2022 EPISODES
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Top Row Left to Right: Alexandra Nichole Salazar, Anel L. Flores, Brandy Garcia and Reb Mari Bottom Row Left to Right: Aminah Decé and Ceiba Ili
This episode serves as a queer archive of the Nepantla Taller Artist Residency. We are storytellers who use various mediums to preserve ourselves, our cultures, and our communities. Tune in to hear about our time together in The Rio Grande Valley.
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Rubén Garza is a Non-Binary Trans Poet and artivist from Edinburg, TX. Tune in to hear their Valley manifesto!
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Rubén Garza is a Non-Binary Trans Poet and artivist from Edinburg, TX. Tune in to hear their Valley manifesto!
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Meet Hilda and Tee, a lesbian couple who have been married for 29 years and counting. Hilda is originally from Louisiana and Tee is from Detroit but they met in California while working for an Aerospace company. Tune in to hear their story.
2021 EPISODES
For our first episode of 2021, we interviewed Danielle Small, a non-binary writer from Jamaica. Join us as they talk to us about their intersecting identities, fashion, and creative projects. @qtpoccreatives *bonus ep*
2020 EPISODES
For this episode, we interview Eddie Piña, your favorite gay Tio. Join us as he talks to us about his farmworker experience, the Valley club scene in the 2000s, HIV, and veganism.
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Episode Edited by A. Ramirez
Listen to his full story on all podcast platforms.
In this episode, we interview Adrian Melgar, an organizer and teacher from the RGV. Join us as he talks to us about being trans in the borderlands, creating resources for the community, and teaching during a pandemic/hurricane hit. If you would like to support RGV families and students directly you can donate to Adrian’s classroom wishlist, venmo, or cashapp.
Link: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2QK07A0ZXNTD0?ref_=wl_share
Venmo: @adrianwaddy
Cashapp: $AdrianWaddy
Listen to his full story on all podcast platforms.
Join Jotxs y Recuerdos & UTRGV Center for Mexican American Studies for a live podcast (via: Cafecito y Charla) about Black history, the Black lives matter movement, and fighting anti-Blackness in the RGV. The live podcast/panel was moderated by Alexandra Nichole Salazar and the panelists are Judy R. Pryor-Ramirez, Aimaloghi Eromosele, and Alexandra Hughes.
Listen to the live podcast in the link above or watch youtube video:
2019 EPISODES
Photo by: Charles Jeffrey
Fish Fiorucci, a non-binary supermodel from Brownsville, TX who modeled in Lady Gaga’s HAUS LABORATORIES Makeup Campaign, shares their story with us.
TW: Depression, Suicide, and Anorexia.
Listen to their full story in the link above.
In this episode we interviewed Anel Flores, a butch tejana/chicana/mexicana writer and artist whose home is the Valley, San Antonio, and everything in-between. Listen to her share her coming out story, her experience as a mother, and the time she took a writing workshop from Gloria Anzaldúa.
Listen to their full story in the link above.
For PRIDE month we interviewed Alonzo Amaya, a gender-fluid makeup artist from Pharr, TX. Listen to Alonzo talk about gender, depression, and the importance of practicing safe sex.
Listen to their full story in the link above.
In this episode, we interviewed Elizabeth Michelle Salinas, a former bartender from P B D’s Lounge, a gay bar in Mcallen, TX. She shared what it was like to be a part of H.U.G.S (Helping Unite Gays and Straights), a now-defunct organization at Nikki Rowe High School, about the gay club scene along the border, and being a parent.
Listen to her story in the link above.
In this episode, we interviewed Yvonne S. Marquez, a queer chicana writer from Mission, Texas who shares her story with us. Yvonne S. Marquez is a writer and editor living in Dallas, Texas. She’s a former senior editor at Autostraddle, a forward-thinking, feminist online magazine for queer and trans women and non-binary people. Yvonne writes about social justice, politics, activism, and other things dear to her heart like Selena and tacos. Since graduating from the University of Texas Austin with a degree in journalism, Yvonne has dedicated her career to telling the stories important to LGBTQ+ people. She was born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley.
Listen to her story in the link above.
2018 EPISODES
In this episode, we honor the people who aren’t in our history books. Meet Ruxanda Musunoi, a non-binary asexual drag queen who uses their art as a platform to express their identity and to talk about social justice.
Listen to their full story in the link above.
In this episode, we spoke to Esther Martinez, a queer Mexican and Puerto Rican punk singer from the band: Fantastico! They spoke to us about sexism in the music scene, politics, and exploring their identity.
Listen to their full story in the link above.
Adrian “Ayden” Castellanos is a Queer Chicano from Edcouch, Elsa. In this episode, he shared his ideas about machismo, intersectional HIV Activism, and botanas with us. Ayden said “I see a lot queer people doing a lot of the groundwork…We’re at every fucking event, we’re at every protest, we’re organizing that, we’re running that, we’re producing creative outlets like this. You know, we do a lot. I love the queer community here in the Valley. I stand for it, I fight for it.”
Listen to his interview above.
Dolissa Medina is a queer chicana filmmaker, writer, and multimedia artist. She’s been making experimental films for 20 years inspired by the places she’s lived: Brownsville, San Francisco, and Berlin.
Listen to her experiences, which transcend borders in the link above.
In this episode, we spoke to Allyson Duarte. Allyson is a queer Latina who shared her activism surrounding LGBTQ issues, immigration rights, and educational justice with us.
Listen to her story in the link above.
In this episode, we interviewed George Longoria, a Latinx/Brujx non-binary trans pansexual who believes that chisme saves lives!
Listen to their story in the link above.
2017 EPISODES
We connected with Gume Laurel III, a gay Latino writer from Weslaco, TX. To date, he has released six YA books and in 2018 released a poetry book about dating, relationships, and hookups within the LGBTQ+ community. In this episode, we talk about chosen family, Valley representation in literature, and machismo.
Listen to his story in the link above.
In this episode, we spoke to Esteban Silva, a queer brujo who learned protection spells from his abuela and had to hide who he was growing up.
Listen to his story in the link above.
Noe Gonzalez-Schwenneker, is a queer Mexicana from Pharr, TX. In this episode hear Noe share her story and catch her partner (now wife) Davia Schwenneker at the end. In this episode, she said “after finding out about Orlando, I thought that could have been me because, just the night before, I was at a gay club in the Valley, dancing.”
Listen to her story in the link above.
This pride episode is dedicated to queer families. Meet the Hernandez-Zarate family. In this episode, each family member tells their story.
You can listen to the Hernandez-Zarate story in the link above.
Kimberly Sanchez, is a trans women from San Juan, TX who studied at the Southern Careers institute. In this episode, she says “live your truth no matter what. Because of the truth I have survived. Because of the truth I have become strong. Because of the truth I am who I am.”
Listen to Kimberly’s story in the link above and catch her mom at the end. Shout out to all the parents who support their children.
In this episode, Eduardo Martinez talks about Queer Cinema, Pharr Riots, Aqui Estamos, Fuerza Del Valle, and Valley history.
Listen to his story in the link above.
In this episode, Rey Vasquez, a trans man from Mission, TX talks to us about being a farm worker, a part of the circus, and coming out. Rey says “the Valley doesn’t let you forget where you came from.” (El Valle no te deja olvidar de dónde viniste)
Listen to his story in the link below.
2016 EPISODE
In this episode, we interviewed Nancy Gonzalez-Cruz, a queer tejana who was born in Mcallen, but raised in Pharr, TX. She spoke to us about what it was like raising two kids in a border town.
Listen to her story in the link above.
jotxs y recuerdos 