Through a Queer Lens: Recent Episodes
Janel Alvarez
I have known that I loved women since I was 8 years old and in this podcast, you will learn more about my journey, the journey of others, and how I have been able to be 28 and open about being queer and that there is so much hope. As a queer Latina, I want to help the youth of my Latinx and LGBTQ communities to get through the inevitable struggle being in a patriarchal and heterosexual world. I will be bringing guests here who are in my life to bring in their perspectives because regardless of how we all identify, in order to better understand yourself, it is important to listen to others and to learn about their history and their perspectives. This is part of the problem here in 2020 ya’ll, even in our queer community, we aren’t all listening to each other and that adds to the anger and adds to the confusion. It is important to take the time to listen to people who you may even hate because I promise you...you learn something about yourself each and every time. If you can do that in a world where the majority can’t for many reasons, you stand out and you become the person our world needs to create effective change globally.
It's the last episode of season 1! For today's episode, I reflect on the lessons learned from such a chaotic year, 2020, with the two people who helped me start this safe space! Melissa, Angela and I dive into the unfortunate struggles during 2020, the meaning of a "new year", the concept of time, and the plan for season 2 of Through a Queer Lens. Leave a comment and rating on Spotify and Apple Podcasts =) Enjoy!
What does it really take for our schools to be fully equitable? Biden and Harris will soon be in office so, now what? Disney or Pixar? What are your top 3 Disney and Pixar movies? These are just some of the questions I dive into with a dear colleague, friend and historian, Jeff Fleming! In our conversation, I open up about my journey with being a Queer teacher and opening up to my students.
As the first big break of the school year was approaching, I took time to rethink self care and what that looks like for me as an individual. Since March, I've tried to come up with different ways to take care of my mental and physical health as I figured out remote teaching. In today's episode, my brother Ryan and I dive into the conversation of self care during multiple pandemics. The central question for today's episode is, "How do we balance making time for ourselves and the people we love?" - Enjoy!
I voted for TRUTH, UNITY, and HOPE!!!! After such a long and stressful week, I am BEYOND happy to debrief with you all about the win that WE needed!!!! President Elect Joe Biden and Vice President Elect Kamala Harris!!!! "I am the first, but I won't be the last". YES YES Kamala!!!!! In today's episode, I talk about what it means to finally see a black woman elected as our Vice President. As a queer Latina, I am still feeling so much joy from seeing her speech this past Saturday in Delaware with Biden. It feels so good to hope again BUT, we have work to do ya'll =).
Good morning good people! Welcome to our first week of November and to this monumental week of our lives! This is the first episode where I get to dive into a deep reflection about how it has been to teach remotely for 10 weeks thus far and the routines that I have created to center myself every morning to do the work that I love. With Election Day being tomorrow, I ask you to think about how you are structuring your time to take care of yourself. We will thrive because we can do hard things!
From Dungeons and Dragons to Congress women gaming in order to bring awareness to the importance of voting, my brother and I dive into the impact of video games in our lives! With that, new hobbies were developed during quarantine; therefore, I ask you all to think about the new hobbies that you have created to help you deal with quarantine, this intense election year, and the state of our world. If you don't have any new hobbies, TUNE IN to hear about what we have been doing in order to help you think about what you can do differently with your time in order to relax and recharge in our world of the unknown.
Where do we begin in our fight for justice? I say it has always started with our education system. In this episode, a colleague and Newark, New Jersey native and advocate dive into a deep conversation on how education consists of systems filled with sexism, racism, homophobia, and transphobia. With that, we will offer key solutions on how to navigate our unjust education systems along with solutions on how to make it more equitable. This is THE episode that will push our thinking and continue to ask ourselves, “what side of history will I be on?” Finally, I ask you all to think about this key hearty question, “How comfortable are you with being uncomfortable?” Join the conversation and the revolution for justice!
Teaching is my REVOLUTION. In today’s episode, I get to dive into why I got into education and why I choose to continue to teach even in our new unknown world of virtual learning during multiple pandemics. One of the key reasons why our country continues to keep predominantly white men in government who support racist systems of oppression and white supremacy is because of our education systems. Our education in this country was founded on racists beliefs, thus, continues to produce people who promote racism, white supremacy and other prejudice systems. Having said that, there are many ways to work towards changing the status quo. As you listen to me and my two special guests, the hearty question that I want you to grapple with is, “What side of history do you want to be on?”.
To what extent do our sibling relationships impact our lives? In today's episode, my brother, his fiancé and best friend will dive into our childhood experiences in order to grapple with this question together. The reality is that regardless of our individual childhood experiences, family is very COMPLEX; especially our Cuban household! With that though, comes great humor for that's typically been my route of choice when trying to deal with my family. Our guests today all come from a Cuban household and are one of my main support systems in this life. I'm excited for you all to hear our unique stories and to see who else is up to the "movie line" challenge! Tune in to find out!
Welcome to Through a Queer Lens! A queer podcast led by a queer woman. The purpose of this is to create a safe space for our LGBTQ youth. In order for us as human beings to grow, we must learn to listen to others to understand rather than listening to simply respond. On today's episode, my best friend and her girlfriend will be interviewing me in order for you all to learn how this platform was created. Get ready to think and to laugh!