Ya Gay Aunties is a podcast hosted by Hanifah and Red, two friends who have taken it upon themselves to guide baby queer POCs in the right direction one episode at a time. They discuss topics such as relationships, pop culture, and politics and they also have special guest interviews. Their episodes are always thoughtful and sometimes controversial but at the end of the day, what’s important to them is reaching people by providing a different voice. This contribution to the community is priceless because many of us don’t have access to getting advice from those like us who have been in our shoes before.

Check out the interview below to learn about how Hanifah and Red began Ya Gay Aunties and how they deal with daily life as well as manage and curate such an important podcast.

Please introduce yourself. What is your name? Where are you located? What are your pronouns and how do you identify?

Red: I am Red summer. I am located in the DMV area, in Virginia right now, outside of Washington, D.C. My pronouns are she and her and I identify as queer.

Hanifah: My name is Hanifah Walidah and I am located in Atlanta, GA, but born and raised in New York. My pronouns are technically she and her, but I identify as Hanifah motherfucking Walidah because we are our own imprint. I identify as androgynous queer. I probably identify as androgynous before queer because androgynous impacts my life more.

The two of you host the podcast, “Ya Gay Aunties”. How and why did you decide to create this podcast?

Hanifah: I’m an avid podcast listener and there’s a lot of different black podcasts that give advice and a lot of them are by younger people.

I was finding that some of the advice really could have used the perspective of someone who lived a little bit longer. So, I said, “You know what, there is a void here, so let me see if I can fill it.” So, I tried to think about who I could do a podcast with and I thought of Red initially.

She was the first name that popped up, like the universe said, “Red”. She’s a sound person and a good complement to me. Plus, we are both older queer black women that have lived really full lives.

I also felt that there was a lack of intergenerational connection in the queer community. I felt like if we created some sort of entity that shows older, not elder, queer people of color that younger people could see themselves in the future and also see their present lives. In other words, we are not so far removed from their existence.

I also think the Auntie thing is saying, “No, we ain’t your mom, we ain’t your grandmamma.” We are someone that is older than you, but still understand what you’re going through and can tell you the skinny.

How do you spend your time when you’re not podcasting?

Red: I am a teacher, full time now. I’m a wife and mother. I am trying to stay active in my community and the arts community, which is fantastic. It’s needed for my mental wellness. I’m also just enjoying not having to do as much as I used to have to do.

Hanifah: What I do is survive and try to thrive in this phase of my life. I have moved to a new city and that has been incredible and hellish at the same time. I identify as an artist — all mediums. And since I’ve been in Atlanta, I’ve been getting into curation. I have always curated, but I haven’t curated intentionally. I want to do a lot more of that now but around the visual arts scene.

My mom just moved here, so I’m also supporting her and her retirement in Atlanta. And I’m trying to maintain my sexy as best I can. I’m enjoying my ‘black don’t crack’ at the age of my life where it really matters. I am just enjoying being an artist working with the artist community and making great friends here in Atlanta.

Does podcasting make you feel like a part of a bigger community? If so, what is your biggest/most important contribution to this community?

Hanifah: Yes, I do feel like we’re part of a larger community, especially when we started doing a couple of episodes with other queer podcasts. A lot of queer podcasts are still fairly young. So, this idea of supporting each other in getting more viewership and in general has been wonderful. This also gives us access to the larger queer community.

It’s great to be a part of the podcast community because with podcasting you can literally reach who you want to reach. It’s not like radio where you just throw it up like a million balls against the wall and wonder what comes back or who’s listening. With podcasting, we get to actually talk to younger queer people and get the feedback from them. So, I’m really loving that.

Red: I was not really aware of how major podcasting was before we started. I started spending time listening to more podcasts as we started discussing them on the show and it opened me up to that whole genre.

Also, I recognized that people were listening, we were getting feedback from people and they would say, “Oh, Red Summer, are you on that podcast?” I am like, that is amazing. That part is major for me because we are reaching the audience that we intended, whether people agree or disagree. We’ve had people that were like, “Yo, I love the show!” Then other people may say, “I didn’t like that one episode you did.” So, I’m like, “Okay, well thanks for listening to that one, maybe you’ll find something you do like in another one.”

What valuable lessons have you learned from starting “Ya Gay Aunties”?

Red: I have learned to be more aware of what I say and how I say it because people will throw the baby away with the bath water.

Hanifah: I know myself and that I will shoot from the hip and I rarely edit myself. So, I knew going in that at some point, I was going to put my foot in my mouth and I’m not going to be able please everybody. And I had to not give a shit — not a whole shit, anyway.

