TransLash Podcast with Imara Jones

This month is the 250th anniversary of the United States, and, at TransLash, we’re celebrating Trans250: the history of trans people in the US.  In this episode, we’re learning about a genderless religious leader from 1776 known as the Publick Universal Friend. The Friend’s story is fascinating, surprising, and a reminder that trans people have always been here. Historian Scott Larson walks u...

This week, the Supreme Court issued a major decision in legal challenges to state bans on trans girls and women being able to participate in sports. The ruling will have a huge impact for not only trans students and athletes but also raises questions for civil rights protections across the board. To unpack the Court’s decision, Imara sits down with award-winning journalist and Law Dork writer Chri...

As summer heats up, why not stay cool inside and binge TV shows with some extraordinary Black, trans woman characters?  Today we’re speaking with L’lerrét Jazelle, who plays Fatima on The Chi and Chyna McQueen, who was recently nominated for a BAFTA Television award for her role in Get Millie Black .  P.S. you can watch this episode on youtube—check us out at https://www.youtube.com/@Tra...

Today, we're speaking with Rula Avila Munoz, the host of Las Reinas De Queens - which translates to The Queens of Queens.  It's a 10-part podcast series from Radio Ambulante Studios and iHeartRadio and brings you the story of the vibrant, long-standing trans community that has flourished for decades along Roosevelt Avenue in Queens, New York.  At the center of the community was...

This Pride season, why not take a moment to feel proud of your period?  For the past four years, Mass NOW, a feminist organization in Massachusetts, has been working with other groups to organize Trans Period Pride, a space for open and honest conversation about what it’s like to be a trans person who menstruates. This year, the event has, unsurprisingly, attracted the ire of right-wing news....

As anti-trans laws pass across the country, more and more trans folks are leaving their home states for better access to legal protections, healthcare, and safer social environments. Today, we’re hearing from two LGBTQ advocates in progressive cities about what’s needed to support the internally displaced trans people in their communities.  Jessa Davis is a co-chair of the Seattle LGBTQ Commi...

Today’s episode is all about The Twinks vs. Dolls Olympics, a gnarly, nasty, and very queer competition that’s taken New York—and the world—by storm.  Twinks vs. Dolls was created in 2022 by the Brooklyn gay bar Singers; videos of the lube wrestling and cigarette smoking contests from that year went viral. Since then, it’s exploded in size and notoriety and similar queer physical contests hav...

With trans people under attack like never before, trans people need to be resourced like never before. Today, we’re hearing from two people working hard to secure those resources. Elisa Crespo is the Executive Director of the Stonewall Community Foundation, a nonprofit that invests in LGBTQ+ organizations, projects, and leaders. Rickke Mananzala is the President of New York Foundation, which funds...

This week, we explore the controversy surrounding Amy Sherald’s painting Trans Forming Liberty , which depicts a Black trans woman posing as the Statue of Liberty. In the summer of 2025, Amy Sherald canceled her highly anticipated and historic exhibition, American Sublime , at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery after Sherald said she faced pressure from museum officials to remove Trans Fo...

This week, Imara sits down for a vulnerable conversation with Minnesota State Representative Leigh Finke, the first trans woman ever elected to the MN House of Representatives. In her time in office, Finke has focused on policies that expand housing and healthcare access and cement civil rights protections, most notably a trans refuge law that includes some of the strongest legal protections for g...

What does it mean to be seen by millions and still be figuring out who you are? For multi-hyphenate artist Dylan Mulvaney, it means letting go of the pressure to be palatable. Dylan was already a touring theater actress when she  first gained global attention on TikTok with her viral series Days of Girlhood and has worn many hats since, including a playwright and now, a Broadway performer. Th...

On March 31st of this year, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a therapist in Colorado who argued that the state’s ban on conversion therapy violated her freedom of speech. While the ruling does not endorse conversion therapy, it does allow the practice to continue, despite the fact that conversion therapy has been widely debunked as pseudoscience and dramatically increases the risk of depression...

