It was another amazing hour that flew by all too fast. Incredible guests talking about prescient issues and a chatline full of people wanting to be heard… a host’s dream show.
Carol: “A relative called to ask why we keep hammering the ‘gay thing’ week after week. I reminded them that another teen committed suicide this week. Until this insanity stops, until schools stop treating ‘bullycide’ as a rite of passage and until we, as a society, stand up and say ‘no more’, we’re not going to stop talking about it.”
First up was Chicago civil rights attorney, Joey Mogul. Joey was invited to talk about her book, “Queer (IN)Justice” which looks at how the legal system has criminalized the LGBT community. We didn’t really get to talk all that much about her book because the people on the chat line had so many observations and good questions that Joey was all too glad to answer. One only had to listen for a few moments to understand why she’s been such an effective attorney for those who have been treated unjustly by our legal system. She’s incredibly bright and well-spoken and her quiet passion is evident in her every word. We must get her back and soon. There was so much more we wanted to talk to her about and so much more she wanted to say, but being the perfect guest, she indulged us. All I can say is, please read her book. For everything I thought I new about the history of being gay in America, she taught me 10 things I didn’t know. The conversation with Joey Mogul was great because it was the perfect lead in for our second guest of the hour…
What ever pre-conceptions you may have about Hollywood, Kat Kramer, daughter of film directorial icon Stanley Kramer, erased all that. Here’s a woman who proves the moral DNA her father had for social issues was definitely passed down a generation. Behind that stunning beauty is a heart and soul for doing the right thing as is evidenced in her latest film project, “Teach Your Children Well”. This is a 39 minute documentary short that focuses on the problem of teen bullying in America today – and it is a film that should be mandatory viewing for every parent-teacher association across the land, as well as for this nation’s teens. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, bullying is not a rite of passage, it’s a crime and what it’s doing to the youth of this country is unconscionable. Director, Gary Takesian, was kind enough to join us, share his insight and give some of the background on the making of this masterpiece. For a nation looking to sports figures as their heroes, we should be looking to people like Kat Kramer and Gary Takesian who put their money where their mouth is and make this world a better place for creating pieces like this. Again, we were locked in a battle of time with so little of it and such good people agreeing to come on and share their message.
For those who are not aware, Vicki and Carol and the rest of the gang at Here Women Talk got together to make a video for the “It Gets Better” project. There were some tears shed in making this heart-felt message. It was our way of reaching out to these desperate kids to let them know there are perfect strangers out there who love them and need them to be there for the next kid who needs someone to talk to. Like the rest of us, they’re just trying to find their way in the world. This is how Here Women Talk reached out to those kids…
Thanks for being a part of it and if you missed it, you can hear the Podcast at the Here Women Talk Archives.
Fantastic project, recap and read. The crew at Here Women Talk and Broadsided exemplify the change we wish to see in the world!
Thanks, Diane. Like you, we believe we can make this world a better place – one woman at a time.
We hear about the bullies and bad people in the news everyday. Thanks to Broadsided, we also hear about the Joey Moguls, Kat Kramers and Gary Takesians of this world who are making a positive difference. I have hope; I believe a wave of love and optimism is sweeping the world. Projects like “It Gets Better” are uniting people for a common good goal. Thanks to Carol and Vicki for shining a light on the positive.
Sometimes there is a fine line and even a thin blue line between justice and injustice. I so appreciate the work that Joey has done and continues to do to make this world a more fair and just place. I also hope that everyone gets to see Teach Your Children Well and spreads the word against bullying. There is no reason that fairness, peace, and social justice cannot prevail. It is up to us to speak up, challenge the bullies, stop discrimination, and end hatred. Carol and I hope to do our part one show at a time. Peace, Vicki