This episode is sponsored by a private donor. Thank you!!!

Content warning for mentions of George Floyd's murder and generally sensitive topics without details.

In this week’s episode, Ra Ra Rollins (he/him) shares why he claims “queer” and “gay” and the difference in meaning for him between the two terms. He ponders if he’s Black first or gay, queer first, especially since not all spaces see him as a whole person with various, complex identities. Learn about how his work can be triggering as a Black therapist and what it means for him to hold space for clients at some of his same intersections. We also discuss how he pushed back in his grad school program because he learned from white professors who talked about white theorists and had white supervisors while seeing white clients. Despite that, he did gain two incredible mentors and friends for life. Ra Ra reclaims his energy by practicing boundaries, which did not come naturally to him, including by shutting down nearly all of his social media. There's also some discussion around rules and how he liberates himself from rules that don’t work or honor him.

🎙️ Connect with Ra Ra to learn more about + support his work:

• Our guest had an online presence at the time of the recording but has since pulled it down to protect his peace.

💻 Sources and resources from this episode:

• Foster and Adoption Laws - Movement Advancement Project
• Overall United States Policy Tally - Movement Advancement Project
• Report: South Has Most LGBTQ Residents In the U.S. - Memphis Flyer
• Absolutely Not! - Are You Paying Me To Be Your Black Friend? w/ Ra Ra Rollins
• Point Foundation - The LGBTQ Scholarship Fund
• Gender Sexuality Info’s scholarship list - Scroll down toward the bottom of the page

Host Charlie Ocean, MSW (they/them), has a background in LGBTQ+ training, community organizing, and technology. Guest episodes feature at least one allyship tip, including tailored questions based on the guests' unique intersecting identities. You can follow Charlie on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack. *You will hear Charlie's former name in this episode and previous ones.*