Let’s Be Queer in Public with Aaron Greiner🎙️ Welcome to Queer for Cities! Join your host, Joshua Croke, for a dynamic dive into the intersections of queer identity, urban planning, and public space with special guest Aaron Greiner. Aaron is an innovative urban designer dedicated to crafting more inclusive cities, and he's here to share his insights on how queer urbanism benefits everyone.In This Episode:🌈 Introduction to Queer for Cities:Mission: Making queer a joyful norm and creating equity-centered, liberated communities.The importance of allyship and foundational concepts like equity and intersectionality.Land and labor acknowledgments honoring the Nipmuc people and enslaved workers whose labor built the nation.🎨 Meet Aaron Greiner:Aaron's journey from engineering to urban design, sparked by his studies in Copenhagen.Founding CultureHouse and Fruit Stand to reimagine urban spaces and foster queer-inclusive events.🏙️ Queer Urbanism and Public Space:The pivotal role of decision-makers in urban planning and its impact on city design.How heterosexist perspectives shape our cities and public spaces.The need to center identity and adaptability in urban design to create truly inclusive spaces.🚦 Safety, Comfort, and Expression:Exploring the intersection of safety and public space for queer people.Highlighting inclusive spaces like Provincetown and their role in enhancing queer visibility and safety.The profound significance of experiencing and expressing queerness in public.🏳️‍🌈 Challenges and Opportunities:The decline of traditional queer spaces like gay bars and the rise of inclusive queer events.Strategies for building more queer-inclusive spaces by prioritizing marginalized communities.Get ready for a thought-provoking and energizing conversation that unpacks the essence of queer urbanism and the transformative power of inclusive city planning. Tune in now to discover how we can build cities that celebrate and uplift queer identities, making them better for everyone.///Host: Joshua Croke, Queer For CitiesGuest: Aaron Greiner, Urban Planner, Founder at CultureHouse, Co-founder of FruitStandYou can listen to Queer For Cities loud and queer wherever you get your podcasts and on WICN 90.5 FM, Worcester’s only NPR affiliate station. Tune in on Wednesdays at 6 PM and Sundays at 11 PM and find us at QueerForCities.com. Queer For Cities is created and hosted by Joshua Croke. Our Assistant Producer is Jack Tripp. Our Audio Engineer & Music Producer is Giuliano D’Orazio.Buy Merch! Join us on Patreon!Shapeshifters: Custom-made chest binders. Upcoming pride festival appearances and online store at shapeshifters.co.Love Your Labels: Non-profit supporting queer and trans youth through art, fashion, and design programs. Upcoming events and more at loveyourlabels.org.Queer For Cities is about life at the intersections and designing equity-centered, liberated communities where LGBTQ+ folx thrive. Follow us @QueerForCities and QueerForCities.com. Hosted by Joshua Croke. #QueerForCities

In this episode of Queer for Cities, host Joshua Croke discusses the intersection of identity and place, with a focus on the contributions of queer and trans people in designing inclusive and equitable communities. The episode features conversations with activist and community organizer, MG Xiong, who shares their experience as a Hmong Transmasculine and non-binary individual working in transgender advocacy and community building. The discussion touches on navigating challenging conversations, envisioning inclusive futures, and combating barriers to equitable living. The episode also highlights the importance of accountability, love, and support within the queer and trans communities to foster a more inclusive, joyful, and normative societal view of queerness. Additionally, there's an exploration of the challenges in philanthropy and resource distribution that impact transformational work for queer and trans rights.00:00 Welcome to Queer for Cities: Making Queer a Joyful Norm00:42 Spotlight on MG Xiong: A Journey of Identity and Advocacy03:55 First Event: A Gathering for Trans and Non-Binary Folks06:28 Featuring Derek Austin: Poetry and the Power of Words08:48 Love Your Labels: Empowering Queer and Trans Youth10:22 Envisioning a Liberated Future: Housing and Community Building17:00 Challenging the Philanthropic Industrial Complex34:18 MG's Podcast Preview: True Story, Trans Realities43:27 Building Inclusive Communities: Accountability and Joy49:35 Closing Thoughts and Community EngagementYou can listen to Queer For Cities loud and queer wherever you get your podcasts and on WICN 90.5 FM, Worcester’s only NPR affiliate station. Tune in on Wednesdays at 6 PM and Sundays at 11 PM and find us at QueerForCities.com. Queer For Cities is created and hosted by Joshua Croke. Our Assistant Producer is Jack Tripp. Our Audio Engineer & Music Producer is Giuliano D’Orazio.Buy Merch! Join us on Patreon!Nipmuc NationMG Xiong / Massachusetts Transgender Political CoalitionThe Trans Community of New EnglandDerrick AustinLove Your LabelsStonewall FoundationThe Faggots & Their Friends Between Revolutionsadrienne maree brownTaj Smith  / Rooted RespiteQueer For Cities is about life at the intersections and designing equity-centered, liberated communities where LGBTQ+ folx thrive. Follow us @QueerForCities and QueerForCities.com. Hosted by Joshua Croke. #QueerForCities

