113. Advocate Your Ass Off (with Anthony Munger)

Snarky Opener (0:00)

Anthony Munger

Chappell Roan covered most of it for us, where they're they're not doing anything.

I am not seeing anyone on the federal level pressure for more rights. Do something, goddammit.

Episode Introduction (0:35)

Rob Loveless

Hello, my LGBTQuties, and welcome back to another episode of A Jaded Gay. I'm Rob Loveless and, today, I am a non-jaded gay because I'm going back to grad school. Again.

Yes, why have one master's degree when you can have two? But in all seriousness, I'm very excited because I'm going back for my MBA.

I'm a little nervous because I haven't been in school for a while, and I am not the best at math, and of course, I'm taking accounting and economics my first semester, but I'm already putting in the work.

The semester doesn't start till the end of August, and I've been spending the past few weeks just going online to this website called mbamath.com and trying to do some basic economics and accounting work to kind of familiarize myself before the semester starts.

And it's interesting because this isn't the journey I thought I'd be taking.

I originally went for my MBA back in 2016 but after two semesters, switched over into my Master of Arts in corporate communications, because that's what better served my career at that time.

And at this point in my career, I didn't think I'd be ever going back to school, but I've kind of hit a standstill a little bit, where I feel like I'm not really moving much in my career, and I don't see a whole lot of opportunities outside of my company at that moment.

So, I figured, you know, while I feel like I'm kind of at a standstill, why not go back, learn some new skills, educate myself further, so that way, you know, I have hopefully more opportunities for my career, whether it's with my company or elsewhere.

So, I am a little nervous about the work, balancing, you know, podcasting with working, with going to the gym, with writing, with grad school, with everything else, hey, but ultimately, I am excited to go back and learn.

So, if you feel like supporting me so I don't have to take out student loans, please remember to subscribe to my Patreon. Just kidding, but actually. Anyway, enough about me. Onto the episode.

LGBTQ+ Advocacy (2:25)

Rob Loveless

I'm very excited to have a special guest on today to talk about advocacy work.

You know, the past few months, years, it's just been scary with all the politics and really realizing how there is so much disparity still in this day and age between gay people and straight people.

And it's really important that we advocate for ourselves, but sometimes it is hard to do that because we're already so marginalized that it could be tiring, but at the end of the day, it's really important we speak up and we act up and we take strategic action to really continue advocating for our rights and ourselves.

So, we have a guest on today to talk all about his experiences with that. But before we bring him on, let's pull our tarot card.

Tarot (3:09)

Rob Loveless

Ooh, and how appropriate is this card for today? We drew the Six of Pentacles.

Now Pentacles is tied to the element of earth, which is very grounding and stabilizing. It's feminine energy, so it's reflective in nature, and asking us to meditate.

And Pentacles is all about putting in the hard work and reaping the rewards of our labor. It's also tied to financial prosperity, but I like to think of it as emotional prosperity.

And in numerology, six signifies balance and harmony. So, when we draw the Six of Pentacles, it's asking us about our relationship with giving and receiving. And get your mind out of the gutter.

Not that kind of giving and receiving. We're talking about sharing resources. It's encouraging us to remember moments of kindness and give to others when opportunity arises.

And this isn't just giving financially, but like I said, sharing knowledge, sharing resources, just lending a helping hand.

We also need to allow ourselves to receive kindness into our lives and ask for help when we need it, because when we become more comfortable with receiving, the more abundance will flow in our lives.

So again, it's all about striking that balance between giving and receiving.

Trigger Warning (4:14)

Rob Loveless

And before we get in, the episode, just a quick trigger warning. This episode talks about abuse, homelessness, alcoholism, addiction, overdoses, politics, and things like that.

So, if those are uncomfortable topics for you, you may want to skip this episode, and listener discretion is advised.

Guest Introduction (4:31)

Rob Loveless

So, with that in mind, let's bring on today's guest. He is the program manager for the Louisville Pride Foundation, a licensed social worker, and a god amunger men when it comes to advocacy work.

Please welcome Anthony Munger. Hi Anthony, how are you today?

Anthony Munger

I'm great. How are you, Rob?

Rob Loveless

Doing very well. Thank you. I'm glad to have you on the show.

Anthony Munger

I'm very happy to be here. Thank you.

Rob Loveless

Thanks for joining well. To kick it off, you know you have a lot to tell us about in your work regarding advocacy.

This will be coming out towards the end of July. But as we're recording, you just survived a very long Pride Month of lots of planning great events, which I'm excited to hear more about.

But before we jump too far into that, can you tell the listeners a little bit about yourself, how you identify, the work you do, pronouns, all that fun stuff?

Anthony Munger

Yeah, I am Anthony Munger, he/him. I am a social worker that is the Healthy Community Manager for the Louisville Pride Foundation, which means that all the activities that the Louisville Pride Foundation does, I am mostly in charge of.

And what that entails specifically is that I am in charge of our harm reduction programs to make sure that people who are experiencing substance abuse disorder get help and can survive long enough to enter recovery.

I also have a very robust vaccine program, which means that I do free vaccine clinics and try to increase vaccine confidence among the LGBTQ community in Kentucky.

And as of, oh, today I've got some work to do. Ryan White, Part B has been extremely generous, where I had written a proposal to do a program to help people living with HIV and their caregivers, and they said, wow, that sounds so great.

We're going to double everything that you proposed. So that is going and then I integrate all of that into our regular programming.

Rob Loveless

That's really important work you're doing there, and I'm glad to hear it. But like you said, it sounds like it can be a lot, quite a handful.

So, I do have to ask today, are you a jaded or non-jaded gay and why?

Anthony Munger

Today I'm very non-jaded. This is a great month to see so much community and see a lot of the good things that we are able to do and bring people together.

