This Way Out: The International LGBTQ Radio Magazine

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

The celebration is on for World Pride in Sydney, Australia starting February 12th, but ACON’s Director of HIV and Sexual Health Matt Vaughan advises getting vaccinated for monkeypox and COVID-19 well before the event (interviewed by Barry McKay). The diversity-challenged Hollywood Foreign Press Association put its queer foot forward for the 80th Golden Globes, honoring gay television producer Ryan Murphy with the Carol Burnett Lifetime Achievement Award. And in NewsWrap: Delhi’s first Pride Parade after a three-year COVID shut down supports current marriage equality cases in India’s Supreme Court, authorities in Algeria clamp down on anything featuring rainbow colors, Wisconsin’s Republican-dominated legislature blocks a ban on conversion therapy, a U.S. federal judge finds West Virginia’s trans sports ban constitutional, a Christian “Karen” douses a gay couple with holy water in front of a Mexican church, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Elena Botkin-Levy and David Hunt (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the January 16, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

There were high-profile coming-outs and outstanding achievements for queer people, allies — even the animated! Our year-end review concludes with a sample of the interesting array of unique individuals in politics, sports and entertainment who characterized the queerest news of 2022. And in NewsWrap: Peru’s legislature freezes marriage equality, a Taipei court reinstates a Taiwan-Hong Kong lesbian couple’s marriage registration, Israel’s parliament gets an out gay Speaker in a right-wing coalition, a Trump-style insurrection follows Lula’s inauguration in Brazil, Spain and Scotland approve transgender rights bills, a U.S. appeals court upholds a Florida school district’s bathroom bias, Islamic police in Nigeria arrest 19 at a gay wedding, a gay California congressman gets sworn in with “Superman’s” help, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by John Dyer V and Sarah Montague (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the January 9, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

On the plus side there were legislative and electoral wins in the U.S. and Australia, and conversion therapy bans in Israel and New Zealand. On the scary side rights were challenged in the U.S. Supreme Court and trampled at the World Cup, and the flames of religious bigotry burned pro-LGBTQ books and immolate queer students. Part 2 of our 2022 news review recalls these events, crowned by the Golden Globe triumph of MJ Rodriguez. (NewsWrap returns the week of January 9th.) All this on the January 2, 2023 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

With attacks on LGBTQ (especially transgender) youth by Republican-controlled U.S. state legislatures, the war in Ukraine, and WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner’s captivity in Russia, it’s been a year of living dangerously for the queer community. Part 1 of our 2022 news review covers these major stories, easing the pain with satire by John Oliver and Jon Stewart, and a salute to the Bondian spy-adversary homoeroticism between “Skyfall” stars Daniel Craig and Javier Bardem. (NewsWrap returns the week of January 9th.) All this on the December 26, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

The marriage equality decade in the U.S. has come full-circle from the December 2012 Supreme Court hearings on California’s Proposition 8 and the federal Defense of Marriage Act to the signing of the Respect for Marriage Act on December 13. A flashback to the Supreme Court’s first foray into LGBTQ marriage equality sets the stage for signing the bill that spells DOMA’s demise. Plus: lesbian activist singing duo Emma’s Revolution builds coalitions — and that’s what they’ve done with a cheery multi-culti holiday track from their Rooted CD. And in NewsWrap: Barbados high court overturns colonial-era sodomy laws, U.S. Congressional committee hearing links anti-queer rhetoric to hate violence, Ohio anti-trans sports ban withers as legislative session ends, Connecticut’s inclusive athletics policy upheld in federal court, Brittney Griner vows to play ball despite Russian trauma, "Hawai'i's Last Princess" leaves a lesbian legacy, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Melanie Keller and David Hunt (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the December 19, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

As the U.S. Supreme Court considers a complaint about the right to refuse services for same-gender weddings, Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Katanji Brown Jackson and Elena Kagan examine the dangerous implications, while Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch conjure false equivalencies in questioning Colorado Solicitor General Eric Olson and plaintiff attorney Kristen Waggoner; analysis of the case provided by MSNBC’s Chris Hayes and GayUSA’s Ann Northrop and Andy Humm. Just in time to cure your queer holiday blues, Seattle gay pop duo The Scarlet Coast debuts a new album with a lead single that takes on seasonal depression with a smile (interviewer, Matty McLaughlin). And in NewsWrap: Biden trades Russian arms dealer for Brittney Griner, Indonesia criminalizes unmarried sex, trans and non-binary athletes score with Sport New Zealand, Aruba and Curacao get court-ordered marriage equality, U.S. Respect For Marriage Act buries DOMA, Florida ”Don't Say Gay" sponsor quits after federal fraud indictments, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Marcos Najera and Elena Botkin-Levy (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the December 12, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

