Category: Activism

Writing Our Legacies: Memory Work & Reclaiming Black Queer Narratives

By Max Sheffield
Photos by Whitney Young

Family is a tricky subject for queer people. Understanding our lineage? Even more so. 

Speaking with queer elders about what they have faced and what we can learn has been a moving part of my own journey toward acceptance and understanding of my identity.

But as a white queer person, you cannot start to have these questions without acknowledging the visibility and privileges that white queer people have over queer Black and Brown folks. They have led the way for queer liberation, but their stories can be hard to find. The local media archive, B/qKC (Black/queer Kansas City), provides a space for those stories to get the representation they deserve.

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What was second-wave feminism really like? Explore the era with feminist author Clara Bringham during her live talk on March 20

By Emily Laptad

The 1960s and 70s marked a significant era of progress for women in the United States. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 was the first nationwide legislation for eliminating wage disparities based on sex. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The Women’s Educational Equity Act of 1972 guaranteed equal access to education for women and girls. Roe v. Wade legalized abortion across the US in 1973. The Equal Opportunity Credit Act of 1974 enabled women to open bank accounts and apply for credit cards with their own names. And other court cases and legislation further expanded women’s rights to employment, education, financial independence, and reproductive health during this time too. 

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We’re launching a Kansas City resource guide to reproductive health services, crisis care, LGBTQ+ organizations, & other community programs

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By The Catcall Team

In the days since Donald Trump has returned to the Oval Office, we have unequivocally witnessed Elon Musk’s violent inauguration salute, pardons for roughly 1600 insurrectionists from the January 6th, 2021 riot, the immediate freeze on health organizations’ public communications, rollbacks on decades-old policies meant to create equity, and other treacherous fuckery. The never-ending onslaught of dread with each passing day since January 20th feels intentionally harmful to our diverse communities that actually make America great. As our newest administration attempts to control us with fear, we respond with the only logical response: community. 

That’s why Catcall has created a guide for accessible and affordable national and Kansas City-area community resources. Our team has been working on organizing resources for a while, but it felt important now more than ever to get this list up ASAP as we face the next four years. This guide will grow with us as we gain more information about the changing political climate. We also welcome our community of readers to inform us if we are missing any pertinent services in the Kansas City metro and beyond our state lines, any of which can be submitted to our Resource Guide Submission form. By coming together to offer support, information, and resources we can create solidarity through conscious actions and combat the isolation this presidency is attempting to foster. 

Visit the Resource Guide
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Chasing Chasing Amy, a Documentary Exploring LGBTQ+ Belonging in Film, Showing in Theaters

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By Kelcie McKenney

Director Sav Rodgers’ documentary Chasing Chasing Amy is coming to select theaters on November 1st. 

The theater release comes just over a year after debuting at Tribeca Film Festival in June 2023 and an award-filled stretch on the festival circuit—Best Documentary at FilmOut San Diego, 2023 Popcorn List Selection at Festival Favorite Films, and Grand Jury Prize Winner at Hell’s Half Mile Film & Music Festival, to name a few amidst the 76 different festival showing.

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Things are getting hotter in Kansas City with VAMP KC

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By Nicole Mitchell
Photos by Travis Young

Kansas City’s newest LGBTQIA+-owned burlesque group VAMP KC welcomes you to its all-inclusive classes and performances.

Penelope Mais Oui isn’t from Kansas City, but since moving here from Colorado Springs, she’s been creating noise in the burlesque and LGBTQIA+ scenes. Before moving to the city, Penelope produced a series of classic and classic-inspired burlesque shoes at a locally-owned Colorado Springs art theatre.

“I spent the pandemic not working on a stage,” Penelope says about moving to KC. “When I decided to dip my toes into the burlesque waters again…,” which was first as part of a local troupe, “I found there was a space, a desire, even a need in Kansas City for classic-style burlesque.” By using her previous experience, Penelope knew just what Kansas City was missing. “I already had a vision of what that could look like,” she says.

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