Pride Isn’t Just a Party — It’s Survival

Hey y’all, it’s Peppermint. 💕

As we approach the 57th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising  I wanted to ground us in something real: Pride is not just a party. It's a protest. It’s protection. It’s survival.

On this episode of Queer 101, I’m breaking down why legal documents — passports, birth certificates, IDs — are not just paperwork. They are power.

Right now, we’re witnessing coordinated anti-trans legislation across the United States. I walk you through what’s happening and why it matters.

• Efforts to deny gender-affirming care for trans people in prison
• States like Kansas moving to strip gender markers from birth certificates and IDs
• Anti-trans additions connected to the SAVE Act
• Policies that could block bathroom access and medical care
• Supreme Court moves that could allow schools to out trans students without consent
• Louisiana’s “Restoring Biological Truth Act”
• Mississippi proposals to report mismatched gender markers to ICE
• The real-life passport struggle involving Caitlyn Jenner’s “M” marker issue

I talk about how monopolistic systems control access to healthcare, housing, employment, and safety — and how when those systems shift, trans people are the first impacted.

Because when your ID doesn’t match your lived identity, everything becomes harder:
 Travel.
 Voting.
 Healthcare.
 Employment.
 Freedom.

This episode is about understanding the moment we’re in. It’s about recognizing that anti-trans laws are not isolated incidents — they’re coordinated efforts.

And it’s about remembering that Pride began as resistance.

So…

Stay informed. Stay engaged. Stay powerful.

Because Pride is more than a parade.

It’s survival.

Follow us at:

• @peppermint247
• @hughoryan
• @pridehousemedia

Write to us at:

• questions@queer101podcast.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:03

Hey y'all, welcome to Queer 101.

SPEAKER_03 0:06

I'm Peppermint, and I'm Do the Historian, and we're here to bring you all things queer history that you didn't learn in school.

SPEAKER_04 0:14

This is a podcast where we dive deep into queer culture, books, and a queer experience, past, present, and future. From the history that shaped us to the culture that keeps us thriving, we have got it all covered.

SPEAKER_03 0:27

Grab a seat and let's turn a light on queer history because these stories demand to be heard and must be celebrated.

SPEAKER_04 0:34

Welcome to Queer 101. Class is now in action. Hey y'all! Welcome back to Queer 101, the podcast where we talk about any and everything under the sun. Queer art, queer literature, queer culture, and yes, queer politics. It's true. I'm Peppermint, and this week I promise I'm not trying to bring the party down. I think this is a good moment for a little reflection. One of the things that I really want this podcast to be is a place where you can come and get the facts, the real deal. Okay? None of this alternative facts stuff. Thank you, Kelly and Conway. My promise to you, whether you're watching or listening, is that I'm gonna do my best to bring you the truth. I'm gonna bring you the truth. Okay. Now listen, I will also bring my opinion, and y'all know that I have one, but underneath that, solid information, context, honesty. So as we roll into the 57th anniversary of Stonewall, I just wanted to revisit a few moments from past conversations and not to kill the vibe. I don't want to kill the vibe. You know I love the party, honey. It's a party. Pride has always been a party, but it's always been more than just a party. So before we throw the glitter and get things going and hit the parade, before we start popping those fans and those pussies, uh, let's take a minute to remember what we're celebrating and what we're still navigating. Let's get into it. How do we survive in spite of, but also in cooperation with these systems that exist? Like, you know, I can if I could snap my fingers and change it, I would.

SPEAKER_03 2:14

But we can't just disappear from the world.

