Malflora Podcast
Malflora Podcast is a podcast series of pláticas, or community dialogues, with Latina/e lesbians and queers co-hosted by Meagan Solomon, Alexandra Nichole Salazar, and Mariana Meriqui Rodrigues. Episodes serve as oral histories of featured guests, who share their stories in conversation with one or more co-hosts.
Listen to episodes below or on all major streaming platforms. Each transcript is available here.
Episode 6: Paula Silveira-Barbosa
[English translation included here]
Este episódio especial em português explora as experiências lésbicas no Brasil. Paula Silveira-Barbosa é jornalista, lésbica e não binária, doutoranda em Comunicação Social na Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG) e editora de mídias sociais no Senado Federal. Nesta plática, Paula fala sobre sua criação em uma família evangélica em Brasília, sua trajetória até assumir sua sexualidade, e seu trabalho como diretora-geral e cofundadora do Arquivo Lésbico Brasileiro, uma organização da sociedade civil dedicada a preservar a história e os materiais lésbicos desde 2020. Elas discutem o papel do arquivo em conectar gerações de ativistas lésbicas, os desafios de nomear e reivindicar figuras históricas como lésbicas, e as intersecções entre identidades e memórias lésbicas, bissexuais e transmasculinas. Também exploram a experiência multifacetada e regionalmente diversa de ser lésbica no Brasil — incluindo violência, rejeição familiar, e o rico vocabulário que as lésbicas brasileiras usam para se nomear (sapatão, bolacheira, fancha). Paula compartilha os próximos projetos do arquivo, incluindo uma campanha permanente de financiamento e cursos gratuitos de pesquisa no Museu da Diversidade.
Nota: Este episódio foi gravado originalmente em agosto de 2025.
Episode 5: Fedella Lizeth
This episode features Fedella Lizeth, a Nicaraguan and Italian lesbian photographer from San Diego, California. In this plática, Fedella discusses her upbringing in San Diego, her journey with analog photography as an archival tool, and the importance of building relationships with community members through and beyond her lens. They also discuss the significance of their lesbian identity and expand the meaning of Chicanismo to account for Central American perspectives and those of other marginalized communities fighting alongside Chicanx movement activists, past and present. You can learn more about their work here.
Episode 4: Carla Trujillo
This episode features Chicana lesbian writer Carla Trujillo, who is the editor of two anthologies, Chicana Lesbians: The Girls Our Mothers Warned Us About and Living Chicana Theory. She's also the author of two novels, What Night Brings and Faith and Fat Chances. In this plática, Carla discusses her upbringing in New Mexico and Northern California, her entrance into editing anthologies and writing novels, and her experience forging connections with other Chicana lesbian writers, including Gloria Anzaldúa, Cherríe Moraga, and Juanita Diaz during the 1990s. She also discusses her current writing goals and shares exciting news about future publications.
Episode 3: Lydia Otero
This episode features Lydia Otero, a queer Chicane historian, activist, and former electrician from Tucson, Arizona/Los Angeles, California. In this plática, Lydia discusses their role in Gay and Lesbian Latinos Unidos (GLLU) and the connected organization, Lesbianas Unidas. They also reflect on their archival efforts which directly connect to the importance of queer community and writing for survival. You can learn more about their work and newest book, L.A. Interchanges: A Brown & Queer Archival Memoir, here.
Episode 2: SirGio & Gacho Marx from Los MENtirosos
This episode features Tejano drag king couple SirGio (Gio) and Gacho Marx (Jess), co-founders of the San Antonio-based drag king troupe Los MENtirosos. In this plática, Gio and Jess share their drag stories and highlight how they perform drag through a fusion of queer and Tejane aesthetics rooted in feminist ideology and a vision of collective liberation. You can learn more about their work and upcoming performances here.
Episode 1: Introducing Malflora Collective
In this inaugural episode of Malflora Podcast, you'll hear members from Malflora Collective share who we are, what brought us together, and what you can expect from our work as a collective.