Don’t you wish Gore Vidal were here? The famed — and infamous — gay author, playwright, candidate and essayist who scandalized the literary world and enraged the political world died on July 31, 2012. To honor the anniversary of his passing, and to acknowledge his indelible mark on U.S. history, we have excerpts from a 2008 interview with Democracy Now!’s Amy Goodman.
 
Ready and willing to answer all questions, or “It’s not my job to educate you”? OutCasting Overtime queer youth commentator Declan sees both sides of the issue of being the go-to “expert” on LGBTQ+ issues for friends and family, but sometimes would like to just have dinner (produced by Marc Sophos).

And in NewsWrap: Sexual Minorities Uganda is shut down despite its pending appeal for NGO status, Florida denies gender-affirming care coverage under Medicaid, an eight-year-old trans girl’s family challenges Tennessee’s “bathroom bill,” hundreds march through Montreal to celebrate Pride after the official parade is abruptly cancelled, a Louisiana orphan’s pre-school blocks her advance to kindergarten when she’s adopted by her married lesbian aunt, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Marcos Najera and Melanie Keller (produced by Brian DeShazor).

All this on the August 15, 2022 edition of This Way Out!

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Remembering Gore Vidal & Don’t Ask Me!

Once upon a time a Drag Queen Story Hour meant family fun, not a potentially violent protest. The U.S. national organization’s Executive Director Jonathan Hamilt tells the heartwarming tale of how it all began and what it’s mission really is (interviewed by KOOP-Austin’s Liz Ross).

Radclyffe Hall’s “The Well of Loneliness” is known for being depressing, but another look at the lesbian classic of 1928 discovers new meaning (a 2002 essay by Queer Life and Literature correspondent Janet Mason).

And in NewsWrap: Singapore will repeal its ban on male gay sex while maintaining marriage inequality, Hong Kong appeals court refuses to recognize an activist’s U.S. marriage to his husband, Vietnam’s government declares that being LGBTQ is not a “disease,” New Zealand offers formal apologies to conversion therapy survivors, Texas Christian church pays the price for its homophobic “Hamilton,” and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Joe Boehnlein and MR Raquel (produced by Brian DeShazor).

All this on the August 29, 2022 edition of This Way Out!

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Drag Story Hour Story & The Deeper “Well”

An award-winning documentary examines the exploits of Los Angeles’ iconic transgender ACT-UP activist. Director Dante Alencastre and writer-researcher John Johnston chat with This Way Out’s Brian DeShazor about the “AIDS Diva” whose life inspired the film.

And in NewsWrap: Taiwan opens civil marriage to foreign same-gender spouses (except those from China), the U.K. attempts to pull rank over Scotland’s easing of gender identity requirements, the Dutch Senate votes to add sexual orientation and disability to the groups protected under the Constitution, the European Court of Human Rights orders Russia to recognize the rights of same-gender couples, the E.U. Court of Justice rules in favor of a freelancer’s workplace discrimination claim against a Polish broadcaster, U.S. students lose a federal lawsuit against anti-queer schools, Des Moines' Catholic diocese "disappears" trans people, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Joe Boehnlein and Ava Davis (produced by Brian DeShazor). 

All this on the January 23, 2023 edition of This Way Out!

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“AIDS Diva: The Legend of Connie Norman”

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) goes viral by exposing U.S. House Republicans’ gender hypocrisy while questioning National Women’s Law Center president and CEO Fatima Goss Graves in a subcommittee hearing.

Trans jazz band leader Billy Tipton’s career spanned from the 1930s to the 70s, and the music continues with The Tiptons Sax Quartet (produced by Steve Sims).

And in NewsWrap: the European Court of Human Rights finds that Poland’s refusal to legally recognize lesbian and gay couples violates the European Convention on Human Rights, the United States Supreme Court rejects an appeal to review Washington state legislation that bans “conversion therapy” for minors, loopholes in a proposed conversion therapy ban in the Australian state of Tasmania get a “thumbs down” from activists, Argentina’s newly inaugurated right-wing President Javier Milei pulls the plug on the Women, Gender and Diversity Ministry, police in Yekateringburg raid a popular queer venue while Russian censors coral “My Little Pony," plus Pope Francis okays same-gender blessings and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Marcos Najera and Melanie Keller (produced by Brian DeShazor). 

All this on the December 18, 2023 edition of This Way Out!

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AOC Fights Transphobia & Tipton Double-Time

Award-winning documentarians Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman talk about finding the stories of those who were swept up when Germany went from being a homosexual haven to a horrific Nazi hell (interviewed by Steve Pride). Contains material some listeners may find disturbing.

