On this episode of the OUTcast Podcast, we discussed the ground-breaking 2022 referendum made to Cuba’s Family Code. Once considered progressive for its time, the 1975 Family Code was created to mandate equality for women. However, as decades passed, the Family Code quickly became outdated and needed to be amended to reflect the current times.  After passing with 66% of votes in favor of reform, Cuba ushered in a new era redefining the idea of family, marriage, reproductive rights, maternity rights, and rights for people with disabilities. Included in this referendum were federal protections of LGBTQ marriages, adoptions, and reproductive rights. So, to gain an accurate assessment of Cuba’s Family Code, we invited community organizer, cultural worker, writer, and art historian, Devyn Springer, to the pod to speak about how this referendum came to be, the history of the tension between the U.S. and Cuba, and their experiences living on the island of Cuba.

For this episode, we wanted to end the year with a bang! So, we decided to make this recording into our first ever video to be released on the OUTreach YouTube Channel! Since Trans Awareness Week and Trans Day of Remembrance was last month, we wanted to have a table talk focused on the lives of Black Trans Femme individuals in Muncie, Indiana. Due to this being a Black Trans Femme-centered episode, we thought what better way to mark the return of our beloved cast member and friend, Hunter Greenleaf. She comes through to offer a fresh perspective on what life is like navigating Muncie as a Black Trans Woman. We also would like to thank our guest on this episode, Teri Lightning, who was so gracious as to join us on this table talk to discuss her experience as Black Non-binary Trans Femme. We left no rock unturned; everything from love and relationships to bigotry and transphobic violence was touched on in this episode. We would like to thank our supporters for sticking with us thus far and be on the lookout for more quality content from us in 2023!!!

We would like to thank our videographer Trena Morton for blessing us with our first ever video. Also, stay tuned for part 2 of this table talk.

For today’s episode, we will be revisiting a topic previously covered in the finale of the first season of our podcast, Drag performance. So, we thought what better way to approach this topic again than to interview the immensely talented local drag performer, Patrick Oneal. Patrick is a 24 year old trans man who is a health care worker by day but by night he performs under the stage name Adam McDarling. He has been performing most of his life and even participated in the Mr. Gay Indiana competition in 2021 and 2022. He also has occasionally given presentations about his life experiences as an autistic person. With a magnetic personality and positive attitude, he is able to put a smile on the faces of both judges and audiences.

Hello, everyone and welcome to a special episode of the OUTcast podcast where we celebrate the 10 year anniversary of Muncie OUTreach! Founded in 2012, Muncie OUTreach was created to provide the LGBTQ youth of Delaware County with the necessary support, resources, and advocacy that was sorely lacking at that time. Fast forward 10 years later, Muncie OUTreach has grown to become a pillar within the Muncie community by advocating for LGBTQ rights and utilizing its resources to ensure the safety of our queer youth. As a matter of fact, without Muncie OUTreach the OUTcast Podcast wouldn’t exist. So, we thought what better way to celebrate this momentous occasion than to interview director and founder of Muncie OUTreach, Laura Janney! With that said, we would like everyone to listen in as we commemorate the history and celebrate the accomplishments of Muncie OUTreach!

For this episode, we decided to take a break from the usual serious topics involving social issues, problematic politics, and current events to shift towards a lighter tone. We decided to do an episode where we focus on a specific series that is an example of good representation, quality storytelling, and unapologetically queer characters. So, we chose to analyze, critique, and praise the new critically acclaimed and Takia Waititi-produced HBO Max series “Our Flag Means Death.” This new take on the pirate genre is praised for its LGBTQ representation, colorful cast, and subversion of the queer-baiting trope that became quite popular in film. With that said, we decided to offer up our own assessments of the show by exploring the important themes, analyzing our favorite characters, and addressing the historical inaccuracies which led to some potentially uncomfortable subjects. So, we would like for everyone to just enjoy this fun and light-hearted episode but also stay tuned for more content like this in the future.

For this roundtable episode, we decided to tackle a topic that sparked nationwide outrage and set the internet ablaze. A topic that undoubtedly affects a significant portion of the population. The topic we wanted to confront head on was the unfortunate overturn of Roe V. Wade and Planned Parenthood V. Casey. On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States decided to pass Dobbs V. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that effectively put an end to Roe and Casey, thus ending federal protections surrounding abortion and gave states the power to ban abortion. As countless media outlets reported on the merciless assault on reproductive rights, we heard a particular narrative being regurgitated over and over. One that frames this matter as purely a “women’s rights issue.” This cis woman-centered narrative limits the scope of who is affected by this decision which in turn has cruel and unintended consequences. Outcomes that abandon the accounts of many people who can give birth but don’t identify as women. The lack LGBTQ voices and perspectives within this discourse was concerning and needed to be addressed, so we decided to speak up. We invited nurse practitioner, Kathy Campbell Feeney, to guide us through the murky waters of reproductive rights, abortion misinformation, political propaganda, and the erasure of LGBTQ voices from public discussions.

For many people within the LGBTQ community, the single most powerful act they can partake in to gain independence, acceptance, and freedom in a world that too often denies them these qualities, is to come out of the closet. This action alone can be the first steppingstone in making a scornful, bigoted, and unaccepting society come to terms with their humanity. The same holds true for families of LGBTQ individuals who are hateful and unaccepting. When a family member comes out of the closet, they are no longer an abstract threat, instead they become tangible, real. Forcing the family to either come to terms with their own bigotry and heal or give into that bigotry thus destroying the trust of their queer loved one forever. For today’s episode, we are spoke to local author, LGBTQ counselor, and an all-around force for good in our community, Paige Hendricks, about her book “Out of the Closet: An Anthology of Coming Out Stories” and why coming out of the closet is a crucial step for Queer Youth.

When we recorded our Year End episode, we had everyone present except for River and Jordan. So, we wanted to give our newest cast member, River, and the founder of this podcast, Jordan, an opportunity to talk about their first year in podcasting and to highlight their favorite episodes. We would like to send a BIG thank you to our host, Rose, for staying late to help us record this episode.