Help find Taylor Casey, Liara Tsai we speak your name, and President Biden pardons LGBTQ veterans - July 1, 2024

This episode addresses pressing LGBTQ issues, highlighting missing persons, tragic deaths, and significant political pardons.

1. Urgent need for community support in the search for missing persons like Taylor Casey.
2. Recognition of violence against transgender individuals as a critical issue.
3. Political strides towards justice with Biden's pardon of LGBTQ veterans.
4. The power of community and activism in addressing and advocating for LGBTQ rights.
5. Importance of public and political acknowledgment of past injustices to foster healing and progress.

1: Introduction

Anna Deshawn introduces the episode's themes of visibility and struggle within the LGBTQ community. She highlights the ongoing importance of Pride and community strength. Anna Deshawn: "Pride is a powerful expression of visibility and self-affirmation."

2: Taylor Casey's Disappearance

Focus on Taylor Casey's mysterious disappearance in the Bahamas, emphasizing community efforts to locate her. Anna Deshawn: "We are holding on to hope...her mother and her best friend went to the Bahamas to help in the investigation."

3: Liara Tsai's Tragic End

Liara Tsai's life and untimely death are discussed, underscoring the impact of her loss on the community and the ongoing investigation. Anna Deshawn: "Liara's killing leaves a void in her community that will never be filled."

4: LGBTQ Veterans Pardoned

The episode covers President Biden's pardon of LGBTQ veterans, a landmark decision restoring honor and rights to those unfairly discharged. Anna Deshawn: "This pardon...ensures the culture of our armed forces reflects the values that make us an exceptional nation."

1. Amplify LGBTQ voices: Share stories and posts to raise awareness.
2. Support LGBTQ rights: Engage with and contribute to organizations advocating for equality.
3. Stay informed: Follow news and updates on LGBTQ issues to stay informed and proactive.
4. Educate others: Use personal platforms to educate others about LGBTQ rights and history.
5. Participate in community events: Engage in local and national events to strengthen community ties.

This week on the Queer News podcast Anna DeShawn reports on Chicago comrade Taylor Casey missing in the Bahamas. Liara Tsai, a white trans woman was found dead because of a car accident and her family says that was divine intervention. LGBTQ veterans are getting pardoned and queer youth speak at Chicago’s pride press conference. Let’s go!

People

Taylor Casey, Liara Tsai, President Joe Biden

Content Warnings:

Discussions of missing persons and violence

A
There's no place like the cube.

B
Hello, community.

Hola, mijente.

My name is Alma Escierdo, calling from Chicago. My pronouns are she her.

LGBTQ Pride is a powerful expression of visibility and self affirmation.

It's a celebration of love and of our vibrant and diverse community.

It's a time for us to immerse ourselves and share in the exhilaration of self expression.

It's also a moment to demonstrate strength, resiliency, community, and unrelenting perseverance in the fight for equality and freedom.

For me, it's a time to celebrate my journey as a queer Latina with my birth family, chosen family and friends.

It's a time to acknowledge and be grateful for the many beautiful people that supported me, mentored me, and loved me unconditionally throughout that journey.

It's a reflective time when I accept and embrace my authentic self with love.

Pride is part of who I am.

It's a source of strength and a deep conviction that as a queer latina woman, I am worthy and deserving of love, dignity, respect, self expression and joy.

Happy pride.

A
Queer news, queer news, queer news.

Family. It's your favorite queer radio personality, Anna Deshawn. And this is queer news, your favorite weekly news pod, where race and sexuality meet politics, culture, and entertainment. I gotta give a big thank you to Alma for sending in her pride message this week. Ola to all of our queer Latinas and queer Latinos listening to this podcast. I mean, I've known Alma for so many years, and she's did so much, and she continues to do so much great work in the community, especially for latina women here in Chicago. And she actually served as part of an organization that was called Amigas Latinas, and we did a lot of work in collaboration together. I love Alma. So thank you so much for your encouraging and inspiring pride message today.