Passionate voices filled the Nebraska Capitol building over a second attempt to sideline trans student athletes, and most persuasive argument against the ban came from married gay dad and state Senator John Fredrickson.

And in NewsWrap: England’s National Health Service calls the medical evidence supporting pediatric gender-affirming healthcare “remarkably weak” in The Cass Review, Uganda activists will appeal the Constitutional Court’s ruling that upheld the “Anti-Homosexuality Act” to the Supreme Court, the U.S. Supreme Court allows Idaho’s ban on gender-affirming healthcare for trans young people to take effect, West Virginia’s law excluding transgender athletes from competing in school sports is struck down by a federal appeals court, bills to restrict the rights of transgender people are vetoed by the governors of Kansas and Arizona, the cartoon character Bluey has a friend with two mommies, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by John Dyer V and Ava Davis (produced by Brian DeShazor). 

All this on the April 22, 2024 edition of This Way Out!

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Paragraph 175 — The Movie

Forty-five years ago the shocking verdict in the murder of gay San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk and ally Mayor George Moscone sent the queer community and its journalists into the streets, where they were destined for a historic confrontation with police.

Dr. Tanya D. Zuk of the Department of Media Arts at the University of North Texas reflects on the significance of White Night.

And in NewsWrap: the death of transgender Argentinian Sofia Fernández in police custody originally called a suicide is now a case of murder by asphyxiation with 10 officers under arrest, the U.S. Supreme Court declines the case of religious parents who object to their Maryland school district’s support for trans and gender-nonconforming students, Colorado’s Republican Party accuses Democrats of attempting “to turn more kids trans” and urges parents to take their children out of public school, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry is expected to sign a “don’t say gay” bill, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signs a ban on banning books for ideological reasons, Asher HaVon becomes the first queer winner on "The Voice,” and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Kalyn Hardman and Marco Najera (produced by Brian DeShazor). 

All this on the May 27, 2024 edition of This Way Out!

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San Francisco’s White Night Uprising

Drag may be under fire today by the enforcers of “family values,” but not so back in the early 1900s according to scholar and historian Andrew L. Erdman, author of “Beautiful: The story of Julian Eltinge, America’s Greatest Female Impersonator” (interviewed by David Hunt).

And in NewsWrap: openly gay Malcolm Bishop’s appointment as Lord Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Tonga draws immediate calls for his removal, Iran’s government summons Australian Ambassador Ian McConville for a post celebrating Australia’s “Wear It Purple Day” for queer youth. six major U.S. publishers sue Florida for its book ban policy, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints will now “annotate” trans Mormons’ membership records like child pornographers and church embezzlers, Virginia’s Sweet Briar College changes its admissions policy to exclude trans and non-binary applicants, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Elena Botkin-Levy and John Dyer V (produced by Brian DeShazor). 

All this on the September 9, 2024 edition of This Way Out!

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NOTE TO RADIO STATIONS: Beginning October 1, 2024, the weekly program uploaded to Soundcloud will include a pitch for This Way Out/Overnight Productions (Inc.). Stations can download a pitch-free version from radio4all.net or Pacifica’s AudioPort.Org. For more information,  contact Brian@ThisWayOut.org.

“Beautiful” Drag Great Julian Eltinge

Author and journalist Nico Lang’s new book “American Teenager: How Trans Kids Are Surviving Hate and Finding Joy in a Turbulent Era” tells the stories of eight trans and nonbinary teenagers from across the United States, highlighting their triumphs and struggles (interviewed by Daniel Huecias).

And in NewsWrap: about one in 20 Kiwis came out in New Zealand’s first Census to count LGBTQIA+ people, the Toyota Motor Corporation is latest company in the U.S. backpedaling on its DEI policies and withdrawing support from queer events, Colorado rightwing Christian baker Jack Phillips loses a state Supreme Court appeal in another Masterpiece Cakeshop anti-LGBTQ bias lawsuit, Arkansas Christian nationalist Republican politician Jason Rupert says the queer movement is “of the devil,” U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris touts her pro-queer credentials and warns about the tenuous status of LGBTQ rights on a presidential campaign visit with Howard Stern, and more international LGBTQ news reported  by John Dyer V and Ava Davis (produced by Brian DeShazor). 

All this on the October 14, 2024 edition of This Way Out!

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NOTE TO RADIO STATIONS: Beginning in October, 2024, the weekly program uploaded to SoundCloud will include a pitch for This Way Out/Overnight Productions (Inc.). Stations can download a pitch-free version from radio4all.net or Pacifica’s AudioPort.Org. For more information,  contact Brian@ThisWayOut.org.

