The Response

We're back with the fifth installment in our Mutual Aid 101 mini-series. This episode is going to be a little different from what we've shared before. Rather than extended presentations, you'll hear six 5-10 minute "Rad Talks" covering examples of mutual aid in action.    We welcomed Sanae Lahgazi Alaoui from Metro Atlanta Mutual Aid Fund; Alexa Baiano and Rain from Mutual Aid Disaster Relief; Valinda Chan from Mutual Aid Eastie; Laurie Bertram Roberts from Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Fund; and  writer, organizer, and agitator Vicky Osterweil. These short talks explore the trans and queer underground, reproductive justice, immigration support, and community-led disaster response. At the live event, they were followed by breakout sessions on each topic, which were not recorded. So if you feel like the speakers were a bit reserved, it's because what they are up to may or may not be suitable for the public record…  Resources: Mutual Aid Session 4 video recording Mutual Aid Session 4 transcript Mutual Aid Session 4 public slides  Mutual Aid Session 4 link document Mutual Aid 101 Learning Series Mutual Aid 101 Community Canvas Donate to The Response Episode credits: Hosted and executive produced by Tom Llewellyn Produced and edited by Paige Kelly Theme Music by Cultivate Beats Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. The Response is an award-winning podcast series produced by Shareable exploring how communities respond to disaster — from hurricanes to wildfires to reactionary politics and more. Want to help spread the word? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify — it makes a huge difference in reaching new people who may otherwise not hear about this show.

Today, we're sharing excerpts from Shareable's Mutual Aid 101 Learning Series' third session. Elijah Baucom of Everyday Security & UC Berkeley Cybersecurity Clinic discusses security for mutual aid groups before Sarah Philips of Fight for the Future shares the current state of mutual aid financial surveillance and privacy tech. The third speaker from Session 3, Erika Sato from Sustainable Economies Law Center, opened with a 30 minute overview of legal basics and the benefits and limitations of formal structures for mutual aid groups. We've left it out of this episode, but you can watch/listen to the video on Youtube. Resources: Mutual Aid Session 3 video recording Mutual Aid Session 3 transcript Mutual Aid Session 3 public slides  Mutual Aid Session 3 link document Mutual Aid 101 Learning Series Mutual Aid 101 Community Canvas Donate to The Response Episode credits: Hosted and executive produced by Tom Llewellyn Produced and edited by Paige Kelly Theme Music by Cultivate Beats Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. The Response is an award-winning podcast series produced by Shareable exploring how communities respond to disaster — from hurricanes to wildfires to reactionary politics and more. Want to help spread the word? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify — it makes a huge difference in reaching new people who may otherwise not hear about this show.

We're back with the third installment in our Mutual Aid 101 Learning Series. Today, we're sharing the audio from the second half of Mutual Aid 101 Session 2, featuring Julian Rose from the New Economy Coalition and EndState ATL.  Julian will start with a 25-minute presentation about power dynamics and how to work with others before addressing questions submitted by the live audience.  Resources: New Economy Coalition Sources of Power Tyranny of Structurelessness (Jo Freedman) Mutual Aid 101 Learning Series Mutual Aid 101 Community Canvas Mutual Aid 101 Session 2 w/ Stephanie Rearick and Julian Rose (Video) Mutual Aid 101 Session 2 w/ Stephanie Rearick and Julian Rose (Transcript) Mutual Aid 101 Session 2 w/ Stephanie Rearick and Julian Rose (Slides) Mutual Aid 101 Session 2 w/ Stephanie Rearick and Julian Rose (Links from Stephanie, Julian + chat) Donate to The Response Episode credits: Hosted and executive produced by Tom Llewellyn Produced and edited by Paige Kelly Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. The Response is an award-winning podcast series produced by Shareable exploring how communities respond to disaster — from hurricanes to wildfires to reactionary politics and more. Want to help spread the word? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify — it makes a huge difference in reaching new people who may otherwise not hear about this show.