In this two-part series, Imara sits down with Ayman Mohyeldin of MS Now to break down the history, politics, and power dynamics between Iran, the United States, and Israel.  In this second episode, we take a deep dive into Iran’s complex relationships with its Gulf neighbors and examine how political narratives and dehumanization contribute to misunderstandings within U.S. foreign policy and...

What’s really happening in the Iran war…and why does it feel like we’ve seen this before? After a little over a month of war, a fragile ceasefire is now in place between the United States, Iran, and Israel. But the question isn’t just what happens next; it’s whether we’re repeating the same mistakes that led us here in the first place. In this two-part series, Imara Jones sits down with MS NOW’s A...

Easter is this Sunday and we know that, for many in our trans community, faith can be complicated. That’s definitely true for Semler, a queer, nonbinary Christian music artist who grew up a preacher’s kid. Now, Semler draws on both their faith and their queer identity to create a new kind of Christian music that’s topping charts and making waves. This week’s Trans Joy features Flamy Grant, the sha...

It’s almost time for Trans Day of Visibility! To celebrate, Imara is joined by actress and activist Angelica Ross, who tells us all about her engagement to financé Adebayo Katiiti and contemplates the ups and downs of being a trans celebrity today. This week’s Trans Joy features Marley Gotterer, a New York-based actress & comedian known for her absurdist stand-up comedy. Send your trans joy re...

March is Women’s History Month, and trans women have made extensive contributions to the field of feminist thought. With women’s and trans rights under attack, it’s more important than ever to remember that these fights are interconnected. This week, Imara speaks with trans feminist writer and author of Whipping Girl Julia Serano about how trans feminism can continue to shape activist movements to...

Since the start of 2026, a string of hospital networks in blue states that legally mandate gender affirming care for trans youth have abruptly ended these programs, leaving thousands of kids and their families in the lurch. What’s worse, more proposed rules from the Department of Health & Human Services could spell the end of gender-affirming care for all trans people, including adults. This w...

From Martial arts to gun clubs, trans people are taking their personal safety into their own hands. This week, Imara is joined by two guests to help think through personal safety for trans people and what preparing for self defense can actually look like in an era when faith in law enforcement organizations—always precarious for the trans community—has reached new lows. First, Imara speaks with Fi...

The deadly immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota, where local communities put themselves on the frontline to resist what amounts to an occupation, has led to trans and queer people being violently detained and retraumatized. Minnesota is where things have boiled over now, but it’s far from the only place where this remains a continual threat. Today, Imara is joined by two guests to think...

Happy Black History Month! This week Imara gives some extra love to a queer trailblazer that not too many are familiar with – Pauli Murray – a gender nonconforming attorney, theologist and civil rights activist. Their legal work led to the eventual recognition of sex discrimination under the US Constitution. First, Imara speaks with Professor Brittney Cooper about how Murray’s life and work fits i...

In this week’s episode, we’re bringing back some conversations from the archives about trans love. Imara chats with Wilson and Miss B Haven of North Carolina about their work in journalism and drag (respectively) and building community in Durham. Then, Imara chats with couple Arthur and Harry about transitioning, dating and challenging assumptions about who occupies gay male spaces. Plus they give...

The Super Bowl (or should we say the Bad Bunny halftime show, featuring football) is coming up this weekend. While there aren’t any openly trans people participating in the competition, Imara chats with this week’s guest about where trans people fit into one of America’s most popular sports, especially since it has long been a space  dominated by hyper masculinity.  First, Imara cha...

We’re teeing up Black history month with a special interview and feel-good conversation with drag star extraordinaire Shea Couleé. In this week’s episode, Imara chats with Shea about their groundbreaking experience as a Black trans drag queen, including their time performing on Drag Race All-Stars. Shea also talks about their contributions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and what lies on the hori...

The issue of trans participation in sports continues to be a major political talking point on the right. Congress has pending legislation that would restrict trans people’s ability to play sports, and hundreds of similar bills have already been introduced this year at the state-level. This week, Imara chats with Chris Mosier, a trailblazing trans athlete who made history and has just contributed t...