Episode Transcript
[00:00:10] Speaker A: Good evening, everyone, and welcome back to now, no opportunity wasted. I'm your host, Angelica Ross. And tonight we are closing out Pride Month. But not with a goodbye, but with a declaration.
Pride never ends.
Okay.
While I was in New York City, I had the immense joy of producing a special nine episode series with my sister and producer Daniella Carter. We were spotlighting LGBTQ plus voices. And starting tonight, we're making Pride, a weekly practice celebrating our community. Every week we're live, you hear me?
And as always, I want to ground us in a Buddhist word.
Actually, two Buddhist words.
First from nature and Daishonin's the essentials for attaining Buddhahood.
And he says, quote, because I have expounded this teaching, I have been exiled and almost killed.
As the saying goes, good advice grates on the ear, but I am still not discouraged. End quote.
And also from Buddhism, day by Day for June 30, it says, quote, in one of his writings, when renowned microbiologist Rene Dubois states, history teaches the man without effort is sure to deteriorate. Man cannot progress without effort, and man cannot be happy without effort. This is indisputable. You may be experiencing various hardships right now, but because you continue to make efforts in the midst of those challenges, no matter how painful they are, you will definitely become happy.
Effort and happiness are indivisible.
Now, those words ring especially true today as we reflect on the state of our world. One where truth, compassion, and courage are often punished while ignorance and violence are left unchecked.
Yeah.
All right, before we get into my amazing interview with the fabulous, the iconic Lena Bradford. Before we get to that, I want to acknowledge a few headline stories that demand our attention. And I wish I could see your comments right now because I really want to see your comments on all these. First of all, there was a tragedy at the historic Stonewall Inn just hours after the NYC pride march. Two teenage girls were shot just steps away from the birthplace of our movement. One of them is still in critical condition.
Now, this should have been a night of celebration, not of survival.
Police and authorities say that they still don't have a motive or a suspect.
Next, Trump and Tik tock.
President Trump claims that he's found buyers for Tick tock's U. S. Operations, setting a new September deadline. Because, you know, it was about two or three other deadlines since January.
You know, you know, he go back and forth, wish washy, don't know what he's doing.
But what is at stake here is more than an app. It's surveillance, censorship, and who controls the narrative in our digital age.
But the story I cannot let go of, and I fear that this country wants us to forget is the Minnesota lawmakers who were shot.
I mean, it was like a blip on the radar.
Our country is plummeting into chaos fast.
A two day manhunt ended in the arrest of Vance Bolter, a white man now charged with murdering Minnesota speaker emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband and shooting State Senator John Hoffman and his wife. 17 times.
17 times.
Folks want to talk about all of these, all of this stuff, but there is actual, real crimes happening and no one is taking responsibility.
We barely hear about it on the news. So let me say that again.
A white man targeted elected officials and their spouses and shot them in their homes. And yet where is the national media outrage?
Where's the outrage? Where the terrorist headlines.
Instead, we live in a country where protesters, immigrants and trans people, and black communities are constantly painted as the threat, while the real danger continues to grow from within domestically grown white national extremists.
This is what we have been warning about. The same communities that get blamed, brutalized and over policed are not the ones shooting up churches and synagogues, schools, or state houses.
We got to stop pretending like these are isolated incidents.
These are symptoms of a sickness, one that this country refuses to name.
And if we don't start calling it what it is, domestic terrorism fueled by white supremacy, then we are complicit in letting it spread.
So let me be clear.
The most dangerous people in America are not the queer folks at STONEWALL, not the TikTok creators, and certainly not trans youth in schools.
It's them. People stockpiling weapons, radicalizing in basements, and hiding in plain sight.
We can't keep saying never again if we're unwilling to face the truth.
Oh, so do we mean never again?
Okay, then.
So tonight, as we launch this next chapter of Pride conversations, we do so knowing that visibility is not enough.
We need accountability, we need truth, and we need voices of light who remind us of what's worth fighting for.
One of those voices. And tonight's guest is DJ activist and icon Lena Bradford.
Lena Bradford is a living legend in the world of music, fashion, and LGBTQ plus activism. She's known around the globe as DJ Lena, but she's so much more than the master of decks.
Born and raised in Manhattan, just steps from Carnegie Hall, Lena Bradford was surrounded by creativity and expression from an early age.
Her grandmother was an opera singer, and by 11, Lena was classically trained in ballet, jazz, and tap.
That early artistry laid the foundation for a lifetime of dazzling performance and unapologetic self expression in the vibrant, gritty nightlife of the 1990s. New York City, she became known as Girlina. Popped part of the revolutionary club kids scene. Her look, her moves, her presence, turns heads and broke barriers. But it wasn't long before she stepped into the DJ booth, turning tables and changing the game. DJing since 1997, she quickly earned respect in a male dominated space. Mentored by greats like Frankie Knuckles and Larry Levan, she built a global fan base with her joyful set, spinning everything from disco to House.
