Minority Musings podcast
If you are in an ethnic minority, on the LGBT+ spectrum, disabled or in any way “different”, then Minority Musings is for you. Led by me (Grace Liu), author, blogger, speaker and artist, and also biracial, autistic and gay. The aim is to challenge stigma and stereotypes surrounding difference. The podcast is currently available on Anchor and Spotify, and I will be sharing it on social media.
If you would like to appear in an episode, then please send me an email (at grace@overdale.me) or private social media message. I will send you a list of questions to look at, then when you are ready, we can agree on a date to record remotely.
Episode 4
(Content warning: mention of racism) Is the UK a racist country? How does moving abroad at a young age affect one’s identity? In this episode, I got talking to Valentia, a Ghanaian student at the University of Sheffield, who was present for my first talk there in March. Like me, Valentia moved to the UK at a very young age, and so we shared our experiences of finding our feet at school in a predominantly white country. She told me about some of the assumptions has faced, from people thinking she is Jamaican to the misconception that Africa is a country. I told her about all the times people have shouted “Ni hao!”, “Konichiwa!” and “Great Wall of China!” at me, and talked about how, as a half English/half Taiwanese person, I straddle the fence when it comes to race and identity. We also compared the differences between being Black and being biracial, and how best to have a conversation about race. I wasn’t completely on top form when we recorded this episode, as I was coming down with a certain virus beginning with C, but Valentia’s contribution more than made up for that!
Episode 3
What does dyspraxia really mean? Is it just clumsiness? Or is there more to it that people still don’t understand?
Shortly after episode 1 with Clara, she put me in touch with Michael Sweeney, an old friend of hers, and so it was that for episode 3, he and I had a long chat about the ins and outs of dyspraxia, a developmental co-ordination disorder. Michael was diagnosed with dyspraxia aged 3 years old, and has had to navigate school, university and work as a dyspraxic person. He specifically shared with me his experiences with working in a cake shop and front-of-house in a theatre, and the hazards of handling cake knives, blowtorches and champagne glasses. We compared our struggles with co-ordination and motor skills, and also with people’s wacky ideas for cures. As a diagnosed autistic/self-diagnosed dyspraxic, I thought I’d heard them all – now I can add Tai Chi and hypnosis to the list.
Episode 2
What does it mean to be neurodivergent in more than one way? In episode no. 2 of the Minority Musings podcast, I had a chat with Kat (unintentional rhyme!), who I used to know at church. Kat is dyslexic, having been diagnosed unofficially as a child and officially at university. As a student, she was also diagnosed with ADHD, something that came as a complete surprise for her. She shared with me what it was like to have been diagnosed with ADHD so recently and unexpectedly, and how dyslexic and ADHD traits overlap. We compared our various neurodivergent traits, and also discussed the neurodiversity movement and the medical vs social model of disability.
For some reason, the sound quality was really bad down my end while I was recording with Kat, and there was a lot of reverb whenever I talked. Long story short, it doesn’t seem to be something that I can edit out. Sorry about that! I had to delete the intro and outro and rerecord those separately. This wasn’t an issue with the previous episode or the upcoming one, despite the fact that I have done nothing different with any of my recordings, so hopefully this will be a one off!
Episode 1
(Content warning: mention of domestic/sexual violence, sex, HIV/AIDS) How are gay and bisexual coming-out processes similar? How do they differ? In this very first episode of the Minority Musings podcast, I got together with an old uni friend, Clara. As a bisexual person (Clara) and a lesbian (me), we compared our experiences with coming out, crushes and the stigma we have had to deal with. We discussed what schools could do to increase understanding and acceptance of young LGBT+ people, queer representation in the media, and at one point, went off on a tangent about whether you can smell if someone is ovulating. With a good-humoured yet frank approach to some traditionally taboo topics – and some input from Bouncer the cat – this is a podcast debut not to be missed!
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Stonewall (Stonewall)
The Trevor Project (The Trevor Project | For Young LGBTQ Lives)
Terrence Higgins Trust (Home | Terrence Higgins Trust (tht.org.uk))
Artistic Autistic Grace 