Content and trigger warning:
Please be aware that today’s show contains descriptions and discussions about mental health, suicidal ideation, self-harm, trans-exclusionary radical feminists, family violence, misogyny, transphobia, child abuse, religious fundamentalism, gay conversion therapy, queerphobia, sex, violence against trans women, and sexual assault, that may be distressing to some listeners. If this type of content is a trigger for you, please contact Lifeline (13 11 14), 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732), iHeal – Family Violence Recovery Support (03 9663 6733), Beyond Blue (1300 224 636), Switchboard Victoria (1800 184 527), or contact your state-based service.
Michele speaks with Jonas Ropponen, an ex-Jehovah’s Witness, artist, and teacher. Jonas is originally from Sweden and grew up in Frankston (Victoria) in a Jehovah’s Witness family. He left the religion after coming out as gay 22 years ago when he was twenty. We discuss his experiences of growing up queer, the aftermath of being excommunicated, and living as an ex-Jehovah’s Witness in the context of religious fundamentalism.
Michele speaks with Abby, a trans woman living in Fitzroy, Melbourne. She has worked as a computer programmer all her adult life and currently lives with her teenage son. We discuss her experiences, and the difficulty, of dating as a trans woman using dating apps, and the effects on her mental health.
Michele speaks with Darrell Sugar, a gay ex-Jehovah’s Witness living in Melbourne. He was baptized in 1990 and excommunicated and shunned by his family and the religious organisation at age 27, over 20 years ago. We discuss his experiences of growing up queer, the aftermath of being excommunicated, and living with mental illness and trauma in the context of religious fundamentalism.
For unbiased information on Jehovah’s Witnesses:
Visit JWfacts to determine if Jehovah's Witnesses have 'the truth' via an examination of its history, doctrinal accuracy, and its belief systems. Created by ex-Jehovah's Witness Paul Grundy.
Read Crisis of Conscience (1983), a biographical book by Raymond Franz, a former member of the Governing Body of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. The book was written three years after his expulsion from the Jehovah’s Witnesses religion.
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Queering the Air presents critically engaged commentary from a mix of trans, genderqueer, gender diverse, bisexual, pansexual, lesbian, gay, queer, and intersex perspectives.
Each week's show features a fresh feast of ideas, interviews, news, histories, arts, and discussion with an anti-racist, feminist, and anti-capitalist bent. We have a particular interest in the intersection of queerness with other experiences of marginalisation.
You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out what's on the menu for the coming weeks.
In 2015, the collective created We Weren't Born Yesterday, a series exploring queer heritage, vocabulary and intergenerational connections in Arab, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Indian communities in Australia. Read more and listen.
CONTACT US
Contact the whole raucous lot of the Queering the Air collective via queeringtheair@gmail.com, Facebook, or Twitter.
You can also send mail (like demo CDs) to:
Queering the Air
3CR Community Radio
21 Smith Street
Fitzroy VIC 3065