I think one of the things I’m more sensitive to is not so much what I’m saying but how I’m saying it. Like wondering if I am talking too fast or am I cutting my thoughts off. I know how my brain works and it can be challenging sometimes because I have ADD (and proud to have ADD because I wouldn’t be the artist I am without it). But as a result, I’ve become rather conscious of getting my thoughts out in a clear cohesive way.

For me, it’s a constant practice of becoming a better speaker in this medium. On stage is a whole different paradigm than being in my closet with my microphone, looking at Red remotely, trying to talk and then editing and all that. I’ve learned how to become a better podcaster with each episode, essentially.

The Glam Femme seeks to explore the multi-dimensionality of queer women and folks of color. In what ways would each of you consider yourselves to be multi-dimensional, if at all?

Red: So, I started this thing in class where, especially with my media classes, the personality I choose to put on, who shows up in the room, depends on how the students act. And sometimes I may have different accents or something, which goes with how I’m feeling. I may be Caribbean one day or British just so that I can get through the experience that we’re having communally. I’m very much an artist in a lot of ways.

As an artist, you are coming into your art from a lot of communities and a lot of spaces and a lot of experiences — being black, being queer, being female, having religious identities and communities. All of those things are deeply ingrained into everything that I do.

Hanifah: Just navigating life, you have to be different things to different people. Yes, there’s a common thread but I enjoy reacting and being a reflection of people who are reacting to me. I’m very fluid in my interactions with people but I just try to be consistent. I honestly think that most people are multidimensional. It’s just about the level of access you have to that and the willingness to show different parts of yourself.

For me, one of the definitions of an artist is fearlessness. We really don’t fear much other than our own ego. You have to be fearless or you never get anything out.

What is each of your favorite, most effective self-care method?

Hanifah: Baths, baths and baths. I like my bubble bath. I like my bath bombs. I like my products. I like hot water and I go old school. I have a whole system for my baths where I’m boiling water on top of the stove just because I want a certain temperature.

It will mess up my whole fucking day if I know I can’t take a bath that day, especially when I was on tour. That’s when I fell in love with taking baths. I take baths because I need to come back to me after giving my all. I realized that if I’m able to take a bath after a show, there is something about that still water, that I sleep well and it rejuvenates me for the next day of being on the road.

Other than that, I’m pretty basic. It’s really more about spiritual care. It’s chanting and constantly having conversations with myself to check in with myself.

Red: I was going to say sex but I changed my mind. But beyond all of the emotional and other stuff that sex provides, like resetting, I think community is like self-care. I’ve curated a beautiful collection of peaceful, thoughtful, spirited, grounded individuals that I serve and I receive from on a constant basis.

That community is essential for me in making sure that I check in and that I’m good and that they check me. It’s important that I’m in a place where I have sounding boards, I can bounce around ideas and I can make sure that I feel like I am sane, I am safe and I am supported in this world.

What is the biggest thing you’ve accomplished using the platform that you’ve created with your podcast?

Hanifah: I don’t know if there’s been any big thing because we are still a fairly new podcast. We just finished recording the 35th episode so we are just happy when we get a letter needing advice. We’re happy when young people engage with us online or just show appreciation. Those little wins are what makes us keep wanting to do this. Those are our accomplishments because we could be hearing cricket’s honey — getting our feelings hurt.

I think maybe in the future we definitely would love to do live shows or even get invited to different spots to speak. But right now, we’re happy for the engagement that we’re getting.

Do you have any upcoming projects or goals?

Red: I just curated the Hip-Hop Museum Experience here in D.C. and now we are getting ready to tour. We’re moving through the East Coast and the South and the Midwest, primarily. But we are also looking for a venue space on the West Coast that can accommodate us.

Hanifah: I have this idea for a project called, Peaches and Apples. It’s a meditation on how Atlanta is seen through the cultural contribution of those who aren’t originally from Atlanta. Atlanta is going through serious migration right now, which comes with that cultural migration. At first, the idea was focusing on what has been the cultural impact of northerners, in particular, New Yorkers, coming to Atlanta.

But I’m realizing that what’s more important is how the New Yorkers in Atlanta, who are visual artists, are seeing the city. Just like people who move to New York experience the city completely different than a native New Yorker.

What I hope to be different about this curation, outside of the topic, is the way I present the art. I really want to do more of an immersive experience. Not so much art hanging on the wall, but art being projected, spliced with other imagery, with live music.

Plus, I’m also going to be a part of the project because I’m getting out my visual art skills again. I’ve been working with A Dope Supreme, which is the curation company. That’s really what I’m focused on art-wise now and I am really excited.

How can we see your work/contact you/etc.?

Red: I am AnotherRedSummer on Instagram and RedSummer on Twitter and everything else. And we are YaGayAunties on Instagram.

Hanifah: I’m at ADopeSupreme on Instagram and Facebook. Yes, they can DM me, holla at me there!