And today, I cannot be jaded, because we have to carry all the energy from Pride month into July, August, September, October, all, all 11 other months, because we all still exist.

We all still need the services that we provide, which is what I keep telling myself. So, I'm very, very non-jaded today. Ask me tomorrow.

Rob Loveless

Well, glad to hear you're non-jaded today, and that's a great answer because we've got to keep the queer joy flowing all through the year, not just during June. So, love to hear it.

That being said, you know, let's get right into your background, your career, and to kick it off, when did you first feel inspired to get involved in LGBTQ+ advocacy work?

Anthony Munger

Fairly recently. I am 40 years old, and after high school, I briefly went to art school, which I ended up dropping out of because they couldn't teach talent, and I was spending a lot of money to be there.

Then I was a bartender, still technically a bartender, for 22 years, oh my gosh, my grays just came in really hard saying that.

And being around the community, being someone that listens to people, whether they are talking to me or each other and I'm just overhearing them, there are so many common experiences among LGBTQ people that really aren't addressed or talked about, but still seem very unique to this community.

So, it made me want to do something for them. And I actually remember thinking as a bartender, probably the easiest thing I could transition into is social work, and I wanted to be more of the therapist, the counselor kind of, kind of social worker.

But as I got into it, I realized, after 22 years of bartending, I really don't like a lot of people, so I decided that I would do larger work, and it's what social workers refer to as macro work, where it is the advocacy and working with organizations and seeing so many common things in individuals that aren't really talked about.

You see that it's caused by larger systems happening. So, I want to tackle those and make things better. And then throughout my entire second college career, which I think began five or six years ago, I just I took every assignment and I said, how can I make this gay?

How can I make this about the LGBTQ population? Oh, homelessness? We're going to talk about trans kids. Community health?

Well, we're going to talk about the specific social determinants of health that affect LGBTQ people. And I just ran with it, and I got recognition and just kept going and going.

And I got myself into a place where now I have to do it, and I feel called to do it.

Rob Loveless

I love that answer. And what you're talking about, especially with going to school and making all the assignments as gay as you could, there's a lot of issues that affect the general population, but when you look at the LGBTQ+ community within there, there's some very unique factors that are impacting them.

So, whether it's something as like you talked about homelessness or substance abuse, there might be some general themes there for the population at large, but there are very specific themes there as well for the LGBTQ+ community that often get overlooked because they're lumped into the overall picture.

So, I think that's really great. And I think you kind of touched upon this in your answer, but how did your own experiences as an LGBTQ+ person affect your passion for advocacy work?

Anthony Munger

Speaking of homelessness, it's it is just as likely to happen to LGBTQ people, but it's more likely to happen at a younger age, and I believe, it's weird to say when I came out because I didn't come out. I was pulled out of the closet, and my parents found out, and they tried, well, they abused me.

And then eventually I had to leave my parents' home much earlier than I thought I would ever have to.

And 24, 25 years later, that's still happening to people, and just seeing at the age that I am now, seeing myself in younger LGBTQ people, is sometimes a good feeling and but sometimes we see the things that happen, and we see the mistakes that happen, and I just want to jump in and be like, No, no thing.

Things can be better. There are safe places for you. And just because your path is not laid out as easily as it is for heteronormative straight white people in this country, it's there is a path.

There is a way to figure things out. And I just it puts something in me that makes me want to help everyone, whether they are suffering, whether they are making their own bad choices, whether whether they're assholes.

I want to help everyone. Down on your luck or just a jerk, I want to help. I want to be there.

Rob Loveless

Thank you for sharing that, and I'm really sorry that that was your experience, and I applaud you for all the work of taking that experience to really make a difference for people so that they don't hopefully have to go through a similar situation.

Anthony Munger

It's, it's the least I could do, honestly. I I have, I have recovered from what happened to me and the relationship that I have with one of my parents is a lot better.

The other one is just non-existent, and that's so many other underlying things, like wait, I had to leave home because I was dating a boy.

But also, my parents had drug problems and mental illness issues and physical disabilities. So, I still say my parents did the absolute best they could with the tools that they had.

But when you're compounding it with other things that don't exactly have wide social support, like LGBTQ issues, those little things that, oh, it's just part of your identity.

Or, you know, I love gay people and straight people it's, like, it's, it's harder when those things happen.

So, I want to make that safety net, because when, when that happened, when that hits the fan, there's, there's nowhere else to go except a few wonderful safe places. I just hope to be one of them.

Rob Loveless

Definitely. And you and I were around the same age, and I feel like growing up, you know, I don't know about you, but I didn't, I wasn't really familiar with LGBTQ+ resources.

 I wasn't out in my teens, and I was kind of afraid to even admit that to myself, but I didn't know that there were resources or places out here that supported, you know, people who are questioning or people who felt they weren't in a safe place.

So, I think it's great that, you know, while social media can be sometimes a not-so-great thing, it's great that we're being able to get more awareness around these resources for, you know, LGBTQ+ people, but especially LGBTQ+ youth, of what's available to them out there to know that they're not alone.

So, with that in mind, you know, again, I think you know, again, I think you touched upon this a little bit at the beginning, but can you tell us about your career with Louisville Pride Foundation?

Anthony Munger

Absolutely. I actually started there as an intern just as they were starting their actual community center. They had been around for probably six or seven years, and they were known for throwing the Louisville Pride Festival, which happens every September in a very populated area of the community.

We shut down it, we shut down part of the road, and it turns into a blast. So, I got in with them and just wanted to do everything. I got the offices set up, I installed all the social work programs that are there, I built up all the references, I started being a counselor there.

And at the time, there was one full-time employee, and that was the executive director, a part-time employee that does HR and accounting, and then two interns, so there really wasn't much of a choice then to do everything.

