Oral History with Kari and Ashley Pilcher, Part 2

Kari:

... good.

Libby Ward:

Thank you for sharing your time and the gift of your stories. I've set aside two 00:01:00hours for our interview, but at any point we can take a break or end the interview.

Libby Ward:

My name is Libby Ward, and I am a UNC Asheville student working with two other undergraduates and faculty member mentor. Dr. Amanda Wray to record oral histories from elders and representative members of the LGBTQ community. Our goal is to document alternative histories and foster intergenerational connections. Collected data will be used to develop a needs assessment and asset map for LGBTQ-plus people in western North Carolina.

Libby Ward:

With your permission, all stories will be archived with Special Collections at UNC Asheville. I have an oral history release form for you to sign that gifts your oral history and other archives you may have to Special Collections with or without restrictions. Research participants can remain anonymous if they prefer to select a pseudonym.

Kari:

Okay.

Libby Ward:

In the first interview we talked more about your coming out narrative and building community and things like that. For this particular interview, I'd like to ask you more about LGBTQ in the media that we see, and if that could be improved any, things like that. What have you noticed about gay people slash LGBTQ folks being portrayed in the media? Do you agree with it? Do you think it's accurate? Would you change it?

Kari:

To be quite honest, I haven't really, nothing really comes up. It's not something you see in the news or the media. It's not something that I think is brought up enough, to be honest with you. It's an issue or a concern. I wouldn't even call it an issue, but it's so controversial, and that's probably the reason when you're hearing about the gun laws, you're hearing about the wall, you're 00:02:00hearing about everything else besides some of the real issues that kind of go on in smaller communities.

Kari:

As far as being portrayed, I don't think we see it enough. I don't think we see enough attention to specific issues. When you see the gender bathroom issues, that was one of the bigger ones on the news that I think I saw, where it really sticks out in my brain, to be honest with you. I think people are just ... It's just misunderstood. It's a misunderstood topic that needs to be talked about more so that it can be more of an understood topic. That's just a personal opinion. But as far as the news, there's just not enough of it.

Libby Ward:

What do you think of television series or things like that? Just seeing an improvement?

Kari:

It'd be nice to see The L Word come back.

Libby Ward:

It is. It is. Did you know that they're doing a reboot?

Kari:

Yeah, I heard that. I've heard a blurb that they were doing a reboot, but it's so ... Even that is a fantasy world. I tell you what, that is such a fantasy world.

Libby Ward:

Yeah. We don't watch a whole lot of TV, mainly because we're not going to pay $200 a month to have cable. We have the very minimum 40 channels, whatever.

Kari:

I love scoping Netflix out for new movies. I have a favorite, but I scope for just movies. Again, it's really all just more for just to capture that audience. You know? Nothing against the straight folk, but you see a lot of it, nothing but movies and romance, the same old story. It's nice to watch something that's not the same old story, something that's more to the audience. Still all fantasy. It's still exaggerated to a point, and it'd be nice to see something 00:04:00that was more geared towards something realistic.

Libby Ward:

I do enjoy Will and Grace's new season because not only have the characters stayed the same in their type of personalities and their characters, but now they're talking about issues that are happening.

Kari:

It was too political in the beginning, I think. But after they got through all that political BS that's all around, they got to Will and Grace. If you've ever watched every season of Will and Grace, I love it. They got back to them a little bit instead of the political and controversial.

Libby Ward:

They do hit a lot of the issues that have happened recently, which I think is good. Then obviously there's Ellen, and Ellen went from telling people that she was gay and not even sure if she was ever going to have a career again, to being 00:05:00one of the top, which I think is phenomenal.

Kari:

What was that?

Libby Ward:

What?

Kari:

Ellen? Have you watched it, the stand up she did?

Libby Ward:

Yeah. Relatable, right?

Kari:

Yeah. There you go. That was fantastic. She is about as real as it gets. Sometimes it takes that older generation, not too old, but she keeps it real and she's by far my most favorite.

Libby Ward:

Yeah.

Kari:

Other than that, it's nice to see her on primetime TV and doing her Game of Games. Oh my God, that's a funny show too. Watch her kick people in the butt is great.

