On Tuesday July, 2nd Three Strange Women will be celebrating TWO YEARS of awesome LGBT radio! Our official 2 year anniversary date is July 4th, 2013, however, that date being a Thursday, we’re going to be celebrating LIVE on-air with “Memoirs Of A Gay Show 2.0″ this Tuesday evening at 9pm. My lovely & talented friend Brooke Andrade is baking us a crazy rainbow cake, I personally (along with the help of my mother & aunt) baked roughly 50 six-layer rainbow cupcakes, made rainbow fruit skewers, and I have cut and organized my “Best Of” clips of the year.
I’m so excited to celebrate two years of being on radio! Three Strange Women has become so much more than just a radio show to me. It has become a safe avenue for myself and my big gay family to talk about relevant issues and current events that affect our lives on a daily basis. The cast of “Strange Ladies” is ever-changing, but each and every co-host, guest, musician, & caller means something special to me. It shows me that other people care enough to publicly voice their opinions on a matter that is so near and dear to my heart. Running a radio show is a ton of fun, but what what people don’t always realize right away is that having a good radio show also requires a decent amount of work, depending on how far you want to go with it.
Having my own radio show where I have complete creative control over everything from music, to content, to events and sponsorships has allowed me to really push my own limits and see how far I am able to take my brand and vision. Three Strange Women, as an entity, has been a life changer for me. The support and love from people involved with and surrounding UNregular Radio have been the key to making everything happen over the past few years, my platform obviously being the UNregular Radio airwaves! With my newly gained confidence and knowing that I have others supporting my cause, I have been able to develop my professional self, and in turn, have learned how to coordinate and facilitate an event from start to fruition.
My first huge project was our float in the 43rd annual Boston Gay Pride Parade about a month ago on Saturday June 8th, 2013. I’m still riding the “high” of the aftermath. I officially made the decision to turn my vision into a reality in early October 2012 and it is my favorite decision I’ve made to date. Everything about the actual day of the parade was surreal. The 72/48 hours before the parade were the most nerve racking. The calm before the storm at 8:30am on Boylston Street was almost eerie. The personal uncertainty of situations beyond my control pushed me to what I felt was my absolute limit at times, forecast and all. The chaos of construction and set up was almost not even processed because everyone was all hands on deck the moment I rolled up in that tow truck. I’m pretty sure we constructed the entire float from railings to sound system in under 45 minutes. We definitely got yelled at for being too loud before the parade even started… I mean, what did they expect?! We’re a RADIO show float, working with people who get paid to make loud sounds on a regular basis, of course we’re going to blow you away! (Thanks for dealing with us, Boston Pride!)
The minute the wheels of the tow truck moved everyone around us cheered, the clouds opened up to bright, sunny skies, and I experienced what was definitely the greatest rush I’ve ever felt! During the entire parade everyone was smiling and cheering. We picked up so many friends and stragglers along the almost 3 mile route that we even had to kick people off who were trying to jump onto the float. Each year, Boston Pride recognizes “participants who demonstrated energy, creativity, originality, effort, enthusiasm, and diversity in their contingent” by giving out awards. I wouldn’t be surprised if Three Strange Women were to win the award for Best Float this year. Many of my friends and acquaintances viewing the parade said we definitely had the best energy, the loudest sound, and that we gave some of the bigger, more well known floats a “run for their money”. A write up in The Advocate said, ” Those on the Three Strange Women radio show float may have been having more fun than anyone else in the parade.” And we were the most attractive. Obviously.
The entire 8 month process was entirely worth ever ounce of hard work to see the impact this event had on my LGBT family. I’ve never been more proud of myself and of the determined, supportive individuals I’m so blessed to have in my life. None of it would be possible without each and every one of them.
One thing I know for sure is that I have definitely learned more working in the field & doing what I love on a day to day basis than any student could possibly ever learn in a classroom. For that, I will be eternally grateful to everyone who has given me a chance to prove my worth.
Everything from our online social media presence, to our weekly on-air shows, to events like the Boston Pride parade, it all stems from a single vision I had 2 and a half years ago, to create a safe, fun, and loving little bubble of madness for me and my LGBT army of outcasts and celebrities alike. I am forever grateful to everyone involved on every part of this journey and for being allowed to create such a positive, fun atmosphere at UNregular Radio.
May everyone pursue their wildest dreams!
Light & Love,
Jackie Soriano
Three Strange Women
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