B*tch, Listen!

Nobody told Imani Gandy menopause could make your ears itch. Or might give you hives. Or that the dark, intrusive thoughts she started having might be related to hormones. She’s covered reproductive rights and justice for 15 years, and she still found herself figuring it out on her own. She’s betting there’s a lot that you probably don’t know either. So Imani is breaking her own show format. No th...

There's no trans woman in the WNBA. And still, Sophie Cunningham, Enes Kanter Freedom, and a fresh crop of Caitlin Clark “fans” are acting like the league's about to collapse. In the last episode, I said this fight is really about who owns the league. This week, Portia Burch, anti-racism and decolonization consultant, 30-year WNBA fan, and my girlfriend, explains why my theory's right—but too...

There are no trans women in the WNBA; and no known history of them ever having played in the league. So how did Sophie Cunningham and Enes Kanter Freedom become the faces of a movement to “protect” women’s sports? Imani Gandy follows the manufactured panic to the fight underneath it: who built the league, who thinks they saved it, and who gets to define what it stands for. Expert Repro Journalism...

In this episode of B*tch, Listen, Imani Gandy has a theory: Medicaid coverage for abortion collapses first, even in states where Democrats hold power. Christina Chang, who runs Reproductive Freedom Alliance, the 24-governor coalition fighting to keep abortion access alive post-Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, isn't so sure it's about abortion specifically, but rather funding for the p...

In this solo episode of B*tch, Listen, Imani Gandy asks what it means to protect abortion rights on paper when people can't afford to use them in practice. Her theory: Funding is the first thing a coalition gives up, because funding for abortion can be capped and watered down in a way a constitutional amendment can't. Most states in the nonpartisan Reproductive Freedom Alliance coalition now cover...

In this episode of B*tch, Listen, Imani Gandy tests her theory that the best political humor doesn’t win arguments—but instead changes what people think deserves to be taken seriously in the first place—with Lizz Winstead, co-creator of The Daily Show and founder of Abortion Access Front. Winstead agrees with most of Gandy’s theory, but complicates it: Is the point of political comedy to build an...

In this classic episode part two of her series on true crime and disability, Imani Gandy interviews Dateline correspondent Josh Mankiewicz about true crime as a machine that decides whose stories get told—and whose don’t. From missing Black women, to missing and murdered Indigenous people, to the near invisibility of disabled victims, they talk about what true crime shows—and what it leaves out. B...

True crime is everywhere—but crimes against disabled people are rarely treated as “true crime” at all. In this classic episode, Imani Gandy talks with disability justice advocate Vilissa Thompson about why disabled victims are erased from true crime, how ableism shapes which stories get told, and what ethical storytelling requires when disability is involved. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires....

In this solo episode of B*tch, Listen, Imani Gandy argues that the best political humor doesn’t just get laughs—it changes what people think deserves respect. From The Daily Show to Abortion Access Front’s campaign against Anthony Comstock to Tim Walz calling Republicans weird, Gandy explores how satire can strip bad-faith politics of the seriousness it never deserved. Because sometimes the point...

The Constitution isn’t sacred—it’s a sham that pretends to be about equality but actually only benefits white men in power. In this classic episode, Imani Gandy talks with best-selling author Elie Mystal about why the Constitution has never worked for Black people, how the Supreme Court weaponizes it to strip people of their rights, and what it would look like to scrap it and start over. Expert Re...

In the last episode of B*tch, Listen, Imani Gandy laid out her theory that the reproductive rights movement made a critical mistake in running public health and legal strategies around abortion access on parallel tracks.  In this episode, Gandy talks through her theory with Elizabeth Booker Houston—a seasoned legal and public health expert, and educator. Booker Houston and Gandy break down how rac...

Turns out the closet wasn’t locked—it was glass all along. Sometimes you just can’t see your way out. In this classic episode, Imani Gandy talks with comedian, actor, and writer Franchesca Ramsey about coming out later in life, visibility, and the joy of saying, "Surprise, bitch, I’m gay." They also discuss how comedy can be an opening for tougher conversations about race. Expert Repro Journalism...

Roe v. Wade was never enough. Reproductive justice advocates have been saying that for decades. So why did so much of the reproductive rights movement organize itself around protecting Roe anyway?  In this solo episode, Imani Gandy explores how legal arguments became the center of the fight for abortion rights, what got lost in the process, and why public health researchers and reproductive justic...

In this week’s episode of B*tch, Listen, Imani Gandy taps political educator Blair Imani to answer that question.  The pair discuss whether online political education actually moves institutions, or just moves the people who already agree. Blair, who created the viral series Smarter in Seconds , has reached millions of people and seen real policy changed. So naturally, she had thoughts. And they c...

The most informed progressive public in American history is watching a fascist takeover in real time. In her first solo episode, Imani Gandy wants to know why. From Black Twitter to the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act dying in the Senate twice, she builds the argument—and then pokes holes in it herself. She doesn't have a clean answer. That's why she's asking. Correction: In this episode I st...

In part two of her series on true crime and disability, Imani Gandy interviews Dateline correspondent Josh Mankiewicz about true crime as a machine that decides whose stories get told—and whose don’t. From missing Black women, to missing and murdered Indigenous people, to the near invisibility of disabled victims, they talk about what true crime shows—and what it leaves out. Because attention itse...

True crime is everywhere—but crimes against disabled people are rarely treated as “true crime” at all. Imani Gandy talks with disability justice advocate Vilissa Thompson about why disabled victims are erased from true crime, how ableism shapes which stories get told, and what ethical storytelling requires when disability is involved. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires. Episodes like this take...

Imani Gandy interviews Portia Burch about what it means to get through the holidays when you don’t love them. Together, they talk about companionship, Black joy without the performance or obligation, and building a season that feels steadier and more survivable. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires. Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth.  Become a supporter to...

Imani Gandy interviews actor Judy Reyes about the handling of immigration policy in Trump 2.0, what she learned playing an immigration lawyer on TV, and why storytelling cuts through political nonsense in ways policy and punditry never will. They also discuss the importance of community, culture, and what it means to stay human in a country determined to see you as anything but—plus a little ‘Scru...

The Constitution isn’t sacred—it’s a sham that pretends to be about equality but actually only benefits white men in power. Imani Gandy talks with best-selling author Elie Mystal about why the Constitution has never worked for Black people, how the Supreme Court weaponizes it to strip people of their rights, and what it would look like to scrap it and start over. Expert Repro Journalism That Inspi...

Turns out the closet wasn’t locked—it was glass all along. Sometimes you just can’t see your way out.  Imani Gandy talks with comedian, actor, and writer Franchesca Ramsey about coming out later in life, visibility, and the joy of saying, "Surprise, bitch, I’m gay." They also discuss how comedy can be an opening for tougher conversations about race.   Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires. Expert...

Expert repro journalism that inspires Expert Repro Journalism That Inspires. Episodes like this take time, research, and a commitment to the truth.  Become a supporter today . -  https://rewirenewsgroup.com/support-b-tch-listen-rss/  Imani has relaunched her column, AngryBlackLady Chronicles - https://rewirenewsgroup.com/ablc/ Sign up for our newsletters to read it first. https://re...