Kindred Transmissions by the Digital Transgender Archive
Kindred Transmissions is a podcast by the Digital Transgender Archive that tunes into the revolutionary voices of trans people from history. Through archival recordings, personal reflections, and conversations with contemporary trans artists, scholars, and activists, we trace the echoes of kinship across generations.
From Stonewall icons like Marsha P Johnson to visionary artists and activists like Red Jordan Arobateau, Rupert Raj, and Aiyyana Maracle, each episode invites listeners to experience trans history not as distant or static, but as alive, resonant, and still transmitting through time.
What does it mean to tune in to the archives? How is trans kinship built across time and space?
And how can revisiting these frequencies help us imagine new futures?
Listen to Kindred Transmissions anywhere you get your podcasts, and discover the wisdom, resilience, and revolutionary magic of trans people past and present.
Kindred Transmissions by the Digital Transgender Archive
Frequency of Aliveness: On Marsha P. Johnson with Tourmaline
On the heels of Pride, Kindred Transmissions by the Digital Transgender Archive revisits the history of the Stonewall Uprising and its enduring legacy in New York City, where trans communities continue to resist state repression. In Episode One, “Frequency of Aliveness,” host and historian Jules Gill-Peterson is joined by artist and filmmaker Tourmaline to honor the life and work of Marsha P. Johnson.
Tourmaline, author of the new biography MARSHA, reflects on Johnson’s revolutionary spirit, from co-founding with Sylvia Rivera STAR (Street Transvestites Action Revolutionaries), to her decades of mutual aid, protest, and performance with the theater company Hot Peaches.
Through archival recordings and personal insight, Tourmaline tunes into the transformative power of Marsha’s aliveness and the frequency of her spirit.
Find the archival materials mentioned in the episode at the Digital Transgender Archive website.
This episode of Kindred Transmissions is produced by Umi Hsu and Associate Producer Shei Yu. Hosted by Jules Gill-Peterson. Edited by Evan Ibarra. Scripted by Umi Hsu and Shei Yu. Theme and episode music by Imogen Teasley-Vlautin. Research by Rachael McIntosh. Graphic Design by Ariel Huang.
This episode contains the voices of Tourmaline, Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Jimmy Camicia, and Randy Wicker.
This season of Kindred Transmissions is made possible by a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources and support from Northeastern University.