This Way Out: The International LGBTQ Radio Magazine

After coming to terms with one daughter’s sexuality, a Mombasa mom becomes a community confidante and an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights (interviewed by Diana Wanyonyi, part one of two, from wingsradio.org). And in NewsWrap: Burundi’s President Évariste Ndayishimiye says all LGBTQ people should be rounded up and stoned to death, a landmark decision of Israel’s High Court of Justice opens adoption to same-gender couples, Estonia begins accepting marriage license applications from gay and lesbian couples, Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine vetoes a ban on gender-affirming healthcare for transgender minors and protects it from override with an executive order banning (practically nonexistant) pediatric gender-affirming surgery, federal judges temporarily halt enforcement of Idaho’s trans healthcare ban for minors and Iowa’s book ban, Massachusetts sues neo-Nazis for disrupting “Drag Queen Story Hours,” and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by David Hunt and Nico Raquel (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the January 8, 2024 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Celebrate the fifth anniversaries of Australia’s first gay and lesbian legally married couples with a look back down their long road to marriage equality. From the 2004 “heterosexuals only” amendment to the Marriage Act to the 2017 postal survey on the issue and, finally, the legalization of same-gender marriages, Sydney correspondent Barry McKay covered the key developments. Included are former Prime Ministers Scott Morrison and Malcolm Turnbull; Senators Penny Wong, Sarah Hanson-Young, George Brandis and Dean Smith; MPs Bill Shorten and Tanya Plibersek; former High Court Justice Michael Kirby; journalists Karl Stevanovic and David Koch; right wing activist Lyle Shelton; LGBTQ+ activists Jo Ball, Tiernan Brady and Alex Greenwich; entertainer Magda Szubanski and swimmer Ian Thorpe. NewsWrap will return next week. All this on the January 1, 2024 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

The 2003 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned state laws against non-commercial private consensual adult same-gender sex reverberates today in the pivotal decisions on reproductive rights, as well as the Courts own ethical scandals. Our flashback report features “Lawrence v. Texas” lead attorney Ruth Harlow of Lambda Legal and litigants John Lawrence and Tyron Garner, Dallas Gay & Lesbian Alliance President Roger Wedell, Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council, Robert Knight of the Culture and Family Institute, Revs. Rob Schenck and Jerry Falwell, Sr. of the National Clergy Council, Kate Kendall of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Jennifer Pizer of Lambda Legal, San Francisco Supervisor Tom Ammiano, Dallas attorney Mitchell Katine, Houston activist Ray Hill and San Diego queer columnist Rex Wockner. NewsWrap will return the week of January 8th. All this on the December 25, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

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! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

In the Texas state legislature, Christian Democratic Representative James Talarico gave a biblically-based rebuke against a Republican Christian nationalist bill to post the Ten Commandments in all public school classrooms — and it went viral. The repeal of the U.K.’s notorious “no promo homo” Section 28 and the opening of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King made mid-December 2003 a joyous season for world-renowned actor Sir Ian McKellen. He greeted the news at an LGBTQ gathering at Premiere House in Wellington, New Zealand (recorded by Hugh Young of Access Radio’s GayBC). And in NewsWrap: Uganda’s infamous Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 faces a quadruple challenge in the nation’s Constitutional Court, Scotland’s Gender Recognition Reform Bill loses the first round of its fight for approval from the British government, Jordanian queer activists forced to flee from government persecution, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers vetoes a Republican bill to ban pediatric gender-affirming healthcare, Florida defends school board book bans as the government’s right to control libraries, Bucks County, Pennsylvania voters celebrate rescuing their school board from right-wing extremists, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Michael Taylor-Gray and Kalyn Hardman (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the December 11, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Cody Connor is fighting for his trans daughter in the face of Virginia Governor Glen Youngkin’s “model policies” for schools. Writer/director Emile Gaudreault’s 2003 comedy remains a cross-cultural favorite (interviewed by John Frame in Brisbane). Plus, can exorcism save Illinois from marriage equality? And in NewsWrap: The Thai Cabinet approves an amendment to the Civil Code to open marriage to gay and lesbian couples, Nepal finally registers its first same-gender couple since the Supreme Court order in July, Russia’s Supreme Court outlaws the non-existent “international public LGBT movement,” Florida’s Republican lawmakers are bent on expanding “Don’t Say Gay” to clamp down on queer advocacy, Iowa’s book ban faces two separate lawsuits, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Ava Davis and John Dyer V (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the December 4, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

