Podcast launches Alberta’s queer joy into public perception
By Theodora MacLeod - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on August 15, 2023.
When Kels Delamarter started talking to people about their experiences as members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in Alberta, she had no podcasting experience and was working towards her master’s degree.Her journey began on TikTok, where she expressed feelings of isolation being queer in the prairies, and Delamarter is launching her interview series “Queer in Alberta” that will be available on OptikTV next month.
In fall of 2022 Delamarter was one of 100 recipients in B.C and Alberta to be awarded the Telus Storyhive 2.0 grant.
“I actually saw an ad in the Lethbridge Herald,” she says. “Storyhive was looking for local creators.”
This took her from doing interviews over Zoom to having a professional set up and turning her focus to the project rather than her studies. The podcast, which has several episodes already available, can be found on the usual platforms- Spotify, apple podcasts, YouTube, etc., and takes a deep dive into the lives of queer Albertans, many of whom have various intersecting identities that might not fit the stereotypical image other provinces have of Alberta.
“In my 20s (I) have been on this journey of really understanding my biracial Filipino identity as well,” Delamarter explains when asked how Alberta has impacted her identity.
“These were things that affected my upbringing and experiences in this province, but as I’ve gotten older I actually really appreciate the time I spent in a small town, even though I didn’t feel like I necessarily fit in it really gave me that drive to seek community and to find connection and to find likeminded people and in doing that work I was able to kind of discover all that Alberta has to offer beyond these stereotypes.”
While Delamarter notes the struggles the queer community faces, she emphasises just how much queer joy there is in Alberta.
“If I look at my interviews, the propensity for queer joy vastly outweighs the hardships, it doesn’t erase the difficulties that are here, but there is so much happiness in this identity.”
Already renewed for a second season, Delamarter has plans for “Queer in Alberta” Season Two.
“I really want to continue to make the series as intersectional as possible and as diverse in terms of geographic locations,” she explains. “One of the best parts about getting this opportunity to do this again on OptikTV is to begin to dismantle that stereotype, that is so prevalent, of what queer experiences look like here in Alberta.”
For more information and to follow Kels in her journey, she can be found @_Kelsifer on TikTok and @__Kelsifer on Instagram.
Episodes of “Queer in Alberta” can be found on all major podcasting platforms. 2
-1