Family. Now, don't forget, we got the queer news tip line open. I want to report on stories that are happening locally in your community that are not making a blog, that don't make the news. You know, those stories are important, too. A link is in the show. Notes Q crew, what's going on? Family, thank you so much for helping to financially sustain this podcast. I appreciate you. I appreciate you.

For real, I appreciate you. Y'all are helping to cover hosting, editing, marketing, pR, travel, all the things. And if you are not a monthly giver but you believe in this work, yeah, you believe the stories of LGBTQ folks need to be amplified. And if you love and respect how I report on the news, and tell our stories. Could you join the Q crew for me? I'd really appreciate it. And you already know a link is, in fact, in the show notes.

And family, don't forget our YouTube channel, e three radio. Ethenumber three radio. Turn on the notifications so you don't miss a thing.

Now for the news. Our top story is about my Chicago comrade, Taylor Casey. She's gone missing in the Bahamas, and there are ways you can help.

Lia Tsai, a white trans woman, was found dead because of a car accident, and her family says that that, in fact, was divine intervention.

LGBTQ veterans are getting pardoned. I got to attend a pride press conference put on by our very own senator Simmons, and I'd love to tell you all about it. Let's go, family. For our top story today, one of our very own here in Chicago is missing, and we could really use your help. I'm telling y'all, Taylor is just such a sweet person. I can't even tell y'all how long I have known her. Cause it's been that long. I was looking back through Facebook messages we've exchanged. She was just always so supportive. She wanted to do a fundraiser for the cube. When I first founded it, she was gonna be a curator, listening to podcasts, and she just wanted to learn and be supportive. That was just the spirit in which Taylor moved throughout the world. And so it's really hard for me to be reporting about her missing. It just feels surreal and to know the people who are organizing on her behalf and her family's behalf and advocating for her right now and also wanting to hold space for them, because this is the work we do in the queer community. This is what we do, and we do it so well. And so if you haven't heard about Taylor Casey's story, let me just tell you a little bit. She went to the Bahamas for a yogurt retreat, okay? She's been practicing yoga for 15 years or so. And so she went to this month long retreat to really deepen her practice and bring those lessons back to us here in our community. Now, the retreat noticed that she didn't show up. And on that day, they notified the authorities, and they notified her family.

Now, it has been over a week, and no one has seen or heard from Taylor.

We are holding on to hope, okay? Her mother and her best friend went to the Bahamas to be on the ground with authorities, to advocate, to fight, to oversee, to help in the investigation, to bring Taylor back home. And now the organizers are saying there are three things. Three things that you can do here.

I know these are situations where we can feel so helpless. We can feel like, what can I do? What can I do here? But there are three things that they are asking all of us to do. One is to amplify posts that you see on the Casey. Okay. Find Taylor. T a y l o r. Casey. C a s e y. Okay. Amplify those posts. Then they actually want you to go, like, and follow those handles. Okay. Find Taylor Casey on Facebook and Instagram so you can stay up to date. And then they have a gofundme of sorts. It's on chuffed.org dot. I'll put the link in the show notes. They're raising money. They are going to need lawyers, okay? There are lots of legal fees, there's lots of travel expenses, and they just need your financial support. And so I have a link in the show notes. If you've got some money to give, please decide to donate.

When black women go missing, not only do they not get the media attention they deserve, they are often not found.

And I hope this is a case where we not only find Taylor alive and we can bring her back home and we can restore her. Yes. And we can restore her. And that's what community is here for. And so I just want us to keep Taylor's family and the organizers lifted because this is hard. This is the hard work. And I'm just doing my part with this platform to amplify it. So, please, if you can, visit that link in the show notes and donate.

Cause we gotta find Taylor, Casey.

And of course, I'm gonna keep y'all updated as I hear more. Of course, of course, of course.

