Let's Go To The Games - QueerMinded 8/14/2014

The Opening Ceremony of Gay Games 9, presented
by The Cleveland Foundation, rocked the Quicken
Loans arena on 9/9/2014 - Photo by Orie Givens

It's game time, and QueerMinded is ready to play! We showed our spirit this week and roadtripped to Gay Games 9, happening right up I-71 in Cleveland, Ohio.

The seven-day event features sports, exhibits, a downtown outdoor festival, cultural competitions and more. Co-hosts Orie and SaRea traveled to the games during opening weekend to check out the opening ceremony, mingle with spectators and participants and check out the nightlife. We talked to Clevelanders at Festival Village, the heart of the games, and we popped in to the Old School Iron Gym in Brook Park, Ohio to check out the power lifting competition. We'll bring you the story of a woman who overcame breast cancer to participate in lifting at the games. And she has a pretty cool motorcycle.

We also talk to Co-Host Emeritus Deo and Guest Reporter Jason Bourde, live from Cleveland, about their adventures to Gay Games events around the region. And we have an interview with gold medalist Mason Caminiti who participated in Bodybuilding. Caminiti shares his personal story on becoming a bodybuilder and participating the games.

Then, we expand the discussion on LGBT people and sports with a crosstalk featuring New York Daily News Sports Reporter Madison Hartman. Hartman discusses some of the key figures in LGBT sports news, LGBT players in professional sports and more.

Plus, the latest LGBTQ news from around the nation and around the world.

Follow the link to listen, and be sure to check out this week's music...from these three Queens!

RuPaul - Champion 

Queen - We Are The Champions

Gloria Estefan - Reach 

Next week, we're exploring violence toward and inside our community. It's a show you won't want to miss. Until then, enjoy this week's show!

Orie & SaRea

Post Opening Ceremony Reaction Gay Games 2014

Part sporting event, part pride festival, all queer - that's the sentiment after launch day of Gay Games 9 in Akron/Cleveland, Ohio.  SaRea and Orie took the show on the road to bring you the sights and sounds of the event.



(If the soundcloud player does not display, follow this link To catch up on the rest of what happened tonight, and to see what we get into tomorrow, check us out on twitter @queerminded. We've also launched an instagram (@queermindedradio) and Vine (@queerminded) to show what we can't tell.

The Global Queer Rights Movement Pt. 2 - QueerMinded 8/7/2014

The second part of our series on global LGBT rights takes us right to the motherland. The majority of African nations have laws on the books penalizing homosexuality, but that doesn't mean LGBT rights activists aren't working hard across the continent to raise awareness.

SaRea and Orie talk to Ugandan human rights activist and advocate Nicholas Opiyo from chapter 4 Uganda. Opiyo was on the legal team that challenged Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Act in court last week (and won!). He says that the courtroom was packed full of supporters and protesters, and that LGBT issues are finally gaining national attention.

Then, Shenilla Mohamed from the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) expands the discussion to discuss LGBT rights across the continent. Mohamed says that different countries are in different places in the fight for LGBT visibility, and that pressure is needed to move the agenda forward.

And Ronnie Veliz from GSANetwork continues our discussion on queer migration by talking about the experiences queer undocumented immigrants face in detention.

As always you'll hear the latest LGBTQ national and international news and our discussion about some of the topics heard over the past few weeks.


Follow the link to listen! And, be sure to check out this week's music selections from Kele Okereke, Nahkane Touré and Manu Chao.

The Global Queer Experience Pt. 1 - QueerMinded 7/31/2014

It's a queer world out there, we swear!  These next two editions of QueerMinded are dedicated to exploring the struggles and triumphs of our LGBTQ family worldwide. In this podcast, we talk to a stellar reporter's panel of journalists who are currently covering LGBT rights in Russia & Ukraine.

Orie and SaRea discussed the events in Russia & Ukraine with Deputy Managing Editor International for BuzzFeed, Susie Armitage, BuzzFeed International Correspondent Lester Feder and Independent Kyiv, Ukraine-based journalist Maxim Eristavi. 

Then, we focus back on the US in order to explore the struggles of LGBT immigrants working to make a new home in a new land. Founder and co-president of RUSA LGBT, Yelena Goltsman talks about how her organization for Russian-speaking LGBT immigrants is helping to connect new and old.

We're also joined by Ronnie Veliz with GSANetwork to talk about the unique issues facing undocumented LGBT immigrants, the struggles of coming out in a bicultural world and more.

Follow this link to hear the latest edition of QueerMinded, with music from Pussy Riot, La Banda Tribalera and Conchita Wurst!