Nico Lang's "American Teenager"

How does your first time at a gay bar compare with the experiences of others? Come cruising with curator Art Smith through his growing online collection of those stories — and you can add yours to thousands of others, like the one told by Daniel M. Jaffe (produced by David Hunt).

And in NewsWrap: going abroad to have a surrogacy baby is now a crime in Italy, Moscow police raid two downtown clubs popular with the queer community and arrest 50 on Coming Out Day, a groundbreaking New South Wales law establishes rights for transgender people and strengthens existing protections for sexual minority communities, the dishonorable discharges of 820 U.S. veterans kicked out of the military for being queer under Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell and other policies are being upgraded, Dr. May Lau of Dallas, Texas is being sued by anti-queer state Attorney General Ken Paxton for providing hormones to her pediatric transgender patients, U.S. Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris handily handles heckler, and more international LGBTQ news reported  by Joe Boehnlein and Michael LeBeau (produced by Brian DeShazor). 

All this on the October 21, 2024 edition of This Way Out!

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NOTE TO RADIO STATIONS: Beginning in October, 2024, the weekly program uploaded to SoundCloud will include a pitch for This Way Out/Overnight Productions (Inc.). Stations can download a pitch-free version from radio4all.net or Pacifica’s AudioPort.Org. For more information,  contact Brian@ThisWayOut.org.

GayBarchives = Gay + Bar + Archives

There’s a reason why October is LGBTQ History Month. The community historically laid claim to it with a 1979 event in the U.S. capitol. Just ten years after Stonewall and long before the age of acronyms, the massive October 1979 march and rally for LGBTQ rights surpassed all expectations — for good and for ill. Excerpts from an hour-long radio documentary that you can stream at thiswayout.org.

And in NewsWrap: Poland’s coalition government introduces civil unions legislation, Saskatchewan’s Parliament votes to require parental consent “when a student requests that their preferred name, gender identity, and/or gender expression to be used” at school, 97 percent of transgender and nonbinary young people receiving gender-affirming health care in a JAMA Pediatrics study are “highly satisfied,” U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump’s campaign ads deride Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris’ support for transgender rights, and more international LGBTQ news reported  by Melanie Keller and David Hunt (produced by Brian DeShazor). 

All this on the October 28, 2024 edition of This Way Out!

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NOTE TO RADIO STATIONS: The weekly program uploaded to SoundCloud will soon include a pitch for This Way Out/Overnight Productions (Inc.). Stations can download a pitch-free version from radio4all.net or Pacifica’s AudioPort.Org. For more information, contact Brian@ThisWayOut.org.

The National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights Radio Documentary

This “audio scrapbook” of the first national LGBT march and rally in the U.S. capital on October 14, 1979, produced by “This Way Out” Coordinating Producer Greg Gordon and Associate Producer Lucia Chappelle, illuminates the problems and the passion of the first demonstration of its kind. As rich with the music and culture of the period as it is with the politics, the hour traces the event from the initial planning conference and some activists’ heartfelt and sometimes humorous cross-country trip to D.C. on a “Freedom Train” to the big day itself, and its coverage (or lack thereof) in the conventional media.

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Produced by Greg Gordon and Lucia Chappelle. 

Music by Blue Dot Sessions (Jazzberry).

The National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights Radio Documentary in FULL

While the world waits on pins and needles to find out who will win the grand prize in the U.S. elections, there are notable queer campaigns that link to the same themes and could be significant in the big picture, such as the marriage equality Proposition 3 in California, and the Sen. Tammy Baldwin reelection campaign in the all-important state of Wisconsin. The specter of the conservative manifesto Project 2025 creates even more pressure. Psychologists S. Lee Tepper and Dr. Jonathan Mattias Lassiter help people handle the election anxiety.

And in NewsWrap: Tel Aviv is taken off the list of potential hosts for a future ILGA World Conference, a second Japanese High Court has ruled that the federal government’s resistance to marriage equality is unconstitutional, more than one in 10 Australian teenagers identify as queer in a University of Sydney survey, Dr. Hector Granados is the second gender-affirming healthcare physician taken to court by rabidly anti-queer Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, ACLU’s AIDS/HIV project co-director Chase Strangio will be the first out transgender attorney to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court, and more international LGBTQ news reported  by Michael LeBeau and John Dyer V (produced by Brian DeShazor). 

All this on the November 4, 2024 edition of This Way Out!