And I just wanna say it really breaks my heart that, you know, our first episode after official Pride Month is leading with these stories. But I also think that this is so apropos as this is our reality right now. This is what's happening. We're living in these moments where we are celebrating and lamenting all at the same time. Our next story for today is about Liera Sy Liera is from Iowa, just moved to Minnesota for a new life earlier this year to help pursue her dj career, and it was a more affirming place for her trans identity. Well, last week, Liera's body was found in the backseat of a car after a high speed chase and an accident. And so, after the accident occurred, the police approached and found her body wrapped in sheets in the backseat.

Liera was 35. She was not only a dj. The community wants you to know she also was a community lover, she also brought a lot of joy to a lot of folks. And I saw a video of her sisters talking about the bright light that she was in their lives. And listen to this statement from HRC's director of community engagement. Tory says Liera's killing leaves a void in her community that will never be filled. Her activism and her work as an artist and dj touched many, and our hearts are with those who called her a friend or chosen family. Far too many transgender people have been taken from those who love them through acts of violence. And we must all work together to build communities where all trans and nonbinary people are allowed to thrive.

And it sounds like that's what she wanted for her life. That's why she moved from Iowa to Minnesota. Cause she wanted a better life, a more fulfilling life.

The police do have someone in custody. The driver of that vehicle, Margot. She is being held in custody right now as they continue the investigation. And we'll see how that all pans out for today. Liera, we speak your name in politics. President Biden has issued a pardon for LGBTQ veterans. That's right. So much of this work had been done, but there was still more to do, and this one was specifically around consensual gay sex. There were people who had been dismissed for being caught in this act. And they say this pardon will actually affect about 2000 veterans. And President Biden said this. This is about dignity, decency, and ensuring the culture of our armed forces reflect the values that make us an exceptional nation.

I like it, President Biden. I like it. I like it a lot.

Family, as part of my work, I get to attend some special events. And this past week, I got to attend a pride press conference. It's the fourth annual pride press conference put on by Senator Mike Simmons here in the state of Illinois. Now, Senator Simmons is the first out elected official in the Illinois state Senate. And child.

Senator Simmons is the business. Okay.

I love the work he does. I love his advocacy, and I love how he shows up in the community. And they hosted this pride press conference at the Gerber Heart Library and Archives. It is the largest collection of LGBTQ literature and media in the midwest. Okay? So if you're ever in Chicago, you've got to go visit the Gerber Heart library. Well, this year, for their pride press conference, they decided not to have folks like me speak again. But they opened the floor to queer youth, and the queer youth had a panel, and they were discussing their experiences in schools, in their community, why they decided to advocate, why they decide to use their voices in this moment. There were tears, child. It was all the things. And it gave me so much hope.

So much hope because they spoke so well and they are advocating and they are lobbying and they are doing the work.

You know, some highlights for me is they ask them, who are some of your gay icons that you look up to? Someone said Harvey Milk. Somebody else said William Penn. I love that. I love that they're tapped into history in that way.

And they also were so open about talking about how the anti LGBTQ legislation is affecting them, the bullying that they are experiencing, schools even here in the city of Chicago, that is open and affirming this type of bullying is still happening.

But let me tell you, if our future is dependent upon the queer youth I saw on that panel, we gonna be okay.

We are going to be okay.

And I feel like this is a perfect time to take a quick break. And when we get back, I'm going to drop my word for the week as we close out pride month. So stay close, queer youth. We are the voices missing in the conversation.

C
I've been watching straight people kiss since.

A
I was six, and I don't want to kiss. A woman existing as I am should be bare minimum.

D
This current generation of queer young people have a lot to teach us. I'm Celeste Lacine, and I'm thrilled to bring you I'm feeling queer today, a podcast that amplifies the voices of queer youth. Pride means showing the world that we.

A
Are still here, and nothing is going to change that.

D
Listen now, wherever you get your podcasts.

E
The journey toward liberation is not a straight line.

F
Heck, there isn't even a finish line, at least not in our lifetimes.

E
Yep, the path is messy af, and we're here for it. Hi, I'm Tyna Brown.

F
And I'm Becky Mullenkamp, and we're your hosts for messy liberation. We hope you'll join us for weekly or as close to weekly as we can get. Conversations about life as intersectional feminists and feminist coaches.