Libby Ward:

Where would you like to see the portrayal of LGBTQ individuals to be in the future? How do you think that'll be possible?

Kari:

I'd almost want to become just as boring as the news gets, you know? And as repetitive as the news gets like, "Oh, here's the president again, or there's," 00:06:00you know what I mean? Like how repetitive news is. You hear about the same stuff, just a different location every day. It would just be, not that I really want to highlight it either. I don't want us to be like the face of America. I want us just to be known that we are people just like anybody else. We're just trying to live our life, breathed the air on this earth. Other than that, it would just be nice to see more positive light. The news will never shed positive light, but it'll be nice to see some more positiveness come onto the air.

Libby Ward:

Do you think LGBT media has a future?

Kari:

Yes. I feel like eventually there's going to be a generation, or I won't use the word uprising. That sounds like I'm trying to start a riot. I think that 00:07:00eventually they're going to be people who are a part of our community that will rise up and be known in news and TV and just do it in a way that, it's not obnoxious or in your face, but I think it will get to that point where we'll have more people out there, more well known people out there.

Kari:

It's also nice to just know Anderson Cooper or Ellen DeGeneres or Rosie O'Donnell, just knowing that they're gay and still on television, but not, we don't need someone on every channel. You know what I mean? Just to flip through and see a few of your brothers and your sisters, you know what I mean? That's kind of special. That's just kind of, it makes that community smile. It's like, "We can do it," you know? It's just, there's not many of us out there. Maybe a few more will rise up and become that somebody. But I don't think it's going to 00:08:00be anything major. I really don't think. It's nice to once in a while, flip through and see someone special.

Libby Ward:

Why is it important that there's more representation of LGBTQ people in the media? Do you think it's important?

Kari:

I think it'll not only raise awareness that, "We're people too and we're here," but maybe people won't be afraid. Maybe it'll stop being such a controversial subject. Maybe it'll help younger generations to be able to be themselves. You're seeing a lot of it now because now we're the parents. You know, this generation is the parents and like, "Be you kid. Do you, and we're going to love you no matter what because we got that same in our household." I don't know, I 00:09:00think it's going to help a lot of the younger generation start to come forward a little bit more and then have a voice. Definitely, I think there's going to be less homeless kids for the way that they are and more kids are going to be able to do what they feel. I think that is more important for a child's upbringing and wellbeing as far as progressing in life.

Kari:

I think it definitely needs to happen because I just learned last week that four in ten LGBT youth will end up on the street and you only have three days to find them before they become part of a trafficking situation. That breaks my heart to know that, so I definitely think that more media or representation, even if it's just more on social media, more places for people to use as resources so that they're not out on the street and all that. I definitely think you'll see less 00:10:00and less of that. The more we raise awareness, the more we'll see or the less kids we'll see on the streets, I think. That's just a personal thing, but we've got to start now. You know, it starts now.

Libby Ward:

Why do you think that LGBTQ individuals are considered a controversy or like it's stigmatized? You know what I mean, in the media? Why do you think?

Kari:

I think it's because they put themselves in so many damn categories. Why can't we keep it simple? I think they raise too many banners. There's way too many subcategories for LGBT. It's not just LGBTQ, it's subcategories off of gay, lesbian, bi, straight. There's just so many. I think that's where it's starting to get a little ridiculous to me. Personally, you're either gay, you're 00:11:00straight, you're bi, your trans, whatever. Keep it simple. There's too many categories. Way too many.

Libby Ward:

That's true.

Kari:

Way too many. I think that's why it's getting a bad rap is nobody like, what are you today? You know what I mean? Not that it's a bad thing, ne you, but it's just too much sometimes. I think kids are pushing it way too far.

Libby Ward:

Let's talk about homophobia.

Kari:

Oh yeah, I love this. I'm in.

Libby Ward:

Homophobia is a hot topic. Have you ever faced homophobia?

Kari:

I don't think I have.

Libby Ward:

Really?

