Season 1, Vol. 1, Ep. 3: ALOK FT. KAREEM - "Art is for Aunties"

Episode Art by Rage Kidvai @rkidvai — **Episode Art by Rage Kidvai** **@rkidvai**

Alok Vaid-Menon is a performance artist, poet, and LGBTQ rights activist. Vaid-Menon identifies as gender non-conforming and transfeminine and uses they pronouns. Vaid-Menon is from a Hindu-Indian family and grew up in College Station, Texas. They went to Stanford University. Vaid-Menon's work normalizes discussions of shame, trauma and violence against trans and gender non-conforming people of color. They have presented their work at 400 venues in more than 40 countries. Vaid-Menon is known for incorporating ideas of trans-activism and identity into their poetry performances.. In 2017 Vaid-Menon released FEMME IN PUBLIC, a book of poems regarding queer experiences. This year, they released their third fashion collection in India, which emphasized colorful, printed clothing, and asserted that skirts and dresses are gender-neutral.

In this episode of Bad Brown Aunties, Alok phones in an “Auntie” who has inspired and supported them. Alok phoned in Kareem Khubchandani, aka LaWhore Vagistan. Kareem is a performance artist, working in drag, storytelling, body art, theater, and digital media. He is also a Professor at Tufts University teaching at the intersection of performance studies and queer studies. His research, performance, and teaching interests include dance studies, queer nightlife, South Asian diaspora, global queer politics, performance ethnography, critical race studies, and drag.

Go listen to the third episode of Bad Brown Aunties, here!

Below is a playlist of songs that Alok & Kareem either mentioned or have performed to, along with videos, photographs and other episode-related goodies!

Alok, Thanu & Rage, BTS while recording Episode 3 of Bad Brown Aunties.

A playlist featuring Bally Sagoo, Vishal-Shekhar, K. S. Chithra, and others

LaWhore Vagistan ft. Auntie Kool Jams in ‘Sari’

Written by: Kareem Khubchandani & Vyjayanthi Vadrevu Director, editor: Sarah Hill (sarahhill.org) Music producer: Kevin Chin (northshoremediaproductions.com) Concept: Johnny Estrella Crew: Hayley Morgenstern Dresser & moral support: Nick Harkins I don't want to look like all of the other, drag queens, Leggings for days, and dresses for miles, and gowns for weeks Chanel and Dior, and Louis Vuitton, Versace Cuz I look best, when I'm dressed like an aunty.

Alok on NBC News — “Beyond the binary: Alok Vaid Menon is creating art — and safe spaces — for the gender-nonconforming community”

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Alok tells us what it’s like to be femme in public.

Alok speaks to “the pain and empowerment of choosing your own gender.”

Alok Vaid-Menon is a trans-feminine Indian-American poet and one half of the performance art duo Dark Matter. Through sharing Alok's post with your friends and loved ones, spread the message that gender is not about what body parts you do or don't have, it's about who you are at your core.

Alok’s poetry: performing “Funeral.”

Support Button Poetry: http://bit.ly/buttonpatreon Subscribe to Button! New video daily http://bit.ly/buttonpoetry If you loved this poem, check out Andrea Gibson: http://bit.ly/MaybeINeedYou Alok Vaid-Menon, performing in Minneapolis. Button Facebook: http://facebook.com/buttonpoetry Button Twitter: http://twitter.com/buttonpoetry Button Instagram: http://instagram.com/buttonpoetry Button Tumblr: http://buttonpoetry.tumblr.com About Button: Button Poetry is committed to developing a coherent and effective system of production, distribution, promotion and fundraising for spoken word and performance poetry.