SPEAKER_04 2:17

Yeah, yeah. There's a level of either assimilation or working with, and you know, you, you know, and that I think that says, I hope that that says more about the um the the monopolistic nature of these systems that take over all of your resources and and and abilities to to to provide for yourself so that you're dependent upon it, which is obviously the design. Uh I hope it says more about that horrible system than it does about the participants and the people, the individuals who are who left with very little options and then have to to participate in order to, you know, survive and enjoy ourselves and have joy and and experience other people and build community. Like we, you know, yes, you can go live in the woods somewhere and and that's fine, and you could survive, but like we are human, we're social animals, and we we need all these things. Um, and so self-promotion is one of those things. But um I know when we talk about community sound like yeah, exactly. That's all part of it, yeah. Yeah, it's it if and I at the risk of sounding like a slogan, um, you know, I know it sort of sounds like something that we've already mastered because we're still here, but this week survival feels super concrete as a subject. Um, watching the federal government gender affirming care from trans people in prison, controlling our bodies in every single way. Uh, in addition to a couple of weeks ago, and in the last episode, we acknowledged uh stripping licenses and birth certificates from trans people in Kansas, which is uh now it's been announced that other states are gonna copycat that um tactic or that strategy, uh, and then also blocking gender-affirming care. And and two things that uh two new additions to the proposed SAVE Act, which has already passed in the House, um, that President Trump is basically saying that he's gonna hold future legislation hostage until Congress passes the SAVE Act, now includes uh the um two anti-trans components, which is blocking gender-affirming care and um, you know, uh blocking uh b bathroom access, essentially, uh, and which is connected to the right to ident self-identify with uh for trans adults. And so like Trump is tying, you know, an anchor to uh the trans movement, which is constantly sinking us.

SPEAKER_03 4:47

And then at the same time, the Supreme Court is like allowing young people to be outed at school, being forcibly disclosed to their parents, lawmakers trying to redefine sex in ways to just completely write trans people out of existence. Like, I think we're seeing really like a coordinated furthering of this assault uh, you know, on trans people, on queer people, on our lives. It's it's structural, it's organized in a way that, like, you know, I love the queer community, and I think that we are responding to this like we were just talking about a second ago by supporting each other in many ways, but we don't have the kind of like reach and structure that the Republican Party has been building for decades to do this kind of like organized destruction. Uh and it's coming down from the top on top of onto all of us, you know, and it's it's been like you said, a week where like survival seems to be the the top priority. I I don't know about you, but all week long I've been talking to people who have been telling me out of nowhere their plans for like if I have to leave the country, this is what I'm gonna do. And I'm getting my documents in order right now.

SPEAKER_04 5:50

This next highlight starts with what might be the most accurate description of modern life. My phone is just a flashlight that yells bad news at me. Uh, correct. From there, we get into passports. Specifically, what's happening to trans people trying to update their gender markers on their passports. And then Caitlin Jenner pops up in the news yet again, suddenly surprised that the policies that she supported and defended for the past several years are now affecting her. And then Dave Chappelle saying, maybe the rhetoric has gone too far. My jokes are getting taken out of context. And here's why we're revisiting this. Not because it's not it's not because we want to bitch about these two again. It's about something much bigger. It's about what happens when harmful policies feel theoretical until they're not. It's about what happens when jokes turn into legislation. It's about what happens when you think that you will be the exception, not the rule. And honey, let me tell you, you ain't calling the shots. A black comic and a transgender former athlete ain't calling the shots in the United States. It ain't happening. Okay? So this segment is funny in some places and honestly absurd in others, but the point is very simple. Pay attention because the things that seem abstract today have a way of really becoming very real tomorrow.

SPEAKER_03 7:25

Somebody called uh the my iPhone the flashlight that yells bad news at me. And I was like, yeah, that's exactly what it is. That's that is the experience of having a fucking phone these days. But you know, we were talking a couple weeks ago about passports and about what is the Trump administration is doing right now to trans people and passports. And right before we hopped on, you were saying something about a new interview that Caitlin Jenner just gave. Can you like tell our readers about this?

SPEAKER_04 7:54

Yeah, I mean, Caitlin Jenner, you know, first of all, I don't know exactly why Caitlin Jenner it I can't let me back up. Caitlin Jenner's in the news. Heaven Sebetsy, I don't know why. Uh she's in the news, hit somebody else. Uh giving interviews. Hello. I mean, yeah, there's nothing relevant that I can think of, but uh, she keeps herself every every few months, she'll like recirculate with nothing to say. And what was really revealing this time around was she basically came on to Tommy Laren's show on Fox. I I think it was on Fox.

SPEAKER_03 8:27

Uh already like a nightmare blunt rotation.