A spoken-word production featuring works by members of QueerWise, a Los Angeles-based, multi-generational writing and performance group. Living in the moment while facing the future, they tackle hard-to-relive histories and magical memories, present-day dangers and hopeful omens. The cast includes Gordon Blitz, Marie Cartier, Lucia Chappelle, Antonia Garcia-Orozco, Christine Papalexis, Jim Pentecost, Robin Podolsky and David Trudell. Robin Podolsky is the head writer, and the group is led by actor-activist-playwright Michael Kearns. Produced for This Way Out by Lucia Chappelle. (NewsWrap returns next week.) All this on the November 27, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Private notes between Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas are the literature of love in “Precious Baby Always Shines” (commentary by Janet Mason). The funny, sophisticated, and slightly ribald 1931 film “Girls About Town” takes us on a festive cultural sojourn in search of vintage queer gold (commentary by John Dyer V). And in NewsWrap: the Church of England will “experiment” with special services to bless queer partners for a trial period, activists are not buying the official explanation of the shocking death of non-binary Mexican judge Jesús Ociel Baena, Asia’s first Gay Games leaps all of the official hurdles that China could lay before its Hong Kong hosts, the U.S. Supreme Court refuses to grant an emergency request to overturn an injunction against Florida’s ban on family-friendly drag shows, One Million Moms protest Macy’s “non-binary and transgender extravaganza” Thanksgiving Day Parade, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Joe Boehnlein and Elena Botkin-Levy (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the November 20, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Two flashback reports in which we covered major high court rulings that led to marriage equality: one in the Canadian province of Ontario, and one 20 years ago this week in the US state of Massachusetts. Featuring Canadian litigant Michael Leshner; Mary Bonauto of Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders; Massachusetts plaintiffs Gloria Bailey and Linda Davies, Mike Horgan and Hillary and Julie Goodridge; Massachusetts Republican Governor Mitt Romney; Democratic Massachusetts State Representative Phil Travis; Massachusetts U.S. Congressman Barney Frank.(Reporters: Heather Kitching, Greg Gordon) And in NewsWrap: Latvia’s Parliament creates civil unions for same-gender couples with fewer rights than their heterosexual counterparts, more than a million people celebrate Pride in Buenos Aires demanding anti-bias protections and a comprehensive trans law, the director of Budapest’s Hungarian National Museum was fired this week for allowing young people to see the inclusive World Press Photo Exhibit, a U.S. federal judge has upheld a Florida law that bars transgender girls and women from competing in female sports, another “Rainbow Wave” of local electoral victories buoys Democratic wins in U.S. off-year elections, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Tanya Kane-Parry and Marcos Najera (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the November 13, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

The U.S. Episcopal Church and by extension the worldwide Anglican Communion was rocked by the selection of the first out gay bishop twenty years ago this week. We’ll take you back to the victorious consecration ceremony for the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson at the University of New Hampshire's Whittemore Center in Durham, November 2, 2003. And in NewsWrap: Jamaica’s Supreme Court leaves the nation stuck with its British colonial-era anti-queer sex laws, Hungary’s far-right government bars youth from the World Press Photo Exhibition because of five pictures of elderly queers, Taiwan’s Vice President Lai Ching-te joins an estimated 180,000 celebrants at the Taipei Pride March, Johannesburg Pride dedicates their parade to LGBTQ+ Ugandans and all Africans who “cannot march for themselves,” the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals puts Idaho’s school bathroom bill on hold again, new Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson is a far right white Christian nationalist with a wealth of anti-queer skeletons in his closet, gay U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg dares House Speaker Johnson to come home with him for dinner, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Michael LeBeau and Melanie Keller (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the November 6, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

A unique program for LGBTQ seniors led by West Hollywood, California’s first Poet Laureate Steven Reigns uses poetry as a tool to capture their life experiences and create a live performance piece. Reigns discusses the workshop’s process and goals, and participants Alicia Arbio, Hank Henderson, Ingrid Paulina Rodas, Louise Moore, Nick Paul and Terry Anglin are featured (produced by Brian DeShazor). And in NewsWrap: the Nigerian government’s anti-LGBTQ crackdown escalates with the arrest of 76 people at an alleged “gay wedding,” South Korea’s Constitutional Court upholds the Military Criminal Act’s ban on gay sex between service members, Austria plans to compensate gay men who were unjustly prosecuted for adult homosexual acts, relatively obscure Congressman Mike Johnson of Louisiana is elected Speaker of the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives with a homophobic and misogynistic track record, “Libs of TikTok” social media influencer Chaya Raichik added to the Anti-Defamation League’s “Glossary of Extremism,” and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by John Dyer V and Kalyn Hardman (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the October 30, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

A collaborative of Indigenous and settler researchers is studying the intersections of Indigeneity, gender, sexual orientation and geography in a “dry lab” — a laboratory that does its work on computers rather than with beakers or Bunsen burners. Co-founder Harlan Pruden says the goal is to combine good relations and indigenous ways of knowing (produced by Lauren Schmitt). And in NewsWrap: India’s Supreme Court defers to Parliament to enact marriage equality legislation, Nepalese lower courts refuse to register the marriage of a queer couple despite the Supreme Court’s provisional marriage order, a Japanese family court slams the surgery pre-requisite for transgender ID change, Poland’s far right “LGBTQ-Free” party fails to win enough seats in Parliament to form a new government, Saskatchewan’s decision to prohibit students from changing their names or pronouns at school parental consent drives a human rights commissioner to quit, U.S. federal judges take action on injunctions against Idaho’s anti-trans bathroom law and Montana’s drag show ban, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Sarah Montague and Michael Taylor-Gray (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the October 23, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

In the aftermath of her son Matthew’s infamous murder in 1998, Judy Shepard and her surviving family take on the campaign to pass hate crimes legislation, and establish a foundation to support queer youth (interviewed by Eric Jansen of “Out in the Bay Radio”). And in NewsWrap: Bulgaria’s Supreme Court clears punk music star Milena Slavova of discrimination charges for her viral homophobic social media post, failed anti-queer French presidential candidate Éric Zemmour is fined for denigrating lesbian mothers, Spokane, Washington’s Odyssey Youth Movement is vandalized four times in less than a month, the Public Library in Madison, Alabama pulls a picture book from its children’s section because the author’s last name is Gay, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals upholds a lower court’s block of Florida’s unconstitutional ban on family-friendly drag shows, the Parliament of the Australian state of New South Wales hosts its own Drag Storytime, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Joe Boehnlein and Tanya Kane-Parry (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the October 16, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

In commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the murder of Matthew Shepard, we rebroadcast our coverage of the 1998 hate crime that sparked an international outcry. The report features University of Wyoming Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Association President Jim Osborne, Wyoming Governor Jim Geringer and state Representative Michael Massey, Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center Executive Director Lorri Jean, Human Rights Campaign legal counselor Tony Varona, gay Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank, comedian Ellen DeGeneres, Shepard’s friend Walter Bouden and parents Dennis and Judy Shepard, plus music by Melissa Etheridge and Blackberri. And in NewsWrap: a Mauritian activist wins his Supreme Court challenge to the colonial-era law against sex between men, the organization Eswatini Sexual and Gender Minorities says the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade still refuses to grant it legal recognition, fanatical Christian bikers try to blockade a peaceful pro-LGBTQ march in Beirut, 14 supposedly queer-positive U.S. schools receive bomb threats within a week of being targeted by the far-right Libs of TikTok account, Tennessee gets its first out transgender elected official as Olivia Hill is sworn in as a member of the Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County, black lesbian Laphonza Butler takes the seat of the late California Senator Diane Feinstein, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Ava Davis and David Hunt (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the October 9, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Skott Freedman’s 2003 anthology “Bi the People” boosted the audibility of bisexual musicians, including Jill Sobule and Leigh Fischer (interviewed by JD Doyle). Irish folksinger Brian Kennedy turned being outed into an opportunity to be a model of transparency (interviewed by John Frame). And in NewsWrap: Uganda’s “Kill the Gays” law sparks vigilante violence, cross-dressing Iraqi social media star Noor BM is shot dead, the U.S. Congress ignores Boebert’s pointless anti-trans bile, Trump’s desperate Republican rivals play anti-trans cards, an appeals court unblocks Kentucky and Tennessee pediatric gender-affirming healthcare bans, a Florida school district won’t let students “read gay,” and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Allan Tijamo and Elena Botkin-Levy (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the October 2, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Twenty years ago this month, the marriage equality storyline in Canada was poised at a frustrating turning point (reported by Heather Kitching). The world’s largest folk festival has for two decades included queer events, including Gay Sunday (reported by Agnes Kruger). And in NewsWrap: U.S. President Joe Biden addresses the U.N. General Assembly on the Universal Convention on Human Rights, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan makes an embarrassing mistake confusing U.N. development summit banners with LGBTQ rainbow flags, “The Nigerian 69” who were arrested for a “same-sex wedding” are released on bail, a Hong Kong court orders the legal recognition of both lesbian moms on their baby’s birth certificate, Kim Kyu-jin is hailed as South Korea’s first open lesbian to give birth, the U.S. military announces an initiative to upgrade the status of queer service members who were discharged under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the U.S. federal judge who tried to ban the abortion pill launches an unhinged attack on family-friendly drag shows, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Ava Davis and Maarcos Najera (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the September 25, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Today we have “don’t say gay,” but in the late 1980s the British coined the expression “no promo homo” for Section 28, a law that restricted discussion of LGBTQ issues — even beyond the classroom! The 15-year struggle to bring it down ended on September 18, 2003. Actor JM J (Jim) Bullock talks about life as the voice of “Queer Duck.” And in NewsWrap: Canada’s Conservative Party pledges to ban pediatric transgender healthcare if they regain control of the federal government, hundreds march in Belgrade Pride despite Serbian church and government opposition, Andorra’s Prime Minister Xavier Espot Zamora says he’s never been in the closet, California’s Democratic Party-controlled legislature votes to penalize school boards for banning books, a U.S. federal judge allows enforcement of Florida’s adult gender-affirming healthcare ban, a U.S. judge in Texas extends a hold on a drag show ban, seven are arrested at a sit-in for PEPFAR while U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy remains silent, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Michael LeBeau and Tanya Kane-Parry (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the September 18, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

The works of Emily Dickinson and Audre Lorde were standard classroom fare twenty years ago, but these days the right wing is clearing them off the shelves. Janet Mason revisited Dickinson and Kathy Sanchez profiled Lorde in September 2003. And in NewsWrap: a “historic” ruling by Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal calls on the government to legally recognize same-gender couples, a Bulgarian lesbian couple gets the European Court of Human Rights to order a framework for certifying same-gender relationships, the Texas Supreme Court allows the enforcement of the state’s pediatric trans healthcare ban, a Georgia federal judge gets out of the way of another ban on trans healthcare for children, California Attorney General Rob Bonta wins a temporary injunction against the Chino Valley Unified School District’s new trans-outing policy, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Joe Boehnlein and Melanie Keller (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the September 11, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

LGBTQA+ representation was proud and loud when activists returned to the Lincoln Memorial on August 26th for the 60th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Highlights include Hope Giselle (National Black Justice Coalition), Kierra Johnson (National LGBTQ Task Force), Stacey Stevenson (Family Equality), Sheila Loretta Emerson (P-FLAG/Philadelphia) and Peppermint (GLAAD). And in NewsWrap: nearly 70 people arrested in an Ekpan, Nigeria raid will be prosecuted for “conducting and attending a same-sex wedding ceremony,” two Ugandan men face charges of “aggravated homosexuality” under the Anti-Homosexuality Act, Global Affairs Canada warns LGBTQ citizens about travel to the United States, hundreds protest Saskatchewan order for students to get parental permission to change their preferred name or pronouns, California’s Attorney General sues school district for anti-trans policies, a Maryland judge rejects religious parents’ bid to pull their children from classes featuring LGBTQ-related storybooks, a temporary restraining order blocks a Texas drag performance ban, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Kalyn Hardman and Wenzel Jones (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the September 4, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