For 10 iconic summers. She lit up the Fire island with her legendary parties, Lena's Lounge, Torlina, cementing her status as nightlife royalty. Belen is not just about the party. She's a spiritually grounded and deeply generous soul. She's the host of her own dazzling interview series, in the Dollhouse with Lena, where she with her warmth and she just brings out this side of her guest and off stage, she's a fierce advocate and a global ambassador for Heatrick Martin Institute, a board member of gmhc, and a tireless voice for trans rights, queer youth and people living with hiv.
She's been honored with awards from the glammies to the White House, appeared in documentaries like Wig Stock and Lish, and continues to inspire across generations with her message of love, light, and being your whole damn self. Please welcome to now Ms. Lena Bradford.
[00:09:21] Speaker B: Oh, well, welcome to now Lena Bradford.
[00:09:27] Speaker A: Oh, my goodness.
[00:09:28] Speaker B: First of all, you know, I came into New York to do Tribeca and my girl Daniella, got on producer, pulled all the girls together kind of last minute, produced this whole series on Pride. So I know this was sometimes, you know, we do things last minute and.
And you just said, yes, of course.
[00:09:46] Speaker C: Because this is what was supposed to happen.
[00:09:48] Speaker B: Yes, this was what's supposed to happen. Thank you so much.
[00:09:50] Speaker C: Thank you.
[00:09:51] Speaker B: With this being now, no opportunity wasted, and now hearing that during Pride Month, you have the opportunity to represent New York as the Grand Marshall.
What does this opportunity mean to you? And tell me just your idea of what it means to not waste this opportunity as you show up.
[00:10:17] Speaker C: Well, first of all, thank you for having me, sister. It's always so delicious to see you and you look disgusting.
[00:10:22] Speaker B: Oh, my goodness. You know, girl, they had established everything, baby.
[00:10:26] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:10:29] Speaker C: Growing up in Manhattan, I knew that was a big honor. I didn't know how they got the honor, but I knew it was a big honor. And just throughout the years from, you know, back in the day till now, seeing the people who were representing for, you know, being grand marshal is something other special. You know, it really is, because then you start to really look at that person and they're the way that they've been traveling and their whole vibration through life, and you're like, ah, that's why they're there.
And it makes other people look at the pride parade a little bit differently because we do have a grand marshal. We are the architect of why other people have prides all over this country and all over this world.
[00:11:09] Speaker A: Wow. Telling you right.
[00:11:11] Speaker C: New York, honey, you know, it's where the get down starts.
[00:11:14] Speaker B: You know what, though, also when I think of New York, I think of Lena Bradford.
[00:11:18] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:11:19] Speaker B: Like, you have been a part of the scene.
[00:11:22] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:11:22] Speaker B: For a long time. Can you talk to me just about your perspective? DJing and some of the most lit.
[00:11:31] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:11:32] Speaker B: Celebrations in this from then till now. From then to now. Like, tell me about that experience for you.
[00:11:39] Speaker C: I love getting a perspective of people from outside the city. So you just saying that and like, you're leading up to this is exactly why I think that people gravitate toward New York and why some of the people that I, being born and raised in Manhattanite, revere our implants and our implants.
Our implants as New Yorkers because of the perspective that they bring from different cities and different countries. I love that. And they bring things that we sometimes overlook. Being a New Yorker, you know, so for me, growing up in Manhattan and, you know, coming up from, you know, the 70s and the 80s and the 90s, sometimes I feel like I'm a pod person looking outside, like, wait, what happened? But then there's other times I'm just like, this is why this is my city and why it's so special. Because there's beautiful hiccups and moments. It's. It's a different kind of New York. I won't front because, you know, these devices, people become a little more introverted where, you know, I'm very much out there. And I love to talk to people.
[00:12:38] Speaker B: I love that about you.
[00:12:38] Speaker C: Thank you, sister. And so I have to remind people, not without saying it, but just with my actions that look, talk to somebody in their face. You can meet your best friend, your girlfriend, your boyfriend, and also learn things by just speaking to somebody. That's what's so wonderful about New York.
[00:12:54] Speaker B: I think that's one of the things, though, that separates you and that gives you that factor. Because what do you think it is that has kept you in this industry so long?
[00:13:07] Speaker C: Because as you know, you're absolutely right.
[00:13:09] Speaker B: One wrong move, yeah, you're out of here.