We're back with the second installment in our Mutual Aid 101 Learning Series.   Today, we're sharing the audio from the half of Session 2, and will be joined by Stephanie Rearick, to discuss how to start and build momentum for a new, or (re)newed mutual aid group. She's a longtime organizer and advocate for cooperative economies, and the founder of the international Humans United for Mutual Aid Networks. We had Stephanie as a guest on the show a couple of years ago and knew she would have an important voice to feature in this series as well. Stephanie starts with a 25-minute presentation before addressing questions submitted by the live audience. Next week on The Response, we'll feature Julian Rose from the New Economy Coalition and EndState ATL, who focussed on power dynamics and how to work with others during Session 2. Our next live event is tomorrow, Wednesday, March 5th, where we'll focus on the benefits and limitations of formal structures, financial basics, and fintech for mutual aid, as well as how to understand risk and safety protocols for mutual aid projects.  Presenters include: Erika Sato, Attorney of Sustainable Economies Law Center; Elijah Baucom, Founder of Everyday Security & Director of UC-Berkeley Cybersecurity Clinic; and Sarah Philips, a Campaigner at Fight for the Future. Resources: Mutual Aid 101 Learning Series Mutual Aid 101 Community Canvas Mutual Aid 101 Session 2 w/ Stephanie Rearick and Julian Rose (Video) Mutual Aid 101 Session 2 w/ Stephanie Rearick and Julian Rose (Transcript) Mutual Aid 101 Session 2 w/ Stephanie Rearick and Julian Rose (Slides) Mutual Aid 101 Session 2 w/ Stephanie Rearick and Julian Rose (Links from Stephanie, Julian + chat) Donate to The Response Episode credits: Hosted and executive produced by Tom Llewellyn Produced and edited by Paige Kelly Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. The Response is an award-winning podcast series produced by Shareable exploring how communities respond to disaster — from hurricanes to wildfires to reactionary politics and more. Want to help spread the word? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify — it makes a huge difference in reaching new people who may otherwise not hear about this show.

Last week, we were blown away by the 2,200 people who registered for our new Mutual Aid 101 Series.    We were fortunate to have Dean Spade, organizer, teacher, and the author of "Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During this Crisis (and the Next)" and "Love in a Fucked Up World: How to Build Relationships, Hook Up, and Raise Hell, Together" lead the first session.   Dean dropped some serious knowledge for nearly 90 minutes straight. All the while, the chat was on fire while a new learing community was being formed.   The series continues tomorrow, on Wednesday February 26th with Julian Rose from the New Economy Coalition and Endstate ATL and previous guest on The Response, Stephanie Rearick from Human's United for Mutual Aid Networks. They'll be focussing on how to build and sustain mutual aid projects while not burning out.   The first phase of this series runs through the end of March with several more trainings scheduled throughout the rest of the year.   There's also the Mutual Aid 101 Community Canvas, where we're posting recordings, resources, and session updates.   There are links to everything I just mentioned in the show notes.   Through out this season of The Response, we'll be sharing a mix of original interviews, dispatches from the front lines of disasters, and excerpts from Mutual Aid 101 (like this one).    Today, we'll be playing the full recording from Dean's training. We've posted the video, slides, and transcript to Canvas, so you can create an account there to follow along. Resources: Mutual Aid 101 Learning Series Mutual Aid 101 Community Canvas Mutual Aid 101 w/ Dean Spade (Video) Mutual Aid 101 w/ Dean Spade (Transcript) Mutual Aid 101 w/ Dean Spade (Slides) Mutual Aid 101 w/ Dean Spade (Links from Dean + chat) Dean's Books Donate to The Response Episode credits: Hosted and executive produced by Tom Llewellyn Produced and edited by Paige Kelly Theme Music by Cultivate Beats Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. The Response is an award-winning podcast series produced by Shareable exploring how communities respond to disaster — from hurricanes to wildfires to reactionary politics and more. Want to help spread the word? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify — it makes a huge difference in reaching new people who may otherwise not hear about this show.