Kari:

No. I've never been in a situation where when somebody found out my orientation and changed anything. They never became aggressive or angry. There was one time 00:12:00at my job where I said, "Well my wife and I," and the guy said, "Excuse me," and I was like, "I didn't stutter. I said to my wife." I get that a lot where people are like, "Wait, did you just say wife?" I said, "Yeah, yeah, it's legal. It's fine. Get used to hearing it. You're probably going to hear a lot more of that."

Libby Ward:

Wife?

Kari:

Yeah. No, I've never had any homophobia. I really think my dad, beginning, starting out, maybe just cause he didn't know when I actually came out. He talked about it since I was little, but when I actually came out I don't think he knew what to do, so we made a lot of gay jokes to be comfortable with himself. I think people would just do some weird things to be comfortable with it that you're around. Maybe they're just nervous or don't know how to act around you. It's like act normal, you know? I mean if that counts as homophobia then for sure.

Kari:

Nothing derogatory. Nothing. I mean, other than my brother once in awhile when he's get all mad at me, but that's my brother. Nope. I would have never called anything, anything just because of my orientation. It was really just either out of anger or just out of nervousness I think is really all mine came down to. Your personalities get a shine bigger than what you are. Who you are is different than what you are.

Libby Ward:

What do you have to say about kind of the politics of it? Like our president is clearly not for LGBTQ and even our state government. I'm just wondering what your taking it is?

Kari:

It's all temporary. These are all temporary positions. The president isn't our 00:14:00president forever. It's not like the queen. Oh my God could you imagine? I mean we had Obama before this, but then we had Bush before that. You know what I mean? So it's been an on, off, on, off, on it. It's going to be until we get to a point. The toughest part is it's going to be a very long time, because anybody who's president is in their 50s or 60s you know? We've got to get through some of the older generations now just to get to a point where it won't be something we worry about.

Kari:

Right in the beginning, I think and still, I still get worried about getting our rights stripped away. I got married and I'm holding onto that, but they can take that away very easily. Not that I think that they'll ever pass that, but I still worry about it. I mean, it's still kind of had a lot of the LGBT community on their toes, because I think when Trump came in, we were all worried. Pence, 00:15:00right? Yeah. Shit. Ooh, sorry.

Libby Ward:

Say whatever you want.

Kari:

What is that show? American Horror Story did a whole season on it. I couldn't finish watching it one, because it was that weird and two, I don't like clowns.

Libby Ward:

Are you talking about Cult?

Kari:

Yeah.

Libby Ward:

We'll have to get back into it.

Kari:

Yeah, we do. I love American horror story, she just won't watch it. If she doesn't watch it, then I won't watch it.

Libby Ward:

But it's off record, but I love Sara Paulson.

Kari:

Oh my gosh, yes. Oh my God. Yes. I will literally rewatch these as just for her. She is brilliant. She is so brilliant. Have you seen the meme that says, "Can somebody please get her a character where she's not smoking?"

Libby Ward:

Like before she gets lung cancer. Everything she's in, like Marcia Clark. I heard this one day when she was playing Marcia, she was like ready for her smoke break because she smoked so often. That was incredible.

Kari:

Even in Bird Box? She was in Bird Box. Right? The one with ...

Libby Ward:

Yeah, she was in like five minutes she was in it.

Kari:

It doesn't matter, but even then for that few minutes when everything just kind of went, she's just dark. She's got that dark ... well good Lord, she's got a great cougar. I mean she probably has taught her everything she ever ...

Libby Ward:

Could you believe that?

Kari:

I was like, "What?"

Libby Ward:

When I was younger, I had such a crush on Holland Taylor. I was like eight or nine and I was like, "This woman is everything."

Kari:

Oh yeah.

Libby Ward:

And then Sara.

Speaker 3:

It's a power couple.

Kari:

Freaking boss. Yeah.

Libby Ward:

Talking about The L Word, apparently that Alisha from The L Word followed Sarah, Sarah followed her. I'm thinking she's going to be on The L Word. It makes sense because Holland was on it.

Kari:

It's true. She was.

Libby Ward:

All I'm saying is, I'm too ready for this.

Speaker 3:

Oh my God. She's already [inaudible 00:16:57]. It's on her board in her room.

