You Were Never Supposed To Follow The Script - with Valeria Arteaga

What if queer joy isn’t about being loud, proud and happy all the fucking time?What if it’s simply the moment you realize: I don’t have to hide here.In Part One of this very accidentally two-part Queer Joy conversation, Gen sits down IRL with her dear friend Valeria Arteaga to talk about what happens when you stop following the script you were handed, and start figuring out what actually feels like you.We get into safety, chosen family, queer community, self-acceptance, girlhood, relationships, finding joy in the things you once denied yourself, becoming the safe person you needed when you were younger, and why sometimes the biggest sign of healing is simply being around people who don’t make you edit yourself.Val shares what transition taught her about joy, identity and finally giving herself permission to pursue the things she’s always wanted. Gen talks about finding purpose in protecting and building community for younger queer people. And somewhere along the way we discover that queer joy might be less about celebrating your identity... and more about your identity finally giving you permission to live.Also involved: Thai lesbian soap operas, U-Hauling friendships, questionable boomer moments, loud pink dresses, drumming, lesbian relationship discourse and Michael Jackson inexplicably interrupting the podcast at increasingly inappropriate moments.It’s thoughtful. It’s chaotic. It gets unexpectedly emotional.Basically: very WithGen.Less hiding. More living. A lot more joy. 🏳️‍🌈And if this episode makes you think of someone who might need to hear it, send it to them. Sometimes building safer spaces starts that simply.🎙️ Queer Joy Series: You Were Never Supposed to Follow the Script - Part One with Valeria ArteagaPart Two is coming; because apparently giving Gen and Val microphones and expecting them to stop talking after an hour was wildly optimistic.Follow Gen on the gram:https://www.instagram.com/withgenevieve/