The Lavender Menace

Seriously unserious, reviewing 'Sort Of' on HBOmax, & Sunnaissance Nation

The Lavender Menace

Show Notes

Welcome to episode 17 of season 4, in which we answer 3 listener submitted hot takes. The first hot take we talk about #StopCopCity and the frustrations that come from liberal and conservative pro-cop rhetoric, the break neck speed of the attention economy, and the goldfish memory of people who go through the same social justice learning every 2 years. The second hot take is an article submitted by a listener about a bisexual woman's feeling of isolation as a mom and wife in a cishet nuclear family suburban dynamic. What to do when you’re in that sticky cross section of knowing your identity but not knowing what it means? To be is an active verb my friends! The third hot take is a visit to a recurring motif on the pod: the perils of questioning your sexuality in high school. Godspeed young comrades! 🫡 Submit your hot-takes to [email protected] 💌🤓 The media we review is season one of HBOmax's ‘Sort Of.’ It is a queer Canadian TV show following the life of a non-binary Pakistani Sabi who works as a nanny and a bartender. Spoiler Alert: we did NOT enjoy it! Underrepresented protagonist does not a good show make. For recommendations on this episode, Renaissance shares the short film Le Pupille (2022) dir. Alice Rohrwacher on Disney+, a sweet film about an all girls Catholic school. Perfect for those of you doing lent right now. Sunny recommends a contemporary novel: The Very Nice Box by Eve Gleichman and Laura Blackett (listen for the pitch at the end of the episode, it’s worth it). Support us on Patreon for bonus content and early access: https://www.patreon.com/TheLavenderMenace Keep up with us between episodes: Twitter Instagram Youtube Letterboxd

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Mar 7, 2026

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Dec 19, 2025

Are white queers entitled about their history and culture? Can femmes be nonbinary? And other pressing questions that our listeners, patrons, and substack subscribers have submitted to us... (Email us your hot takes at [email protected]!!!) Queer history is so so so important and most gay people do not know enough of it! The Persistent Desire: A Femme-Butch Reader edited by Joan Nestle is one of the most important lesbian history books ever BTW, especially for femmes and butches. Silvia Federici's 2004 book Caliban & the Witch: Women, the Body and Primitive Accumulation is a book all feminists, Marxists, and Marxist feminists need to read. The politics of magic, the witch hunts, and the relationship between European colonialism and the dispossession of women and workers are some of the topics this book thoroughly explores. We cannot recommend it enough. Check out Sunny's recommendation of Sophie Lewis's books (Abolish the Family, Full Surrogacy Now, & Enemy Feminism) and Sunny's interview with Sophie, and Renaissance's Letterboxd and their recommendation of the documentary Feminism Inshallah: A History of Arab Feminism. Disclaimer: we recorded this episode back in the spring.

Jun 19, 2025

This episode includes discussion of: “butch-femme” aesthetic photos, our problem with Pinterest, internet personas and the importance of being earnest (and also genuine!) Also: the importance of female singer-songwriters and how CINEMA IS BACK which might be a recession/fascism indicator... In discussing the the racial and historical background of Sinners (2025), we examine the portrayal of truth and legacy in this surprisingly good blockbuster movie. From lynching to sharecropping, the frankness with which Ryan Coogler portrays 1932 Mississippi was incredibly moving. Our recommendations: https://www.solidaritycinema.com/ and The Wedding by Dorothy West. 01:04:04 — when we start talking about Sinners Thanks for joining us for this episode! Send your hot takes to [email protected] and support us on Patreon for bonus content and early access: https://www.patreon.com/TheLavenderMenace Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheLavenderMenacePod Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/thelavenderpod/ Substack: https://thelavendermenace.substack.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheLavenderPod

May 7, 2025

This podcast episode brought to you today by lukewarm politics of hair takes re: Bush discourse (not the president) and Kanye/Bianca, a hot take from Sunny about the Doechii album, & Black lesbian film love from Renaissance Send your HOTTEST TAKES to [email protected] ! & Support your favorite indie dykes & get early episode access/exclusive bonus content on our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheLavenderMenace Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheLavenderMenacePod Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/thelavenderpod/ Substack: https://thelavendermenace.substack.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheLavenderPod

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