Before rolling out the red carpet for a very special guest, Tranna talks to Thomas about the high school English teacher that changed her life and how she used her new live show, High School Reunion, to process the nightmare that was her high school years. Then the two are joined by drag royalty, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK runner-up and instant fashion icon, Bimi ... Show More
Nov 2023
Chosen Family Introduces: Gay Girl Gone
Of all the young revolutionaries in Syria during the Arab Spring, Amina is different. An out lesbian in a country where homosexuality is illegal, she bravely documents her life on the blog Gay Girl in Damascus. Her candid posts attract readers from around the world, and soon she ... Show More
36m 28s
Dec 2021
S3 E20: A Chosen Family Farewell: Gone with Miguel Gutierrez
It’s with a heavy heart and sense of pride that we bid you, dear listeners, farewell. Yes, this is the series finale of Chosen Family, but we’re not leaving without one last soulful, deep conversation. Joining us for this bittersweet episode is the brilliant Miguel Gutierrez, New ... Show More
59m 8s
Dec 2021
S3 E19: Everybody Say Love with Mitsou Gélinas
It’s a very special episode as we welcome one of our dream guests, Québecoise pop icon, Mitsou Gélinas! Mitsou has had one of the most varied and fascinating careers in Québec entertainment, from pop success with hits like “Bye Bye Mon Cowboy” to 20 years in radio to founding her ... Show More
53m 36s
Jun 2024
Aderonke Apata on leaving Nigeria to be a free gay woman
Imagine being forced to leave your country for being gay or face death. This Refugee Week, we welcome Aderonke Apata, a Nigerian refugee who had to leave Nigeria under threat of persecution for being in love with a woman. When she reached the UK, she embarked on a 13-year battle ... Show More
35m 19s
Feb 2024
Hala Gorani's memoir 'But You Don't Look Arab' is a journey of belonging
Journalist and former CNN anchor Hala Gorani tells NPR's Leila Fadel that she has a whole paragraph queued up to answer a seemingly simple question: Where are you from? Gorani's memoir, But You Don't Look Arab, unpacks her many roots across Istanbul, Syria, France and the U.S. — ... Show More
7m 54s
Oct 2023
Rhoda Kanaaneh, "The Right Kind of Suffering: Gender, Sexuality, and Arab Asylum Seekers in America" (U Texas Press, 2023)
From the overloaded courts with their constantly changing dates and appointments to the need to prove oneself the “right" kind of asylum seeker, the asylum system in the United States is an exacting and drawn-out immigration process that itself results in suffering. When anthropo ... Show More
44m 37s
Dec 2024
Interview | Growing Up Neem-Rooni - Jasmin Mozaffari, Director of Motherland, on Identity in a Problematic Time
In this episode, Leyla sits down with acclaimed filmmaker Jasmin Mozaffari to discuss her short film Motherland, a poignant exploration of cultural identity, family trauma, and resilience. Jasmin reflects on her upbringing as a neem-rooni (half-Iranian, half-Canadian) in post-9/1 ... Show More
28m 9s
Dec 2024
You Get Dead For Supporting The Arab Cause | Israel Has Invaded Syria
We are never, ever, getting back together. 'I'm not washing my hands of Palestine.' The Arab world is a sea of dictatorships.
The new regime has sold Syria to Israel says Syrian Girl, who gives her take on how the head-choppers' leader Golani has betrayed the country to the US an ... Show More
1h 25m