Kari:

They better freaking come back and figure out what happened. I want to know what 00:17:00happened. Because they just ended it walking to the police thing smiling. That was the worst way to end that show. I'm sorry.

Libby Ward:

It was the most dramatic walk.

Kari:

And they were smiling and laughing. I'm like, "What? What?"

Speaker 3:

They all secretly wanted Jenny to die. It's fine.

Kari:

Well everybody secretly wanted Jenny, but I wanted that other bitch to die. The one that took over her film.

Speaker 3:

Oh yeah, that one too. I still think it was her. That she just randomly showed up and pushed her over the edge. Anyway.

Libby Ward:

[inaudible] like, "I'm sorry. You have to see this."

Speaker 3:

That's fantastic.

Kari:

All right, after the American horror story we've got to get back on it.

Speaker 3:

Well, no, before that, it was the whole fact of the politics. It wasn't ...

Kari:

Look, I'm in control of what goes in. I'll put it.

Speaker 3:

We just [inaudible] for 20 minutes to talk about Sarah Paulson.

Kari:

Either way we ...

Speaker 3:

Like how stereotypical.

Kari:

Right. Either way, yeah, we need to get to the point where we're getting younger presidents in. Experience is one thing, fine, but I think if you're qualified. I mean no offense, you watch people move up in positions quickly during work. Why can't the president or Congress or something, move up quicker if they're qualified for the job? No offense, Trump is not qualified for this job. He was not, he was never qualified for this job, but he got it and it doesn't matter, popular vote or any of that, no offense, I really don't think there's a point to voting. Even though they say it's very important, I'm super against it because there is no point in voting. The popular vote, nothing matters, it really does not matter.

Kari:

As far as politics go, we need to see younger politics with an open mind come in, not closed mind, left-wing, right-wing. There's too much of that. That's the 00:19:00problem. There's too much of that and it's very closed minded. Once we get someone who's a little bit more, I'm not going to say liberal because we still have very old school, left wing, right wing. We need someone who's just going to have an open mind for everyone. This is the United States of America. What is United about it? There was nothing united about this country, you know? Once we get someone else that's going to be a little bit more for the people, like in the constitution, then we'll be all right. Sorry, super long winded, but yeah.

Libby Ward:

The L Word will reunite us all.

Kari:

Yes.

Libby Ward:

Yes, it will. Sara Paulson's performance will win an Emmy.

Speaker 3:

And we will figure out, the new L word or the rebooted L Word will open our eyes and minds to our rise in the world.

Kari:

Oh, I've watched every season about 15 times.

Libby Ward:

Who hasn't?

Kari:

When Dana dies, every time, done. Kills me every time. I can't do it every time. It's like you think and hope that it would change. She's going to be okay. "Dana, you're going to be fine." Nope. Once that countdown starts, that one episode, oh, it's the worst. It's the worst.

Speaker 3:

It's like that episode on ER for me, when Dr. Green.

Kari:

When Dr. Green dies.

Speaker 3:

Did you ever watch ER?

Libby Ward:

No.

Speaker 3:

If you have a great chance on Netflix, nope, Hulu. It was on Hulu. They have all, and I hate to use this word or this number, but I'll 15 seasons. It was on for 15 years. I watched all 15 seasons and when I found out Hulu had all 15 I was like, "We're doing this." She sat and watched every single episode with me and started to get into it. She's like, "Are we watching ER tonight?" I'm like, "Yeah, we'll watch a couple of episodes."

Kari:

I was like sitting there sobbing on some episodes. Oh my God, it's terrible.

Speaker 3:

The one with Dr. Green, I won't go into details, if you ever get a new chance. That one is like, I could feel her doing one of these and she's trying not to cry. I'm sitting behind her and my eyes are just like, outside right now, just pouring. I was like, "I'm fine. I'm fine."

Kari:

Off topic. I think it happened last time too.

Libby Ward:

I've seen a lot of news articles and people talking online that gay people should just come out of the closet. They just should. Do you think that they should be forced to come out of the closet?

Kari:

No. Absolutely not.

Libby Ward:

Why?