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NOTE TO RADIO STATIONS: The weekly program uploaded to SoundCloud will soon include a pitch for This Way Out/Overnight Productions (Inc.). Stations can download a pitch-free version from radio4all.net or Pacifica’s AudioPort.Org. For more information, contact Brian@ThisWayOut.org.

Dealing with Queer U.S. Election Jitters

The U.S. elections were a wake-up call for the “woke,” yet even though the overall results spell danger, there are a number of queer bright spots to celebrate. With commentary by Andy Humm and Ann Northrop of GayUSA, our coverage includes homophobic Georgia gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson, trans U.S. Congressmember-elect Sarah McBride (Delaware), lesbian Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin, lesbian U.S Congressmember Angie Craig (Minnesota), Native American lesbian U.S Congressmember Sharice Davids, gay U.S Congressmember Eric Sorensen, Rocky Mountain Equality Deputy Director Bruce Parker, former U.S, Senator and MSNBC analyst Claire McCaskill and U.S. Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

And in NewsWrap: Mali’s ruling military junta sends a law banning gay male sex to the president for his approval, a previously dismissed lawsuit challenging Connecticut’s transgender-supportive statutes for school sports is going forward again, diversity-equity-inclusion programs crash at global plane-maker Boeing, controversial trans woman darts star Noa-Lynn van Leuven is facing three-time champion Michael van Gerwen in the first round of the Grand Slam of Darts, the MUBI streaming service is cancelling its international film festival in Istanbul after authorities block a screening of the film “Queer,” and more international LGBTQ news reported  by Sarah Montague and Joe Boehnlein (produced by Brian DeShazor). 

All this on the November 11, 2024 edition of This Way Out!

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NOTE TO RADIO STATIONS: The weekly program uploaded to SoundCloud will soon include a pitch for This Way Out/Overnight Productions (Inc.). Stations can download a pitch-free version from radio4all.net or Pacifica’s AudioPort.Org. For more information, contact Brian@ThisWayOut.org.

U.S. Elections: Take the LGBTQ+ Wins

A series of murders centering on the Los Angeles gay men’s bar scene leads investigating officer Mike Thies to join forces with the community for an unprecedented search for the killer. (Part 1 of 2, produced by David Hunt)

And in NewsWrap: Russian orphans will not be finding new homes in countries where gender transitioning is available, Uzbekistan’s ruling National Revival Party’s government is drafting a measure to outlaw the discussion of LGBTQ subjects, a bill to prevent Ohio’s transgender students from using the appropriate bathroom at school awaits Republican Governor Mike DeWine’s signature, iconic lesbian feminist “Bastard Out of Carolina” author Dorothy Allison dies at the age of 75, the first out queer contingents will march in the Staten Island St. Patrick’s Day Parade, and more international LGBTQ news reported  by Sarah Montague and Joe Boehnlein (produced by Brian DeShazor). 

All this on the November 18, 2024 edition of This Way Out!

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NOTE TO RADIO STATIONS: The weekly program uploaded to SoundCloud will soon include a pitch for This Way Out/Overnight Productions (Inc.). Stations can download a pitch-free version from radio4all.net or Pacifica’s AudioPort.Org. For more information, contact Brian@ThisWayOut.org.

Manhunt: Queers and Cops Catch a Killer (Part 1)

The killer who stalked Los Angeles gay bars in the early 80s slipped away twice (for reasons explained by Deputy D.A. Dino Fulgoni), but investigating officer Mike Thies wouldn’t give up. Years later, lesbian policy manager Madeline Brancel rediscovered the life of her gay great-uncle, who was one of the victims (Part 2 of 2, produced by David Hunt).

And in NewsWrap: protections for women and the rights of queer people are among the stumbling blocks to finalizing a deal at the U.N.’s COP29 climate conference, the Parliament of Vanuatu amends its Marriage Act to bans marriage equality, a three-judge panel of the Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lifts the barrier on implementing Indiana’s ban on pediatric gender-affirming healthcare, black gay actor Jussie Smollett’s 2019 conviction for staging a racist and anti-queer hate crime attack on himself is overturned on a technicality, U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson appeases South Carolina Representative Nancy Mace with a policy to restrict use of sex-segregated Capitol facilities based only on birth certificate gender, encouraging words for first-time voters from comedian Wanda Sykes, and more international LGBTQ news reported  by Ava David and Michael Taylor Gray (produced by Brian DeShazor). 

All this on the November 25, 2024 edition of This Way Out!