Queer for Cities' inaugural episode, hosted by Joshua Croke, delves into the significance of creating inclusive, equitable, and joyful urban spaces for queer and trans folks. Josh introduces the show's mission to advocate for queer urbanism as a means to improve cities for everyone. The podcast highlights the challenges that marginalized groups, especially queer and trans folks, face in urban settings, emphasizing the importance of intentional design in making cities more inclusive. It also touches on the intersectionality of various marginalized identities and the compounded effects of discrimination. The episode features guests MG Xiong and Taj Smith, who discuss their personal journeys and the broader significance of visibility, belonging, and connection for queer and trans people. Additionally, the show explores the intersections of queer identity with religious beliefs, the importance of affirming spaces, and the potential of science fiction in imagining inclusive futures. Tune in next week for part 2!00:00 Welcome to Queer for Cities: Unveiling the Vision00:27 Introducing Joshua Croke: Queer Urbanist00:55 The Mission: Building Inclusive Cities for All02:12 Why Language Matters: Embracing Queer and Trans Identities03:35 Setting the Stage: Values and Goals for Our Community07:26 Acknowledging the Land and Its People12:19 Exploring Queer Urban Life: Guests Share Their Stories24:52 Navigating Family and Religion as Queer Individuals37:14 Imagining Trans Futures in Religion and Beyond44:05 Poetry and Hope: Envisioning a World That Values LifeYou can listen to Queer For Cities loud and queer wherever you get your podcasts and on WICN 90.5 FM, Worcester’s only NPR affiliate station. Tune in on Wednesdays at 6 PM and Sundays at 11 PM and find us at QueerForCities.com. Queer For Cities is created and hosted by Joshua Croke. Our Assistant Producer is Jack Tripp. Our Audio Engineer & Music Producer is Giuliano D’Orazio.Buy Merch! Join us on Patreon!Creative Reaction LabFacing History and OurselvesNipmuc NationThe Trans Community of New England / First EventTaj Smith  / Rooted RespiteLove Your LabelsTamiko BeyerMassachusetts Transgender Political CoalitionQueer For Cities is about life at the intersections and designing equity-centered, liberated communities where LGBTQ+ folx thrive. Follow us @QueerForCities and QueerForCities.com. Hosted by Joshua Croke. #QueerForCities

The design of our communities is an intentional act that often excludes and doesn’t center folks at the margins. Queer For Cities is a podcast about life at the intersections of identity and place and designing equity-centered, liberated communities where LGBTQ+ folx thrive.When we build queer-inclusive cities, we build better cities for everyone.Hosted by Joshua Croke, a queer and nonbinary designer, facilitator, and mixed-media artist working at the intersections of community justice, urban development, and creative placemaking, this podcast is a journey into the heart of New England's cities and beyond. We’re diving into the heart of queer urban life, from community health to the creative economy, and everything in between.We’re out to make queer a joyful norm. In our debut season, we’re exploring what makes a city not just livable but a truly affirming and joyful place for queer and trans folks. We're bringing together voices from across the spectrum — from activists and artists to urban planners and architects — to share their stories, challenges, and triumphs in creating spaces where queer people thrive.We’re coming in loud and queer. Hit that Subscribe button to follow and listen to Queer For Cities wherever you get your podcasts. Follow our journey, and let's envision and create cities where queer is a joyful norm.Queer For Cities is about life at the intersections and designing equity-centered, liberated communities where LGBTQ+ folx thrive. Follow us @QueerForCities and QueerForCities.com. Hosted by Joshua Croke. #QueerForCities