[00:13:11] Speaker C: You know, I think that because I am not only a New Yorker, but I'm a princess of light, I'm a very spiritual person, and I'm connected to everyone's energy. So it's not a me thing. So you. When you say what you just said has to do with that type of mentality, that if you're coming along thinking that it's you, you know what, there'll be people putting you in the backseat of the bleachers. You know what I'm saying? So, because I keep myself very fresh and open all the time, that it has me kind of manifesting and going into different roller coasters and spots along with everybody else, and still doing it while still looking and feeling very grateful and fresh at the same time.
[00:13:47] Speaker B: You know, now I'm a girl of a certain age.
[00:13:49] Speaker A: I know.
[00:13:50] Speaker B: You know, we're girls, we're mature women here. But I just.
Coming up, seeing you, Candice Kane, the stunts, y' all just. I love y' all. See y' all pulling stunts. Who was it for you that was.
Came before you, that kind of inspired, right?
[00:14:12] Speaker C: You know, we were talking earlier. I. I say, and I say this to all the kids anytime I do an interview. So it can be a broken record. Why? What? Yeah, you don't know where you're going if you don't know where you came from. So. Because I was always very thoughtful of the people and my predecessors, my brothers and sisters, of why it is that we're here, you know, from fashion to activate, all of it. I always paid attention, I mean, to my grandmother taking me to garage in Studio 54. You know, I was going out when I was 11, you know, because back in the day, if you were with the right people, they weren't carting you. New York's a different breed. You know what I mean? So I've seen and I've done things. You know, my grandmother, as most are, the matriarch of the family, she's been a part of the S and M contingency of the Gay pride since the 70s. She also has a female and a male slave. Like, she's a dominatrix, but she was also a famous opera singer. That's why I grew across. Grew up across the street from Carnegie Hall. I come from that. So being around colorful people, it was important for me to know about this, so it wasn't ever thinking to myself, that person's different, that person's special.
So I never Dissected people. And I say a label is something that I wear, not something that you can acute me to.
[00:15:17] Speaker A: Oh, we love that.
[00:15:20] Speaker B: I think y' all need to let.
[00:15:21] Speaker A: That sit with y' all for a moment. Let that sit.
[00:15:25] Speaker B: So. So you, as an artist, someone that, you know, really curates the music scene in many of these spaces, how have you seen your art and your creativity and your activism sort of go off the screen, you know, off the record, like, into the streets, into community? Because I've seen you, like, you're on boards. Like, what does your activism look like when you step out of the DJ booth?
[00:15:53] Speaker C: Well, you know what's funny is that it's just the opposite. My life got me ready for all these things.
[00:15:58] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:15:59] Speaker C: To be here as. Oh, my goodness. I'm actually a part of hmi, which I always thought was amazing, that I was like, there's a school for gay, lesbian, and, you know, and trans people. I always thought that was amazing. You know, I didn't want to go to it, but I thought it was cool because, you know, I was. I think of how I was raised and, you know, because my family embraced me. You know, being a biracial child in Manhattan and just coming from what I came from, I was always the most popular person in grade school and junior high school, and I had this way of bringing all the different groups and people together, so I knew I was good. And I also knew that I needed to be visible. I always knew that because of where I came from, I was always around older people and paid attention that when I would go back to school, like, you talk like a mature person, because I was always hanging out, like I said, living an alternate life with my grandmother going out, that I. I had this old school soul within me, but also an appreciation just to listen to everybody's temperature and. And feel everyone's vibration and know that, you know what, we can all be on the same page. But people get to a different place at a different time.
[00:17:03] Speaker B: They sure do. And so with those people that you.
[00:17:07] Speaker C: Said that, you know, that cut you up, but that all prepared me for the things that it is that I'm doing was when I was younger, is what I meant to say.
[00:17:13] Speaker B: No, that. You know, but I really do think that sometimes we, as LGBTQ folks, trans folks specifically, I know I missed out on the things I needed to hear from my mother, from other women.
[00:17:28] Speaker C: Right.
[00:17:28] Speaker B: To prepare me from what I was walking into.
So I know how important it is to have those people who are mature enough.
[00:17:36] Speaker C: Right.
[00:17:36] Speaker B: Who can Guide you into those certain spaces. And it's so wonderful to hear that you, you can tell that you've had those type of voices. But now it's your turn.
[00:17:47] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:17:48] Speaker B: So what would you say to the younger generation that's coming up right now? Whereas again, things may not have been as, let's say, politically hostile when we were coming up, but it didn't make it any less dangerous. We didn't have words for the things, but we learned to navigate things even though it was treacherous and community was key.
But what would your advice be in this current political climate? How do we navigate this time? What can you give as words to the, the folks coming behind us?
[00:18:26] Speaker C: Such a beautiful lead up, darling. And I, on the contrary, I, I am a very optimistic person. You know, I am an empath.
Like I said, I'm very spiritual.