The queer cross-country journals of “This Way Out” veteran producer JD Doyle capture a slice of pre-AIDS gay male culture in the U.S. (interviewed by Brian DeShazor). And in NewsWrap: Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court rules that purveyors of anti-queer hate speech should face significant jail time, Germany’s Cabinet proposes a “Self-Determination Act” to help trans and non-binary people officially change their name and gender on government documents, a Beirut drag show is raided and a popular children’s board game is banned in Lebanon, the first four people are arrested under Uganda’s “Kill the Gays” law, Ethiopian police raid suspected queer venues in Addis Ababa, anti-transgender laws in Idaho, Alabama and Georgia receive positive and negative action in federal courts, bi sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson breaks records for the 100-meter title at the World Athletics Championships, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by John Dyer V and Tanya Kane-Parry (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the August 28, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

The anniversary of the historic 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom comes again when a rightwing political backlash threatens the movement toward true democracy. The situation was similar in 2003, when we reported on the 40th anniversary (featuring Martin Luther King III and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force’s Matt Foreman). A nationally televised 2008 LGBTQ Democratic Presidential Forum presented by the Human Rights Campaign was one of Barack Obama’s first stops on his way to the White House. And in NewsWrap: the International Chess Federation at least temporarily prevents transgender women from playing against cisgender women, trans social media influencer Wendy Guevara wins the first season of La Casa De Los Famosos México, vandals attack Berlin’s queer Holocaust monument, Williams Institute researchers find that many Florida parents long to escape the “don’t say gay” Parental Rights in Education Act, Baptist-run Baylor University in Texas prevails with a religious exemption case before the U.S. Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights, nonpartisan judicial watchdog group Fix the Court files a misconduct petition against the Texas appeals judge who sent corporate lawyers to a certifiably anti-queer legal hate group for “religious liberty training,” and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Melanie Keller and David Hunt (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the August 21, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Australia’s aboriginal legacy is well-represented by the drag alter ego of Graham Simms, performer and activist Nana Miss Koori (interviewed by Barry McKay). And in NewsWrap: the World Bank will put a pause on new loans to Uganda because its Anti-Homosexuality Act undermines inclusion and non-discrimination principles, Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission proposes a policy for a “Don’t Say Homosexuality” country, Malaysia outlaws Swiss watchmaker Swatch’s rainbow products, China’s government forbids Taiwanese pop star A-Mei’s “Rainbow” anthem at Beijing concert, Texas federal district judge selects an identified anti-queer hate group to provide “religious liberty training,” the rural Oklahoma town of Prague celebrates its first LGBTQ Pride, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Ava Davis and Marcos Najera (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the August 14, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Twenty years ago this month, Canada’s top court had just ordered marriage equality, civil unions hit the agenda in New Zealand, the U.S. Congress took up a bill to secure rights for lesbians and gays in bi-national relationships, and the long fight for transgender rights was just getting underway. Reports from August 2003 feature U.S. Representatives Jerrold Nadler and Mary Gay Scanlon, New Zealand M.P. Tim Barnett, U.S. President George W. Bush, California State Assemblymember Mark Leno and Shannon Minter of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. (Correspondents: Hugh Young, Jim Waters, Cathy Sanchez and Bryan Goebel) And in NewsWrap: eight followers of an Islamic splinter group are arrested outside a Kuala Lumpur shopping center for an LGBTQ-supportive protest, a U.S. House subcommittee’s hearing on pediatric gender-affirming care turns into a platform for the Republican majority’s bigotry, U.S. federal appeals courts weigh in on trans rights and drag bans, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt executive orders transgender women out of existence, armed neo-Nazis join Gays Against Groomers to disrupt a Wisconsin town’s Pride in the Park, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Michael Taylor-Gray and Sarah Montague (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the August 7, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Put away your preconceived notions of what constitutes drag — with Fauxnique, it’s complicated! Monique Jenkinson was the first cisgender woman to win the Miss Trannyshack Pageant. Her memoir recounts her beginnings in classical dance evolving into her stage shows combining feminism and extravagant drag (interviewed by Out in the Bay’s Eric Jensen). And in NewsWrap: the Superior Court of Justice of Lima orders the federal records agency to register Peruvian lesbian’s marriage to her foreign female spouse, 33 men are arrested in a warrantless raid on a gay sauna in Venezuela, gay Chechen singer Zelimkhan Bakaev was killed because his photo was taken with dictator Ramzan Kadyrov, The 1975 lead singer Matty Healy’s diatribe against Malaysia’s anti-LGBTQ laws angers both queer activists and government authorities, two Arizona trans girl athletes stop a ban on their competing in school sports with a court injunction, J-pop star Shinjiro Atae comes out “Into the Light,” and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Kalyn Hardman and David Hunt (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the July 31, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Sydney, Australia’s David Jones department store really rocked the World Pride scene, despite the expected backlash. Corporate rep Ross Sabatini talks about the campaign’s service to the public and the bottom line, and correspondent Barry McKay meets the big display window performers and records the reactions of people passing by. And in NewsWrap: the Supreme Court of Ghana rejects a lawsuit aimed at stopping Parliament’s consideration of a probably unconstitutional anti-LGBTQ bill, Kenya’s “Family Protection Act” is mimicking Uganda’s “Kill the Gays” law, the names of non-biological lesbian mothers are being disappeared from their children’s birth certificates by Italy’s far-right government, Jamaica’s refusal to grant diplomatic immunity to the husband of a gay U.S. diplomat is becoming an international riff, the Indiana Roman Catholic high school guidance counselor fired when her marriage to a woman was discovered loses in appeals court, a notorious San Francisco church hosts a Drag Queen Bible Story Hour, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Michael LeBeau and Ava Davis (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the July 24, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Music biographer James Gavin takes a deep dive into the life of enigmatic gay rock star George Michael in his latest book, celebrated at a Grammy Museum special event (recorded with permission by Brian DeShazor). And in NewsWrap: a mob of violent rightwing protesters attacks Tblisi Pride and forces the attendees to evacuate, a Southeast Asian LGBTQ conference in Jakarta relocates after social media threats, Japan’s Supreme Court rules in favor of a trans woman’s right to use office bathrooms that conform to her gender identity, Russia’s lower house of parliament passes the final reading of a proposal to ban all medical and legal gender changes, anti-transgender rights court decisions handed down in three U.S. states, a Wisconsin trans girl temporarily has the right to use the appropriate campus bathrooms, a Wisconsin teacher is fired for teaching her first graders to sing the Miley Cyrus-Dolly Parton duet “Rainbowland,” and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Michael LeBeau and Ava Davis (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the July 17, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Mitja Blažić is an independent journalist from Slovenia with a long track-record in LGBTQ politics. He attended the World Pride Human Rights Conference in March of this year. This Way Out Sydney, Australia correspondent Barry McKay found him along the Mardi Gras Parade route, where they talked about the queer accomplishments in his country. Barry also covers the subsequent disruptions at Slovenia’s Pride events. And in NewsWrap: an Iraqi lawmaker submits a proposal for an official ban on same-gender sex, the Czech Republic’s Chamber of Deputies passes the first reading of a bill to open marriage to same-gender couples, a Navajo Nation Council delegate introduces a tribal marriage equality bill, two U.S. Supreme Court rulings come down on two sides of LGBTQ rights, Democratic governors veto anti-queer Republican measures in three U.S. states, a Florida mom has no “love” for a children’s biography of lesbian tennis star Billie Jean King, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Sarah Montague and John Dyer V (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the July 10, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

