The Gay Agenda: Diverse, Queer and Proud AF
Today is a big day for Neither Funny Nor Original because it’s launch day for the site and shop!
THE PAST
We started as a podcast in 2018. The idea for starting the podcast came from visiting a queer film convention earlier that year. While the convention was great, and the people were even better, we both felt like something was missing. A bi-sexual and a lesbian walk into a room full of other queer folks and still feel unrepresented. What was missing?
Diversity.
Between the two of us, we’re hispanic and black. Our experiences navigating the world are already different than a white person, but navigating as hispanic/black queer women are even more limiting. Since we’ve started the podcast, we’ve met so many people with similar backgrounds as us; Pastors kid, worship leader, closeted youth, homophobic families, ethnic families, etc. The fact is, our experience is nothing unique or special. Growing up in culturally diverse families just happened to set the tone for how we came into accepting (or not accepting) our queer identities and religion played a significant role in tying that identity to our eternity (heaven or hell).
We launched our podcast as a way to create a safe space for our community but in truth it also served as a safe space for us. We’ve laughed and cried over our shared experiences, and found healing in the safety of each other’s love and friendship. The LGBTQ+ community is no stranger to feeling like an unwanted guest at everyone’s doorstep. A majority of us have been physically or emotionally excluded from family and friends. This is so common, but what we rarely see are options for navigating through all of the emotions rejection brings. We hope that by working through our own complicated feelings, it encourages others to also find healing in their own way.
RIGHT NOW
The idea for our shop came to us in 2020. There is an underwhelming array of LGBTQ+ greeting cards on the shelves. There’s an appreciation card for your shitty boss or a sympathy card for the death of a beloved pet, but there isn’t a card for celebrating someone coming out. Birthday card from husband to husband or from wife to wife? Good luck finding something that isn’t cringe worthy. Non-binary badasses? Don’t even try, there’s nothing for you. Unless it’s the month of June, Pride month, where the LGBTQ+ can be the most capitalized on, our community is devoid of genuine representation. Mass companies take a rainbow and slap it onto cheap merch and say here you go, now sit down and shut up. We’re used to that though right? All of our lives have been about taking up the least amount of space and showing gratitude for the little representation thrown our way. That ends here.
Our goal with this shop is to provide better options for our community that feel authentic and celebratory. Instead of telling you that you’re too gay, we’ll celebrate it. Rather than taking one month out of the year for Pride, we’ll sport it year round.
THE FUTURE
We’re just getting started. Our inventory may be limited but we have big dreams for NFNO.
While we appreciate how much our representation has grown, and we applaud the basic work consideration the Karen’s are doing for our community, we need to do more. At Neither Funny Nor Original, you have people from your community, writing for your community.
We aren’t perfect, we may not always get it right, but we’re committed to learning and doing right by our community. Every item in the shop was carefully thought out with the intention to make you smile and make you pretty damn proud.
Thank you for giving us a chance, for listening to our podcast, and supporting the shop. We hope you find something here for yourself or someone you love. Above all else, we hope you feel seen and celebrated.
Be kind to yourself and others,
Brittney and Bridget