In the US there are several non-profit listener-supported radio
stations, most of them are solitary; the only group of them that are
together in a loose network are called the Pacifica Radio Foundation.
One of whose stations is in New York City, reaching parts of New York
state, New Jersey, Connecticut and even a little of eastern
Pennsylvania. Nearly all of the programming is locally produced by
volunteers, and runs only on the station where it was produced.
The New York City station has had a LGBT (or LGBTTSI) program for some
time, but it has not done very well over the years at dealing with the
approximately 19% of the LGBT.... people in the areas who are also
people with disabilities. When the group producing the show dwindled to
three and the quality of the programs began to falter... station
management sought to bring a lot of new people into the group to
rejuvenate the program. I volunteered to put together 10 minute
segments that would help fill in what I believe is the largest
demographic underrepresentation in the program's diversity -- including
LGBT...people with disabilities, as some of the many points of view the
show covers.
I will develop at least 3 segments by year's end, and at least 4 in
2003. Due to the historic inequity of almost no PWDs, I have said that
the first three segments I put together will try to fill in that gap.
(After that, some of my segments will relate to disability & some
won't.) Possible topics include: (1) barriers in LGBT gathering space,
(2) personal memoirs, (3) questions of sexuality and relationships at
the intersection of these two stigmatised groups, (4) body image issues
in relation to culture, and (5) combined PWD-AB relationships.
I'm looking for people to interview and /or read from anything they may
have written in these areas. The writings need not be published; for
example, if a student wants to send a paper written in a class - that
would be fine. Of course, ability to talk succinctly and have something
interesting to say is even more important; this is radio. I would like
to have a good balance of lesbians, gay men, bisexually identified
people, transpeople, people of various races and ethnicities... as well
as a mix of various disabilities both invisible and visible, severe and
not, physical and mental.
If volunteers can make it into NYC to tape at the station Sunday's
between 2 and 4 pm, that would make for the best audio quality, or
conversations could be recorded over the phone. I would like to avoid
having all of the segments be done over the phone, since there is a
better kind of interaction that happens when people are in the same
room.
So for example, if somebody known to have interesting things to say
(from having published some of them?), happens to be planning to come to
NYC six months down the road, I might rather interview them when they're
here, than do it sooner over the phone.
Regarding each of the above numbered topics,
(1) (Barriers in Q Space)
Status: I have some research done in this area so I can be half of the
sources for a segment on this -- could use more, especially from a
(local?) lesbian with a disability. Topics could also include activism
persuading people to remove barriers to bookstores, or pubic events in
the community.
(2) (Memoirs)
Status: I have a short list of people I am just beginning to contact.
Any suggestions?
(On my list: Eli Ciare whose book I'm reading now, Kenny Fries, Carmelo
Gonzalez, Anthony Trocchia the first out president of Disabled In Action
of Metropolitan New York) and a couple of people from this list. I've
lost track of contact info for Victoria Brownsworth; last in
Philadelphia? List needs more balance in many ways.
(3) (Sexuality & relationships)
Status: Have no names of potential guests, so far. A few possible
readings come to mind, but they're all by people thousands of miles
away, if not on the other side of the world. Anybody closer, interested
in being interviewed?
(4) (Body image in relation to culture)
Status: Have no names so far.
This could include the wider issue of clubs with selective admission
based on body image (the book on the Paradise Garage hints at this
discriminatory practice, though with heavy spin)... the escalating body
image demands of parts of gay male culture...
(5) (Combined PWD-AB relationships)
Status: Have no names so far.
I'd rather hear from voices of experience, than get into discussion
based on hypothesis or politics alone.
--
Contact Info:
Jim Davis
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Tel. (908) 820--8677
Tel. (347) 528--6832
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