Nearly 20 years ago, The Response host Tom Llewellyn was fortunate to experience Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove's Voices of a People's History of the United States live at the Berkeley Community Theater.  In 2018, after we finished our first set of audio documentaries for The Response, it was clear that the personal stories shared with us by those on the front lines of climate, political, and social disasters should also be brought to the stage.  And so, in homage, we have called these live performances, Voices of The Response.  We're still developing the full performance, but we were invited to workshop excerpts at  the Oregon Country Fair last year. With the support of Eric Brahman, we worked with local spoken word artists to perform unique pieces each day of the festival during the Storytelling Smorgasbord.  Today you'll hear the recordings from that event, including stories related to previous California wildfires.  Resources: Mutual Aid Los Angeles Network Mutual Aid 101 Learning Series Audio documentaries: "The impact of Northern California fires on the undocumented community" "Radical approaches to disaster relief in New York" "Reimagining Paradise in an Age of climate disruption" Donate to The Response Episode credits: Hosted and executive produced by Tom Llewellyn Produced and edited by Paige Kelly Stories in this week's episode written by Robert Raymond Stories in this episode were read by Shachar Efrati, Jen Hernandez, Tom Llewellyn, Jeany Snider, David Snider, Eric Brahman, and Shachar Efrati. A special thanks to Tzula for playing the harp during the performances Theme Music by Cultivate Beats Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. The Response is an award-winning podcast series produced by Shareable exploring how communities respond to disaster — from hurricanes to wildfires to reactionary politics and more. Want to help spread the word? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify — it makes a huge difference in reaching new people who may otherwise not hear about this show.

In this episode of The Response, we explore a devastating and ongoing story of environmental disaster, Indigenous resistance, and corporate exploitation in Brazil. This powerful installment brings listeners face-to-face with the catastrophic failures of Vale, a multinational mining corporation, and the resilient efforts of the Kamakã Mongoió people to protect their sacred land and water. The episode features a compelling conversation with journalist, filmmaker, and community organizer Allen Myers, whose recent article for Shareable,  Modern Day Colonialism and the Disastrous Fate of an Indigenous Water and Land Protector, offers a chilling look at the ongoing struggles in the region. Myers shares insights from his 2022 trip to Brumadinho, Brazil, where he witnessed the enduring scars left by a 2019 dam collapse and the fight for justice that followed. In January 2019, a toxic dam operated by Vale in the State of Minas Gerais failed catastrophically, releasing 12 million cubic meters of sludge into the surrounding environment. The disaster claimed 272 lives and decimated the livelihoods of countless others. This was not an isolated incident—just four years earlier, the Mariana dam collapse, also operated by Vale, caused Brazil's worst environmental catastrophe. Despite warnings and inspections highlighting structural vulnerabilities, Vale failed to act, prioritizing profits over safety. For the Indigenous Kamakã Mongoió, the collapse was not just a distant tragedy but a direct assault on their way of life. Chief Merong, a prominent leader of the tribe, emerged as a steadfast protector of his community's land and water, standing against the encroachments of Vale. He and other Kamakã Mongoió have faced threats, harassment, violence, and even death for their resistance, a chilling manifestation of what Myers calls "modern-day colonialism." While the subject matter of this episode of The Response is tragic, it's also a call to action. Myers draws parallels between the disasters in Brazil and the 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise, California, highlighting the universal dangers of corporate negligence and environmental exploitation. Both of these stories serve as stark reminders that disasters exacerbated by greed are not inevitable but preventable. Resources: Survivors for Peace www.allen-myers.com Donate to The Response Episode credits: Hosted and executive produced by Tom Llewellyn Produced and edited by Paige Kelly Theme Music by Cultivate Beats Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. The Response is an award-winning podcast series produced by Shareable exploring how communities respond to disaster — from hurricanes to wildfires to reactionary politics and more. Want to help spread the word? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify — it makes a huge difference in reaching new people who may otherwise not hear about this show.