A controversial U.S. Supreme Court term ends with a trifecta of right-leaning rulings, including a swipe at LGBTQ+ rights based on free speech. Equality California’s Jorge Reyes Salinas, Slate columnist Matthew Stone, Guardian columnist Moira Donegan, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, UC Berkeley law professor Dan Farmer and New Republic reporter Melissa Gira Grant comment (reported by Christina Aanestad of KPFA News and Amy Goodman of Democracy Now!). The Los Angeles School Board’s lesbian President Jackie Goldberg reads a story to educate the book-burners. And in NewsWrap: Nepal’s top court orders the government to register same-gender marriages, over a hundred Pride activists are arrested in Turkey, U.S. federal judges slam Tennessee and Kentucky pediatric trans care bans, Kansas to reverse gender identity changes transgender people have made to their state documents, Hamburger Mary’s serves a drag ban loss to Florida’s DeSantis, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Marcos Najera and Nico Raquel (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the July 3, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Many LGBTQ Ugandans have fled to Kenya since their country’s new Anti-Homosexuality Law went into effect, but they’re in as much danger there as they were at home. Australian David S. Ayliffe founded Humanity in Need - Rainbow Refugees to give them support (interviewed by Sydney correspondent Barry McKay). And in NewsWrap: Estonia becomes the first Baltic nation to adopt marriage equality, Eswatini’s Sexual and Gender Minorities organization wins legal recognition from the Supreme Court, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo ban positive portrayals of LGBTQ people on television, local South Korean officials physically try to block the Daegu Queer Culture Festival, violent plots against Pride are foiled in Vienna and Nashville, pediatric gender-affirming care bans hit trouble in U.S. courts, the Southern Utah Drag Stars’ family-friendly show must go on, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Kalyn Hardman and David Hunt (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the June 26, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

The West Coast all-trans woman rock band of the early 2000s responds to the nationwide epidemic of anti-trans fever with a stellar comeback (interviewed by Eric Jansen of Out in the Bay Queer Radio and Podcast). And in NewsWrap: Britain’s National Health Service limits trans young people’s access to gender-affirming therapies to research settings, Iceland’s new ban on conversion therapy includes transgender people, Queensland no longer requires surgery as a prerequisite for legal gender and name changes, the Australian Capital Territory leads the country in protecting the rights of intersex people, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs vetoes a bill to force trans students to use sex-segregated campus facilities according to their birth certificate gender, Texas expands its ban on trans female athletes to higher education, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker stands in the library door against book bans, Tony winner Michael Arden reclaims the “F” word, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Wenzel Jones and Nico Raquel (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the June 19, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

LGBTQ voices in early 1970s Los Angeles were brought to the radio airwaves by a young gay volunteer broadcaster whose historic recordings have been found after 50 years “in the closet.” We share excerpts from programs on healthcare, politics and building the nascent movement (produced by Brian DeShazor). And in NewsWrap: the leader of Thailand’s progressive new post-military coup government reiterates a pledge to pass marriage equality legislation at Bangkok Pride, a fifth Japanese district court rules that banning civil marriage for same-gender couples is unconstitutional, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signs a bill to deprive trans youth of gender-affirming healthcare, Missouri’s Republican legislature and governor deny transgender healthcare for minors and block trans student athletes, a U.S. federal judge derides Florida’s ban on trans youth healthcare, a U.S. judge pans Tennessee’s drag show ban, out gay Congressman Robert Garcia crowns RuPaul “the queen of drag” in a Pride month speech to the U.S. House, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Melanie Keller and Allan Tijamo (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the June 12, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