I don't ever believe that there's any mistakes in this gig called life. I believe that we're all right, supposed to be with what's happening right now. For instance, this situation happening two days ago.
[00:18:47] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:18:47] Speaker C: Where we are in our current climate situation.
These kids today are so proactive and so on the pulse of what the hell was this going on beforehand? What is this?
[00:18:59] Speaker B: I didn't know that about Indians.
[00:19:00] Speaker C: It's all old oligarchy kind of carrying out. They just don't have and rightfully so. It makes no sense. And the thing is, is that these, these dinosaurs are barking the most because they know they're almost extinct.
[00:19:12] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:19:12] Speaker C: If you look back at the day in the 70s and the 80s and the 90s, it looked more like them.
The color Benetton Skittles, Taste the rainbow. It's a lot different. And guess what? We actually have more of the power.
[00:19:23] Speaker B: We do.
[00:19:24] Speaker C: So one, get your, your information from the right place because major media outlets are not going to give it as what you think. It's all controlled.
[00:19:34] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:19:34] Speaker C: You know what I'm saying? We have such a beau, beautiful underground railroad, if you will, of wonderful places to get your information from. So therefore, because they know that they're already extinct, they've got to do and say the most. So they're going to come out with a rhetoric. They're going to do all the stuff to scare you, darling. They're the ones that scared. We got this. We are this. And we have been here before. And right now, we're supposed to be here right now because there's more of us. And we also have our allies and our people stepping up and being there for us and saying, no, this Makes no sense. This is foolishness. We're done with this. So do what you got to do. Orange Cheeto and all the rest of your mascara. And your time is coming up.
[00:20:12] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:20:12] Speaker C: But right now is our time to be together.
[00:20:14] Speaker B: Well, and I think that that, for me, has been the point, because we live in America. America's default has been individualism.
[00:20:25] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:20:26] Speaker B: Capitalism over community.
[00:20:27] Speaker C: Right.
[00:20:28] Speaker B: And when you're black, trans, or part of any marginalized community, sometimes there's a little confusion in what participation means and looks like.
[00:20:39] Speaker C: Right.
[00:20:40] Speaker B: And we know that we want to be able to participate in life like everyone else has the ability to. Sports.
[00:20:45] Speaker C: That's right.
[00:20:46] Speaker B: We want to be able to participate, but we have to be mindful about participating in the narrative that they create about how, about the how. Because they think the how is all individual. When I know the how is community. Because it's because of community that this even happened this weekend.
[00:21:05] Speaker C: Hello.
[00:21:06] Speaker B: Community came together and put this together. BTFA gave us a space to do this.
Like, you know, so I think we allowed the world and things to kind of get our attention.
[00:21:21] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:21:21] Speaker B: You know, because the. The.
What do you call a money? That is a currency.
[00:21:27] Speaker C: Yes, the currency. Yeah.
[00:21:28] Speaker B: The currency right now is attention, and people know that. That's why we need to turn our attention to community.
[00:21:34] Speaker C: That's right.
[00:21:35] Speaker B: Because that's the currency.
[00:21:36] Speaker C: We gotta have money, because that's a real money.
[00:21:38] Speaker B: I think now it would change with Pride's mostly booking CIS head.
[00:21:43] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:21:43] Speaker B: Talent.
[00:21:44] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:21:44] Speaker B: If we learn to pay attention to the talent within our own community.
How do you see with music? How do you balance lifting up musicians that we all know are iconic? Our Madonnas, you know, our Beyonce's, our Dochis and our Janelle Monae's with our Vincents and our Alex Newalls and our Angelica Ross's and Mila Jims and, you know, all the LGBTQ artists. How do you mix it all in and uplift these?
[00:22:12] Speaker C: I think that because we walk and we live that life, you know, from all the different hats that you and I both wear to all of these artists that you mentioned, and also the people who make all this stuff happen behind the scenes, you know, so that's a walk of life.
[00:22:25] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:22:26] Speaker C: So when we do our art, when we sit right here, we do this, we're representing for everything that we've ever done. Our backbone, strong. Our tall neck is up to the sky. You know what I mean? So I feel like anytime that I'm curating anything, speaking, acting, DJing, it is my walk. Through life.
[00:22:44] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:22:45] Speaker C: You know, and obviously, you know, we have points and things that it is that we want to take going into certain things. So, you know, I know ahead of time, I get something from my team that this is the vibe. Therefore, I'll take that time and I will curate it especially just for that.
[00:22:58] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:22:58] Speaker C: And that's with everything that it is that I do in life. From what I'm thinking about. Wearing our armor is everything. Hello.
[00:23:05] Speaker B: Every time I see you, you don't play.
[00:23:06] Speaker C: No. I don't know. You're.
[00:23:08] Speaker B: You don't. You pull together. And it's always now. With the name of the show being no Opportunity Wasted, which I love. Thank you so much.