On this episode of The Response, we're joined by author and organizer Andrew Lee. In his book Defying Displacement: Urban Recomposition and Social War, Andrew writes about how gentrification is often seen as inevitable or automatic and an "economic, social plan."  In that sense, the resulting displacement of people from their homes and communities is, in essence, a planned disaster. Andrew brings a nuanced perspective to this issue, drawing from his work and experiences in neighborhoods facing rapid economic transformation.  Gentrification, as he sees it, is not just about rising rents or new developments but about the displacement of people, histories, and cultures that have shaped these communities for generations. Much like our previous episodes—whether discussing mutual aid in disaster-hit regions or grassroots movements reclaiming public space—this conversation reminds us that collective action is a powerful tool. Andrew shares stories of resistance: how communities are organizing to protect their homes, create alternative housing models, and ensure that development serves the people already rooted in these spaces. Thanks for tuning into The Response. We're back after an unanticipated summer break. We love making this show, but have a small team at Shareable, and often have to redirect our efforts to other parts of our work. That said, we've got new monthly episodes scheduled for the rest of the year. Please email TheResponse@shareable.net with feedback about the show or if you have suggestions for people you want to hear us interview.  Resources: Defying Displacement by Andrew Lee In Struggle substack by Andrew Lee Follow Andrew on Instagram and TikTok Andrew's website Shareable zoning series Free ebook: How racism shaped the housing crisis & what we can do about it today Donate to The Response Episode credits: Co-hosted and executive produced by Tom Llewellyn Co-hosted, produced, and edited by Paige Kelly Theme Music by Cultivate Beats Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. The Response is an award-winning podcast series produced by Shareable exploring how communities respond to disaster — from hurricanes to wildfires to reactionary politics and more. Want to help spread the word? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify — it makes a huge difference in reaching new people who may otherwise not hear about this show.

On this episode of The Response, we're joined by Arvind Dilawar, an independent journalist who has recently written a piece for Shareable about the union supplying Palestinian journalists with safety gear amid the ongoing Israeli genocide. His articles, interviews, and essays on everything from the spacesuits of the future to love in the time of visas have appeared in The New York Times, Time Magazine, The Daily Beast, and elsewhere. He was also formerly a columnist at Pacific Standard. In the following conversation, Arvind illuminates the dire situation in Gaza and the challenges journalists face amid the turmoil. Arvind reports back on his conversations with journalists on the ground in the West Bank and shares the story of the protective equipment library that has been set up by the Palestinian Journalist Syndicate (PJS) to provide journalists with the essential tools they need. Arvind also highlights how journalists face increasing repression for covering Palestine, both in the US and abroad, and the impact of media censorship and biased narratives on the perception of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, particularly among Western outlets. Join us as we uncover the crucial role of independent journalism in times of crisis and how we can collectively support those documenting the reality of the frontlines. Resources: Life-Saving lending library: Union supplies Palestinian journalists with safety gear amid ongoing Israeli genocide If you would like to support journalists in Gaza so that they can continue their work, please make a contribution to the IFJ's International Safety Fund with the comment "For the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate." Episode credits: Co-hosted and executive produced by Tom Llewellyn Co-hosted, produced, and edited by Paige Kelly Theme Music by Cultivate Beats Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. The Response is an award-winning podcast series produced by Shareable exploring how communities respond to disaster — from hurricanes to wildfires to reactionary politics and more. Want to help spread the word? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify — it makes a huge difference in reaching new people who may otherwise not hear about this show.

On this episode of The Response, we get to the heart of reproductive justice with Rafa Kidvai, the director of the Repro Legal Defense Fund at If/When/How. The RLDF champions the rights and freedoms of people criminalized for their pregnancy outcomes, offers bail support, and stands as a bastion for strong defenses in the face of criminalization, spanning from miscarriages to self-managed abortions.  Rafa shares insights into the organization's holistic approach, emphasizing the critical support they provide through litigation, a helpline for those fearing criminalization, and ensuring clients receive the best possible defense.  Join us as we explore interconnected struggles, the challenges of surveillance, and the power of community in the fight for reproductive justice. Resources: If/When/How Repro Legal Defense Fund No Body Criminalized Podcast How to Become a Lawyer without Going to Law School Episode credits: Co-hosted and executive produced by Tom Llewellyn Co-hosted, produced, and edited by Paige Kelly Theme Music by Cultivate Beats Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. The Response is an award-winning podcast series produced by Shareable exploring how communities respond to disaster — from hurricanes to wildfires to reactionary politics and more.

