Surface Level

Latest Episodes:

You Can't Sit With Us Dec 28, 2022

Show notes

Jordan, Damon & Tony are curious – how does self-hate create toxicity among Black, Queer men? Our show often highlights external factors that stifle our community, but this week is focused on self-reflection. Growing up as Black, Queer men we develop many defense mechanisms that manifest as self-hate. This hate is often reflected in the othering of people in our community whose experiences are different than our own. Part of the advancement of Black, Queer people is the embrace of all members of our community regardless of physical appearance, economic means, or social cache. A critical look inward is the first step to healing that we sometimes miss, this week we take that step. We know a lot, but we don’t know it all, so join the conversation on social and let us know your thoughts.

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You Ain't Black! Dec 21, 2022

Show notes

Jordan, Damon & Tony are curious – are the benefits of abiding by respectability politics worth the cultural sacrifice? Today’s episode gets into heated territory at times as we debate the benefits, or lack thereof, for following the rules of respectability politics. We welcome Kalen Allen to our Surface Level Family. Kalen, actor and media personality, adds a fresh perspective to our conversation through his rise to fame on the Ellen DeGeneres show. This is not an episode where we all agree, but we believe you will find value in each of our unique perspectives. We understand that rules are in place for Black Queer people, it’s up to each individual to decide the value those hold for their individual journey. We know a lot but we don’t know it all, so join the conversation on social and let us know your thoughts.

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Sexual Healing Dec 14, 2022

Show notes

Jordan, Damon & Tony are curious – has our fear of judgment stifled our sexual liberation? Safe spaces are important for Black Queer people and that idea extending to sexual environments is no different. We have some fun exploring our personal do’s and don’t in these situations and highlight how we as a community contribute to each other’s liberation or shame regarding sex. We know a lot but we don’t know it all, so join the conversation on social and let us know your thoughts.

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Invisible Life Dec 07, 2022

Show notes

Jordan, Damon & Tony are curious – what can we do to make Black Queer stories more visible? In this season opener, we highlight the cultural moments that have made us feel most seen, we interrogate the internal and external factors limiting further visibility for our community, and we discuss our hopes for further advancement of the Black Gay agenda. We welcome Emil Wilbekin to our Surface Level Family. Emil, the multi-hyphenated Founder of Native Son, whose mission is to harness the collective power of Black Gay/Queer men with the goal of ensuring that our voices, visibility, and lived experiences are elevated in all of the communities in which we exist and are never again disregarded. We know a lot but we don’t know it all, so join the conversation on social and let us know your thoughts.

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Beyond The Surface Level 5 Sep 07, 2022

Show notes

Jordan, Damon & Tony are curious – are you ready to go beyond the surface level with us? The finale to our fifth season further highlights our expanded commitment to community. We kick off by welcoming Steve Cruz, Strategic Giving Manager for the Ali Forney Center and Maddox Guerilla, an Ali Forney Center alum, to our Surface Level family. We were proud to raise money for AFC this season, an organization committed to protecting LGBTQIA+ youths from homelessness and empowering them to live independently. You will get to hear firsthand about the work they are doing and how they have directly impacted the lives of Queer New Yorkers. We then move into a game, themed on the standout moments from this season. We wrap up with one of our most fun segments yet, chatting through an array of topics all sourced from you, our beloved Surface Level Insiders. The reception you all have given Surface Level continues to amaze us and we hope to continue to bring joy to your lives through sharing our experiences. So, thank you for the support and until next time…stay curious. We know a lot but we don’t know it all, so join the conversation on social and let us know your thoughts.