And my internship ended, and I got a little bitter because they didn't offer me a job right away, but they ended up getting more funding later in the year, and they called me and said, hey, do you want to come answer the phones and watch the door?

Like, yeah, sure, I can do that a couple times a week. And then grants started to come across my desk and like, as I said, one full-time employee there, he would say, hey, can you look at this, and can you talk about this and look in to see if we can do it?

So, I started applying, and I got the harm reduction grant, and I helped the vaccine grant, and then I just snuck in my own position and my own salary into all of these, which also put me in charge of all these things like, oh, wait, this is harder than I thought, and I just built it up until I had my own full position.

And I am now there full time, a little bit at home, a little bit here, but running the center, getting ready for our next festival in September, covering everything. It's it's a lot of fun. I get to do gay stuff every day and help people.

People come in for counseling and and I also want to mention that when we talk about community resources, and especially social work and help for the LGBTQ community, one of the things that usually pops in your mind is, oh, homeless, poor, sick, like really, in need of help.

But I have tried to create a safe space for everyone, regardless of who you are, regardless of income, so you don't have to be down on your luck to participate in what we do. We will still give free vaccines if you're insured or not.

We still have free painting classes and movie nights, and it's just great for the community to be around others that in space, it's not necessarily a bar setting, and we don't, we don't allow alcohol. We are a sober space. So, this gives kind of an alternative, or at the very least something to do in the afternoon.

LGBTQ+ Healthcare (18:06)

Rob Loveless

On top of the resources you were talking about, it seems like there's quite a few activities focused on training drag performers and queer influencers to be community health workers.

So, can you tell us more about that and the importance of LGBTQ+ healthcare awareness?

Anthony Munger

This is just pure, unadulterated queer joy for me.

There's one thing that we got to write into the grants, is that we would have drag queens and LGBTQ influencers become community health workers, which means they take 40 hours of training in community health with a certified class, and then they take an additional eight hours in mental health first aid, then they are certified through the state to be community health workers.

So, once they do that, they can go on stage, use their platforms, and this includes social media to do PSAs, where whenever they talk about my vaccine program or the HIV program or the harm reduction, even if they do it for a minute, I can pay them $100 of Kentucky's money.

And it just delights me that with and this is almost every state, but every legislative session, they try to cancel drag queens and trans people. And I found a way to take that state's money and pay drag queens and trans people and a few cis-gendered individuals directly.

Also having that community health worker training gives them a little foot in the door for community leadership. And when next February comes around and we have another legislative session and another 14 bills which, mind you, we killed them all this last year.

Absolutely none of them ended up being heard or passed. But when they come around again, the drag queens are not just clowns. They're not just performers. They're not, you know, they are people that are trying to help you and save you.

They're trained in diabetes management, they're trained in cardiovascular health, and they can help empower people to have better conversations with their doctors and advocate for themselves and make decisions on themselves, especially when you get into rural Kentucky, decisions are made for oneself based on what the community believes and what your family believes.

And very more often than not, in rural Kentucky, there is no one else that is LGBTQ or there's just a couple of people. So, people end up making decisions that aren't necessarily, necessarily for them.

So that's where my CHWs, my drag queens say, hey, did you know you're at a higher risk of this? Do you know that this happens? You know you can take better care of yourself, or you're feeling lonely?

This drag queen is someone that you can talk to and someone that can connect you and bring people in.

And even if they don't end up coming to one of our vaccine clinics or getting testing for HIV, they will come in for a movie night, because just being around other queer people, where there's no expectation to even be looked at, you just look at a TV and have fun and have popcorn.

It's very liberating for a lot of people. So, I am very, very proud of that. Very.

Rob Loveless

That's amazing. And I think, like you said, in a time where drag performers and transgender people are being so attacked by legislators to show look at what we can provide, what we can achieve, how we can help others.

You're condemning people who are doing great work, and, you know, you're trying to put out these negative anti-bills, but then we're going to turn around and actually turn ourselves into, essentially, you know, health care influencers, so to speak, and use states money to promote LGBTQ+ health, which is an area that's, I feel has typically been lacking.

So, I think it's a great solution for a problem that has been going on for a little while.

And with that in mind, what specific health threats are impacting LGBTQ+ people, and how does your organization address them beyond the drag and trans performers you're talking about with their health awareness?

Anthony Munger

As I mentioned earlier, one thing is homelessness that happens much younger for LGBTQ people, and that just sets the stage for horrible health outcomes. You obviously don't have health insurance, and you're exposed to a lot of things that you shouldn't be.

And then another thing that I learned in starting harm reduction is that LGBTQ people are 200 times more likely to be alcoholics than their straight counterparts. And you can, you can blame a few things for that.

Maybe it is the abundance of gay bars and the lack of, you know, gay bookstores or gay coffee shops or gay Walmarts, which I think is just Target but anyway.

But there's also the the microaggressions and the stressors that LGBTQ people have to deal with every day, and the coping mechanisms aren't necessarily there, not not in the way that it is for the heteronormative community.

We are also at higher risks for drug use and drug abuse, which depending on your identity, I actually, I believe it is bisexual women that are at the top of this list, followed by gay men and trans individuals to misuse or abuse opioids, which is a huge problem in Kentucky and the rest of the country.

We also find that LGBTQ people are more at risk for things like Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, and we saw that outbreak happen just a couple of years ago.

And of course, the federal government was not prepared at all, and all the vaccines had expired, and when they finally got doled out to the States, I believe Kentucky got 18 doses, most of which went to my doctor, and I understand how fortunate I was to get them.

So, I want to make sure that monkey pox, which or Mpox for everyone not familiar, is very similar to smallpox. It is rarely deadly. However. It causes terrible lesions on the hands, feet, face, genitals, not exactly anything that is pleasant ever, and it's a very simple shot.