For our first episode of 2024, we interviewed noted disasterologist and previous guest, Dr. Samantha Montano. We discuss the impact of climate change on disasters and the need for better disaster management and planning. We also explore the difference between emergencies, disasters, and catastrophes. And highlight the importance of community involvement in all stages of disaster management. We'll wrap things up with a review of recent changes to FEMA's individual assistance program and touch the role of journalism in bridging the gap between public expectations and government actions in disaster response. Resources: "Disasterology: Dispatches From The Frontlines of The Climate Crisis" Samantha's monthly newsletter Samanth's twitter Episode credits: Hosted and produced by Tom Llewellyn Edited by Paige Kelly Theme Music by Cultivate Beats Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. The Response is an award-winning podcast series produced by Shareable exploring how communities respond to disaster — from hurricanes to wildfires to reactionary politics and more.

For our final episode of The Response this year, we interviewed three mutual aid organizers from Orlando, FL, Hartford, CT, and Bvlbancha (aka New Orleans, LA). Gabbie Barnes is the founder of FREE HART Closet, a worker-owner at the People's Saturday School, a mutual aid organizer, and a Library of Things Fellow. Rachel Kinbar is an organizer with Central Florida Mutual Aid, Orlando DSA, the operations director for Beautiful Trouble, and is a participant in both the Emergency Battery Network Co-Lab and a Library of Things Fellow. Ida Aronson is an active member of the United Houma Nation and organizes with Bvlbancha Collective, Imagine Water Works, and Bvlbancha Radio among other mutual aid projects, and was a participant in the Emergency Battery Network Co-Lab. While they each are working on several unique projects, they are connected by their dedication to their communities and their participation in our SolidarityWorks program. Together, we discuss the current threats to their communities, both political and environmental, the ways they are collaborating with others to develop community-led solutions, and how they find joy in their life and work despite the many challenges they face. We're in the middle of our end-of-year fundraiser and could really use your support. If you appreciate this show and are in a position to donate, please contribute today: www.shareable.net/donate. Check out the resources below to learn more about all of their projects: SolidarityWorks Emergency Battery Network Toolkit Mutual Aid Hartford (MAH) FREE HART Closet The People's Saturday School Central Florida Mutual Aid Beautiful Trouble Bvlbancha Collective Bvlbancha Radio Imagine Water Works How To Set Up An Open Mesh Network in Your Neighborhood Meet Freifunk, the German group that aims to provide free internet to all "The Food Conspiracy Cookbook" Urban Recipe (Food Distribution Co-op) Episode credits: Hosted and produced by Tom Llewellyn Edited by Robert Raymond Theme Music by Cultivate Beats Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. The Response is an award-winning podcast series produced by Shareable exploring how communities respond to disaster — from hurricanes to wildfires to reactionary politics and more.

Today on the show we've brought on Alex Press, a staff writer at Jacobin Magazine, to explore labor power — specifically, looking at how the strengthening of the labor movement through unions, strikes, and other workplace actions, are serving as a response to not only the harms inflicted by neoliberalism, but also, how these institutions and actions can serve as direct responses to climate change-fueled disasters.  It's been said that one of the best disaster responses is an organized workplace. In this episode, we'll explore what we mean by that, take stock of the current labor landscape in the United States, and discuss how unions, strikes, and other forms of labor power can serve as ways to strengthen our collective and solidarity-focused muscles in a world of neoliberal capitalism. Resources: In Obama's Working, There is No Way Out, Alex Press's piece in Jacobin Citations Needed — News Brief: 2000s Zombie Neoliberalism Lives On in Obama's New Netflix Doc The Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. Want to help spread the word? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify — it makes a huge difference in reaching new people who may otherwise not hear about this show. The Response is published by Shareable.

