Everywhere is Queer, the YELP App for LGBTQ People, Creator is in the House!

The Netflix series "Warrior Nun" is a powerhouse tour-d-force of woman empowerment while being a provacateur of deeply traditional religious mythologies. "After waking up in a morgue, an orphaned teen discovers she now possesses superpowers as the chosen Halo-Bearer for a secret sect of demon-hunting nuns." The "demon-hunting nuns" have a foundational and guiding mother figure, aptly named Mother Superion, played by acclaimed actress Sylvia De Fanti. Sylvia is our guest today. The ground-breaking series is highly regarded by critics, and has established a deeply loyal following who call themselves Nunkind or Halo Bearers (we will explain on the show).  The second season scored 100% from critics and 99% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, a record high for a Netflix original series. When Netflix did not order a third season, a movement has exploded.  #SaveWarriorNun trended immediately following the news (it has been tweeted more than 5 million times). More than 107,000 people have signed an online petition to renew the show for a third season. Called "one to watch" by People Magazine, Sylvia has appeared on the series Empire and Medici and starred for a season on Itally's longest running series Incantesmo. Sylvia is a pioneer in both theater and human rights. She has co-founded cultural center Angelo Mai , theater company Bluemotion, and Teatro Valle Occupato, and organization the New York Times called "a maverick institution established to empower Italy's workers in the fields of art, entertainment and culture."   With co-host Brody Levesque

27 Apr 202358min

Welcome back to Rated G Radio! Tonight Garrett welcomes back fan-favorite special guest co-host, Stephanie Gerard.  You'll remember Stephanie from her highly acclaimed "Journey with Stephanie" podcast where she interviews healers and other gifted souls.   Stephanie will update us on what's been happening in her world.  We'll talk about what's coming up for our Summer plans - and, of course, Rated G Radio's Hot Topics.   If you would like to call in ON TOPIC to chat, please call 323 657-1493. To schedule a private reading with Stephanie for her unique chakra healing, theta energy healing or spiritual readings - simply click HERE.

25 Apr 20231h

Today is everything you did not know about women's Roller Derby through the eyes of six powerful players.  We discuss their stories told in the new documentary Minnesota Mean by Dawn Mikkelson. “Minnesota Mean” follows a tumultuous year in the lives of the six core members of the Minnesota RollerGirls, one of the most competitive roller derby teams in the world, as they strive to win the Hydra, the top prize in Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby. In the film, the star of the team gets injured, and the film shows how her teammates find their own power. “Minnesota Mean” is not just a riveting human drama about the pounding heart of roller derby, but about the spirit of powerful, self-sufficient women from all walks of life and identity (straight, gay, trans, etc.). It’s a vital and relevant story of triumph, loss, strength, determination, and a search for balance between individuality and community.   Dawn is our guest today and is an extraordinary LGBTQ director, editor & producer, who embraces stories and voices that are often not amplified and often marginalized. A steady theme in her work is the power and strength of community made family. With an incredible background in broadcast, Dawn also recently co-directed, edited & produced our Rated LGBT Radio spotlighted film from last week, the acclaimed "Finding Her Beat,” made by a predominantly female/nonbinary, largely Asian-American and LGBTQ filmmaking team, and cast.   With co-host Brody Levesque

20 Apr 202359min

Taiko is a rich and varied form of drumming that is part of Japan's cultural heritage. While it originally started in other parts of Asia, it emerged in Japan over 2000 years ago. It became a powerful motivator in military preparations and evolved into Japanese Buddhist and Shinto religions as a sacred instrument. Taiko literally means "drum" in Japanese, and the musical discipline of Taiko takes that instrument to its most impactful limits. Because of its origins in patriarcal warfare and religious traditions, Taiko has been done for centuries only by men. Forty years ago, women musicians around the world became enthralled with the art form and have individually created their own Taiko compositions and disciplines. None of their efforts were collaborative or integrated -- each artist created and performed on her own. Until now.  Jennifer Weir, our guest today, is the Executive Director of TaikoArts Midwest. She decided to create the very first concert that would bring together all the female, and nonbinary, Taiko superstars to perform together on one stage in one mind-blowing performance. While doing so, she collaborated with a film team to make the documentary Finding Her Beat to tell the story of how the concert came together, and more broadly, spotlighting the evolution of an art form that now can belong to women artists as well as men. With co-host Brody Levesque