So, until, I think it was the end of March or the end of April, mpox vaccinations were covered by the federal government, and not anymore, and they are roughly $225 a shot, and you need two of them at least 28 days apart.

Insurance will will cover most of that. But for many people, especially in the LGBTQ community, there is there's not insurance to cover anything. So, we stocked up before they became expensive, and then we did the same thing with COVID, which is no longer covered.

So, we we call the health department. The health department calls Moderna, and they order vaccinations for us at about $218 a shot. We cover the cost of those. Health Department administers them, and we are happy to do it.

We're also working on getting HPV vaccinations, and we will have flu vaccinations available too. And it's not just that we are providing these vaccinations. Just a shot in the arm.

You come to one of our events, or you come to the center where we can assure you you will not be misgendered, and you will be called by the proper name, and we will have community health workers there that understand what you're going through, people that you can talk to, and a lot of fantastic allies that come in from the health department to help us.

So, it's it's a very safe place where you can follow up with more questions. You know, is what we see very frequently, is something that people don't say to their doctors or the pharmacist at CVS when they get their shot, they say, is it okay that I'm taking estrogen along with this?

Is it okay that I'm taking testosterone along with this? Or I have, you know, this specific health problem, or I know I present as a woman, parts of me are still like some men.

So, will this affect me in the same way? And we're happy to answer those questions. That is absolutely what we are here for. Another long-winded answer.

Rob Loveless

No worries, that's all, I appreciate all the information. This is all great stuff to include, and that's great to hear because obviously your relationship with your body is very personal.

You know yourself best, and it's a very vulnerable moment with any healthcare provider you go to talking about, sometimes how things are uncomfortable to talk about.

So, if you're going to a place that doesn't feel inclusive, where they are misgendering you, or they don't understand if you're somebody transitioning, you know what part of the process you're at, or if you're concerned bringing up certain medications that could really hinder your ability to get the inclusive health care you need for that.

So, it's great to hear that your organization is providing a safe space for that, you know, and really taking the measures to make sure people feel comfortable, safe, and fully represented there.

LGBTQ+ Mental Health (28:10)

Rob Loveless

You also mentioned earlier that there are some counseling services provided at the center.

So, can you tell us some common areas that affect LGBTQ+ mental health, along with coping solutions and mental health resources we should all be aware of?

Anthony Munger

Mental health is it's it's big. We've in one month, we lost probably three friends, including the executive director's wife, to suicide. So, it's not just the daily stressors.

It is being in the affirming environment, being told from the very get-go that whatever you are or think you are or having feelings about is wrong. It becomes internalized.

And in a lot of different areas, I have talked about being authentic and recognizing who you are and being able to pursue that, because when you are able to behave and act and look the way that you feel and be recognized for that in the community that is paramount to mental health, having everything aligned.

So, when you're having to hide part of yourself away or deny part of yourself, then you start getting into less than healthy coping mechanisms, if you are able to cope at all.

And in Kentucky, what I see a lot is people that come in like, hey, I I am bisexual, I am pansexual, or I am figuring out what I am, and my father is a Baptist preacher, and I will never be able to tell him. I'm probably not going to tell Mom. I think I have an aunt that I might be able to talk to.

So this goes into wanting to build more community so that maybe you can't talk to mom or dad or your aunt or cousin, but you can come talk to us, and when I say us, all the other folks that are there just playing card games or watching a movie and just be in a place where you feel safe and affirmed, acknowledged, and the people around you are literate of what you are going through and have those same experiences.

That is what I see helps the most. Just getting a break and a rest. And there are some very large systemic issues that affect people's mental health, especially in the BIPOC LGBTQ communities, especially among women, especially among bisexual men, just reconciling this identity and not feeling so lonely.

I get that one a lot, and that one, that one breaks my heart. It's, it's easy to feel lonely in most of the state. It's, it's very spread out, and sometimes I long for the loneliness here, but it's a beautiful, beautiful, almost utopian place to be.

I just want everyone here to be happy and be able to feel themselves and to express that and not be afraid. That's what I see.

Making a Difference & Staying Informed (31:57)

Rob Loveless

Obviously, you're doing a lot of work around advocacy and a few different venues. So, to you personally, what does success look like, and how do you measure that?

Anthony Munger

I try to do everything all at once. I have a neighbor that keeps saying, how are you going to eat an entire elephant? And I say, well, with a knife and fork. I want to tackle everything.

I want to do everything, and it is important in my field, and I think to everyone, to acknowledge the daily successes and the progress that you make.

One of my favorite successes that will probably sustain me forever. It is just this one little thing because when I started the harm reduction program, I was dropping off harm reduction kits that's Narcan or Naloxone, which reverses opioid poisoning, often known as an overdose.

But let's be honest, in this economy, no one can afford that much drugs. They can't overdose. They're being poisoned by fentanyl. 75% of the drug-related deaths in Kentucky are because of one drug and fentanyl. Everything else is meth.

So, getting Naloxone out and fentanyl test strips, pamphlets, and my business card, and I had dropped them off at a local bar, and I got a call. I want to say it was on a Monday morning at about 3:30, 3:45 and I usually don't hear my phone at that point, but it rang, and it was a bartender at that bar, and they very calmly said, I have a trans person here.

I think they're overdosing. I'm not sure if they're overdosing. Is it okay to use the Narcan if they're not overdosing? And I said, yes, Narcan does not cause any harm. I need you to call 911, immediately. I need you to lay them on their back with their head tipped up, and administer it.

And I walked them through it. And that person came to almost immediately, and the bartender actually, they didn't say a trans person. They told me their name. And I, I get to see her out a lot, and she doesn't remember anything, and she doesn't know that a phone call was made, or that Narcan was used, or that the paramedics came.

