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Strange Fruit: 'Mother Tongue Techniques' Takes Queer Southern Culture to California

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Happy Pride Month, Fruitcakes!

This week we speak with mixed media artists Rahel and  SCZ, who are part of a collective called  Mother Tongue Techniques. Their group is in San Francisco this weekend presenting "Y’all Come Back: Stories of Queer Southern Migration."

They talk about their work, and why it's important to lift up the stories of queer folks and people of color in the South.

The actions of (former) police officer Eric Casebolt at a pool party in McKinney, Texas, have raised conversations all over the country about who is presumed to be a criminal. Casebolt has since resigned, but questions remain about why the police were called in the first place, why he reacted the way he did to teenagers who weren't resisting, and the long legacy of segregation in swimming pools.

Also this week, we talk about a new show Jaison loves called The Prancing Elites Project. The Oxygen Network's docu-series follows an African-American, gay and non-gender conforming dance team. They perform within the tradition of J-Setting - a style that originated at southern HBCUs in the 1970s.

Oxygen's website says the Elites are "challenging societal norms while overcoming several obstacles with passion and humor on their journey to be their authentic selves."

We also talk a bit about the troubled relationship of WNBA stars Brittney Griner and Glory Johnson. Griner announced she had filed  to annul their marriage just a day after Johnson announced they were expecting a baby. Their arrests for domestic violence shortly before their wedding raised questions about how violence is viewed within queer relationships.

This week, like every week, you count on Strange Fruit to bring you musings on politics, pop culture and black gay life. We do our best to make you laugh, and make you think. Our show is a labor of love for Jai and Doc, so please consider becoming a supporter through our crowdfunding page on Patreon! You can make a monthly pledge (as little as a dollar a month) towards the work we do here.

Big thanks to fruitcakes Jessica Musselwhite and Erin Fitzgerald (host of Crescent Hill Radio's Keep Hearing Voices) for being our first official patrons!

We'll see you on the airwaves next week, and at the Kentuckiana Pride Parade on Friday. Look for #TeamStrangeFruit in a red convertible, and be sure to wave and blow us a kiss!

Laura is LPM's Director of Podcasts & Special Projects. Email Laura at lellis@lpm.org.