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NOTE TO RADIO STATIONS: The weekly program uploaded to SoundCloud will soon include a pitch for This Way Out/Overnight Productions (Inc.). Stations can download a pitch-free version from radio4all.net or Pacifica’s AudioPort.Org. For more information, contact Brian@ThisWayOut.org.

Manhunt: Queers and Cops Catch a Killer (Part 2)

Called the world’s largest LGBTQ museum, Qtopia Sydney opened its Queer Centre of History and Culture in February. A tour of the new facility reveals efforts to keep history alive while respecting the feelings of the ones who lived it, its inclusion of women and how it handles the AIDS years. Featuring Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore, Qtopia CEO Greg Fisher, Director and ex-pro rugby player Ian Roberts, Senior Curator George Savoulis, Lead Curator Dr, Liz Bradshaw, Board Chair Elaine Czulkowski, underground celebrity Barry “Troughman” Charles and First Nations multi-disciplinary artist Nadeena Dixon. (Produced by Barry McKay)

NewsWrap returns next week.

All this on the December 2, 2024 edition of This Way Out!

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NOTE TO RADIO STATIONS: The weekly program uploaded to SoundCloud will soon include a pitch for This Way Out/Overnight Productions (Inc.). Stations can download a pitch-free version from radio4all.net or Pacifica’s AudioPort.Org. For more information, contact Brian@ThisWayOut.org.

Sydney’s Qtopia Museum Opening Redux

Jimmy and Megan have no doubt that the gender identity of one of their three kids is unfolding differently. What they’re not sure about is whether it’s safe to raise their kids in the home they love. (Produced by David Hunt in Raleigh, North Carolina)

And in NewsWrap: the United States Supreme Court hears a constitutional challenge to Tennessee’s ban on pediatric gender-affirming healthcare, seven are arrested in raids on three queer-welcoming Moscow nightspots “to combat LGBT propaganda,” Walmart abandons its DEI policies and will no longer participate in the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, more than two dozen trans activists including whistleblower Chelsea Manning are busted in a U.S. Capitol bathroom protest at the same time as a Montana House committee gives Rep. Zoey Zephyr a pass, and more international LGBTQ+ news reported this week by Tanya Kane-Parry and Marcos Najera (produced by Brian DeShazor).

All this on the December 9, 2024 edition of This Way Out!

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NOTE TO RADIO STATIONS: The weekly program uploaded to SoundCloud will soon include a pitch for This Way Out/Overnight Productions (Inc.). Stations can download a pitch-free version from radio4all.net or Pacifica’s AudioPort.Org. For more information, contact Brian@ThisWayOut.org.

North Carolina State of Fear for Pro-NB Parents

Experienced analysts like former Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund legal director David Brown (interviewed by David Hunt) are praising progressive U.S. Supreme Court Justices Ketanji Brown-Jackson, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan for their questioning of Tennessee Solicitor General Matthew Rice about his state’s ban on pediatric gender-affirming healthcare, but the trans man of the hour is the American Civil Liberties Union’s Chase Strangio, who became the first transgender attorney to argue a case before the nation’s top court.

And in NewsWrap: the United Kingdom’s temporary ban on puberty blockers for transgender young people will remain in force “indefinitely,” U.K. military veterans who were booted from the armed forces for being queer are now eligible for compensation, the U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear a challenge to a Wisconsin school district’s pro-trans policies, Montana’s Supreme Court backs a temporary injunction blocking the enforcement of a state ban on pediatric gender-affirming healthcare, the opening of Warsaw’s QueerMuzeum far exceeded organizers’ expectations, and more international LGBTQ+ news reported this week by Michael LeBeau and Ava Davis (produced by Brian DeShazor).

All this on the December 16, 2024 edition of This Way Out!

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NOTE TO RADIO STATIONS: The weekly program uploaded to SoundCloud will soon include a pitch for This Way Out/Overnight Productions (Inc.). Stations can download a pitch-free version from radio4all.net or Pacifica’s AudioPort.Org. For more information, contact Brian@ThisWayOut.org.

Strangio Is Supreme at the High Court

Lies about transgender and nonbinary youth are the basis for the fountain of new laws making it increasingly difficult to access lifesaving pediatric gender-affirming healthcare. While the lies and the laws get most of the attention, TransFamily Support Services founder Kathie Moehlig helps the targeted kids and their families navigate the nightmare (interviewed by David Hunt).

