OTEP SHAMAYA Interviewed On 'Rockstars Glued Radio' (Audio)

April 15, 2013

Rockstars Glued Radio conducted an interview with singer, poet, illustrator, author and activist Otep Shamaya on April 3 in Dayton, Ohio. You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below.

An outspoken advocate of gay rights, Shamaya serves as a key figure in the movement to promote fair, accurate, and inclusive representation of people and events in the media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.

Speaking to BeaumontEnterprise.com, Shamaya stated about her decision to come out as a lesbian: "You know, it feels like we're getting close to that day where it doesn't matter. I have always known. I didn't know others had a problem with it until I was a teenager. It's just part of who I am.

"My first serious love and big-time girlfriend was in 2002. I told my parents, 'I'm moving in with this girl,' and they asked all the questions any parent would ask: 'Who is she? Does she have a job?' It didn't bother them. I was very surprised.

"It's been about 10 years since I came out. Being an out lesbian in heavy metal was kind of hard because my audience is straight and male, but it's gotten really good. We see guys bringing their boyfriends, girls bringing girlfriends and mixed couples coming in now. It's becoming a very inclusive tribe of people coming together behind the message."

Shamaya, who also finds time to be a passionate spokesperson for human rights, environmental issues and politics, is a budding vegetarian and very educated when it comes to all areas of animal rights. She even mentioned that PETA videos and literature influenced her decision to adopt her new vegetarian diet. "Looking at what they do and what they stand for, like how PETA fights for the rights of innocent beings, I support that," she said. "RAINN helps victims of violence, who have survived, which is something else I support."

She added: "My background is poverty, and I know what it feels like. The hopelessness, I know what it feels like. I worked my way out of it. I want other people to know that they have the ability to do that, too."

Shamaya's sixth full-length studio album, "Hydra", sold around 2,900 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 155 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released on January 22 via Victory Records.

Interview (audio):

Find more on
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).