautiful,

and that is what we're holding on today. Let the space you've crafted for the world to see be a demonstration of what my dear friend Chase was saying, love and joy and power. In the space today, it doesn't matter what people say you were born as or what you were assigned at birth it doesn't matter how many times people called you a boy or a girl when you were the other or neither or something more expansive entirely in this space let it be honored that you

are exactly who the fuck you say you are. Travelle, it feels like such a celebration and so beautiful to be there. Tell me more about that. It really was, I think, an emotional experience for many of us trans adults, right, who perhaps didn't get the chance to attend prom as our true selves, right? Or perhaps who didn't have supportive parents, right, who traveled with them across the country to, you know, put this entire situation together. And as I mentioned, this action was organized by young people. Their names are Libby Gonzalez, who is 13, Gracis McFerrin-Hogan, who is 12, Hobbs Chukumba, who is 16, and Daniel Trujillo. Daniel is 15 years old from Arizona, and I had the chance to speak with him yesterday right in front of the steps of the Supreme Court, which is where prom ended. Take a listen to our chat. It started from a lot of the

frustration that me and a bunch of other trans people were feeling from having like our identities continuously debated in like such a brutal way. And so one time me and Libby were talking, one of the other steering committee members, and we were like, we need some sort of political action to detest all of this discrimination we're facing. So we went to our parents, and our parents were like, this is a great idea. And they connected us to Chase Strangio. And he was all like, I'm not an organizer, but I know some people.

And so we can get this ball rolling. And so from there we brought in Hobbs and Grayson. And it was like, woohoo! Then it was going from there. And then I think the reason for prom is that a lot of the legislation recently has been targeting youth, you know, and, like, our access to public life, our access to like school, health care. I think that Trans Prom was then created as like a statement of what schools and public life could be like if trans people were protected in public life.

Love that. Loved it. How does it feel to be here, to see all these people come, to just finish the march? I'm really sweaty and tired, but I'm really happy because my main thing this whole time was making sure that the trans youth really saw us and felt really empowered to give them the strength to push forward and make more progress than me

and a bunch of other trans activists have made. I know that being a trans person in this day and age, in all of history, basically, has been very difficult. And so I really hope that Trans Prom empowers them and gives them the strength they're going to need to push back all of that. Absolutely. My last question for you,

what is your message to... you spoke in your speech earlier about like having to you know speak before state legislatures about the rights that you deserve what's your message to the people who you know who you continuously have to go up against i think specifically i'm gonna go with my representatives like government officials you know and you, a lot of them have kids of their own and grandkids. But what I really hope is that they see me in their own grandkids. Like, I mean, I'm just a 15-year-old. I'm in freshman year, you know. I play the guitar.

I like Radiohead, you know. And I hope that they see me and they're like, Oh, my goodness. My son also likes Radiohead. And they see that we are just normal, average people, like the only people in their lives that they love and care about. And to young trans folks like yourself who will hear this, what do you want them to know? I want them to know that there's always going to be a community and allies who are going to fight for them and protect them, even when we're in like really cruddy times and that I want them to live such an amazing day today and then understand that

because they had even if it's one good day and a bad month that they know that the rest of their lives can be just as amazing as one day was just incredible beautiful yeah it was like i said an emotional day for many of us um just to kind of be there be in a group of other trans folks loving on trans folks um supporting trans youth in particular super glad i got the opportunity to witness it up close you know so so glad you went and thank you so much for coming back and telling us about it absolutely that is the latest for now we're gonna go pay some bills and we will be right back let's get to some headlines.

Headlines. Three Palestinians were killed and six others were wounded early Monday morning during yet another Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank. The attack happened in a refugee camp near the city of Nablus. At least two of the people killed were identified as members of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a militant group with ties to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah Party. The Israeli army confirmed yesterday's raid, saying that three people were arrested after an explosive manufacturing operation was discovered in a Palestinian home. Meanwhile, over the weekend, the U.S. issued a statement sharply criticizing Israel for its recent move to reestablish a settlement in the northern part of the West Bank.

Earlier this year, the Israeli government repealed a nearly 20-year-old law declaring at least four sites, including the latest one in question, off-limits because they were illegally built on private Palestinian property. That reversal essentially clears the way for these outposts to be rebuilt. Brace yourselves because another Republican has thrown their hat in the ring for the 2024 presidential election. South Carolina Senator Tim Scott announced his campaign yesterday at his alma mater, Charleston Southern University. Scott, who is the only black Republican in the Senate, is entering the race with $22 million right out of the gate. And with that kind of cash, you'd think he'd have the budget for a better sound system because during his

announcement, his mic cut out on him. Take a listen. America is not a nation. All right. All right. Thank you. Let's see if this one works. All right. You know what? I just know that the mic cut out because he was about to say a lie. And the mic was like, oh, we not being complicit in that. So we're going to cut out. That's what I think happened. It's so funny that it cut out after America is not a nation. It's just hilarious. Perfect timing. Oh boy.

Once he got a new mic and regained his footing, Scott certainly delivered a more optimistic message compared to some of his Republican competitors, though he didn't mention any of them, including former President Donald Trump. The states that rely on the Colorado River for their water supplies have struck a deal to keep it from drying up.