The Respect for Marriage Act passes the U.S. Senate with a bipartisan majority after adopting a “religious freedom” amendment debated by Senators Tammy Baldwin, Mike Lee, Cynthia Lummis and Chuck Schumer (our report also features commentary by James Obergefell and GayUSA’s Andy Humm and Ann Northrop). The queer youth commentators of OutCasting Overtime reflect on living under the shadow of anti-LGBTQ hate violence (produced by Marc Sophos). And in NewsWrap: Singapore's sodomy repeal comes with a marriage poison pill, a Tokyo court rejects a marriage equality case while opening the door to change, India's top court hears two marriage equality cases, Russia's plan to ban all queer-positive information passes parliament, Belgium and Western Australia each move to outlaw conversion therapy, Australia's Northern Territory adds LGBTQ people to its anti-discrimination protections, Queensland plans to scrap its gender-affirming surgery prerequisite for birth certificate change, the U.S. relaxes blood donor rules for gay and bisexual men, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Tanya Kane-Parry and Allen Tijamo (produced by Brian DeShazor). This special program on the December 5, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Truman Capote’s autobiographical short story of the season is read by James Gavin, author of the recently released “George Michael: A Life” (recorded for our 2020 Global Queer Read-IN). Plus: an update on the Club Q mass shooting in Colorado Springs, Colorado. (Our full NewsWrap segment returns after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday break.) This special program on the November 28, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

The Respect for Marriage Act, introduced by lesbian Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), championed by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, passes the U.S. Senate with the support of Republican Senators Susan Collins (ME) and Rob Portman (OH). The amended bill will return to the House, where Senator Dick Durban (D-IL) thinks the bipartisan bill will succeed. Following a rancorous public survey, the Australian Senate made marriage equality the law five years ago this week. Our coverage of the debate featured Senators Sarah Hansen-Young, George Brandis, Dean Smith and Penny Wong (reported by Sydney correspondent Barry McKay). Late-breaking bulletin: A mass shooting at a Colorado Springs, Colorado LGBTQ+ bar kills five before the attacker is brought down by patrons. And in NewsWrap: an Italian lesbian couple wins the right not to be listed as “mother” and “father” on their child’s identification documents, a Texas federal judge overrules a Biden administration policy that protects LGBTQ patients from biased healthcare providers, the U.S. joins several other countries in sending diversity messages to Qatar with their World Cup teams, Melbourne United’s Isaac Humphries becomes the second male pro-basketball player to come out, gay Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy dies of cancer, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Melanie Keller and John Dyer V (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the November 21, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

In a highly polarized political atmosphere and democracy itself in the balance, successful LGBTQ candidates scored a record number of “firsts” as part of a progressive surprise with huge implications for the country and the movement. And in NewsWrap: Poland’s Supreme Administrative Court rules that the recognition of same-gender marriages legally performed abroad does not violate the Constitution, Qatar’s official 2022 World Cup Ambassador worries queer players and fans when he calls homosexuality “a damage in the mind,” the return of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the right-wing coalition he’ll need to form a government concerns queer Israeli activists, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be the first world leader to appear on a “RuPaul’s Drag Race” show, Russia transfers lesbian WNBA star Brittney Griner to a remote hard labor penal colony, Florida’s two state medical boards deny transgender people under 18 access to gender-affirming care, a New York Marathon winner salutes Florida’s persecuted trans kids, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Allan Tijamo and Sarah Montague (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the November 14, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