SPEAKER_04 8:31

Yeah. Uh to basically complain about the issues, uh, the to complain about to show an awareness of the impact of the Trump policies and the and the current sort of right-wing ship that is very anti-trans, uh, this anti-trans add anti-trans and LGBTQ attitude, right wing attitude, uh, conservative attitude on the community, and talking about the impact of those things uh and disclosing that she has experienced some of that impact. Uh, but all in all, it's all right. Uh I wish that we could play.

SPEAKER_01 9:09

I know, I know.

SPEAKER_03 9:10

I really want to hear it.

SPEAKER_01 9:12

Passport. I had to get it renewed. I send it back. Comes back, gender marker M. Screws everything up. So there's a form in there. If they made a mistake, you can uh correct it. So I fill out all the proper forms. I'm not calling anybody, I'm not calling the president. You know, I got his personal cell number, I'm not calling anybody. I'm gonna see if I can fix this myself because it's not just about me, it's about all people in this situation, you know? So uh I even sent a hard copy uh of my birth certificate. Caitlin regenerate, gender, sex female. I I did everything, and they sent it back M. They didn't change it at all. So now I'm in a position, Tommy, that what do I do? This is a safety factor, okay? I I can't travel internationally anymore, okay? I can't use my passport. I can use global entry, it says F. I can do this, I can travel in the United States, license, you know, driver's license, pilot's license, everything gender marker F. Um, so it really creates a big problem. And I'm trying to figure out at this point what to do. I don't blame President Trump, I love him. Um, but for a lot of people, this is a huge issue, you know. Um and so that's kind of where I'm at right now. I have not talked to the president. I wrote him, I was in Mar-a-Lago two months ago, wrote a letter uh explaining all of this to him, how it's affecting me and a lot of other people. And uh unfortunately he wasn't there this week, that weekend. Um actually, I the Secret Service guy said he could get it to him, put it on his desk and stuff. I haven't heard from him. He's kind of busy right now.

SPEAKER_04 11:17

Listen, I try my best to really just refrain from attacking individuals or like really mentioning individuals and picking on them separately, because you know, people like that are really only able to do what they do as a part of a larger system, a part of a larger sort of project. And it's she's insignificant. She's she's insignificant, meaning if she weren't here, they would have found somebody else to do it. So, like I I know that that's true, but uh, you know, I do find it it's obviously hypocritical. Um, and there's been a huge like wave of hip of hypocrisy lately from Caitlin Jenner, who was who her her job in the sort of grand scheme of things is to uh be an a less attackable trans voice that uh is supportive of the Trump policies, specifically the trans sports bands, uh any of those, but on a wider scale, anything that's um you know, anything that attacks trans women, sh it's her job to to support those things with and if there if we were on a battlefield and we were, you know, throwing nerf balls, because I'm trying to be nonviolent, she would have protection from some of those nerf balls being thrown over the room.

SPEAKER_03 12:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 12:44

Yeah. Um and and then the same thing with Dave Chappelle, who I don't even like speaking his name in life, let alone in public or on camera. But um, it was really interesting that switching from Caitlin Jenner to switching to Dave Chappelle to giving an interview on NPR from a local NPR station that he just purchased, uh, which must be why they decided to talk to him. Because why are we talking to Dave Chappelle right now? Um and he was there uh and I only saw a sympathy of the interview, but the interview, uh the clip was a moment of him basically talking about how he thinks the right-wing um rhetoric and conversation, especially in this case, particular in particular in relation to trans people, has gone too far right.

SPEAKER_02 13:26

I did resent that that the Republican Party ran on transgender jokes. You know, I I I felt like it w they were doing a a weaponized version of what I was doing. I'll give you an example. Yeah. It was before I learned the phrase I respectfully declined. And I was on Capitol Hill, and everybody ran up to take pictures with me from every congressional office, and I just take pictures with whoever has. I didn't ask how they voted, what their voting record is. And then here comes Lawn Bobert, and she said, Gotta get a picture. And I'd already taken 40 pictures. I didn't want to say no for everybody, but I didn't know the phrase, I respectfully declined. So I just took the picture, and then she posted picture before I could even get from there to the show and said something to the effect of just two people that knew that it's just too generous. She instantly like weaponized or politicized. So I got to the arena and I lit her ass up for doing that. She should never do that to a person like me.

