pride / Sifu Mimi Chan

289. Sacha Coward on Pride Month, LGBTQ+ history and mermaids

Sacha Coward is a LGBTQ+ historian, tour guide and escape room designer from London. I could’ve conversed with Sacha for hours about LGBTQ+ history, mermaids and vampires. In the US we are honoring Pride Month, and I am grateful to Sacha for teaching me about the history of Pride and how the LGBTQ+ culture has evolved over the years.

244. Voices from the trans community

I was honored to have this Facebook live conversation with three incredible women to celebrate Pride month back in June.

Dr. Davis was a professor and administrator at universities in both Canada and the United States teaching biomechanics and anatomy. She is also a founding member of the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles.
After attempting to transition in the early 1990s, Dr. Davis was forced to detransition having lost her job and in order to find work to support her children.
Dr. Davis made her final transition in 2015 having gender affirmation surgery in 2016 and has since lived as her authentic self.

117. Chief Rolón on City of Orlando, immigration and community

My guest today is Chief Rolón. My father, Grandmaster Chan, was also excited to host him at the Wah Lum Temple and Culture Center. It was his first visit to our location, and we were honored to share a part of our history and culture with him.

104. Sheriff John Mina on law enforcement

Sheriff Mina of Orange County, Florida discusses his philosophy on law enforcement and what his hopes are for the community of Orlando.

61. Julio Ricardo Varela on Puerto Rico, Hurricane Maria, and Tostones

Today I sit down with Julio Ricardo Varela (cohost In the Thick, LatinoUSA) to discuss the devastation after Hurricane Maria that still plagues the island today. We also go deeper into the underlying problems that the island has faced for decades. Julio hopes that the attention Hurricane Maria has brought to Puerto Rico will result in real action and changes being made that are long overdue. We also talk tostones and dominoes, so listen on as we delve into the culture of Puerto Rico.

30. Commissioner Patty Sheehan on Pulse shooting, Orlando culture, and women in politics

Love is love. It was so incredible to sit down with Commissioner Patty Sheehan after the one-year memorial of the horrible Pulse Shooting in Orlando. Commissioner Sheehan was on the ground and in the streets helping victims’ families in the wake up the shooting, but even one year later is still comforting the families, fundraising for them, and honoring the memory of their loved ones. I was honored the Commissioner fit me into her busy schedule to discuss her life in politics these past 17 years. As the first openly-gay elected official in Central Florida, she has worked to pass non-discrimination protections and Domestic Partnership legislation for the LGBTQ community. She also shared the challenges she has faced being both openly gay and a woman in politics. I loved sitting with Patty in her office as I was surrounded by colorful art, rainbow flags, Wonder Woman figurines, and the reminder that love is love.