The damage of living a lie — the kind of damage that’s most poignant as the holidays approach, and most keenly felt by LGBTQ+ youth — is described first-hand by OutCaster Brianna (produced by Marc Sophos). Two years before RuPaul’s Drag Race debuted in 2009, the soon-to-be international icon stepped off the runway to tell his story in this This Way Out Rewind (interviewed by Dixie Treichel). And in NewsWrap: Kuala Lumpur Halloween party raided by religious cops, Brazilian voters reject the hateful regime of President Jair Bolsonaro, Pride overcomes obstacles in Johannesburg and Taipei, Tokyo’s queer couples get partnership certificates, a fond farewell to the original "Lavender Cowboy,” beauty queens crown each other in wedded bliss, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Michael LeBeau and Tanya Kane-Parry (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the November 7, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Comedic actor Leslie Jordan is gone too soon, leaving behind a legacy of humor and humanity from Will & Grace to Call Me Kat. Relive some favorite laughs, and hear his tales of the Sordid Lives he lived on screen — and some “sordid lives” in gay Hollywood then and now (interviewed by Chris Wilson, Abby Dees and Rosie Wilby). And in NewsWrap: the passage of marriage equality legislation in Guerrero and Tamaulipas completes the long process of making it law in all 31 Mexican states, an LGBTQ ally becomes Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India, Slovakia’s Parliament rejects a bill to create registered partnerships for lesbian and gay couples, U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s new Tory Cabinet is just as anti-queer as his short-lived predecessor’s, lawmakers in Russia’s State Duma vote to expand the ban on “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations” among minors to include adults, persecuted Chechen brothers and WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner each lose appeals of harsh Russian prison sentences, upcoming U.S. midterm elections feature queer candidates in all 50 states, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Marcos Najera and Michael Taylor-Gray (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the October 31, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

One bite from the Buttigieg bug, and author Paul Mason Barnes turned into “Paul for Pete: Politics. Theatre. Life. One Man’s Adventures (Or, How I Became A Septuagenarian Fanboy) — and his election activism didn’t stop there (interviewed by Eric Jansen of Out in the Bay Radio and Podcast). And in NewsWrap: Tabasco and Endomex bring Mexico one state shy of nationwide marriage equality, British queer activists glad to see short-lived P.M. Liz Truss go, Russian lawmakers consider expanding the ban on “LGBTQ propaganda” to include adults, Brittney Griner's release stalls as U.S. officials bust the son of one of Putin pals, Byron Perkins scores as the first out HBCU football player, U.S. House Republicans propose nationalizing ”Don't Say Gay,” Florida adds harsh penalties to its Parental Rights in Education law, Idaho right-wingers pitch a ban on drag shows, satirist John Oliver takes on transphobes, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by John Dyer V and Wendy Natividad (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the October 24, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

As the actual courtroom videotapes are finally unsealed, we rebroadcast excerpts from Oscar-winning gay screenwriter Dustin Lance Black’s play based on the transcripts of the 2010 trial that overturned California’s Proposition 8, the initiative that banned marriage equality in the state. Featured in the Los Angeles Theater Works production are John C. Reilly as David Blankenhorn of the Institute for American Values, George Takei as Dr. William Tam of the Traditional Family Coalition, George Clooney as co-counsel for the plaintiffs David Boies, Kevin Bacon as ProtectMarriage.com attorney Charles Cooper and Brad Pitt as Judge Vaughn Walker. Plus: White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre shares her rainbow flare on National Coming Out Day! And in NewsWrap: two patrons of a Bratislava, Slovakia gay bar are killed and an employee injured when a terrorist teenager opens fire, Mexico's Senate passes a ban on conversion therapy, Montenegro Pride demands an end to hate speech and harassment, a U.S. gay man married to a Japanese citizen wins the kind of extended visa usually reserved for queer couples who are both foreign born, University of Florida students slam the pending appointment of anti-queer Senator Ben Sasse as their next president, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by M.R. Raquel and Michael LeBeau (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the October 17, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Before Representative Liz Cheney took on Trumpism, even before her dad was playing President Bush’s Darth Vader, her novelist mom dreamed of pioneering queer “Sisters” (read by Cindy Friedman). Before Scooby-Doo’s Velma Dinkley came out of the closet, televangelistic gaydar zeroed in on the Teletubbies’ Tinky Winky (featuring Cindy Friedman and Leo Garcia). Before the Springfield, Missouri City Council was to vote on anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people in October 2012, the Brentwood Christian Church’s Reverend Phil Snider gave a shocking testimony. Plus lesbian-feminist poet-activist Pat Parker performs “For the Straight Folks Who Don’t Mind Gays (But Wish They Wouldn’t Be So Blatant).” And in NewsWrap: Slovenia’s Parliament passes marriage equality legislation that includes the right to adopt children, Brazil’s federal elections deliver wins to two trans candidates and a run-off between leftist former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the homophobic President Jair Bolsonaro, scandal-plagued Georgia Republican senatorial candidate Herschel Walker’s gay conservative son is done with his dad’s hypocrisy, a Texas federal judge rules for the state against federal guidelines for LGBTQ anti-bias job protections, Jon Stewart has a problem with trans-phobes, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by David Hunt and Elena Botkin-Levy (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the October 10, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