[00:23:17] Speaker C: Beautiful.
[00:23:17] Speaker B: Thank you. Now explain. You know, it comes from my Buddhist practice to say that, like, when we're talking about time at capacity, this is a concept we talk about a lot in Buddhism. Time and capacity.
We want to know many times, like, when is the right time to say something?
[00:23:33] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:23:35] Speaker B: Okay, Now.
[00:23:36] Speaker C: Okay, now.
[00:23:37] Speaker B: Now is always the right time. The difference is I gotta learn to keep checking in with myself, my capacity in that moment.
Now, what is my capacity?
[00:23:47] Speaker C: Speak.
[00:23:47] Speaker B: And to be able to speak and show up and to take action with respect to my capacity in that moment and with the respect to the capacity of the people and the environment that I'm in. So the moment's always now, but it's just about learning just what right to share.
You are about to share a lot of your story as you prepare to write your memoir. Are you're now looking back in hindsight and realizing no opportunity was wasted?
I know it couldn't have been easy to go through the catalog of all those experiences. What did you need to do to prepare yourself for that?
[00:24:33] Speaker C: Listen, you know, I am.
I.
I'm always thinking of other people, and I finally, two years ago, put myself first. And that always felt very selfish to me. You know, I think being an only child, it was always about accommodating and making other people happy, you know, and I thought that thinking about myself first was selfish. You know, obviously, maturity will teach you a lot of things, and patience is one of them. And I was supposed to get that message when I did. So when I started, you know, writing my memoirs two years ago, a lot of.
A lot of stuff came.
Came up, and I didn't realize how much I had put it away, so.
[00:25:29] Speaker B: Because that's what we have to do sometimes to move forward.
[00:25:31] Speaker C: Absolutely. Because I realized that if I had dealt with it, I didn't have the tools to deal with it. And I've always been very conscious and thoughtful about what I am attainable and able to understand and accomplish. If I. Because I'm a.
I'm a perfectionist, but I have wiggle room.
[00:25:47] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:25:47] Speaker C: I don't make myself crazy. I'm an Aries. You know, I'm easy breezy, but I'm also very structured.
But I knew that there were certain things that I didn't have the tools to understand, that I was going to put them behind a few Bobby Barbie boxes and I was going to get to it later because if I did, I wouldn't be where I'm at right now.
I knew that I needed to polish it up, make it look nice. Especially as women of trans experience and color, we have to look better, we have to sound better, we have to dress better, we have to do better, we have to do all of these things because of the expectations put on us.
[00:26:23] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:26:24] Speaker C: Okay, so there's that.
So we can't just walk in the room and just show up. No, we got to show out and we've got to be articulate, we've got to be funny. So I. And then also people don't always really understand. There are sometimes I've. If I've ever experienced any prejudice growing up, it was from my brothers and sisters who were of black descent.
[00:26:49] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:26:49] Speaker C: And that sucks because I'm like, if you look at my family, it is a Benetton ad. It's a tall salad, a mixture of everything. And that's me. But that's also New York, you know, And I never faulted any of them from that. But I do remember, like, you know, a few, you know, situations when I was, you know, going from one school to the next or whatever. And I ended up becoming friends. But three, you know, black kids are like, oh, you think you're better? Because you remembered when I had gone to a new school and there was like three or four brothers and sisters thinking, saying to me, you think that you're better because you're light skinned and you've got good hair. And I'm like, what does that mean? Like, what does that mean? Like, I have cousins that literally have your hair texture and have your skin tone. And because I was always around older people, I knew how to articulate these things. So I remember them being like this, like the way that I handled it.
And then.
[00:27:40] Speaker B: Well, you know what? I think that conversation, though, comes from the way that white supremacy.
[00:27:46] Speaker C: Oh, absolutely. Especially back then.
[00:27:48] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:27:48] Speaker B: Well, even now, the way that white supremacy works.
Okay. So, you know, because with white supremacy, the way that it really slays is that it runs away with the bag while we're fighting each other, when the real person we should be addressing is white supremacy. So the reality is what those kids are saying, oh, you think you're better than someone? They're projecting onto you the fact that white supremacy works and they've set a value that's right on you that is more than our dark skinned, our Nepal. And that's something that you didn't create.
And so we've had to learn to both hold. What is our experience that so many light skinned folks have experienced this rejection or you're not black enough or what have you due to the experience, real experience of dark skinned people who, you know, again, when we learn better language and learn things, we need to learn to shift our energy at the right.
[00:28:47] Speaker C: That's right.
[00:28:48] Speaker B: And it's not at each other. Yeah.
[00:28:50] Speaker C: I mean, and of course they live to see that happening within.