And in NewsWrap: Ghana’s version of a “no promo homo” law withstands Supreme Court challenges on grounds that they are premature, third Japanese appellate court rules that denying same-gender couples’ access to civil marriage is unconstitutional, the Australian Bureau of Statistics gleans initial estimates about the LGBTQ+ community from the results of four recent health surveys, the U.S. Senate approves a bill that bans access to gender-affirming healthcare for the children of military families, a policy that would prevent Montana trans people from changing the gender marker on their government documents is blocked by a judge pending litigation, Sir Elton John gladly accepts a new title from Stephen Colbert, and more international LGBTQ+ news reported this week by David Hunt and Melanie Keller (produced by Brian DeShazor).

All this on the December 23, 2024 edition of This Way Out!

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NOTE TO RADIO STATIONS: The weekly program uploaded to SoundCloud will soon include a pitch for This Way Out/Overnight Productions (Inc.). Stations can download a pitch-free version from radio4all.net or Pacifica’s AudioPort.Org. For more information, contact Brian@ThisWayOut.org.

Lies and Laws vs. Trans Kids and Families

Some of the people making LGBTQ news in 2024 including Taiwan’s LGBTQ-supportive incoming president Lai Ching-te, trans-supportive Missouri Rabbi Daniel Bogard, anti-LGBTQ Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Philadelphia’s Guinness World Record-breaking Drag Queen Story Time, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s pro-insurrectionist wife Martha Ann, Thailand’s pro-marriage equality lawmakers, U.S. Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman, predictably hostile national convention Republicans, Democrats nominating Kamala Harris for president, Australian officials on sexual orientation and gender identity questions in the 2026 Census, U.S. Supreme Court hearing on Tennessee’s ban on pediatric gender-affirming health care, and the “queenly” Sir Elton John.

NewsWrap returns next week.

All this on the December 30, 2024 edition of This Way Out!

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NOTE TO RADIO STATIONS: The weekly program uploaded to SoundCloud will soon include a pitch for This Way Out/Overnight Productions (Inc.). Stations can download a pitch-free version from radio4all.net or Pacifica’s AudioPort.Org. For more information, contact Brian@ThisWayOut.org.

Speaking of Queer News, 2024

The world’s first Drag Laureate, appointed by San Francisco Mayor London Breed, talks about drag culture and onslaught of persecution in the U.S. and around the world. Included are excerpts from Drollinger’s stand-up routine at his trans-friendly nightspot Oasis, and inspirational words from “Sexitude,” the self-affirming dance class he leads. Interviewed by Eric Jansen of “Out in the Bay” (outinthebay.org).

NewsWrap returns next week.

All this on the January 6, 2025 edition of This Way Out!

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NOTE TO RADIO STATIONS: The weekly program uploaded to SoundCloud will soon include a pitch for This Way Out/Overnight Productions (Inc.). Stations can download a pitch-free version from radio4all.net or Pacifica’s AudioPort.Org. For more information, contact Brian@ThisWayOut.org.

San Francisco Drag Laureate D’Arcy Drollinger

Before the dawn of the computer age brought Alan Turing’s work its rightful recognition, before the honors that were to come, we recognized his legacy and his tragic life in November of 1988. There are memorials and movies now, but then his World War II code-breaking triumph and his contributions to the development of of artificial intelligence was all but unknown (produced by Hugh Young and presented by Barry Empson).

And in NewsWrap: Liechtenstein rings in 2025 with its first legal gay and lesbian marriages, Lithuania’s Constitutional Court strikes down its “no promo homo” law, the government of China jails three writers of the online “danmei” genre of gay male romance and sex stories,  travel agent arrested in raids on Moscow gay nightspots found dead in prison, veterans booted from the U.S. military under anti-queer policies win a class action lawsuit against the Defense Department to get their discharges upgraded, , and more international LGBTQ+ news reported this week by Michael LeBeau and Ava Davis (produced by Brian DeShazor).

All this on the January 13, 2025 edition of This Way Out!

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The Enigmatic Life of Alan Turing

Filmmaker-writer-activist Marlon Riggs challenged popular — even progressive — culture when his video documentary depicting Black gay men with their “Tongues Untied” was banned by television stations across the U.S. (interviewed by Joey Flyer and Mike Alcolay). 

Lakhiyia means “home,” and Lakhiyia’s work in revolutionary creativity offers an opportunity for listeners to bring out their own “sermons you wish you’d heard,” like “Duckwalk to Freedom” — and you can participate @lakhiyia on Instagram, HOMEplxce.com and thiswayout.org! (interviewed by Lucia Chappelle). 