SPEAKER_00 14:24

Some people think the president's funny. I mean I've had people say this to me. Like I've interviewed people to say, Well, what do you like about him? They say, he's funny. Do you think he's funny?

SPEAKER_02 14:34

Maybe if he wasn't president, I'd think that was funny. Or maybe at times uh there are funny things about him. Like if I were to talk about him, like I could it would be funny. But but I think what he does is so consequential. Uh and so much of these things, you know, in my lifetime, I've never really seen anything, a phenomenon quite like him. I'm not trying to be political, but it's remarkable. Uh I don't know. Yeah, I don't know how funny it is.

SPEAKER_04 15:07

And so it's wild that both of them are saying, oh, it's going too far, right, and it's too much.

SPEAKER_03 15:13

It's hilarious. I saw that too, and you said something about that, you know, they had weaponized his jokes, and that was like, what did they do that was any different? Your jokes was already a weapon, you know. Like, it's it's I wonder, and I'm curious what you think. Like, do you think this is trying to protect themselves because they think that the right is falling apart a little bit? Do you think this is genuine regret, or do you think this is just another way of saying, like, oh nope, that's not what we meant, but we're gonna continue on exactly as usual? Like, is this are we seeing a change in some way, or is this just more the same?

SPEAKER_04 15:46

All right. This next highlight starts where a lot of our conversations really seem to start lately with dystopia creeping slowly and slowly and slowly in. So slow that you almost don't even notice. And we joke about it. You know, Gilead, the reference to the handmaid's tale, frog getting turned up in the water and getting cooked over time. Because if we don't laugh, we're gonna cry. My God, I'm gonna cry. Uh, but then you you zoom out and you realize that every single week there's a yet another state, yet another bill, yet another headline targeting trans people, and passports, driver's license, birth certificates, the right to go to the bathroom, the right to join a sports team, whatever, what words we can use and where we're allowed to exist in state law. What the hell? And here's the thing: this really isn't random. So here's the thing: this conversation is about documents, and documents are power. And when a government starts redefining who you are on paper, that's not culture, war, noise. It's infrastructure. That's access to jobs, housing, travel, safety. We're gonna joke, we're gonna, we're gonna roll our eyes, we're gonna say, God damn, Mississippi, we're gonna be like, oh, those people in Texas. But the real takeaway here is very, very simple. Pay attention to the paperwork because when they go after documents, they're going after existence. It's becoming easier and easier uh to to know and see how Gilead came about in the handmaid's tale. Because here we are, which I just I just started watching the um the sort of sequel series.

SPEAKER_03 17:29

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Jericho, what's it called? Jericho, Jezebel, it starts with a J. Oh my god, I can't think of it.

SPEAKER_04 17:36

Oh, I can't remember either, but whatever. I don't really love it that much, but we'll see. Anyway, anyway, here we are. Here we are a week later, and we got a new state every single every single week. Seems to be uh discriminating against trans folks, uh having some kind of anti-trans LGBT or anti-LGBTQ headlines. Kansas, Colorado, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Mississippi now.

SPEAKER_03 17:58

Oh, Mississippi, goddamn indeed. It is just looking shitty out there. I like you. I've been waking up hoping for a sunrise and news of Trump's death, and it's like instead we get more rain and terrible bills. What what is the Louisiana one called? Restoring Biological Truth Act.

SPEAKER_04 18:19

Yes, HB 578, and it it really, I mean, it starts with this, and it really is only possible. Well, it's it's it's basically sort of the the gen the generic bill or effort to to sort of um cut all of the like connective tissue between gender identity and freedom of speech, and and which is also freedom of expression. Like you can dress however you want. That's considered speech, obviously, even though it's not literally speaking. Uh and and so they're basically saying we want you to respect your own um, you know, respect the the natural body that you were born into, and you know, uh respect your own gender. So Restoring Biological Truth Act, uh and a part of the thing.