She remembers nothing, but I get to see her frequently, and she is having so much fun, and she is beautiful, and to my knowledge, that hasn't happened again. Um, I don't think she puts herself at risk for overdose. It was just kind of a one-time thing.

So just getting to run into her and just seeing that, that is success, that I'd saved one person, and there's been others. But getting to see her, that's the success that will sustain me for a long time.

Rob Loveless

Thank you for sharing that. And I think I've said a few times, it's amazing the work you're doing, but I feel like I'm the words losing its meaning.

But it's so true it's it really is, because you're seeing actual change, and you're really positively impacting people's lives. So, the work you and the center are doing, I think it's great.

And I hope after people are listening to this, if they're in the area, they reach out, or if they live in different states, they look into getting involved with similar centers in their own states and communities because I think we need a lot more of this out there to really be there to help and protect our own community.

Anthony Munger

Absolutely, there are LGBTQ centers everywhere, despite some closures, and maybe they're not as close to you as you'd like them to be, but they all have a huge slew of programs that they offer, and there are we're not even the only LGBTQ Resource Center in Louisville.

I need to give a shout-out to Sweet Evening Breeze, which is named after a black trans woman that lived in Lexington in the 1970s and she was the first person to challenge cross-dressing laws and win.

And Sweet Evening Breeze is an organization that provides housing for LGBTQ people under the age of 24 and they now have their own apartments so they can set people up with and they cover everything, utilities, groceries, the person there worries about nothing. They get programs to help them.

We also have the Fairness Campaign, which relates to the Fairness Act from the 1990s that banned discrimination based on sexuality and gender in Louisville.

And those are the individuals that are doing a lot of the hard work, and they go to legislature, and they're the ones that killed the 14 bills that we had.

There's also Queer Kentucky, run by my friends, Missy and Spencer, which is a great publication for LGBTQ people in the South and in the Midwest.

And it's it has wonderful readership, and they do a lot of things to help artists and writers. So yeah, sorry, that was a plug for all the wonderful things that are just happening in this one city.

So, I encourage everyone to look around to see what is available in theirs and what's happening. And if you don't need services, volunteer.

We always have a pile of something that needs to be folded or mailed or, you know, someone to take that phone call from the person that's in crisis while we're on the phone with someone else in crisis.

So go volunteer.

Rob Loveless

Definitely, can't emphasize that enough. And shifting gears a little bit from that obviously, we're in an election year, which I'm sure so many of us are so happy to hear all these stressful commercials being played and this and that.

But with that in mind, every four years, with these national elections, every couple years, every month, we're seeing changes in attitudes towards LGBTQ+ people, changes in legislation being passed that impacts us uniquely.

So how do you stay informed about the latest developments and trends in LGBTQ+ rights and issues?

Anthony Munger

Sometimes I can't help it. Sometimes I have to turn off news from Texas, Florida, Tennessee, which I refuse to go to, despite only being a couple of hours away, but there are, there are resources that I am I am tapped into, particularly Instagram, the accounts Them and NBC Out keep me informed of the national stuff, and then I am talking to other individuals because I can't possibly catch all the news.

When there were 14 bills that came into the legislature, I knew of three, and then one friend told me about three more. One friend told me about three more. And it's also because I'm a social worker, I I'm trained to go, oh, what is this bill?

And then go on the kentucky.gov website, find the legislation, see all the updates, see who's sponsoring it, and and then follow the people that are actually talking about it and and doing the actual work.

Uh, another plug for, uh, someone who, who I just admire dearly, uh, a drag queen by the name of May O' Nays.

Uh, she saw the anti-drag queen law that popped up, and she found the senators that sponsored it and invited them to dinner, and one of them actually accepted, and they were able to find some common ground, and while May O' Nays did not get all of her goals met by the time that bill was hurt again, it had been amended, so it was a moot point.

It did not affect drag queen story time. It didn't affect anything that was actually happening. So that one died. So, find the people that are following things, follow them, ask them some questions, and consume social media safely. Don't just read the headlines that someone reposts.

You've got to read a little bit more of the story. That's, that's something I see my friends getting into, where they see this awful headline, well actually, later in the story, that's, it's not happening. That's not a thing. And this is why it's not going to work.

So, staying informed can actually be better for your mental health. Scrolling just seeing the headlines, not so much, read a little bit more and get some context.

Politics & LGBTQ+ Advocacy (41:29)

Rob Loveless

It's always important to do your research and due diligence, and I should have put a trigger warning before the last question because this is when we're getting into some political speak.

So, anybody who doesn't want to hear anything politics-related, you might want to fast forward a little bit, and not too heavy politics, but just kind of as it relates to LGBTQ+ rights.

You know, going off of what you just said, though, with staying informed, politically speaking, what are some of the most pressing issues currently facing the LGBTQ+ community?

Anthony Munger

This is something that keeps coming across my desk that I don't have the energy and the resources for yet. So, I keep putting this out there: gender-affirming care for individuals who are under the age of 18.

And I see where the argument is, and there's so many things that you can't do until you're 18, until you're an adult.

However, the part that actually comes across my desk is there are an inordinate amount of LGBTQ and nonbinary kids in the foster and adoption system, and there are parents that want to love them and adopt them, but because they live in the state of Kentucky, the parents are scared that they won't be able to provide the care that that child needs, and that makes me so upset.

So, pushing for some sort of gender-affirming care, which, by the way, can just be calling someone by their preferred pronouns. I am not necessarily talking about puberty blockers or HRT, but those are things that are used for other conditions and are approved by the CDC.

Getting everyone started out young in a in a place where they are happy and healthy will affect them for the rest of their lives.