June Pride season started early with the late-May recognition of what would have been Harvey Milk’s 90th birthday. As right-wing forces try to rip LGBTQ history out of the textbooks, we fill the gap with a conversation with the San Francisco County Supervisor shortly after he took office (with This Way Out’s Greg Gordon), and coverage of the White Night Riots in the aftermath of his assassination. And in NewsWrap: Uganda’s President Yoweri Musevini signature on the latest version of the notorious Anti-Homosexuality Act terrifies LGBTQ people, the re-election of Turkey’s homophobic Islamic President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan causes deep concerns among human rights activists, Latvia’s out Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs makes history as the first queer head of state of a Baltic nation or in the European Union, Japan’s Nagoya District Court becomes the second to rule that the ban on same-gender civil marriage is unconstitutional, Jerusalem Pride draws the largest crowd in years despite the antipathy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government, the U.S. Pentagon defends an Air Force base from a Pride month drag show, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Joe Boehnlein and Ava Davis (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the June 5, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Australian TV’s unique 70s soap opera “Number 96” broke down barriers that paved the way for a positive response when the AIDS crisis hit. The show is making its mark again with a Toronto LGBTQ Film Festival “Best Feature Film” win for Andrew Mercado’s new documentary that tells its story (the conclusion of a three-part interview by Barry McKay). And in NewsWrap: the European Court of Human Rights orders Romania to recognize queer couples, Choctaw lesbian moms win validation for same-gender marriage and the right to adopt their foster daughter, Thailand’s newly elected progressive government will put marriage equality near the top of its legislative agenda, Pakistan’s Federal Shariat Court challenges the country’s transgender rights law, June Pride season is off to a rocky start for Target stores and other LGBTQ-friendly corporations, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Brian DeShazor and Lucia Chappelle (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the May 29, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Television in most of the world was still in the closet when audiences Down Under embraced the groundbreaking soap opera, “Number 96.” The gay characters were key to the off-beat show’s success according to Andrew Mercado, producer of a new documentary about it (part 2 of a three-part interview by Barry McKay). And in NewsWrap: Estonia’s government sends the legislature a draft bill to open civil marriage to same-gender couples, Namibia’s Supreme Court orders the recognition of lesbians and gays married to foreign spouses abroad, Taiwan’s legislature votes to allow married same-gender couples to jointly adopt children, the Beijing LGBT Center is abruptly shuttered under a Chinese government crackdown, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis quadruples-down on anti-LGBTQ campaign, Nebraska simultaneously nixes abortion and pediatric gender-affirming care, queer advocates file a preemptive lawsuit against Texas’ gender-affirming care ban, Missouri Attorney General withdraws his unilateral ban on all trans healthcare, West Hollywood wishes "This Way Out" a happy 35th anniversary, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Sarah Montague and Michael LeBeau (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the May 22, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Australian soap opera “Number 96” was an amazing breakthrough for LGBTQ visibility, made possible by a unique moment in the social and political scene … and one television network’s last ditch effort to stay afloat! Producer Andrew Mercado’s new documentary reveals the surprising story (part 1 of a three-part interview by Barry McKay). And in NewsWrap: India’s Supreme Court reserves judgement on a collection of marriage equality cases, Sri Lanka’s high court rules that decriminalizing same-gender sex would not violate the Constitution, the U.S. Supreme Court decides that a transgender Guatemalan woman can stay in the country to pursue her asylum request, two Republican-dominated U.S. state legislatures force school officials to inform on trans students, Montana equality advocates challenge the state’s pediatric gender-affirming care ban, Washington’s transgender youth get protection from their unsupportive parents, Indiana high schoolers circumvent the cancelation of their queer-themed play, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Brian DeShazor and Wendy Natividad (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the May 15, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