Kari:

I got to finish what I'm eating. These other people don't know the situation. Anybody could say that, "It's easy, just say it." No, it's not that easy. 00:22:00Whether it's a personal or internal struggle you've been dealing with or you're worried about a family member, you're worried about a relationship, you're worried about a child, a spouse or something. It's not that easy. I've watched recently, a family trying to get torn apart by that. Not really torn apart, but I don't want to say names. I would prefer not to, but I don't think anybody should be forced to have to say it.

Kari:

What if I was forced to say something and you had a gun in your back pocket because you were like, "Just say it. I want to know if you are," and then your prerogative was just get rid of them. You know what I mean? That's not easy. That's not something anybody should take lightly. I mean, sure. Would it be 00:23:00easier to be straight thinking? Sure. Absolutely. To live that straight world, but this world will be so boring.

Speaker 3:

I did it. It wasn't any better.

Kari:

No.

Speaker 3:

If anything, I think it was more boring.

Kari:

It was boring. I'm sorry. I love it because it's just exciting and it's fun. But I don't think anybody should be forced to have to do that. That's a personal decision. That's something you can say whenever you want or don't say it at all. That's up to you.

Libby Ward:

What do you think here?

Speaker 3:

Oh, I feel the same. I think that it needs to be when you're ready. It should not be forced on anybody. If someone asks and you're ...

Kari:

Coming from someone who got it almost forced out to her parents.

Speaker 3:

I mean, it pretty much was forced to my mom. I've never actually said the words to my dad, never ever. In my head if I knew how my dad was on different types of relationships.

Kari:

Well if he hasn't figured it out by now.

Speaker 3:

Oh I know. Yeah. That's what everyone says when I tell them that part of my out story, I was like, "Not my dad. I'd never verbalized said it to my dad." I wouldn't say that my dad is a straight-laced kind of guy. But then it was one of those, you know, I did know how you would take. At least with my mom, it was like she cried, but there was no like, "Oh my God, you're not mine anymore or let's send you to camp or you know what I mean?"

Speaker 3:

I honestly didn't know how my dad would take it. For whatever reason with my dad and I don't know if it was because of an on and off relationship I had with him up until recently, ever disappointing him was the worst. If I said it, it could 00:25:00have changed our relationship and I was like, "Nope, Nope. I just want you to catch on to this." You know? I think if it's one of those where like you're around people and you feel comfortable saying it out loud, because it might be brought up, then okay. No, you should never be forced to say it. Ever.

Kari:

I mean even I had a close group in high school of guys and girls and I never came out right away.

Speaker 3:

My older siblings took bets to see how long I was going to take for me to realize I was. Stop looking at my hair. What are you looking at?

Kari:

I don't know, the glitter all over your face. Geez.

Speaker 3:

Here, let me wipe it on you.

Libby Ward:

What advice would you give to someone who's struggling to come out or wants to but doesn't quite know how? What would you tell them?

Speaker 3:

Oh, I think it depends on the situation. If they have a pretty good gut feeling 00:26:00it's not going to go well, and that they maybe live in an area that's not as friendly, I'd say get yourself into an area that's friendly and safe, and you make your new circle. Then you figure out how to come out. Western New York is a very open city. My high school had a couple of same sex couples that, when I knew that I was like, "Huh. I would have never put two girls or two guys together when I was in high school." It didn't seem wrong. It just at first seem kind of odd when I was like 14 I was like, "What do you mean you two are dating? Okay, whatever."

Speaker 3:

I have a few people that I've met here, you know that grew up in Hickory and they're like, "I'll never go back to Hickory. I'm glad I live here where it's more accepted." Me personally, I think it's, if you have a pretty good inkling it's not going to go well, build up all that you need to before you do it so you're not struggling to figure out what [inaudible 00:27:30]. That would be my ... You never want to be in a situation where you tell somebody and all of a sudden you are out on the street because they just don't understand. I'm also very goal and task oriented person so I could just be me.

Kari:

You definitely need to know who your circle is, know where your safe spaces are. Even if it's not that circle of people that you see every day, you hear them 00:28:00making slurs or stuff and like making fun of someone. You don't say it out loud that it bugs you or it's bothering you, but those aren't the people to come out to because obviously then you're that next one that's going to get made fun of. I think, even for youth, know who your adults are, know your safe spaces, know where the places you can go if you need someone to talk to. Obviously as a kid you get those adults that show that they're trusting and, "Hey, if you ever need to talk, you got like anything," you know. I think you should always know where your group is and where your safe spaces are.