A trans masculine teen from OutCasting Overtime discovers that people are a lot nicer when they think you’re a guy (a commentary by Declan, produced by Marc Sophos). Recalling former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s infamous 2007 visit to New York for the U.N. General Assembly shows that the Islamic regime hasn’t changed much in the intervening 15 years. And in NewsWrap: Cuban voters resoundingly pass a new Family Code that includes marriage equality and queer couples’ right to adopt children, Italy’s right-wing shift at the polls is bad news for LGBTQ+ rights campaigners, two additional suspects in the Oslo Pride shooting spree are arrested, a Polish teen is busted for chalking a pro-LGBTQ+ message on the sidewalk in front of a church in Toruń, Virginia’s proposed anti-trans policies prompt a students to stage a statewide walkout, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s rebuke of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ refugee hoax tops Twitter, and there will be no "Bros" rom-com in the Middle East, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Tanya Kane-Parry and Joe Boehnlein (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the October 3, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Our 1800th episode finds an eerie resemblance between the stories we reported the last week of September 1992 — fighting to secure state-level rights in Colorado and California … and oh, that Florida — and today’s conservative trends. And in NewsWrap: more than 10,000 opponents of queer rights march through the streets of Istanbul demanding a ban on “LGBTQ propaganda,” Roman Catholic bishops in Belgium defy the Vatican to authorize celebrations affirming same-gender couples, the U.S. Southern Baptist Convention cuts ties with two LGBTQ-welcoming congregations, the Mexican state of Durango gets marriage equality by gubernatorial decree, the U.S. state of Montana yields to an injunction blocking its ban on birth certificate gender changes, Tennessee’s Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Akron Children’s Hospital in Ohio come under fire because of their gender-affirming care programs for young people, a Texas judge expands her injunction to halt “child abuse” investigations into P-FLAG and other families of transgender youth, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Marcos Najera and M.R. Raquel (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the September 26, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Statistics show that LGBTQ youth are at greatly increased risk of self-harm — a fact that hit home for OutCasting Overtime’s Isha when tragedy struck (produced by Marc Sophos). Queer students at New York’s Orthodox Jewish Yeshiva University and Utah’s Mormon Brigham Young University are pressing for their rights, following a trail blazed at Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma (a “This Way Out Rewind” from 2002 with Jeff McKissack of the LGBTQ alumni organization ORU-OUT interviewed by Lucia Chappelle). And in NewsWrap: Sri Lanka’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe says his government would not oppose a bill to decriminalize consensual relations between queer adults, Malta’s Prime Minister Robert Abela promises free gender-affirming healthcare, thousands enjoy peaceful Prides in the Polish cities of Katowice and Lublin, electoral wins for the far-right Sweden Democrats alarm LGBTQ activists, Montana’s Health and Human Services Department aims to ignore an injunction against tightened rules for birth certificate gender changes, a woman inspired by false claims of underage gender-affirming surgeries to phone a bomb threat into Boston Children’s Hospital is arrested, Peppa Pig’s pal Penny Polar Bear has two mummies, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Melanie Keller and John Dyer V (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the September 19, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