SPEAKER_03 19:11

I'm assuming that so then bans glasses and coloring your hair and getting tattoos, and if they're gonna insist on that's exactly what it does, but only if you're trans. Only if you're trans.

SPEAKER_04 19:21

Uh yeah. Proponents are uh opponents are describing the bill as it's basically uh effectively erasing trans people from state law, which it does. And it's kind of a step B, it's a the trans version, trans-specific version of the anti-DEI laws and policies that they were using to limit funding, cut off access to insurance, uh, cut off how um discrimination, non-discrimination protections like housing and job security, all these different things. And the bill would define sex throughout Louisiana state as uh basic basically as an individual's biological sex, either male or female, as observed clinically at birth. Um you know, and they also have removal of gender, which is again kind of in line with all of the anti-DEI policies that they had. Removal of gender, uh, and it basically removes the term gender, gender identity, any of that stuff from state statutes, laws, protections, all that stuff, and replaces it with sex. And so it it because it knows that gender is they're realizing that gender, even though people, many people kind of use gender and sex interchangeably, and while they are related, they are not necessarily, they are not the same thing. Sex describes sort of biological characteristics and you know, like your genitalia, your your your sort of chromosomes, biological characteristics, and gender is all of the social characteristics that come with man, woman, sexy man, fat woman, this person, tall man, trans man, whatever, um, and all of the things that you have to do, manly, masculine, those are all things that we think about sex and gender sex particularly. Um, but it's not sex is actually a biological thing. Anyway, and so you know, going back and instead of having gender on your marker or gender on your birth birth certificate or gender on your um driver's license, it would be sex, which it was a long time ago. Somebody, I think, in an attempt to feel um not more inclusive, but just more evolved, um started repla started using gender in a like sort of in an umbrella sort of way, I think.

SPEAKER_03 21:46

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think it's you know, we're seeing this that this attack on documents. I mean, you were talking about it a couple of weeks ago, how that makes so many other things impossible, right? That this like removing trans people's access to accurate documents makes it impossible to drive, impossible to keep your job, impossible to get your licenses. And now in Mississippi, the change that they're doing, the the new addition is that as of July 1st, if your ID does not match your sex at birth, again, that that sex at birth that's now being stuck on everything, the cops are required to report you to ICE. It's horrific. All of it is horrific, but it really shows you the way in which like Trump is treating ICE as his like private personal police force that they are being used to do whatever he wants them to do. Uh and and I think for a lot of people, um, this is yet again another another instance of the the far right kind of like linking arms, the anti-immigration forces with the anti-trans forces, uh, all sort of coming together in in a terrible way. And there you have it.

SPEAKER_04 22:53

That's why we wanted to bring these highlights back. Because as we head into pride, it's really easy to focus on the parties and the parades and the glitter. And listen, don't get me wrong, I love the glitter girl, but pride has always been about paying attention. It's been about understanding how culture shifts, how policy shifts, how rights shift, sometimes quietly and sometimes very loudly, and deciding we're not gonna look away. So if there is a thread running through all of this, it's stay informed, stay engaged, stay in the conversation. Pride isn't just about celebration, it's about awareness, acute awareness. And awareness is power. Remember, like, subscribe, comment, rate, review, shimmy, shimmy, shake. Thank you so much. Have a happy and safe pride, and I'll see you on the next show. Don't forget, we're every other week, so we'll be back in two weeks. And um, yeah. Thank you. Bye. I gotta go. I gotta show to do. Thank you so much for joining us today.

SPEAKER_03 24:00

This podcast is part of Pride House Media, hosted by us, Peppermint and Cube, produced and edited by Josh Rosenzweig with original music composed by Mel Balavan.

SPEAKER_04 24:09

If you enjoyed this episode, then don't forget to subscribe wherever you listen to your podcast. And while you're there, leave us a rating and a review. It really helps others discover the show.

SPEAKER_03 24:19

You can stay connected and join the conversation by following us at Peppermint 247 or write to us at questions at queer101podcast.com.

SPEAKER_04 24:28

Thank you for listening, and remember, our history is your history. Stay proud, stay curious, and we'll see you next time on Queer One One.