Put Your Hands Together with Cam and Rhea

Queery with Cameron Esposito: Ep. 1 with Rhea Butcher

·1 hr 8 min·5 clips

Cameron Esposito launches 'Queery,' a podcast diving into LGBTQ identity with guests from Lena Waithe to her wife Rhea Butcher.

Cameron Esposito opens the episode by explaining that 'Queery' is a new podcast focused on LGBTQ identity, featuring interviews with figures like Lena Waithe and Margaret Cho. She introduces her guest, Rhea Butcher, her wife and a fellow comedian. Rhea recounts growing up in Akron, Ohio, an industrial town once dominated by tire companies like Goodyear, and notes the last tire was produced on her birthday in 1982, marking the town's economic decline. She describes living with her mother and grandparents in a neighborhood with few children, leading to friendships with elderly neighbors. Rhea talks about her early interests, including Sesame Street and baseball, and how she felt baseball was about her due to the R-H-E box score resembling her name. The conversation shifts to gender identity, with Rhea discussing being misgendered since age six and her current use of she/her pronouns while being open to they/them. She reflects on a moment when a child questioned her gender after feeling her chest, illustrating how societal 'flashcards' shape perceptions. Rhea explores her posture as a result of female conditioning and shame around her breasts during puberty. She identifies as genderqueer and a lesbian, emphasizing the importance of community and the need for queer spaces to evolve beyond corporate pandering. Rhea shares a 'queero,' artist Harry Dodge, whose work inspired her. The episode concludes with Rhea promoting her comedy album 'Butcher' and the show 'Take My Wife.'

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