For now, at least. Over the weekend, California, Arizona, and Nevada agreed to temporarily take less water from the river in exchange for over a billion dollars in federal funding. That money would go towards cities, tribal governments, and local water districts in those three states. Together, the states would reduce water by 3 million acre-feet over the next three years, cutting water use across the entire southwest by about 14 percent. For context, the nearly 1,500-mile river supplies water to 40 million people across seven western states, 30 tribal nations, as well as parts of Mexico. It also provides water for over 5 million acres of farmland. But in recent years, reservoir levels have dropped to historic lows,

and the states that depend on the drought-stricken waterway have been trying to reach a solution for the growing crisis. The proposal will first need to be analyzed and approved by the federal government before it can take effect. Nebraska's Republican Governor Jim Pillen yesterday signed a two-for-one measure to restrict bodily autonomy in his state. The hybrid measure bans abortion at 12 weeks and also restricts access to gender-affirming care to people under 19. Pillen called it, quote, the most significant win for the social conservative agenda in over a generation in the state. Nebraska lawmakers haven't passed an abortion ban since 2010, when it became the first state to restrict the procedure at the 20-week mark. The updated ban includes exceptions for rape, incest, and in cases where it's necessary to save the life of the mother.

Meanwhile, the part of the bill that blocks trans youth from getting gender-affirming surgery or other treatments will be supervised by the most qualified medical professional in the Cornhusker State, namely Nebraska's chief medical officer, who is a nose, air, and throat specialist. So not particularly qualified to, you know, be handling this. I feel like I'm more qualified, perhaps. Perhaps. Perhaps not.

Perhaps not. But perhaps. But also perhaps. You know. For those of you keeping track at home, that's 14 states that have passed abortion bans since the overturning of Roe v. Wade last year and 18 states that have passed restrictions on gender affirming care. TikTok saw Montana's statewide ban and made it a duet yesterday. The social media company filed a federal lawsuit against the state, arguing the law, quote, unlawfully abridges one of the core freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment. Lawyers representing TikTok's parent company in China also argue that

any national security concerns about the app should be a problem for the feds and can't be addressed with a statewide ban. TikTok insists it has never shared U.S. user data with the Chinese government, though the company would have to comply if China were to request such information. Under the Montana law, downloads of the app would be prohibited starting in January of 2024, though experts say that actually enforcing it would be difficult, if not impossible. And for our listeners in Montana, we have just three letters for you. VPN. Google it, y'all.

And for a change, some heartwarming news from the world of reality television. The winner of American Idol 2023 is... Iyam Tongi! That was the sound of Iyam Tongi being crowned the winner of this year's season of American Idol, becoming the first Pacific Islander and Hawaii native to win the national singing competition. The 18-year-old vocalist won it all on Sunday's finale after his performance of I'll Be Seeing You,

an original song he wrote and dedicated to his late father, the man who introduced him to music. Tongi, who was born and raised in Kahuku on the island of Oahu, first made headlines when he auditioned for the show earlier this year. He brought the judges to tears with his rendition of the song Monsters by James Blunt and the story of his father's passing. His heartfelt audition went viral, garnering over 22 million views on YouTube, and he even got the chance to sing his audition song with James Blunt himself ahead of the finale. Here's what Tongi told Access Hollywood when asked what his father would think about his big win.

My dad would probably be crying right now. You know, because my dad, he's a tough man. But when my brother won state champion for wrestling, he was crying. So I get to just imagine him right now. And yeah. Aww. I love that so much. It's wonderful. Now, you know, I don't know

who is still watching American Idol, but I am glad that this happened. I think a lot of people. Apparently. I don't know. I haven't watched American Idol since Candice Glover won season 12. She was from South Carolina, in case you were wondering.

I was wondering. I have a lot of questions. What year was this? Look, I haven't watched it in a long time, but I was an original watcher. Like, I watched the first season of Kelly. Yes, from Justin to Kelly. Oh, my gosh. Justin. What a time. Justin, if you're Kelly. Oh my gosh. Justin.

What a time. Justin, if you're listening. What a time. Nothing. I don't have anything. And those are the headlines. One more thing before we go. We want to tell you about

a very special episode of Stuck with Damon Young featuring a conversation with hip-hop mogul and cannabis business owner Wiz Khalifa. You'll hear Wiz talk about the dynamic nature of the evolving cannabis industry, his Pittsburgh accent, and how his son helps him stay up to date on the latest trends. Don't miss this episode.

Listen to Stuck with Damon Young for free on Spotify. That's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, keep the river in the colorado river and tell your friends to listen and if you are into reading and not just how tiktok will save the first amendment like me what today is also a nightly newsletter check it out and subscribe at crooked.com slash subscribe i'm treyvel anderson i'm josie duffy rice and just give us the palm door yes give us all the awards actually also chan Chanel should dress us as they dress the canned people for the podcast. For the podcast. Specifically for the podcast.

No one will see it, but. Canned people. We will know. What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Bill Lance. Our show's producer is Itsy Quintanilla, and Raven Yamamoto is our associate producer. We had production assistants this week from Fiona Pestana.

Jossie Kaufman is our head writer, and our senior producer is Lita Martinez. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Chris Chaka.