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We Can't Be Friends 2 Aug 31, 2022

Show notes

Jordan, Damon & Tony are curious – what did we learn when traversing the toughest moments in our friendship? This week’s episode is quite introspective and discusses the evolution of our views on friendship in recent years. We play a game that gives our response to messy friendship scenarios, then discuss the experience of growing apart from friends, the rocky road we have traversed as friends in recent years, and how we are actively working to be better friends to those around us. This episode is the representation of years of ups and downs and the choice to still choose each other despite our differences. Having three personalities as large as ours is not always the easiest but we understand the roles we each play in our friendship dynamic and how that helps and harms our relationship sometimes. We are by no means perfect and we hope this episode serves as a ‘what not to do’ guide in your toughest moments. Transparency is a tenant of this show, so be gentle with us as we open up more about who we are and a friendship that is both stable and fragile at times. We know a lot but we don’t know it all, so join the conversation on social and let us know your thoughts.

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Monkeypox, Chile Aug 24, 2022

Show notes

Jordan, Damon & Tony are curious – how can healthcare information best be communicated to Black Queer folx? This week’s episode takes a relevant look at healthcare discussions that started during COVID are now being renewed with onset of Monkeypox. We start as always with a bit of silliness in an animal themed game of ridiculous choices, then dissect our long term or evolving trust of the medical system, debate if the response to Monkeypox by Queer people is reflective of a lesson learned or based in vanity, and make suggestions regarding how government and media can better address the needs of Black Queer folx without creating further stigma. Healthcare for Black people is steeped in a lack of trust due to the history of the system not properly meeting out needs. Compounding that with the intersectional experience of also being Queer further complicates that for us. We hope that in addition to our brand of “edutainment” we can offer some facts about the state of monkeypox. Finally we encourage all of our listeners to get educated, get vaccinated, and stay safe. We know a lot but we don’t know it all, so join the conversation on social and let us know your thoughts.

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Surface Level Live From Berlin! Aug 17, 2022

Show notes

Jordan, Damon & Tony are curious – how is the Black German experience different from that of Black Americans? This week’s episode is a special glimpse into our lives as friends sharing highlights from our experience at Berlin Pride. During the episode we play a game of Bop or Flop with various experiences we had on the trip, dissect the key differences we see between pride in New York vs our experience in Berlin, and discuss our tips for staying camera ready even if we partied all night. Berlin was our first outing as friends since before the pandemic. So much in our lives has changed and being able to share our experience through the lens of Surface Level is something we are really excited about. We are keeping it pretty casual this week so grab a glass of prosecco, put your feet up, and go on a little journey with us. We know a lot but we don’t know it all, so join the conversation on social and let us know your thoughts.

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Bromance Aug 03, 2022

Show notes

Jordan, Damon & Tony are curious – how can we foster non-sexual male intimacy? This week, we explore the idea of intimacy between men both Straight and Queer. We play a game rating potential partners based on fun dating scenarios, then discuss how the stigma around sexuality has impacted our relationships with Straight men, if sex and intimacy can healthily exist with non-partners, and how we are presently expressing non-sexual intimacy in our relationships with other men. We welcome Teron Beal to our Surface Level Family. Teron is an award-winning songwriter and photographer using the art form to explore the concept of non-sexual male intimacy. He brings a thoughtful perspective regarding his journey in accepting his own sexuality and how that has impacted the intimate relationships he has with other men. Equal parts vulnerable and thought-provoking this conversation takes us all on a journey of questioning our preconceived notions regarding intimacy. We hope you do the same. We know a lot but we don’t know it all, so join the conversation on social and let us know your thoughts.

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Death Becomes Her Jul 27, 2022

Show notes

Jordan, Damon & Tony are curious – how have our experiences with grief shaped how we want to be remembered? This episode starts with a fun game titled “giving up the ghost,” then delves into a conversation that is equal parts serious and fun. We dissect our individual experiences with grief, any anxiety we have surrounding it, our hopes for who will take care of us in our golden years, and close by sharing nontraditional ways we would like to have our lives celebrated. We are continuing to find conversations that are usually swept under the rug in our community. Death is typically approached with fear and grief by ignoring it. We’re addressing these topics head-on and expressing our hopes, our fears, and the things we admit we are uncertain about. Above all we hope this episode makes you think deeper, it surely did that for us. We know a lot but we don’t know it all, so join the conversation on social and let us know your thoughts.

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