Fighting Words with George M. Johnson

George is joined by the fearless activist and author Hope Giselle. Hope was the first openly trans woman to graduate from Alabama State University. Hope talks to George about the current attacks on trans rights, speaking at the 60th Anniversary of the March on Washington, and making a documentary about her own life, "Not Your Average Girl."  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information...

George is joined by Karen "Dr K" Baptiste, director of the documentary "Preschool to Prison."  She explains why our education system is failing students of color, and how our teachers are taught to perpetuate an unjust system that arrests students instead of helping them.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

George is joined by Emil Wilbekin, one of the founders and former editor-in-chief of the iconic VIBE magazine. Emil tells George about the storied, late night founding of the magazine, and some of his favorite cover photoshoots from his era at the magazine, like B.I.G and Faith in a convertible and Destiny's Child as the Supremes. Emil also talks to George about how he built Native Son, his organi...

George sits down with actor Darryl Stephens and writer/director Patrik-Ian Polk of  Noah’s Arc , the groundbreaking TV show that came out 20 years ago, centering Black Queer characters on screen. Now, they're back with a brand-new  Noah’s Arc  movie on Paramount+. Darryl and Patrik-Ian talk to George about the original show, and what it felt like returning to that w...

George is joined live in person at the DC Public Library by their close friend, producer and performer Twiggy Pucci Garcon. They talk about George's history of Black Queer icons from the Harlem Renaissance,  Flamboyants,  and then make their way for a special viewing at the National Portrait Gallery. You can watch George and Twiggy's full discussion on the DC Public Library's Youtube pag...

George is joined by travel influencer and writer Imani Bashir to discuss the importance of meeting your global community and meeting yourself in the wider world. Along the way, they talk about modern day Green Books, how not to be a colonizer, why so few Black Americans have a passport — and why that needs to change, especially these days. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

George is joined by Preston Mitchum, a queer civil rights attorney and activist based in DC. Preston talks about his complex experience working at the Trevor Project, clashing with a local gay bar over its racism, and what it’s like to be the only queer cast member on a reality TV set.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

George kicks off Pride Month with fitness influencer Kevin Carnell to talk about putting in the work, maintaining your mental health while using social media, growing up playing sports to mask his queerness, and coming out to his family at an Outback Steakhouse.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

George is joined by Jason King, Dean of the USC Thornton School of Music, a musician, music historian and much, much more. Jason talks about how to live the summoned life, how to be a citizen of the world, the lost art of artist development and how artists like SZA and Beyoncé curates their influences and makes them new. For more Jason, check out his podcast ei...

George is joined by artist, filmmaker and author Tourmaline to celebrate the release of her new book, "Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson", the first definitive biography of the revolutionary activist who played a central role during the the Stonewall Riots.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

George is joined by Ira Madison III, cultural writer, critic and co-host of the beloved podcast ‘Keep It’. Ira just published his first book, Pure Innocent Fun , a collection of essays about pop culture and how it has influenced his life. George and Ira talk about why pop culture is important, living in a standom era, why the real housewives of Salt Lake City is the best thing on TV ri...

George is joined by computational poet Lillian-Yvonne Bertram, who is the author of the books Travesty Generator and Negative Money. Bertram uses coding to create poems that address, among other things, anti-Black racism and police brutality. Lillian speaks with George about their fascinating process, what "computational poetry" actually means, and why AI is biased, through and through. This week'...

George is joined this week by writer and cartoonist Maia Kobabe, whose illustrated memoir Gender Queer was the most challenged book of 2021, 2022 and 2023. Maia talks about what it's like to have your labor of love attacked and misconstrued, other writers who inspired the book, and why e're so excited for the next generation of Queer storytellers to come of age. See omnystudio.com/listener for pri...

George is joined by Nigerian-American journalist Rita Omokha. Rita talks about her new book Resist: How a Century of Young Black Activists Shaped America and getting young activists to realize their power. This week's Queer Artist's Spotlight is on 'T4T by Neverending Nina (feat 2AM Ricky).  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

George is joined by actress, author and legendary Ballroom mother Dominique Jackson. Dominique talks about how playing the role of Elektra on the series Pose changed her life, embracing life as an introvert, and why you should always read the comments. This week's Queer Artist's Spotlight is on “Stop Killing Us” by Neverending Nina. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

George is joined by the legendary author Sapphire. Her 1996 novel Push was adapted into the 2009 movie Precious, which won Oscars for Best Supporting Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay. Sapphire talks about what it's like to have her book banned, the authors who inspired her, and how art can heal trauma. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

George is joined by Bob the Drag Queen to discuss his new novel  Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert,  losing his mother right before filming the Emmy award-winning reality show  Traitors , and why we need more class solidarity. This episode's Queer Artist Spotlight is on "Queen of the Underground", one of Bob's two original songs that come with the audio version of his new bo...

George is joined by the iconic Gabrielle Union. An actress ( Bring It On ,  The Inspection ), producer, activist and author of three books, Gabrielle talks to George about on-set drama being dredged up from the past, how to get the best work out of her fellow creatives, and what it's like raising a trans child in Trump's America. This week’s queer artist spotlig...

George is joined by New York Times Best-selling YA fiction author Nic Stone. Nic comes on to celebrate the release of her 14th book, Dear Manny , to talk with George about being banned authors, and how to continue creating during a period of heightened censorship and conservative backlash. This week’s queer artist spotlight is on “Amusement” by Victor Jackson. See omnystudio.com/...

George is joined by Franchesca Ramsey, the actress, writer, activist and comedian extraordinaire. Franchesca's web series "Shit White Girls Say...to Black Girls" went viral in 2014, and ever since she has been balancing entertainment and activism as a true multi-hyphenate. She hosted a show for MTV, wrote a book called Well,That Escalated Quickly: Memoirs and Mistakes of an Accidental Activist, an...

George is joined Sabrina Strings PhD, author and professor at UC Santa Barbara. They discuss why dating feels like such a disaster, the history and meaning of DEI, how white supremacy has coopted rap music, and how romance has colonized love. This week's Queer Artist Spotlight is ‘The Front Row’ by Bang Garçon. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

George is joined by actress, director, producer and activist Erika Alexander. You know her from Get Out, American Fiction , and her legendary role in one of George's all-time favorite shows, Living Single . That character was so influential, it has its own name in social psychology: data has shown that her role inspired numerous Black women to go into law, a phenomenon known as the Maxine Shaw Eff...

George is joined by author and producer Darnell Moore, whose debut memoir won a LAMDA Literary Award. Darnell was one of the first people to read George’s book proposal for All Boys Aren’t Blue , and has been a guiding force for many young authors. They get into the importance of Black mentorship, Black care, and Darnell reveals what it's like bringing his vision to Netflix. Todays' Qu...

George is joined by Angelica Ross, the actress, musician, businesswoman and activist known for her iconic roles on Pose and American Horror Story . Angelica talks about holding her head high and keeping her integrity in Hollywood, or as Angelica calls it, "the industry of pick-mes." This episode’s Queer Artist Spotlight is on Angelica’s song “Grand Theft Lover.”  See o...

George M. Johnson is joined by the journalist and producer Keith Boykin to talk about quitting the White House to write a memoir about being Black and gay, and the ways in which history is repeating itself right before our eyes. This episode's Queer Artist Spotlight is on "All Boys Aren't Blue" by Julian King. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.