People are curious, and that’s great. But there are some things that just shouldn’t be asked (or at least, not like that). Inappropriate Questions is a podcast and webcomic with two hosts—a socially-aware millennial and a well-meaning middle-aged dad—who explore the context and connotations of these offensive questions together. By deconstructing each question, we aim to discuss what it implies while highlighting some of the important discussions surrounding the topic. Whether it’s asking “What are you?” to a mixed-race person or “Have you had the surgery?” to a transgender person, we’re covering all the questions—from the obviously offensive, to those you might not even think twice about asking. Our project aims to not only preach to the choir, but to reach audiences who may not be aware of the questions we address.

Each podcast episode is accompanied by a webcomic that summarizes our topic in a humourous and shareable way. Our two contrasting hosts complement each other by presenting different perspectives to simultaneously reach different audiences. It is also extremely important to us that we feature voices from the minority groups that we discuss. We do not want to have anyone speak on behalf of a community that they’re not a part of. That’s why it’s part of our mandate to ensure that all our podcast guests, as well as guest webcomic illustrators, are part of those groups themselves.

We believe that discrimination is learned behaviour that can be unlearned, which is why we don’t want to simply shut conversations down. We want to provoke and encourage discussions about these important topics in a respectful manner.

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