We honor gay American playwright, poet, lyricist, short story writer and novelist Robert Patrick, who passed away on April 23rd in Los Angeles. The tribute includes Patrick reading from his 1994 novel, Temple Slave. (Produced by Brian DeShazor.) And in NewsWrap: Uganda’s Parliament returns the revived Anti-Homosexuality Bill to President Yoweri Museveni without most of his requested revisions, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan falls back on homophobic rhetoric in his reelection campaign, the Seoul Queer Culture Festival loses its venue to a Christian youth concert, Montana’s Republican governor signs a gender-affirming healthcare ban for trans minors as Missoulans march in support of their ousted trans state Representative Zooey Zephyr, Oklahoma governor nixes trans youth gender-affirming healthcare and defunds the state’s public television broadcaster, Maryland governor signs protections for reproductive rights and gender-affirming care, Illinois legislature passes a bill denying public funding for book-banning library boards, Pennsylvania’s House passes a bill prohibiting anti-LBGTQ bias, hundreds protest more anti-queer legislation pushed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Victoria Premier Dan Andrews decries anti-drag protesters, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Ava Davis and Joe Boehnlein (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the May 8, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Veteran Ugandan LGBTQ activist Frank Mugisha lobbies for support against the world’s most draconian legislation, an infamous measure that’s been circulating in various forms for more than a decade (interviewed by Amy Goodman of Democracy Now!). Plus: U.S. President Joe Biden serves humor at White House Correspondents Dinner. And in NewsWrap: Hungarian President Katalin Novák vetoes an Orban-backed bill bill that allows citizens to report same-gender couples with children, Tokyo Rainbow Pride returns to press the Japanese government on marriage equality, NBA Miami hero Dwayne Wade has left Florida for his trans daughter’s safety, Disney Company files suit against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over his efforts to punish the company’s criticism of the “Don’t Say Gay” law, 300 drag queens and their supporters storm the Florida statehouse, lawsuits stall gender-affirming healthcare bans in Missouri and Tennessee, Montana’s transgender state Representative Zooey Zephyr keeps making her point despite being barred from speaking, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by David Hunt and Melanie Keller (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the May 1, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Ukrainian activist Olena Shevchenko shares her observations about Russia’s homophobic oppression and class exclusivity in the LGBTQI movement, while maintaining her hopes for future liberation in her country and around the world (Part 3 of 3, interviewed by Barry McKay in Sydney, Australia). Plus: India’s Supreme Court begins hearings on a combination of petitions from around the country seeking one goal: marriage equality. And in NewsWrap: the Cook Islands repeals the law against “indecent acts” between men, Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni sends back the proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill for reinforcement, Florida’s infamous “Don’t Say Gay” law is extended to grades through high school, Florida’s House passes a bill to restrict gender-affirming health care and trans bathroom use, Montana’s trans state Representative Zooey Zephyr gets muzzled for speaking out against a ban on pre-pubescent gender-affirming care, Colorado’s Governor Jared Polis signs bills to protect the rights to abortion and gender-affirming healthcare, U.S. federal ban on transgender girls and women competing in female school sports introduced in House, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Tanya Kane-Parry and Marcos Najera (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the April 24, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Under occupation and in the free zones, TIME Woman of the Year Olena Shevchenko and LGBTQ volunteers are serving the needs of the marginalized people forgotten by the major aid organizations, building coalitions and gaining respect and visibility for queer heroes. (Part 2 of 3, interviewed by Barry McKay in Sydney, Australia). And in NewsWrap: Florida state Rep. Webster Barnaby boldly brings his brimstone into the bathroom bigotry debate, Scotland stands firm against the British government’s rejection of its gender recognition reform bill, Missouri's Attorney General blocks gender-affirming health care for trans people of all ages, Estonia’s re-elected Prime Minister Kaja Kallas makes a marriage equality pledge, same-gender couples go to court in Lithuania, Hungary seeks informants on queer families, ”Rainbowland" scandal sidelines Wisconsin teacher, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Allan Tijamo and Elena Botkin-Levy (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the April 17, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Olena Shevchenko has been in the forefront of Ukraine’s LGBTQ campaign for rights, and now, at the center of her country’s resistance against the Russian invasion, she’s been named a Time Woman of the Year (interviewed by Barry McKay in Sydney, Australia). And in NewsWrap: the U.S. Supreme Court rejects West Virginia’s appeal and blocks the state’s ban on transgender student athletes, majority Republicans in the Kansas legislature overrides the Democratic governor’s veto of an anti-trans school sports ban, North Dakota legislature moves a record-breaking ten bills to deny LGBTQ rights, Governor Phil Murphy declares New Jersey a “safe haven” for those seeking and prescribing gender-affirming healthcare, U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona issues gender-affirming policy guidance based on “Title IX” civil rights law, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” stars backup trans ally Kelsea Ballerini at the CMT Awards, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Kalyn Hardman and Michael LeBeau (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the April 10, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

“This Way Out” debuted on April 1, 1988, bringing LGBTQ programming to community radio stations around the world. In observance of our 35th anniversary, CEO and NewsWrap Producer Brian DeShazor talks to Josh Shepperd of the U.S. Library of Congress Radio Preservation Task Force about the show’s historic legacy and the project to maintain it. And in NewsWrap: Scotland’s new First Minister Humza Yousaf is Muslim and an LGBTQ ally, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris presses Ghana’s government to abandon a draconian anti-queer bill, British anti-trans campaigner Posie Parker gives up on New Zealand, Republican controlled U.S. state legislatures continue the rash of anti-trans laws, Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton’s "Rainbowland" is "too controversial" Wisconsin first-graders, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Ava Davis and John Dyer V (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the April 3, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Exiled Zimbabwean activist Rikki Nathanson of OutRight Action International, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Rachel L. Levine, co-founder of the Colorado Transgender Educators Network science teacher Sam Long and gender-fluid multi-disciplinary artist Dorian Wood reflect on the impact of their visibility for individuals and the community as a whole. Their comments are drawn from our special 2022 series “Queerly Yours, Profiles in Courage with Roger Q. Mason” in commemoration of International Transgender Day of Visibility (March 31st). And in NewsWrap: a new version of Uganda’s “Anti-Homosexuality Bill” criminalizes coming out, the Namibian Supreme Court overturns the citizenship granted to a bi-national gay couple’s child, Bosnian queer activists assaulted by Serbian opponents in Banja Luka, high courts in Bolivia and Nepal open doors to marriage equality, more U.S. states pass anti-trans bills, anti-queer bigots in Australia and the U.S. violently protest trans rights and Drag Queen Story Hour, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Sarah Montague and David Hunt (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the March 27, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

World Pride participants from Japan, Thailand and the Philippines bring their own flavor to the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade (correspondent Barry McKay reports). Florida’s ban on gender-affirming healthcare for trans children goes into effect and Georgia’s legislature tries to follow that example, but President Joe Biden, his Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, Georgia state Representative Karla Drenner and entertainer Lily Tomlin decry the trend. And in NewsWrap: Milan’s same-gender couples lose parental rights on orders from Italy’s far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, one of two imprisoned Iranian LGBTQ activists freed on bail, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz orders discrimination protections for trans people, Wellesley College students vote for consideration of trans male and non-binary applicants, trailblazing New Zealand trans politician Georgina Beyer dies, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Michael Taylor-Gray and Melanie Keller (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the March 20, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

At the climax of World Pride 2023, Sydney throws a huge street festival in the heart of the LGBTQ community, and thousands walk across the Harbour Bridge in a demonstration for equality and justice the likes of which Australia hasn’t seen since the 2003 aboriginal Walk for Reconciliation (Barry McKay reports)! And in NewsWrap: a revival of Uganda’s infamous “Anti-Homosexuality Bill” would make even coming out a crime, 24 Burundians arrested at an HIV/AIDS education seminar face charges for “homosexual practices,” Israel’s top court okays the recognition of online Utah marriages for same-gender couples and others, Japan’s opposition symbolically introduces a marriage equality bill in parliament, Michigan expands its anti-discrimination law to include sexual orientation and gender identity, Alaska’s human rights agency stealthily reduces anti-bias protections for LGBTQ people, Jon Stewart and RuPaul Charles skewer anti-drag bullies, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Elena Botkin-Levy and Joe Boehnlein (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the March 13, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