[00:28:52] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:28:53] Speaker C: You know, because life was not designed for them.
[00:28:57] Speaker B: So. So did you. Did was it? I know it wasn't easy to go through all these stories, you know, and revisit all the things that you've been through.
[00:29:06] Speaker C: Oh, that part about the book part.
[00:29:08] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:29:08] Speaker C: You know, it was actually, I think that because. I think that because I was conscious about wanting to see a therapist at the same time when I was writing the book, you know, I wanted to make certain that that's so important. I was cleansed and clear and right for my blood type.
[00:29:23] Speaker B: Can I tell you that I, when I first had therapy, I got a therapist because I was like, well, that's what I got to do to get these moans. So that's what I'm gonna do. And I was dating my ex fiance, my ex fiance at the time. And I just remember thinking that he had all the issues because he was not openly loving me and blah, blah, blah. And then a few appointments in, I.
[00:29:44] Speaker A: Realized, oh, okay girl.
[00:29:46] Speaker B: I guess I got some things to talk about.
Was therapy always something that you considered or was this your first time actually accessing therapy?
[00:29:56] Speaker C: You know, it's funny, I, I think that because I had always been the therapist to my friends and also just how growing up conversation was always very much there and you know, like I said from my grandmother and my parents and whatnot. So I felt like I had a really good, you know, handle on things and also I was always that person that people would come to for advice and I was just had that kind of essence of, you know, being able to be in the Middle and give great advice that way.
[00:30:21] Speaker A: Who heals? The healer.
[00:30:23] Speaker C: Well, see.
[00:30:23] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:30:24] Speaker C: And so that's why I said, you know, I was putting stuff away and I didn't realize it, so I had wanted to, but I knew that I would do it when I was in my grown and sexy.
[00:30:33] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:30:33] Speaker C: So when I was doing the book, I was like, this is that moment. Like I said, I was coming out of an eight year relationship.
I wanted to really get under the hood.
[00:30:42] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:30:43] Speaker C: You know, I wanted to get any stuff that didn't serve me any longer out and done. And now I'm living my light, my lightest, best version. And that's what you want to be. You just want to live light and lovely.
[00:30:55] Speaker B: You. But you know what? I don't know how you've been doing it, but you always look like you've been living light and lovely.
[00:31:00] Speaker C: Well, thank you.
[00:31:00] Speaker B: You always have that energy. When are we, when are we getting this book?
[00:31:04] Speaker C: Oh, God, yesterday.
Still tweaking it. Because again, I am a perfectionist and I still feel like, you know how it is, girl. I feel like, listen, I will want to have her birthed out this year, but again, I've taken my time with you.
[00:31:19] Speaker B: Have your patience.
[00:31:20] Speaker C: Absolutely. Like I said, I've been doing this gig called life a minute. There is no rush in this. You know, if I feel like this is the year, then this is the year.
[00:31:28] Speaker B: Oh, thank you so much, Lena, for joining.
[00:31:30] Speaker C: Baby girl, you already know it's supposed.
[00:31:32] Speaker B: To happen and you know this is just always just another stop on our road because we always. Yeah. When we see each other, whether it's la.
[00:31:39] Speaker C: Yeah. It doesn't matter where we are, what we're doing.
[00:31:41] Speaker B: Thank you always for your support and shining your light and using your light to bring it to this production. Again, congratulations.
[00:31:48] Speaker C: Thank you.
[00:31:48] Speaker B: On being the grand marshal because I think now more than ever we need to continue to center trans people who have been here in this fight and remind people how valuable we are to this movement.
[00:32:01] Speaker C: Why are we only celebrated, especially, you know, our brothers and sisters who've been doing this for a long time after we're gone.
[00:32:07] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:32:07] Speaker C: Like, baby, there's so many beautiful brothers and sisters who are still doing this gig.
[00:32:12] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:32:12] Speaker C: And flourishing. And we do not hear their voices. We still continue to focus and give light to a certain situation.
[00:32:20] Speaker B: Well, listen, thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity.
[00:32:23] Speaker C: Absolutely. Sister.
[00:32:24] Speaker B: To uplift your voice for those that don't know. Because if you don't know, you've been living under a rock. If you don't know. Lena Bradford, thank you so much for joining us. Now, we will be right back.
[00:32:40] Speaker A: There we go. I think I had to turn my voice back on. We are back. I hope you all really enjoyed that.
Actually, let me go ahead and put my video back on for the folks on Instagram.
I'm going to, yes, Instagram. I'm going to let you get in on the action here.
There we go. All right. So, yes, I hope you really enjoyed that conversation with, with Lena Bradford. And I, like I said, this was really a labor of love with community.
And, you know, I have to be really, really honest.
This almost didn't happen, you know, it just almost didn't happen.