Libby Ward:

My last question.

Kari:

All right.

Libby Ward:

Do you guys participate in any sort of activism for the LGBTQ community or do you think it's important to be active in the community?

Kari:

I mean I kind of feel like a bad gay, because I'm not more active in the 00:29:00community. I will probably paraphrase and quote somebody that I heard last week say, "I will never not be myself or be who I am, but I also don't feel like I have to raise ..." How did she say? "I feel like I don't have to be out there with flags and bullhorns and standing on the front line, but I will support that." If there's any other way that I can do it, I'll do it. Even if it's starting out, just talking to youth or letting the youth know nonchalantly like, "Yo, I'm here. You want to talk to me, I'm here." That's how I'm active. I don't write banners, I don't wave flags. I'm here. If anybody ever needs to talk about anything I'm here. You want to hang out, you want to get something off your 00:30:00chest, you want to talk about girls are hot? Let's talk.

Kari:

As far as the community goes, maybe I'm just naive to it. I don't know what's going on in the community, because the community has changed so much. All these subcategories, like what do you go and support? I support everybody. I love everybody. Do you? I'll go to pride. I have a good time with that.

Speaker 3:

I'm not opposed to jumping in and standing up for somebody if it looks like they're being picked on, don't get me wrong. I mean sister, we'll throw it out if she needs to.

Kari:

But we have our right to get married. We have that. What else do you need? You know what I mean? Just live your life. Just live it out and don't make yourself a spectacle. You know what I mean? Yes, we're here, we're queer and fine. Don't make it a spectacle. There's no straight parades. There's no anything. What else 00:31:00do we need?

Speaker 3:

I honestly think that it would help, and I don't want to use the word normal, normalize things, but I think it would almost start to make the playing field even, if we just kept doing everything the way we do without constantly having to have an uproar about something. I mean if it's a big deal, like the bathroom situation, absolutely. I think that it's ridiculous that people got that obsessed and agitated over it and whatever else. You are afraid of a trans person and being in bathroom with your kid ...

Kari:

I understand both sides.

Speaker 3:

But you're not afraid of the pedophile who just walked in the bathroom because he's saw your kid 30 feet away. Like, no. I work with kids. I'm much more angry at the pedophiles than I am at [crosstalk 00:31:52].

Kari:

I was just going to say, it took a lot of spotlight off of things like that versus you know what the real ...There's really no issue. Get over it.

Speaker 3:

Catholic priests. There's a whole other thing.

Kari:

Nobody focuses on the real issue. Someone's got to be picking at something else just to stray away from what's real.

Speaker 3:

Unfortunately, like you mentioned earlier, it's going to take a while, but I think we're going to be a scape goat for a lot of things until we can get everything level and we get the younger kids who are trying to be more involved in politics and wanting everything. I worked with a kid at the Y who at ... How old was he? 19. More involved in politics at 19 than I'd ever seen anybody. Super smart, very driven, wanted things equal and moving forward. I was like, you know what, there needs to be more kids like that. The more that we can maybe even support the straight allies that are younger like that, and wants to help us with it, maybe that's what we've got to do then is just be like, "Here's my 00:33:00activism. What do you need me to do? You want me to come stand at your table for this congressman? Fine, I'll come boost him up because he's supporting us."

Kari:

I just think the more in people's faces you get, the less they're going to want to come on board to any kind of suggestion or any way of living or however you want to put it.

Speaker 3:

It kind of things does this one card over here is for a Jehovah's witness. I want to be like, we should just make up cards like that and start handing it out.

Libby Ward:

It's funny. You have Jehovah's Witness. I have birth control. That's funny.

Speaker 3:

I think we picked the table.

Kari:

I have nothing fun.

Speaker 3:

There's some nasty women and bad hombres. Oh, these are naked, naked women.

Libby Ward:

There you go.

Speaker 3:

Oh sure, you can get the naked women.