The famed Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade returns to Oxford Street on its 45th anniversary to celebrate World Pride 2023, and we meet the people in the colorful throng (with correspondent Barry McKay). And in NewsWrap: Panama’s Supreme Court overrules the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to reject marriage equality, Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says marriage inequality isn’t unjust discrimination, Chinese students slapped with disciplinary action for distributing Pride flags file a lawsuit, Mississippi and Tennessee join the wave of U.S. states denying gender-affirming care to trans children and the latter bans drag shows, mixed martial arts fighters promise to protect a West Virginia drag brunch after threats cause its cancelation, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Ava Davis and Michael LeBeau (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the March 6, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Global galas merge as World Pride 2023 and the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras bring the first such LGBTQA+ event to the Southern Hemisphere. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joins the parade, and popular Aussie weatherman Nate Byrne predicts rainbows for the television coverage (interviewed by Sydney correspondent Barry McKay). And in NewsWrap: Kenya’s National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission finally wins NGO status by order of the Supreme Court, a South Korean gay male couple is entitled to spousal equality for national health insurance benefits, Bulgaria’s Supreme Court bans trans people from changing the gender marker on their government documents, Tennessee legislature bent on denying trans youth gender-affirming care and stopping family friendly drag shows, Proud Boys vigilantes target Drag Queen Story Hours in Silver Springs, Maryland and Tempe, Arizona, Dominican Chicago White Sox minor leaguer Anderson Comas comes out, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Wenzel Jones and Tanya Kane-Parry (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the February 27, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

A blitz of anti-gay arrests swept over Newcastle, New South Wales in the 1950’s inspired by nothing more than a display in a gay-owned mens’ clothing store became one of the most terrifying chapters in Australian queer history. John Witte of the Hunter Rainbow History Group and Kevin Coleman, partner of infamous haberdasher Keith Robinson, (interviewed by Sydney correspondent Barry McKay). And in NewsWrap: Spain’s trans people can legally change gender without medical intervention under sweeping gender and sexuality-related reforms, the Church of England’s decision to allow priests to bless the marriages of same-gender couples deepens the North-South Anglican divide, a gay Chechen refugee faces mortal danger after Russian police return him to his native country, an Arkansas state senator’s trans-phobic insult gets the shade he deserves, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by John Dyer V and Kalyn Hardman (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the February 20, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Black History Month in 2023 finds political hucksters questioning the meaning of history and repeating the racist policies of the past, so the words of African American LGBTQ icons Bayard Rustin, Audre Lorde, Pat Parker and James Baldwin ring true again! And in NewsWrap: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida fires his top aide for making homophobic remarks, the heads of the Anglican Communion and the Presbyterian Church of Scotland agree with Pope Francis that homosexuality should not be against the law, Sri Lanka’s government will support the repeal of anti-queer sex laws, Hong Kong trans men win the right to change gender on their IDs without full reassignment surgery, Utah’s ban on gender-affirming healthcare awaits the governor’s signature, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez goes after Twitter execs for not banning an account that encourages violence against trans people and women of color, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Marcos Najera and Sarah Montague (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the February 13, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Australian religious abuse campaigner Anthony Venn-Brown talks about the psychological trauma suffered by LGBT people subjected to supposedly “Christian” conversion therapy (interviewed by Barry McKay). And in NewsWrap: Finnish lawmakers approve reforms to the process for transgender people changing their government identification documents, Canadian study finds no competitive advantage for transgender female athletes, Utah bans gender-affirming care for transgender young people, Lithuania fined for censoring queer-related children’s book, Slovenia’s same-gender marriage law takes effect, Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene tells a fanciful tale about COVID relief funds for Drag Queen Story Hour, Rhode Island Rep. David Cicilline challenges Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz on patriotism in the U.S. House, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by M.R. Raquel and Michael Taylor-Gray (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the February 5, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Out in the Bay radio’s Eric Jansen interviews Mathew Shurka co-founder of the National Center for Lesbian Right’s Born Perfect campaign in 2014. Kristine Stolakis director and producer of Pray Away, a Netflix documentary inspired by her late transgender uncle’s horrific experiences trying to not be trans. And in NewsWrap: Pope Francis says that private consensual adult same-gender sex should not be a criminal act; Germany’s parliament specifically honors queer victims of the Nazis during their annual Holocaust Remembrance Day in Berlin; Narendra Modi’s conservative Indian government objects to the appointment of respected lawyer Saurabh Kirpal to the Delhi High Court; Malta prosecutes a man for violating the national ban on promoting conversion therapy, while a U.S. federal appeals court upholds Washington state’s conversion therapy ban; far-right Republican Florida GOVERNOR RON DeSANTIS defends his ban of honors students’ advance placement African-American History classes statewide because it includes a “queer theory”; and Mars, Inc., which makes M&Ms, melts to rightwing pressure (led by Fox “News” blowhard TUCKER CARLSON] for updating their “spokes candy” characters and replaces them with SNL alum Maya Rudolph (written by GREG GORDON, edited this week by DAVID HUNT, reported by KALYN HARDMAN & MICHAEL LEBEAU, and produced by BRIAN DeSHAZOR). All this on the January 30, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at thiswayout.org/donate/