Like I, I said on social media the other day, like, I don't know if, if just a lot of people don't know, you know, just because they just, I don't know, have. Don't know.
But definitely a lot of people are planes ignorant and stupid with the situation.
But I, along with Kehlani and many, many others have lost so many opportunities from speaking up for Palestine. Obviously, we've seen Mahmoud Khalil be returned back home and be able to see his beautiful child for the first time. We've seen so many people actually start to get released while others are still, their life is still hanging in the balance.
I know the makeup artist, I can't remember his name, but the Venezuela, the Venezuelan makeup artist, I think his family still doesn't know, you know, where he's at. And it just hasn't looked good. And, and you know, our media is not just has not been reporting on these issues, haven't been following up.
And so, you know, it has been now probably two or I think now three years that I have been removed from Pride.
Pride season used to be a time where I could barely breathe because I was just booked and busy all over the place.
I was hosting New York City Pride on Hulu for two years in a row.
And then the third year, you know, is when things started to get a little funny.
And it's so funny because even as I watch the replay of this year's New York City Pride is very clear why they would not invite me.
Child, I would have had to disrupt. That's just what it would have been. I would, I.
It's like Glenda telling Elphaba, you can stay. You just apologize. You can still be with the Wizard. You could still get what you worked and waited for. You could have all you ever wanted. And I'm like, girl, I know, but if they invite me Girl, like, if it's only gonna be but 2.5 seconds before they start running me up out of there, because it's gonna be free, free, free Palestine.
You know what I'm saying? And they got a new chant, too.
Death to the idf. That's what they. That's what the. That's what they're chanting.
I did not say that, but that's what the people online are. Are chanting.
And then, not to mention, like, so again, I. I say all this to say that people know me as a very resilient, very strong, very capable person.
I. I love to say, like Jay Z would say, I'm not a businessman. I'm a business man.
Yeah. I mean, and so I've always pride myself on being able to kind of, like, just keep it going, doing all the things, and. But these past couple years, I've continuously had to shift and change my situation to, you know, to adjust for the situation before we. Okay, y' all want to be like that? Fine. Let me adjust here. Let me adjust there.
And then again. Okay, well, let me adjust here again.
Let me adjust over there again, and then again and again. And, you know, it's gotten down to a point where, you know, there's a lot more I do want to say and that I will say on the other part of this podcast, which will be now unfiltered.
It's just I can't share everything. Number one, you know, advertisers are not going to want to hear my mouth on everything. You know what I'm saying?
And I gotta try to pay some bills because I have been removed and canceled from everything. Y' all want to talk about cancel culture?
You want to talk about cancel culture? Did nobody cancel De Chappelle?
Last I heard, that mug is still collecting checks and still doing shows.
Not to mention, I never opened my mouth about the situation. Like, after a while, I'm like, do you. Girl, you doing all that for attention? Ain't nobody even paying attention. The girls are not even giving you attention, and you still trying to go.
Dave Chappelle not canceled.
Snoop Dogg not canceled.
The only people y' all tend to be able to cancel is black women and Palestinian people.
Chrisette, Michelle, Amanda, Seals, me.
Yeah. I mean, and now that we're coming full circle and now that Joy Reid.
It was on the Breakfast Club blatantly calling out Biden, providing cover for BB Netanyahu, saying, this man can't even travel to multiple countries because he has arrest warrants.
Some people are. Are vowing to stand behind those Rest warrants. Some people like, nah, you cool. Bb that was Joe Biden, okay, licking ice cream while Netanyahu is bombing hospitals, bombing schools. They telling you Hamas got operations under hospitals, and wouldn't you know it?
Every accusation. I'll be there.
Every accusation is a confession. Because what you.
Israel got bomb shelters under hospitals and stuff. Israel's military operation is shooting, you know, projectiles from a residential area. It ain't like, you know, in America, you know how we have bases, we have military bases off somewhere that ain't like really in the residential area. No, no, no, no.
Israel's is right at the mall. Like, it's like the Mall of America surrounded by the idf.
And if we're not careful, that is exactly what we're going to get here in America, okay? So I need y' all to start paying attention. Number one, I digress. But the reason why I said all that is to say is that I have been removed from one too many jobs. This last one was the one that broke the camel's, the straw that broke the camel's back. And I am, I am struggling at this point, you know, and I was, I was booked for World Pride. I was going to be given a keynote and I was going to be attending the, the trans march.
I was giving them two for the price of one. They didn't even, you know, they weren't at my fee. But I always want to do, you know, trans led and community led events. So specifically because this was in partnership with the National Trans Visibility March, I told the folks over there, I was like, yeah, let's just work it out. So for months we had been in talks.
