Welcome To Joanna’s Vagina – Interview with Joanna Cifredo!

Welcome To My Vagina | More Banana Podcasts

In this episode Jessy and Rebekah had a fucking fantastic conversation with the one and only Joanna Cifredo. She does stand-up, she’s a trans activist, she cohosts a podcast called the Trans Specific Partnership Podcast, she has gotten within 4 feet of Michelle Obama on more than one occasion and she wants to start a summer camp for Puerto Rican children to teach them the real history of PR. She’s a goddamn angel and an all-around badass and she was kind enough to come over to Kill Room Studios and chat with us about her life, her experience and her opinions. We talked about all kinds of things and, of course, finished it off with our favorite game: would you rather. Find her on Instagram and Twitter with the handle @joannacifredo and check out her standup! She will be performing this coming Saturday at Dangerfield’s! You won’t want to miss it.

• 00:36: We welcome Joanna Cifredo to our vagina! Or she welcomes us to her vagina. No, no, no we all welcome each other to each other’s vaginas.
• 02:15: The term “dead name” is used within the trans community to refer to the name assigned to a person at birth, a name that is no longer in use. When people transition, they choose a name that more accurately reflects their identity, their gender. Given the dangers faced by the trans community because of transphobia and homophobia, dead naming someone is not only incredibly disrespectful but it can put their lives at risk. And it is incredibly irresponsible for an institution tasked with providing safety to put already vulnerable populations at greater risk of harm.
• 02:40: Here is a link to the National Center for Transgender Equality. This organization provides tons of resources and information for the trans community and allies as well, including ways to take action against Brett Kavanaugh – a garbage nominee to the Supreme Court – as well as information about health care and ways to protect and update legal documentation!
• 03:00: Sorry Florida but you are, for sure, the worst. We said it and we stand by it.
• 05:45: Everyone seriously SEE NANETTE! It is so fucking good. Here is a link to the trailer. The full show is on Netflix. See it. If you don’t have Netflix, get someone’s password. Worth it.
• 07:55: You can see Joanna at Dangerfield’s in NYC this coming Saturday, August 18^th. And then on August 29^th at 7pm at the Kraine Theater for her all women stand-up show!
• 08:20: SNL, we know you’re listening. Call Joanna Cifredo. And if you can’t get in touch with her, we will give you her info.
• 09:00: Okay so the actual sign reads “We Should’ve Passed Gun Reform After Selena.” Here is a photo of Joanna and her sign…and while you’re at it, follow her @joannacifredo. And find her and Rebecca Kling’s awesome podcast, the Trans Specific Partnership Podcast, and subscribe! It’s incredible.
• 11:20: Here is a link to episode 4 from the Trans Specific Partnership Podcast called “Pretty Privilege.”
• 11:40: Here is a piece by Mila Madison from her blog Transgender Universe about the pink cloud.
• 12:45: According to the National Women’s Law Center, on average Latina women make 54 cents for every dollar made by a white, non-Hispanic man. You can see the numbers state-by-state here.
• 13:00: Here is an article from the Washington Post about Jennicet Gutierrez. Here is a great one from Slate that falls definitively on her side. This is an incredibly interesting and important story because Guitierrez was an undocumented trans immigrant, making her especially vulnerable. Shortly after she spoke out, the administration made a change of policy and stated that trans people being held in detention would be held along with those who share their gender identity, not the gender they were assigned at birth. Whether or not it was connected to her comments, it was still a very important move that not only made trans people safer but made it clear that the trans population was on the radar of the Obama administration.
• 14:15: Here is some info on Raffi Freedman-Gurspan who is totally awesome!
• 18:30: Joanna is basically THE definition of inspirational in this segment. I’m pretty sure we both got misty eyed listening to her in person say this but we definitely felt it when playing it back. It is easy to forget sometimes that there are a lot of wonderful things about this country and they are worth fighting for, even though sometimes we get bogged down with everything that is going on.
• 22:42: Here is a link to the trailer for “The Florida Project.” We highly recommend giving the full movie a watch. Keep tissues handy.
• 26:30: Here is an article from the Huffington Post about how the rise of the Internet has specifically helped the LGBTQ community because it has expanded each individual’s geographic reach beyond their immediate surroundings.
• 28:30: Seriously, FUCK BRETT KAVANAUGH! And actually, while we’re at it, FUCK MITCH MCCONNELL and all of his stupid pals. They all suck. Ugh.
• 32:00: Here is some information about Camp Aranu’tiq. It is a summer camp that was established specifically for transgender and gender-variant/gender-nonconforming youth. Camp Aranu-tiq’s mission is to “build confidence, resilience and community for transgender and gender-variant youth and their families” and they provide scholarships because they want to be sure to not turn away any potential campers who could use their services. So awesome.
• 33:00: Here is an article from 2016 about the migration from Puerto Rico to the United States. The rate of people leaving the island picked up significantly following Hurricane Maria last summer.
• 33:30: Here is a brief biography of Don Pedro Albizu Campos. He was pretty damn amazing.
• 35:30: Read this book! Tomorrow Will Be Different by Sarah McBride. And watch this show! FX Pose!
• 39:00: Go ahead, Google shmegma. You know you want to.

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• Email us at [e-mail]
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• Find us on Twitter @welcometomyvag
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• Watch Jessy’s YouTube videos right here and don’t forget to subscribe!
• Read Rebekah’s blog and subscribe to get all the new content when it is written
• Check out the website, AKA Welcome To My Vagina HQ
• Check out all the other great podcasts coming your way from More Banana Productions
  • World Stealers
  • There Will Be Porn
  • I’m Listening with Anita Flores
  • Awkward Sex in the City with Natalie Wall

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