E
We'll keep it fun, but we'll also go deep as we talk about current events, politics, pop culture, and, of course, business. Always with an eye on liberation from oppressive systems.

F
And listen, we are not perfect activists or allies, so don't expect polished, perfectly formulated conversations with tidy, three step solutions. You're not going to find that toxic capitalist b's here.

E
Instead, we are going to share our real time, messy thoughts as we make sense of the world around us. If you are sick of superficial approaches to business and personal challenges, then you're going to love the nuance that we're bringing to every discussion.

F
This show is going to get you thinking, help you feel less alone in the mess of personal development and systems liberation, and we hope, educate and inspire you no matter where you are on the journey.

E
If you also want to create a more equitable world, please join us on the journey to messy liberation, available wherever you listen to podcasts, including Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.

A
Family, it's that time of the show for Anna's got a word because Anna's always got a word. And today my word is honored. I am honored to be the host of this podcast. I'm honored to tell our stories, and I'm honored that we're building this platform together.

Today I'm recording on Sunday, I'm going out to the Chicago Pride parade and I'm going to be emceeing a float done this before. I'm gonna be emceeing afloat for sidetracked and enjoying the Chicago pride parade and being in community today. I can't wait to tell you all, all about it. But I'm honored. That is my word today. So thank you for listening. And I want to leave us with a few pride messages. Okay, as we head out of June and into July here in Chicago, we've got black pride this upcoming weekend, so I'm not done celebrating just yet, but I want to remember and honor some of the messages we heard this month as a reminder to help carry us through the last of this year. We've got a long six months to go. The world is palpable right now. Politically, it's charged.

Our humanity is on the line.

And I plan on coming back to these pride messages often to remind me why I'm doing this work and why we've got to continue the fight. So, family, happy pride. Happy pride. Okay. And we gon be okay.

G
Happy gay month. Yes, this is Imani calling in from Chicago. Pronouns, they, them. But I'm a Brooklyn baby. Shout out to New York.

Being pride, I think being black and gay in June is just a superpower in itself. But pride to me means radical authenticity.

I am a light bloomer. I came out to my mom right before my 30 birthday, and the last three years has just been an amazing opportunity to connect to the self that was hidden and shamed into a closet. So pride to me means, move, I'm gay.

What it means I'm me. It means this is who I am. This is who I was designed to be. This is who I choose to be.

And it's just a constant reminder to myself with liberation and freedom. Looks like because autonomy, exercise even when the world doesn't want you to. Oh, baby, what's that? That's power.

C
Peace, everyone. My name is Derek Holland. Pronouns are he, him, and dialing in from Texas. And pride, to me, means being authentic and accepting of yourself and loving yourself and loving who you are. And I knowing that there's nothing wrong with you and that you are a blessing on this earth and your spirit is a blessing to any person that you come in contact with. And if they don't accept you, then that's their problem.

All right. I'm proud to be a black trans man, and I'm proud to represent us in media. Proud to represent e three radio and thecube app. And I'm proud to represent any and everywhere I go because I'm proud to be me. So happy. Pride month, y'all.

H
Pride can be many things to many people. I've always thought it's kind of like a Rorschach test. For some, it's a protest. For some, it's a party. For some, it's an opportunity to be out for one or a few days of the year or even for that month when it's not possible otherwise.

But one of the most important things for me about pride is that it can show anyone in the LGBTQIA community or our allies that they're not alone, that they're part of something bigger, that they're able to join in community and see the full breadth of diversity of who we are and understand the love and the power and the joy and the anger and all of the things that come with that as we continue to fight for liberation.

So when I say happy pride, it doesn't mean that we're all always happy. It means that we can, for at least that month, at least that day, or even an hour for some people, be together in community, feel that unconditional love and joy and help that be the thing that carries us for the rest of the year.

A
If you've enjoyed what you heard, rate and review us inside your favorite podcasting app. This podcast is written and produced by me, Anna Deshawn, podcast editing by Ryan Woodhall and brought to you by e three Radio and distributed on theCube. We are queer news done right.

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