And then, of course, we know all of the attacks on drag queens and trans people and trans adults, which just seems to multiply constantly.

And I'm I'm just hearing myself now that this is the end of June, and I recall the warning from Homeland Security about potential attacks on pride events, and I don't remember hearing about any of them.

So, I think we got through that, but we have to worry about gender-affirming care, rights of expression, and just prevention and protection from violence. Those are my top ones right now.

Rob Loveless

And how do both local and federal governments play a role in how organizations like Louisville Pride Foundation operate?

Anthony Munger

They fund my grants. The Ryan White Part B is federally funded, which actually all of Ryan White Part A, Part B, which Part A covers the cost of HIV medications for 85% of the population living with HIV.

And that was mandated as a part of the budget until our former president let it lapse. And by former President, that was actually Obama, let that completely lapse, so that does not have to be included in the budget.

However, it is the Congressional Black Caucus that has decided that they will not vote on a single budget that does not have total funding for Ryan White programs. So that affects a lot of the care that we are able to give, not just to LGBTQ people, but everyone that is living with HIV and their caregivers too.

Then individual states get block grants or grants for certain programs, which then they are able to award to applicants, usually through a vendor portal, and that continues to fund the programs that we're doing, as well as covering, I think just 10% of the grants get into just our daily operations to help me cover the rest of payroll and rent.

And if I, it's funny, I can buy an entire case of COVID vaccines, but when I get to the box of paper clips, I have to pull up my budget and make sure that I have enough in there to do that.

So, they make those funds available, and they also make the policies on how they are awarded and how they can be used, both federal and state.

So, the elections do have me worried that some of these things can be canceled. As a matter of fact, my vaccine grant gets pulled for review, I think every two months by the Kentucky Senate.

And it usually there's not enough people in the committee to vote it down and cancel it.

But I think there's only one person that keeps voting for it to go through, and the person that is in charge of what actually happens and what goes through is an appointee by our Democratic governor.

So, I have to make sure that there are still people in power that will keep voting because that whole legislative process that I get to learn so much about is so frustrating and just so tiring. But anyway, I digress.

Rob Loveless

Well, in addition to those examples you provided, and especially with the context of the 2024, election coming up, what areas do you feel the federal government needs to step up in regard to LGBTQ+ rights, especially when it comes to funding for you know, LGBTQ+ resource centers?

Anthony Munger

Do something, goddammit.

Rob Loveless

I was gonna say, is that gonna be is that a separate, is that question a separate podcast episode? Do we need to dedicate a separate one just to that?

Anthony Munger

No Chappell Roan covered most of it for us. Where they're they're not doing anything. I am not seeing anyone on the federal level pressure for more rights.

I am not seeing any broad, sweeping federal regulations as to bathroom policies which, oh, my God, just use a single-stall bathroom. It's not it's something that doesn't happen.

And they're not speaking out against some of the misinformation and the hate, because of what a lot of what gets legislated against is stuff that's not happening.

So just making more federal mandates, the more federal policies to say, hey, this is covered, or just having, just dragging Kamala out and saying, this is how often this actually happens, and this is how it actually does or does not affect you.

We do not need to be afraid. And these are the contributions that these individuals have made to society. And these are people that are worth not just protecting but investing into. Say something, do something.

When Biden got elected, I almost passed out. I had to grab my knees because he made these promises that these things were going to happen, and it's still better than the alternative. However, do something goddammit.

Rob Loveless

Agreed. I mean, I remember, during the 2020 debates, the Vice President debate, you know, there was that fly on Mike Pence his head, and I saw an Instagram mean, which was funny but also sad.

It said, you know, that fly on his head got more air time than LGBTQ+ rights in any of the debates, and this, that wasn't me.

That was someone, I wish I knew who posted that on Instagram because it's It's true, though, and you know, full disclosure with this most recent debate, I didn't watch it just because for my mental health.

I was like, you know what? I don't have the energy for this. But from what I read through articles recapping of the next day, it sounds like, really, LGBTQ+ rights were not mentioned.

And it feels like, you know, obviously, there's world events going on, this and that.

But it seems like some people think, all right, well, we have a Democratic president, so LGBTQ+ rights are safe, but the President is one person. That doesn't represent, you know, all of Congress.

The Supreme Court, we've seen, you know, the past two years, some really alarming rulings from the Supreme Court regarding LGBTQ+ rights, the, you know, overturning of Roe v. Wade.

So, it's, you know, these things need to be talked about, and they're just not. So, to your point, do something have, you know, somebody getting up there and saying, you know, I see you.

Unfortunately for me, I feel like that's not quite enough. You know, I it's great that you see me, but what are you going to do for me? Are you speaking for me? Are you taking action on my behalf?

And I don't mean me selfishly as a person. I mean me as part of this community, the overarching LGBTQ+ community.

So, I mean, it's still early on, but I'm hoping that there will be some conversations, because we've seen a year where, like you talked about, there's been an increase in anti-trans legislation, anti-drag legislation, increase in hate crimes, violent attacks against LGBTQ+ people.

So, we really need the policy makers to step up at both a federal and local level.

Anthony Munger

Those have all been on the rise every year since 2016 we said new records and all those, and the states talk about them an awful lot.

So, you'd think the federal government would step in. But also, we remember what they did for HIV and AIDS. So, I guess this is kind of what we expect.

Oh, you just made me a little jaded there. Oh, I felt it.

Rob Loveless

Well, let's try to kind of shift away from too much doom and gloom and try to put a better, you know, hopeful tone on this.

You spoke about Miss May O'Nays before extending that dinner invitation to legislatures who were proposing anti-drag legislation.

The one person accepted and they actually were able to find some common ground. I think that's a really great example of the power of conversation and having a human-to-human conversation, not just screaming at each other in a debate setting.

