What if our best tool for fighting fascism is embracing all of our ‘Wayward’ teens and their imagination for resistance?

In this episode, Shannon and Tashmica rave about the talented nonbinary artist Mae Martin (they/them), and Wayward, the limited series they created for Netflix. Set in 2003, the story follows Leila and Abby, teenage best friends and a local police officer, Alex, as they uncover dark secrets surrounding the town and their strange relationship with a local academy for troubled teens.

Martin’s portrayal of Alex (he/him), a trans man, and his relationship with his pregnant wife Lauren, delivered a captivating story that normalized the existence of trans people and queer family dynamics while also giving us one of the hottest queer sex scenes we’ve ever seen on a mainstream platform.

Listen in as we talk cultish spiritual vibes, that time Republicans crashed Grindr, and the all too real impact of the for-profit, unregulated Troubled Teen Industry (TTI).

Welcome to Tall Pines. We think you’ll like it here.

Pop Culture Homework:

Watch: Wayward
Read: Officials calling for state investigations over use of force in East Lansing, Michigan
Listen: The Autobiography of Assata Shakur, Pen and Paper: Library of A Pan African Communist | Podcast on Spotify

Hosts: Tashmica Torok & Shannon Perez-Darby.

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Sponsored in part by: The Accountable Communities Consortium and Aletheia Coaching & Consulting

Access: Transcript now available on Apple Podcast