They talking to my manager. Then I hop on a, what do you call that call? I hop on a, a prep call, you know, so I know where you got to be this, that, and the third, blah, blah, blah. So I get on the prep call and, you know, some time passes and I'm like, gosh, my manager, like, what's going on?
I haven't got my travel arrangements yet and blah, blah. And so he taps in and they're all of a sudden saying, we're going in another direction after all that and you can't give me no specifics. What you mean we going to. First they were confused about the travel arrangement. My manager's like, look, look, look, don't be confused. Just book her flight in our hotel, let us know what it is. Don't pay attention to the writer at all. Just get the travel arrangements.
And we, we good. We totally good. They were like, oh, no, we just decided to go into another direction.
So the money I was counting on, the job I was counting on, that would help me because I am still.
I am. I'm probably going to have to sue my former speaking agent for forty plus thousand dollars.
So I'm still missing out on forty thousand dollars.
I have been losing out on job after job after job and now it's gotten to a place where I can actually feel it.
So share like and subscribe.
Join the YouTube channel just starting at 4.99. You can even join and be, you know, if you really got it like that, go ahead and go that, that 9.99. You can get episodes ahead of time. You'll get to see some of these episodes before they drop.
You will get access to my master class, Like a Butterfly master class. And let me talk to you about this master class because you're like, well, damn girl, you struggling. What kind of master classes you giving?
You know, but it's not like that. You know, this master class is all about. And plus, oh my goodness, I could sit here and give you a whole spiritual lesson on what's happening with me right now.
So is as challenging as things are right now, I know that I am being spiritually fortified. So I am counting it all joy, you know, I'm counting it all joy. But I went on this tangent and I am. I've lost my train of thought.
Oh, yes, yes. So, you know, look, the master class is all about.
It's called Like a Butterfly because it really is about how to transition in an environment that is so just. There's so much resistance to your growth. There's so much resistance to your existence.
You got to worry about some as a butterfly, you know, as a caterpillar. You got to worry about some damn kid with a magnifying glass in the summer that's looking to just burn you up with the visibility.
Just burn you up. You understand what I'm saying?
But I have, There's. I listen, as challenging as my life has been, I have had the most beautiful and profound for myself, as if I can say so myself.
Transition.
You know, some people say that I'm beautiful, but I would say that's just an outward manifestation of my inward beauty, you know, And I think that it is a spiritual process for. Especially for trans people to show the world who we are from the inside out, to get them go. To go beyond what they just see and be. Get them to go into the experience of trans people and the experience, you know, of other people and so, you know, like a butterfly is a mix of my Buddhist teachings. It's a mix of my hard knocks street lessons.
And it's something that has given me an unshakable, not only an unshakable happiness. And what I mean by unshakable happiness, okay, I am.
I need my money.
I'm like, titi, I need that money.
I need that money.
I need that money.
I need that money.
I need it. I'm like, tt, I need my money, okay?
And things could be a whole heck of a lot better right now, right?
But I am happy.
You couldn't buy me the kind of joy that I feel.
It's.
It's the kind of joy that passeth all understanding.
You know, it's. We call it absolute happiness because it's not relative to my bank account balance, my credit score, if I'm in a relationship, the weather, you know, how many followers I have, all this kind of stuff, you know, and so, you know, it doesn't mean that life is perfect. It doesn't mean that, you know, every day is going to be sunshine. It just means then I'm gonna be all right, and I'm gonna be all right.
At the end of the day, I'm gonna be all right.
So I'm asking for your support.
You can. There's links all over the place where you can support the stream through PayPal.
Becoming a member, there's so many ways to support.
I need your support and I would appreciate your support.
And I will see you all tomorrow night as we come back.
And now I'm. Since I have a lot of interviews, I. We're gonna do one a week. We're gonna do one pride celebration a week. Because, you know, pride is never ending. From this moment on.
Pride is forever.
To the end of this year, we celebrating pride every week.
That's how we doing it around here.
Speaking of around here, I know y' all didn't heard the song that's been playing in all my promotions. That's one of my latest songs that I've released called Lift you by Jay Gordon featuring yours truly, Angelica Ross, and also DJ Yoder, who is producing.
We recorded this song right here in my studio here in Atlanta, probably over two days. We recorded this song.
I love this song. It's one of my favorite songs around here. We don't ever dim our lights. We turn it up and make it shine brighter. Okay? Don't cower down. Don't let fear and anxiety make you immobile.
You know what I mean? Like to make you not take action.
There's a lesson I always lean to, and that's time and capacity. When I always want to think about what can I do?
When should I do something?
Answers. Always.
Now.
No opportunity wasted. The only difference is your capacity and the capacity of the situation and the environment you're dealing with.
Be easy on yourself.
You don't have to conquer everything all at once.
Just take a step.
Just take an action right now. No opportunity wasted. I'll see you guys tomorrow.
