Today on the show we sit down with Brody Ray, Kearney, NE native, who is working hard to make his dreams become a reality! He recently released his first EP Detour worldwide! He has an upbeat alternative rock sound that is full of life and energy! On this episode we talk about how Brody became a musician along with some wonderful stories about his growing up knowing he was different.
Brody’s life started out different from most. Brody, born female, new that his body didn’t match what he felt on the inside, as young as a toddler. Brody’s mother remembers him kicking the back of her seat in the McDonald’s Drive Thru until he got the boy toy in his happy meal, and jumping around in diapers and cowboy boots with a guitar singing at the top of his lungs.
I happen to think Brody is an incredible talent as well as being an amazing human being! He has a heart of gold and a deep desire to make a difference in the world with his music and I believe he is well on his way! He has performed at numerous Pride’s around the US along with performing right here in Omaha for Heartland Pride! Be sure to check out his website at www.brodyray.com and BUY HIS MUSIC which is also available on iTunes.
Brody also sang live in the studio for us and we shot a little video footage for your viewing pleasure!
If you can’t see the player above click HERE and listen to the show on PodOMatic.
Today on the radio show we sat down with Kate Parrish. She is the president of the River City Gender Alliance, also known as RCGA. Since 1986 RCGA has been a support organization that provides peer support, friendship and understanding for crossdressers, transgenderists and transsexuals.
The mission of the RCGA is to provide support for all persons who experience any form of gender identity issues. We welcome all persons with gender identity issues and also their spouses, partners and family members.
To fulfill the mission of the RCGA the objectives will be:
Monthly support meetings
Provide educational assistance and resource referrals.
Develop self-confidence/self-esteem in all members.
Network with other support groups.
Provide outreach activities that positively reflect our lifestyle.
Provide outreach to helping professionals who are interested in our lifestyle.
Hold social gatherings.
Recently RCGA provided Talk Back Panels for the play “Mama’s Girls” produced/directed by SNAP! Productions. The panels ranged from youth members of the trans community sharing their experience to longtime members of RCGA sharing their knowledge and personal stories about being Transgender in the Midwest. Powerful conversations where conducted and we are sure many people left the theater with a greater understanding and compassion for the Transgender community. GREAT work by Kate Parrish and RCGA in provided this support.
On our show Kate shares her experience in discovering her own gender identity and becoming the woman she is today. We hope you enjoy the episode! Do you want to be on the show? Do you have a local organization that supports the LGBTQIA Community or a personal story that you feel is important for others to hear? Please send us an email elirigatuso@catchcreative.com to schedule a time to talk!
If you can’t see the player click HERE and listen to the podcast on PodOMatic.
On the show today I sat down with Dr. Amanda Duffy Randall. Omaha Therapist, Associate Professor, and the Director of the Grace Abbott School of Social Work at UNO. She shares some insights into her personal journey into becoming a therapist and how she started working with the LGBTQ Community. Dr. Randall is an amazing compassionate no nonsense human being who has a refreshing matter of fact way of approaching things. My favorite quote from our conversation is:
“Reaction is often times not long term adjustment, especially for a trans person, this has been something they have struggled with for a very long time. And when they tell their families they have about 30 seconds of reaction time. And often those reactions aren’t elegant, and aren’t pretty. But long term adjustments a very different process for families.” Dr. Randall
I LOVED our chat and I hope you will enjoy it too! I also hope you might learn something useful you can pass on to others. Please feel free to share this post with anyone you feel might benefit from it.
If you do not see the player click HERE to listen to the show on our Pod-O-Matic channel. The link will open a new window so you can still enjoy looking at other posts on our site! Also be sure to listen to previous episodes of the show!
Also, if you haven’t done so already, be sure to check out my video on transition and how it doesn’t just affect the person who is transitioning but everyone he or she knows.
On a special episode of the podcast we sit down with Kate Parrish, President of the RCGA (River City Gender Alliance), and she shares about TDOR Omaha and what is happening along with how RCGA is supporting the play Mama’s Girls produced by SNAP! Productions and showing now at the Shelterbelt Theater. Click HERE to buy tickets to the show before they sell out!
Transgender Day of Remembrance is this Friday, November 20th.
TDoR Omaha presents the 4th annual Transgender Day of Remembrance at the beautiful First Unitarian Church of Omaha, 31st and Harney. TDoR is a day that we gather in community to remember those who have died in the name of transphobia, share the living history of the transgender community, and to celebrate the transgender community.
Today on the podcast we are talking with JohnCarl Denkovich who is the Chairperson of the Board of Directors for GLSEN and his primary role is to serve as the local chapters Director of Policy and Legislative advocacy. He also sits on the National Advisory Council for GLSENs National Board.
GLSEN Omaha is a Chapter of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network. The mission of GLSEN Omaha is to assure that each member of every school community is valued and respected regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. They primarily serve the Omaha metropolitan area, including Council Bluffs, IA but provide services across Nebraska. They strive to protect students from bullying and harassment, to advance comprehensive safe schools laws and policies, to empower principals to make their schools safer, and to build the skills of educators to teach respect for all people. They work closely with the national staff of GLSEN to implement programs and affect positive change in school communities.
If you don’t see the player you can click here and listen to the podcast on Pod-o-matic! Thank you for listening!
In the mail today we received the brand spanking new Janet Jackson CD Unbreakable! It went immediately into the computer to import into iTunes so we could take it for a spin. And first impression, it DOES NOT DISAPPOINT! The opening song is very Janet lyrically and instrumentally. It is a toe tapping salute to love and trust me when I say it will make you want to grab your love and get your dance on! I like that she started the CD with this track because as we move through it gets a little deeper but I will get to that in a moment!
