Director, screenwriter, and producer Patrik-Ian Polk has been creating phenomenal Black LGBTQ content for film and television audiences for nearly two decades, starting with the 2000 feature film "Punks," which he wrote, directed and produced. Polk is best known for his groundbreaking television series "Noah’s Arc," which ran for premiered in 2005 and ran for two seasons on the Logo cable channel. The series featured gay Black and Latinx characters and highlighted many social issues including same-sex marriage, queer parenthood, HIV/AIDS awareness, and gay bashing. Logo TV recently made ..read more

What are some of the barriers that prevent intergenerational bonding and mentorship among LGBTQ people? What are some of the factors that hold us back from sharing knowledge and wisdom between folks of different age groups within the queer community? This week we explore intergenerational mentorship and queer concepts of chosen family. Philadelphia Inquirer photo journalist Heather Khalifa introduces us to a black trans woman and her fiancé who act as stand-in parents to LGBTQ youth in their Philadelphia neighborhood. Andrea Lamour-Harrington has opened her home to struggling LGBTQ young ..read more

Conversations about the intersections of identify can be awkward, uncomfortable and sometimes emotionally exhausting -- especially when discussing race and gender. And especially when these conversations have to happen between parents and their children. To that end, this week we chat with parents who are having very intentional conversations with their respective family members about ways the world assigns value to -- or holds stereotypical expectations of -- women of color. We’re joined this week by two thought-provoking writers. Author Kay Bolden explains “Why Women in My Family Don’t Scrub ..read more

This week we’re joined by writer and social media manager Sarah Thomas. In a recent think piece for Black Youth Project, Thomas says that despite well-received representation in popular films and television shows, polyamory, kink and other once-taboo areas of romance and sexuality are primarily only socially acceptable for white folks to explore. Thomas says that since enslavement, Black bodies -- especially those of Black women -- have been scrutinized, and today those bodies are prevented from safely exploring the liberatory practices of sex-positivity that many white people enjoy ..read more

This week Shya Scanlon, a self-described white liberal who penned the essay “I, Racist: Confessions of a White Liberal,” tells us how and why he began the hard work of acknowledging and unlearning the racist ideas he wasn’t aware he held ..read more

From Paula Deen, to Brock Turner, to Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, we live in a society that allows many white people who commit racist, violent or illegal actions to be punished lightly and quickly forgiven. This quickness to forgive is present in both the court of public opinion and also within the country’s political and judicial systems. This week we challenge notions of instant white redemption and second chances with Marley K, an author and advocate whose essay asks, “Why Does A White Man’s Legacy Trump A Black Man’s Trauma ..read more

Educator and writer Rodney Fierce thought that performing a type of muted Blackness would shield him from the usual pitfall and roadblocks of discrimination, microaggressions and racism. He was wrong. Fierce joins us this week to discuss his essay "The Price of Being Pleasing," and explains why performing Black harmlessness isn't worth the cost ..read more

This week we return to coverage of the protests and uprisings that are still happening in Louisville in response to the police killings of Breonna Taylor, David McAtee and others. We're joined by independent journalist Chea K. Woolfolk, who tells us about the recent arrests of live streamers covering the protests. We question why her charges varied so severely from a white live streamer who was arrested alongside her, and she talks about how she doesn’t plan on letting her upcoming court case stop her from bringing truth to the people of Louisville ..read more

Between growing public interest in the racial justice movement, a polarizing political landscape and folks trapped indoors for nearly nine months now, online activism is at an all time high. Accordingly, white supremacists who spew vitriolic and violent language and ideas also abound across social media platforms. This week Ron Dawson joins us to discuss his recent essay, "There’s a Jim Crow Mentality on Social Media,” which outlines his experiences combating racist trolls and threats of violence online. Later, diversity trainer Risha Grant joins us to discuss her idea that "radical acceptance ..read more

Corporal punishment describes using physical punishment intended to cause pain as a means of discipline. The most common version of this practice involves hitting or spanking children. Black folks commonly call it getting or giving a “whupping.” The phrase “spare the rod, spoil the child” is often cited as a sort of religious mandate for such physical discipline of children (even though the popular idiom isn’t actually in the Bible). And despite research to the contrary, there are still many Black parents who contend that hitting their children will turn them into good adults, teach them respe ..read more