So how do you work with policymakers and maybe, especially those who don't see eye to eye with you to promote LGBTQ+ rights?

Anthony Munger

I am so glad you asked Rob. So, the senator that May O' Nays reached out to and had dinner with, was Miss Lindsey Titchener, who is a fairly new senator. And prior to this, she had just, well, I don't wanna say just she was a realtor in a smaller community in Kentucky.

Now I don't know this for certain, but this is what I suspect, because the law that or the bill that she sponsored, had very similar language to other bills in other states, as though it was almost copied and pasted.

So, I had a suspicion that maybe she did not write it, that it's coming from these family coalitions, these heritage all of these places, everyone that tried to stop gay marriage, and they failed, but they had to do something. So, they focused on trans bathrooms, and that didn't work out so well.

So now they're just focusing on drag queens because they have to keep their job. They have to keep the funds coming. So those funds, maybe, I have no proof of this might go to pay for a freshman senator's new boat or a vacation for the family, and all they have to do is present this little piece of legislation.

So, when you have the Heritage Foundations and the family coalitions in your ear, and you're brand new, and now you have them in your driveway, and now you have them on a boat with you somewhere, and the LGBTQ people are just saying you suck and you're awful.

And I'm not saying she has split ends, but they are probably divorced. That's that's what she gets for this bill. We have to find that common ground, and we have to be visible to them as human beings. And, oh, God, that sucks, because we are the victims, and we shouldn't, the victim should not have to advocate for themselves, allies listening, but we do.

So, I met Senator Titchener at one of these hearings, and I actually shook her hand and I said, I see that you are trying to protect people in your district, and you are trying to protect kids.

I think there are better ways to go about it. And she said, you know, you're probably right. I wish we had talked earlier before this bill came out. I think we should get together sometime.

So, these are, these are human beings, and they just get a lot of misinformation and maybe a little bit too much schmoozing. So, we need to be visible, not just as the enemy, but also as, hey, I see you're doing something wrong.

Please, let me help. And this is how what you're doing affects my family, and if you're trying to protect people, this is making me unsafe.

We assume, and this is not to say the opposite, but we assume the people in office are the best and brightest and most capable, and more often than not, we have something that we can teach them.

So, yes, be loud and be angry and do what ACT UP did back in the 90s and the 2000s and hold die-ins and protests and all of that. But also, be the person that helps.

Long-Term Advocacy Goals (56:16)

Rob Loveless

And I know you said you're the person that wants to do everything, and you plan on eating the elephant by just, you know, one bite at a time. I think that was the analogy used earlier.

Anthony Munger

I can do two bites.

Rob Loveless

Two bites? Perfect. Well, with that in mind, what are your long-term goals for your advocacy work?

Anthony Munger

I'm gonna fix this world, Rob. Gosh, I it gets hard to define because that target keeps moving. Yeah, I remember wanting to protect gay marriage, and then wanting to protect trans athletes and wanting to protect bathrooms, and I realized that I can't protect everyone.

I'm going to try. I'm going to do my absolute best. But I don't think that's, knowing me, there's never a place where I'm going to be satisfied when I'm going to be, you know, done with everything. My goal is some sort of futurity because that's something that queer people don't historically get.

We are less likely to have children. We are more likely to be, at least have part of our identity erased by history, but just to be able to cast something into the future gives myself and queer people some sort of feeling that there can be a utopia, that we can be happy and comfortable, and the people that come after us or live longer than us will have a better place to be, and ultimately, this is something I said to myself when I started college, because, well, started college the second time, that I will want to help the world, and it's okay if I just help one person, and it's okay if that person is me.

If I just help myself or help someone that I see myself in and just help people understand themselves better, and maybe help create a few more advocates that can pick up my torch. That's what it is for me.

Rob Loveless

And like you were saying, if you could just help one person, but I think that's how change begins, is just with one person.

You know, the butterfly effect, the ripple effect, whatever you want to call it. The smallest act of kindness, even to ourselves, can create a really large ripple effect with others.

You know, the simple act of, like you said, dropping off the Narcan package at the bar that helps somebody's life.

Just having that conversation with that senator who might not see eye to eye with you could start, you know, a whole movement of opening her eyes to something else.

You know, having the movie nights, the counseling sessions, the drag queens providing healthcare awareness.

It seems like maybe it's a simple act of just having this conversation with one person, but then who they go to bring this kindness to or have this conversation with, really, can move mountains, I believe, and I think that's how change is made.

It might feel slow, and it might feel like at times, you're pushing against the mountain and not going anywhere. But over time, I think we will be eventually pushing the needle.

Anthony Munger

We may move slowly, but I have faith that we will always move forward.

Engaging Our Allies (59:56)

Rob Loveless

Definitely. And I think, I like that call out you have for the allies earlier too, because while LGBTQ+ people are amazing and we get shit done, we also still need our straight allies to help out.

And I think now more than ever, we really need them to stand up and speak up. You know, we see them come out during June, during Pride month, and saying, yay, let's celebrate Pride. We support you.

But I think maybe too often they consider themselves allies because of that, but they're relatively unaware about some of the sociopolitical disparities and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation happening today.

So how can we engage our straight allies in our advocacy efforts?

Anthony Munger

Oh, gosh, there are so many things. Let's start with how I choose to be an ally. I am a member of the LGBTQ community. I am also white; I am also cisgender.

I have this face, which, for some reason, people in power feel comfortable listening to. So, I have a lot of privilege that many members of our community do not.

So, when there are issues among trans individuals, I stand up and I say, you know, this is going on, and this is affecting me, and this is how it affects our community.

And when things happen with Black and Indigenous People of Color, this is how this is affecting our community.