Next up is a little ditty featuring Missy Elliott and it definitely wakes up your senses and creates a fun ride as they come together to Burn It Up! It is a wonderful union of these two amazing women that will surely get lots of play time at the local clubs. It’s reminiscent of the times I spent dancing on the speakers at The Max and although it is a new song it takes me to a place that puts a big smile on my face. I am TOO OLD for the clubs but this one will surely aid with cleaning around the house! Give it a listen!
And she keeps the beat moving with track 3 Dammn Baby (yes it is spelled with two mm’s and you will understand why when you listen because I guarantee you will say DAMMN!).
The next track blew me away! Literally! I completely stopped what I was doing because I had to check the CD to make sure it was in fact Janet and not her brother Michael. I honestly thought maybe it was something he had not finished but his name doesn’t appear on the liner notes on the CD insert so it is in fact Janet. But she was surely channeling her brother on this track and it definitely has some subtle, or not so subtle, nuances of her brother throughout the track. The beat and the lyrics SCREAM Michael! Get it?
And the next track starts out slow and melodic. As a matter of fact it seems innocent and sweet until about 47 seconds in when it kicks into high gear. And then it slows again at a minute and twenty seconds which immediately drew me back to the CD insert. I had to read the lyrics and once I did I LOST IT, yes tears! The chorus is powerful and pure and the lyrics are vulnerable and sincere. She is telling one on herself about how she has had to overcome critics and her own naïveté and then she says, “Enlightened minds and open hearts together make the world a better place!” This song draws it’s power as an anthem for us all to see how we can do better for ourselves and for one another! It’s about revolution it’s about real solutions and it’s about OPENING your eyes! It’s FANTASTIC! She closes the song with a powerful softly delivered verse that will tug at the heartstrings of her Rhythm Nation fans but you will have to buy the CD or search online for what it is because I want this CD to break records! Buy it now! But if what I have already shared isn’t enough to convince you I will continue.
From track 5 to track 6 she slows it down. It starts out with her amazing voice and a piano. Singing right to your heart. Asking the question Who’s going to be there, After You Fall?” She shares heartache and pain in a way to understand what others might be going through when they are hurting. Questioning trust. She ends the song with that same question and then slowly, softly she says, I will. Choked me up!
The next track is definitely a shout out to Michael. She sings of long ago, remembering the good times when they were young making up songs together while they did chores and harmonizing, everyone with their part. Dancing and singing through most anything and always feeling safe. The second verse she refers to him leaving her in the summer. And she shares her intimate pain at the loss of her brother, her best friend, and the unbelievable pain but she does it in an upbeat Jackson way with “Broken Hearts Heal.” I have no doubt her brother LOVES it!
The next track is “Night” and it is all about love. Waking up in heaven. A wonderful tribute to the way love can take over and help the darkness fade and bring us joy. Another fun dance track that will have you shaking your groove thing!
I could go on and on and on about this CD but I am going to jump ahead to one of my favorite tracks! “Black Eagle” which is track 15. A dreamy, intoxicating melody which almost feels like it’s a plea to allow yourself to come out of a difficult time. A time so dark that might have you want to end it all. She calls it a love song and it feels like a bridge from one heart to another with a plea to stay with us. To honor your life and to be a stand that we reach out to one another. I may be reading into this but the lyrics are powerful and LIFE GIVING! The lyrics are here:
Suicide is a real issue. I hear about someone almost daily who has ended their life feeling as though they have no other choice. I believe this song could help someone. I will share it wildly. Because WE ALL NEED TO DO BETTER!
If you don’t have the CD you can buy it here. She is offering some GREAT packages that include other merchandise.
Thank you Janet! I heart you big time! Can’t wait to see you in Omaha and I would just die if I was fortunate enough to meet you and shake your hand! You are INCREDIBLE!
On this episode of Speaking Of Happy Podcast Eli interviews Jessi Hitchins, Director of the UNO Gender and Sexuality Resource Center, and Jay Irwin, Associate Professor of Sociology at UNO and is a teacher and scholar of LGBTQ identities and health. We get to know more about what the center has to offer the students as well as the greater Omaha Community in helping to create safe spaces for the LGBTQIA Community.
Jessi loves Musical theatre, is a doctoral candidate, and scooter-riding nerd. Puggle/dog lover. Passionate feminist and polysexual wife/partner. Avid UNO Maverick fan!
And Jay loves live music and binge watching television shows, his favorite is Orphan Black.
If you don’t see the player you can click the link below and listen to the podcast on Pod-o-matic! Thank you for listening!
This video was created from a spoken word piece written by Eli for his significant other at the time. When he first realized he was transgender and he shared with his life partner there was some struggle. Transition isn’t just about the person who is transitioning, it is about everyone near and dear to that person as well. This video is for anyone who is either transitioning or is close to someone who is. Please be gentle with yourselves in this process and be sure to surround yourself with people who love you and support you and will listen to you when you need to speak. I am very fortunate to have a life partner who is willing to look within and challenge herself to see the world in new and wonderful ways. She is choosing to walk this path with me and I am so very grateful for her. She is my rock, my salvation, the place I can go to find true comfort and love. There are amazing people in this world, if you are willing to let them in, they may surprise you with how they will respond! Much love and blessings to you today! I hope you enjoy this video.