And in NewsWrap: Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declares 2025 “The Year of the Family” that doesn’t include queers, more U.S.-based trans-national companies are obeying in advance to restrict or totally abandon workplace diversity programs, the Boards of Apple and Costco are bucking the anti-DEI trend, U.S. federal protections from bias in education based on sexual orientation or gender identity are struck down by a federal court in Kentucky, a bill that denies federal funding to schools that allow transgender students to compete in girls’ and women’s sports was passed by the U.S. House, and more international LGBTQ+ news reported this week by Sarah Montague and Marcos Najera (produced by Brian DeShazor).

All this on the January 20, 2025 edition of This Way Out!

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Riggs Untied & Lakhiyia at Home

Memories of the havoc created and the massive response engendered by the recently deceased “orange juice queen” Anita Bryant can inspire a new generation to meet vicious attacks with creative resistance (produced by Brian DeShazor with This Way Out reports preserved in the American Archive of Public Broadcasting).

And in NewsWrap: Ghana’s in-coming President John Mahama announces that the anti-queer “Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values” bill is “effectively dead,” a decades-long struggle to bring marriage equality to Thailand ends with wedding bells for more than a thousand gay and lesbian couples who registered their marriages the first day the law took effect, United States President Donald Trump’s inaugural salvo against human and civil rights puts transgender people near the top of his target list, Trump then rescinds President Joe Biden’s support for trans rights in federal agencies and the military, former senator from “Don’t Say Gay” Florida Marco Rubio is sworn in as Secretary of State and bans U.S. embassies from displaying LGBTQ Pride or Black Lives Matter flags, LGBTQ youth crisis hotlines report a dramatic rise in calls since Trump’s election, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, D.C. the Right Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde makes Donald Trump squirm at the traditional inaugural prayer service in the National Cathedral, and more international LGBTQ+ news reported this week by Wendy Natividad and David Hunt (produced by Brian DeShazor).

All this on the January 27, 2025 edition of This Way Out!

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The Late Anita Bryant’s Lost Cause

Transgender journalist Erin Reed is a respected independent voice with a large following on social media. She met with a group trans people and allies to review the growing list of anti-trans executive orders coming out of the Trump White House (produced by David Hunt).

And in NewsWrap: gender-affirming healthcare for Australia’s trans and gender-diverse young people is under review, U.S. President Donald Trump “has blood on his hands” after a blitz of anti-transgender executive orders, the Human Rights Campaign and Lambda Legal take on Trump’s new ban on service in the U.S. military by transgender and gender-diverse enlistees, the U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear LGBTQ-related children’s stories that offend some Maryland parents’ religious beliefs, Minnesota’s Twin Cities Pride receives double the amount of major donor Target Stores’ contribution when it parts ways with the retailer that’s abandoning DEI policies, Costo shareholders reject a right-wing sponsored bid to dump its inclusivity initiatives, and more international LGBTQ+ news reported this week by Joe Boehnlein and Tanya Kane-Parry (produced by Brian DeShazor).

All this on the February 3, 2025 edition of This Way Out!

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Erin Reed Reports from the Trans Wars

The first major confrontation between queer and conservative powerhouses in the U.S. launched the country’s first official LGBTQ political action committee, the Municipal Elections Committee of Los Angeles. This Way Out’s David Hunt looks for strategy lessons from the early days of “checkbook activism” (Part 1 of 2).

And in NewsWrap: U.S. President Donald Trump bans trans girls and women from competing in female sports at federally funded schools and universities, the National Collegiate Athletic Association announces that it will comply with the executive ordered trans sports ban, all references to transgender people are disappearing from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, the Trump regime has ordered all federal employees to remove the pronouns from their email signatures, seven families with transgender or nonbinary children are the plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging the executive order ban on gender affirming healthcare for patients younger than 19, quite a few openly LGBTQ performers and several outspoken allies took home trophies at the 67th annual Grammy Awards, and more international LGBTQ+ news reported this week by Ava Davis and John Dyer V (produced by Brian DeShazor).

All this on the February 10, 2025 edition of This Way Out!

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The Rise and Fall of MECLA (Pt. 1)

The Municipal Elections Committee of Los Angeles had a brief, shining romance with progressive candidates that began in the 70s, but in the 90s AIDS brought about the demise of the first LGBTQ political action committee in the United States (Part 2 of 2 produced by David Hunt).

And in NewsWrap: Indonesian authorities arrest 56 men during a raid at a private gathering they label a “gay sex party” in a Jakarta hotel, Argentina’s far-right President Javier Milei signs a decree banning gender-affirming healthcare for trans and nonbinary patients under 18, U.S. President Donald Trump’s attempt to ban transgender treatments for young patients by decree is blocked by two court rulings, transgender and nonbinary people sue the U.S. State Department to demand it continue offering the “X” gender marker for passports and other federal government documents, hundreds protest the National Park Service’s removal of the “T,” “Q” and plus sign from LGBTQ+ on the official website of the Stonewall National Monument, and more international LGBTQ+ news reported this week by Elena Botkin-Levy and Michael Taylor Gray (produced by Brian DeShazor).

