A podcast was recorded live in front of an Iona studio audience on Oct. 28 in the End Zone sponsored by the Counseling Center, Office of Mission and Ministry, and the Office of Residential Life. Mix’d Kinish is a weekly show that focuses on LGBTQIA+ issues. The two hosts, Yvonne and Adele, shared their experiences as part of the community while adding a comedic spin. They were also joined by their friend Angel as well as several Iona students and members of staff who volunteered to come on the show. Students who attended the event received a free pasta dinner, as well as candy and an official Mix’d Kinish t-shirt. The conversation was wide-ranging, covering both serious topics such as bullying prevention and lighthearted topics such as their most embarrassing moments. 

Early on in the show, Yvonne, Adele and Angel discussed how they came out as part of the LGBTQIA+ community. Not only were they nervous that they would not find acceptance from those they knew, but they also had to overcome their own internalized homophobia. Angel expressed his love for Gen Z as a generation that strives for true equality. Even as acceptance has grown, the hosts stressed that the act of coming out is still important. People are far more likely to support the LGBTQIA+ community if they personally know people who are members of the community themselves.  

Residence Hall Director Paul Angelucci then joined in the conversation as the hosts talked about modern technology, filters and the importance of imposing boundaries on social media. They discussed how the very devices that are intended to connect us can sometimes drive us apart.  

After a brief break, Mix’d Kinish returned with a series of rapid-fire questions. Adele, Yvonne and Angel talked about their embarrassing moments, the trashiest books they’ve read and their go-to karaoke songs. Senior Eileen Exama then approached the bench, joining the team to discuss her experiences as an RA during the COVID-19 pandemic. The group also chatted about astrology, the excessive weight put on celebrities’ sociopolitical views and the problem of “Blackfishing,” or when white people change their appearance to look racially ambiguous.  

Throughout the show, they also discussed multiple historical moments from LGBTQIA+ history. Mix’d Kinish talked about the Stonewall Riots of 1969, a series of demonstrations after a police raid of the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village. This uprising is considered a watershed moment for the gay liberation movement. The hosts also mentioned the “lavender scare,” or a panic about gay people that swept the country in the mid-1900s in combination with the “red scare” of McCarthyism. Many thought that members of the LGBTQIA+ community were communist sympathizers and posed a threat to America.  

This episode of Mix’d Kinish also focused on important figures of LGBTQIA+ history. Yvonne, Adele and Angel talked about Matthew Shepard, a young gay man who was beaten to death because of his sexual orientation in 1998. They also brought up the story of Ruth Coker Burks, a woman who comforted men dying of AIDS in Arkansas in 1980s. Burks did not have medical training, but she wanted to do what she could for those who didn’t have additional support from their families, becoming an “accidental activist.” The last figure they mentioned in the episode was Marsha P. Johnson, an activist and drag queen who took part in the Stonewall Riots.  

The hosts wrapped up the episode after almost two hours, thanking the Iona studio audience for participating. The episode of Mix’d Kinish recorded at Iona drops the first week of November.