Talking About Pleasure (Ep 424 - Madonna/Shantel & Trevor)

I have two guests this week — Shantel Buggs and Trevor Hoppe are the co-authors of a new book about how queer people talk to each other about sex entitled “Unsafe Words: Queering Consent in the #MeToo Era.” I spoke to them both about what brought them to this topic, and about their individual experiences growing up as queer people in very different environments. We’ll hear first from Shantel, who planned to be a doctor before she felt the unexpected call from a very different field of study. And then from Trevor, who was a self-described “horny little teenager” whose early experiences with gay community involved a chaotic nosebleed caused by dancing too close to a butt. We’ll have those conversations in a minute. And just a heads-up before we get going — this episode will include some brief discussion of sexual assault. But first — you may have heard that I too have a new book out! It’s about the behind-the-scenes history of queer characters on sitcoms, and the role that comedy played in queer liberation — and continues to play to this day. It’s called Hi Honey, I’m Homo! and it’s available now wherever books are sold. I can even sign and personalize your copy before shipping it to you — just go to gaysitcoms.com and look for the instructions for ordering a signed copy. Also if you’re a fan of queer culture, and I’m sure you are, don’t forget to swing by my YouTube channel for my videos about film and TV history. That’s at YouTube.com/mattbaume — I just published a new video about the incredible work of Norman Lear that I think you’ll love. You can also subscribe to my email newsletter for weekly dispatches, and join me every Sunday for livestreams over on Twitch at twitch.tv/mattbaume where I share all of the amazing bits of film & TV history that I come across in my research. Big thanks to everyone who makes all my work possible on Patreon — visit patreon.com/mattbaume to support Sewers of Paris and get patron-exclusive benefits.