Kari:

They all come to me. It's fine. I'm joking.

Speaker 3:

I get Jehovah's witness. Have you met Jesus yet? No. Come on in, let's find him.

Libby Ward:

On campus, more Christians have stopped me, more than anybody ever in my life. I swear, just the other day I was about to plug headphones in my ears. This lady like grabbed. It's like, "Okay, one, don't touch me. Two, what do you want?"

Kari:

What do you want?

Libby Ward:

But do you have anything else you'd like to add? Anything you want to end with?

Kari:

No, I like your questions. I really do. I'm a big fan of your question.

Speaker 3:

To go back to homophobia, now that I think about it, when you said about people approaching you. I don't know if the guy does it all the time or if the guy just assumed I was a lesbian, but at work one night this guy had a three day trial pass or week trial pass, and I got it all signed in ready to go and he was like ...

Kari:

This is normal.

Speaker 3:

He was like, "Hey, have you seen this?" He handed me a card, almost like credit card material. On one side was this beautiful lake and mountains behind it and 00:35:00on the other side was a desert. He's like, "Sometimes you feel like this, and sometimes you feel like this." I was like, "That's true." You know, I'm thinking, "Move it along asshole. I got things to do." He's like, "Well just check it out." I'm like, "All right." It's got even like one of those little like barcode boxes up on the corner. I'm like, What the hell?"

Kari:

Oh, the code reader?

Speaker 3:

Yeah. It was like myrenew.com or my renewing.com whatever it was. I put that link in the computer, and it was for like a Jehovah's witness or like a church or something. I was like, "Oh, they're getting with their Jesus cards now. All right."

Kari:

I love Jehovah's witnesses.

Speaker 3:

I mean, I don't think it would be homophobia, but it kind of goes along those lines where the person was just like, "Here, I think you need this today." And I'm like, "No, I fuck don't."

Kari:

I've been like, oh my gosh. Okay. I guess with Jehovah's witness, and this is why they're my favorite.

Speaker 3:

Because they don't celebrate Halloween, so when you knock on their door and pisses them off?

Kari:

No, isn't it for Jehovah's witness that their belief is that only a certain 00:36:00amount will get into heaven?

Libby Ward:

I don't know.

Kari:

I believe it's Jehovah's witness where, look it up. I believe Jehovah's witness are where only a certain amount will end up in heaven. If anybody, like Jehovah's witness, comes and asks me, I'm like, "Oh my God, are you willing to give up your spot for me? That's so thoughtful of you." They walk away real quick after that. I don't want to give up their spot.

Speaker 3:

I did have two nice women one time knock on the apartment door. Do you remember me telling you about this? They were preaching to me that God is a woman and I said, "You're right, she is. Have a great day." I just walked back into my apartment. I was like, "I don't disagree with you. I'm sure she is. But I'm going back in my apartment with my dogs."

Kari:

In drag. That's terrible. Sorry, that's terrible.

Libby Ward:

I love me some drag queens. No, I get it. The whole religion. I grew up Mormon. So that whole culture is ...

Kari:

Oh God, I'm sorry.

Speaker 3:

I'm from Utah, so that's usually my question.

Kari:

I was wondering where the accent was from.

Speaker 3:

It's Utah and Wisconsin and Buffalo. I was told that if you live near a Great Lake and usually comes out all like Northern and Midwestern, plus we're real close to Canada. They've got that weird freaking accent.

Kari:

I love Canada.

Speaker 3:

I got nasal liaise. My sister lives in Chicago and she makes fun of me all the time about it. She's like, "Say the word salad." I was like, "Shut up." But yeah, somebody would be like, "Where were you born?" "In Utah." "Oh, are you Mormon?" "No, but I had a few Mormon friends."

Libby Ward:

Mormons are great to an extent.

Speaker 3:

To an extent. Just a small extent. I know about the Mormon tabernacle choir or the the lovely musical that's on Broadway, The Book of Mormon.

Kari:

Oh my God.

Speaker 3:

Josh Gad was rad. He's great.

Libby Ward:

Well, thank you. I appreciate it.

Kari:

Thank you. Thank you very much. This was fun.