All this on the February 17, 2025 edition of This Way Out!

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The Rise and Fall of MECLA (Pt. 2)

Sixty years ago this month, days before the assassination of Malcolm X and weeks ahead of “Bloody Sunday” on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the University of Cambridge’s historic debate society hosted a face-off between Black gay author, activist and public intellectual James Baldwin and conservative founder of The National Review William F. Buckley, Jr. Baldwin’s presentation is read by multidisciplinary performing artist Paul Outlaw (produced by Brian DeShazor).

And in NewsWrap: the world’s first out gay imam is killed in broad daylight on the streets of the South African city of Gqeberha, 30 young children and adults are traumatized after the invasion into an Auckland, New Zealand drag king story time by some 50 far-right Christians, a federal judge says the claim that trans pronoun use undermines U.S. troop effectiveness is “frankly ridiculous,” the Republican majority in the Kansas legislature overrides the veto of a ban on pediatric gender-affirming healthcare, Maine Governor Janet Mills and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker stand up to Trump’s anti-trans trolling, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts postpones a WorldPride show featuring the Washington. D.C. Gay Men’s Chorus before Trump takes over, and more international LGBTQ+ news reported this week by Michael LeBeau and Melanie Keller (produced by Brian DeShazor).

All this on the February 24, 2025 edition of This Way Out!

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Paul Outlaw: Baldwin’s American Dream/American Negro

As the Trump administration erases the T and Q in LGBTQ from government websites and publications — even the signage outside the Stonewall National Monument — New York college student Eli Butler seeks to counter the hate of far-right politicians and media outlets by exploring the hidden history and the joy of transmasculine community building (interviewed by David Hunt).

And in NewsWrap: two young men in the Indonesian province of Aceh are publicly beaten with a cane for having gay sex, British law does not recognize “nonbinary” as a gender according to the United Kingdom Court of Appeal,  Iowa’s transgender people are no longer protected from discrimination, a federal judge rules that key provisions of Trump’s executive order targeting federal agencies and federally funded DEI programs in higher education and the private sector are “impermissibly vague,” a second Trump order to move transgender women in U.S. women’s prisons to men’s prisons is blocked, the U.S. Supreme Court lets Tennessee’s virtual ban on drag performances stand, the “reverse discrimination” case of a straight, white, cisgender woman is heard by the U.S. top court, and more international LGBTQ+ news reported this week by Ava Davis and Joe Boehnlein (produced by Brian DeShazor).

All this on the March 3, 2025 edition of This Way Out!

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Eli Butler’s Transmasculine Joy

In the cycle between LGBTQ+ inclusion and exile, you can see the same signposts in either direction. Whether the queer community is on the rise or whether rights are being extinguished step by step, three bellwether issues are “no promo homo” laws, military service and marriage equality. Current news and archival reports from March 2000 illustrate the point.

And in NewsWrap: Ghana’s horrific anti-queer bill is being reintroduced by ten member of Parliament, Germany’s government is cautioning its transgender and nonbinary citizens about traveling to the United States, Lesotho’s government and leading queer advocacy group deny U.S, President Donald Trump’s accusation that they received $8 million in LGBTQ+ aid, Trump’s State of The Union address goes on to condemn nonexistent transgender mice and “wokeness,” a bill to ban trans women and girls from competing in federally funded school and college female sports fails in the U.S. Senate, more than 11,000 people took over Oxford Street in Sydney’s queer Darlinghurst neighborhood for the Australian city’s 47th annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade, and more international LGBTQ+ news reported this week by David Hunt and Melanie Keller (produced by Brian DeShazor).

All this on the March 10, 2025 edition of This Way Out!

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Signs: What You Say, How You Serve, Who You Marry

For a quarter of a century, the unfettered voices of LGBT people have been broadcast around the world on "This Way Out."  The award-winning internationally is distributed weekly on over 200 local community radio and online stations around the world (carriage list at thiswayout.org), can be heard via podcast (thiswayout.org and iTunes) and direct satellite (World Radio Network) and is available on CD by subscription.

With only modest funding from foundations, Overnight Productions, Inc. (a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization) has remained true to its commitment to provide this high-quality LGBT programming to a global audience -- and to offer the program free of charge. 

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