13 Apr 20231h

Our guest today brings a unique blends of talent and perspective. Sasha Korbut is a Russian-American dancer, actor, writer, and producer based in New York City. Sasha began his career as a journalist, TV host, and producer at National Television in Russia and later contributed to numerous print and online magazines. A graduate of the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City, he has been dancing and acting professionally for more than two decades and has worked for dance companies in Russia, South Korea, Spain, China, and the United States. Today we will be discussing his debut as a film director and his new film Incomplete. Dance movement plays an intrigal part of the film's emotion and impact. Of the film, Sasha has said, "I wanted to focus on the sense of isolation and loneliness within the LGBTQIA+ community. But these issues are universal and while filming in 2022, I strongly felt the echoes of all the sadly lost connections we experienced during the COVID-19 worldwide lockdown." With co-host Brody Levesque

6 Apr 202359min

Americans sat back in horror on March 27, 2023, as news of a mass shooting hit the airwaves and social media. The shooting occurred at The Covenant School, a private Presbyterian parochial school in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville, Tennessee. Six people—three children and three staff members—were killed. First reports indicated that the shooter was "a woman."  Further investigation indicates that the shooter was trans or non-binary.  While most sane people are reacting to America's seemingly inability to solve the rising gun violence crisis, right wing voices from Marjorie Taylor Greene, to the New York Post, to Tucker Carlson are using the killings to raise ire against the transgender "community."  Carlson has elevated the murders to being a hatred and a war declared against Christians by transgender people. Today we discuss the escalating attacks on transgenderr people with award winning, premier civil rights attorney Shannon Minter. Shannon serves as the legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Shannon was lead counsel for same-sex couples in the landmark California marriage equality case which held that same-sex couples have the fundamental right to marry and that laws that discriminate based on sexual orientation are inherently discriminatory and subject to the highest level of constitutional scrutiny.  We will also be discussing the 303 Creative LGBTQ discrimination case in front of the Supreme Court and the dangerous ruling that could result from that. With co-host Brody Levesque

30 Mars 202358min

Washington Blade Editor, Kevin Naff is known for best-in-class journalism and coverage of LGBTQ people and issues. He has been with the Blade since 2002, when he took the helm of the nation's oldest LGBTQ news organization. Previous to that, he spent four years at The Baltimore Sun, helping launch the paper's web site in 1996. He has worked as a financial reporter for Reuters, edited a national business trade journal and spent a year in the communications office of a U.S. senator. He graduated from Penn State University with a bachelor's degree in journalism and holds a master's certificate in public policy. He has written a poignant memoir leveraging his birds-eye view of LGBTQ history through the marriage equality, hate crimes legislation, and  defeat of DADT fights. The memoir is boldly titled "How We Won the War for LGBTQ Equality", but its subtitle is the one to which we all need to pay attention:  "And How Our Enemies Could Take it All Away". Fear not, this is no dry telling of gay history, however.  While unlike the bestseller Spare , there were no penises frozen in the writing of How We Won, but there is still plenty of  "T". From the outing of a prominent Fox News Host, to frantically crawling under tables at the Washington Correspondents Dinner with Laverne Cox looking for diamonds --there are stories to talk about!  And we do! With co-host Brody Levesque

16 Mars 202359min

We look at the art of film and television casting today with acclaimed casting director, and gay man, Matthew Lessall. Matthew's latest accolade is an Achievement in Casting nomination for a Canadian "Oscar" bestowed by the Canadian Screen and Television Academy.  The nomination recoginizes his work on The Swearing Jar,  Described as "intelligent, hopeful and heartbreaking", Michael casted  Patrick J. Adams, Adelaide Clemmons, Douglas Smith, and Kathleen Turner as its stars.  A romantic musical, the film is about a music teacher who both loves her husband, and falls in love with another musician. A two-term former Casting Society of America (CSA) president, Matthew was born in London and raised in New York.  After graduating from DePauw University, with a degree in Communications, Lessall moved to London to study acting at LAMDA, but ended up finding his niche in Casting.  With his prophetic eye for great talent, Matthew cast Anna Kendrick in her first major film role, having done the same for many other now-celebrated actors.  His resume includes casts for productions and co-productions for Australia, Canada, Dominican Republic, Germany, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, and the UK. Most of his projects have earned Official Selection laurels – and numerous wins - at Cannes, TIFF, Venice, Sundance, San Sebastian, Tribeca, Outfest, SXSW, and a host of other significant festivals, oftentimes securing immediate distribution deals.  With co-host Brody Levesque

9 Mars 20231h