I get up and I stand there because they're getting beaten down, and while they're taking those punches, I don't, if they want to, if they're able to, I absolutely want them to share their stories, but when they cannot, that is my role.

That is my job as an ally for them, and I am bolstered by being a social worker because I have research and case studies and numbers and everything.

So, you take that and you apply it to the straight community or anyone else that wants to be an ally, they have to listen.

Follow a few accounts, remind yourself to see that news, and even though it doesn't affect you when you're out having your brunch, your kiki with all of, and oh my god, don't say your gays. It makes you sound like you own them.

When you're out with your friends kiki and having brunch, it should occur to you, hey, your identity is illegal in every state that is surrounding us right now, and you might feel a little trapped. Let me buy your coffee, let me buy your mimosa, and be that safe space for them.

Let them know that they are affirmed. Learn all their pronouns and their friends' pronouns and the words, and it's really easy. There are guys, you can google how to be an ally, and it will cover these things.

And I said some things about my parents earlier. My mother is absolutely an ally now, and she has been for a long time.

A friend of mine was murdered in his apartment, Jason Gage, in the middle of Iowa, in my hometown, which I wasn't living in at the time, and there wasn't a funeral for him, as his family didn't want to have one, but there was a memorial service, and it was being protested by the Westboro Baptist Church.

And I said, oh, hell no, I can't let this happen. Stand between people and the Westboro Baptist Church. Do not engage with them. They want you to engage with them. With them. Just don't do it.

I did not tell anyone that I was going to be there, and my mom was across the crowd from me, and she had this big rainbow scarf on in the summer because she knew that this wasn't just a friend of mine.

This was a member of the community that she lived in, and someone was trying to protest it.

So, my mother, without knowing I would be there, and I didn't know she would be there, was there, and that's that's an ally.

Rob Loveless

That's amazing. I again, thank you for sharing, because I know it's deeply personal. It's tragic to hear about your friend, but that's I love to see how your mom showed up.

And especially given the story you had to show that families can come together after again, kind of having the conversations with somebody might not see eye to eye with you, but talk to them.

If it feels safe to do so, obviously.

Anthony Munger

Yes. And then the thing that struck me was my mother didn't ask. She just knew what had to be done, and she showed up.

And that's, yeah, that was, that's a very good feeling. I can't even remember how long ago that was now, but yeah.

Rob Loveless

Definitely. Again, thank you for sharing.

Episode Closing (1:04:55)

Rob Loveless

And connecting it back to the tarot, Six of Pentacles. I'm sure, throughout what we talked about in this episode, you can really see the ties into this.

There is so much work to be done, and we have people like Anthony who just give, give, gives. He does so much, taking two bites of the elephant at a time. And we definitely need more people like that.

We need to allow kindness into our lives, so that way we feel more inspired and motivated to share resources, to donate financially when we can, to volunteer, to get involved, so that way, we can really make a change for the LGBTQ+ community in terms of resources, getting equal rights, and having marginalized voices heard.

But at the same time, it's important that we remember to ask for help when we need it. You know, it's easy to take on every task and keep running around till you're burnt out, but that's not good for us.

So, we need to remember to let kindness into our lives and not be afraid to ask for help when we need it.

So that way we can recharge, feel revitalized, and then feel renewed action, so that way we can go forward and make even greater change in the future.

Connect with Louisville Pride Foundation (1:05:53)

Rob Loveless

Well, Anthony, thank you again for coming on today to talk about this. The work you're doing is amazing. I feel so inspired by hearing what you're doing, and I hope others do as well.

And after listening, they go out and volunteer somewhere or engage their straight allies and try to make a plan to make a difference, even if it's just a simple act of kindness to other community members.

So, with all that in mind, can you tell listeners how they can connect with Louisville Pride Foundation, how they can connect with you, how they can learn more, get involved, all the things?

Anthony Munger

Oh, thank you, Rob. I appreciate it. I'm really glad you asked because I was just going to say this anyway, whether you gave me a permission to or not.

You can follow the Louisville Pride Foundation by going to Instagram. We are Lou Pride KY, L-O-U-P-R-I-D-E-K-Y. That is also our website with a .org on the end.

That is also our Twitter, and you can find us on Facebook. You can also search for LGBTQ centers, foundations, charities in your area.

I promise you, especially with non-profit organizations, there is a very quick and easy way to sign up to volunteer or to find out anything that they need done.

And if absolutely nothing else, if you show up at their door, they can absolutely help you, and they can absolutely use your help too.

Rob Loveless

Definitely check out the Louisville Pride Foundation, all the resources Anthony talked about, and please get involved.

Whether it's through Louisville Pride Foundation, or within your own community, there's always volunteer work that needs to be done to make a better place for the LGBTQ+ community.

So volunteer, donate, get involved.

Connect with A Jaded Gay (1:07:30)

Rob Loveless

And you know the drill. Please remember to rate, review, and subscribe. If you have any questions for myself or Anthony, feel free to send them my way rob@ajadedgay.com.

For more information about Anthony, episode resources, links to socials and merchandise, all that fun stuff, you can visit the website ajadedgay.com.

You can also connect with a podcast on Instagram, TikTok, SoundCloud, and YouTube @ajadedgaypod. You can follow me personally, Rob Loveless, on Instagram @rob_loveless.

Also, if you're feeling generous, please consider supporting the podcast on Patreon for as little as $1 a month.

That gets you instant access to episodes ad-free, a day early, plus exclusive monthly bonus content. And if you sign up at the $3 or $5 tier, you get some additional goodies there. So, check it out.

Or if you're more comfortable doing a one-time donation, you can do so at Buy Me a Coffee, and both of those are @ajadedgaypod.

And remember: every day is all we have, so you gotta make your own happiness.

Mmm-bye.