Last week, the skies over much of the east coast of the United States were orange, red, and almost entirely blacked out in some regions. Smoke from wildfires raging up north in Canada blew down to engulf many major U.S. cities in an apocalyptic glow that left New York City with the worst air quality in the world.   For those of us in California, seeing the apocalyptic images from the east coast going viral brought us back to the many times over the last decade that we experienced the same thing — wildfires raging from northern parts of the state like the Camp Fire in Butte County that completely incinerated the town of Paradise, or the fires in southern California, or Sonoma County, or the Santa Cruz Mountains — there's too many to really keep track of.   Here in California, one of the many impacts of wildfires that we know all too well has been the loss of power — of electricity. PG&E, the scandal-ridden investor-owned electric utility that operates much of northern California's grid, has not only been found guilty in the last several years for some of California's most destructive wildfires. The company has also come under scrutiny for its implementation of rolling blackouts during wildfires, which it claims it does to protect dry landscapes from power lines that could overheat and spark deadly fires. PG&E's power lines are notoriously poorly maintained and downed trees around power lines have been the direct cause of some of the most deadly and destructive wildfires in California's history.   These massive power shut-offs have led to all sorts of auxiliary disasters over the years and have left millions of Californians without power during some of our most vulnerable times — amidst scorching heat wages and raging wildfires.   In this context, the People Power Battery Collective in the Bay Area launched a program to provide backup power during emergencies and increase the general understanding of energy access, consumption, and needs. On today's show, we've brought on People Power Battery Collective members Kansas, Crystal, and Yasir to talk about their project in the context of climate-fueled disasters and community mutual aid.   Today's episode is part of a new series we're launching called "How-to-Respond" — where we'll go deeper into the mechanics of community-led disaster response and mutual aid initiatives so that folks can replicate and adapt these efforts in other communities.     This ongoing series is a part of Shareable's overall programmatic transition to a renewed focus on empowering people and communities to move from the point of inspiration to action. This week, we're launching SolidarityWorks, a new program designed to "Empower Communities for Collective Liberation." Over the coming years, we'll join forces with a broad range of partners to create localized social infrastructure initiatives packed with creative solutions, tools for solidarity, and a deep embrace of the communities we collaborate with.   The first example of this program is actually the People Power Battery Collective. After working with them a couple of years ago on a how-to guide so other groups could adapt their model, we'll now be partnering with them on a free course to directly support more communities to create battery collectives of their own. Resources: People Power Battery Collective People Power Solar SolidarityWorks Emergency Battery Collective Learning & Action Cohort Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. Want to help spread the word? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify — it makes a huge difference in extending our reach and broadening our audience. The Response is published by Shareable.

Today on the show we've brought on Lee Shevek, an anarchist, writer, and domestic violence researcher. Pride Month is just around the corner and we thought it would be a good time to take a deep dive into the reactionary politics side of this show — namely, the attacks from the right wing and from the state against our transgender comrades. States like Texas, Florida, and Missouri are on the frontlines of this politicized aggression, which is being waged by the forces of right-wing reaction, but is often accomplished with the complicity, and sometimes even with the approval, from more liberal-leaning state and media institutions. In this episode, we investigate the state of anti-trans and transphobic reaction in the United States more broadly and explore how trans communities and their allies are responding.We also get into what anarchism teaches us about these struggles — specifically, what we can learn from this political philosophy about trans issues and gender issues more broadly, and why it's more important than ever for anarchists and those on the left to support trans people in their struggle for liberation from reactionary forces. Resources: Lee Shevek's writing on Medium (Butch Anarchy) Lee Shevek on Twitter and Instagram Follow The Response on Twitter and Instagram for updates, memes, and more. Our entire catalog of documentaries and interviews can be found at theresponsepodcast.org — or wherever you get your podcasts. Want to help spread the word? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify — it makes a huge difference in extending our reach and broadening our audience. The Response is published by Shareable.