The 2021 Best Indie Book Award for an LGBTQ coming of age novel prize went to Dwayne Ratleff’s “Dancing To The Lyrics.” Is the story of a queer African American boy growing up on the tough streets of Baltimore, Maryland fiction, memoir or both? (Eric Jansen of “Out in the Bay,” interviewer) And in NewsWrap: Chiléan voters reject an inclusive new Constitution despite the widespread desire for progressive reform, Liz Truss fills her Cabinet with homophobic Tories when she takes over as the U.K.’s new Prime Minister, Iran for the first time condemns two women to death for their queer activism, a Texas federal district judge allows religious objections to block coverage for free PrEP under the Affordable Care Act, Washington state's conversion therapy ban withstands a federal appeal, activists dispatch angels to defend a Pride drag show at Brigham Young University, an Idaho librarian checks out after enduring unhinged harangues about books that were never on her shelves, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Michael Taylor Gray and Sarah Montague (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the September 12, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Grammy-winning countertenor Anthony Roth Constanzo talks about his unique style and gender-bending repertoire from Phillip Glass’ Akhnaten to his collaboration with transgender singer-songwriter Justin Vivian Bond (interviewed by Brian DeShazor). Host Billy Eichner and winners Bad Bunny and Dove Cameron lead the queer contingent at the MTV Video Music Awards! And in NewsWrap: The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court finds the “sodomy” and “buggery” laws of Saint Kitts and Nevis unconstitutional, India’s Supreme Court supports legal protections and social benefits for same-gender couples, Belgrade EuroPride organizers say Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić had no right to cancel their upcoming event, the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals favors religious healthcare professionals’ right to refuse trans patients treatment, a Kansas teacher wins compensation for a suspension incurred for refusing to use a transgender student’s correct name and pronouns, Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro faces jail time on charges related to lies connecting COVID-19 vaccinations to HIV/AIDS, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Tanya Kane-Perry and David Hunt(produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the September 5, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

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

Transgender activist Rikki Nathanson won her discrimination case against the government of Zimbabwe in 2019, but ongoing harassment forced her to leave home. Now she’s Senior advisor of the Global Trans program for OutRight Action International, and our special guest on the final chapter of “Queerly Yours, Profiles in Courage with Roger Q. Mason” (produced by Brian DeShazor and Roger Q. Mason, with music and audio engineering by David Gonzalez). And in NewsWrap: Taiwanese WorldPride 2025 organizers cancel after failing to reach a naming agreement with InterPride, a U.S. federal appeals court rules that the Americans with Disabilities Act covers gender dysphoria, Boston Children’s Hospital faces death threats spurred by accusations that it performs gender-affirming surgeries on under-age patients, lone out NFL player Carl Nassib signs a one-year deal with Florida’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, lesbian WNBA star Brittney Griner appeals her drug possession sentence as Russian prisoner exchange negotiations continue, thousands demonstrate to support Serbian Orthodox Church Bishop Nikanor Bogunoviċ saying that he’d use a weapon against EuroPride in Belgrade, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Elena Botkin-Levy and David Hunt (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the August 22, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

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

In the high school laboratory of trans science teacher Sam Long, the biology curriculum is undergoing a transition. His conversation with Black Filipinx plus size nonbinary queer artist of color Roger Q. Mason continues This Way Out’s special series, “Queerly Yours, Profiles in Courage” (produced by Brian DeShazor and Roger Q. Mason, original music and sound engineering by David Gonzales). And in NewsWrap: lesbian basketball star Brittney Griner sentenced to nine years in Russian penal colony on questionable drug charges, Hungary’s Christian nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban wows Conservative Political Action Conference, vandalized Chicago-area bakery zoned out of hosting drag brunches and all other events, Michigan’s Supreme Court upholds protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Sarah Montague and Michael LeBeau (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the August 8, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

The particular threat of the monkeypox virus outbreak for men who have sex with men is exposed at the Los Angeles Blade Monkeypox Town Hall, co-sponsored by and the City of West Hollywood, California. Journalist John Fenoglio moderates a panel including Dr. Leo Moore of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Marianna Marroquin of the Los Angeles LGBT Center, Dan Wolhfeiler of Building Healthy Online Communities, and actor-writer-producer Matthew Ford (who recently recovered from the disease). And in NewsWrap: tens of thousands march with Pride in Budapest against Orban’s homophobic government, Berlin Pride unites in love against war and hate, Russia rebuffs a prisoner swap offer to free WNBA star Brittney Griner, 22 U.S. states fight the federal policy guaranteeing school meals equality, a neo-Nazi is arrested at a Boston Drag Queen Story Hour protest, Britain’s Aida H Dee faces off against aggressive bigots, an anti-equality Republican U.S. Senator only respects his gay son’s marriage, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by David Hunt and Wendy Natividad (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the August 1, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Dozens of U.S. House Republicans join Democratic representatives to pass the Respect for Marriage Act, a bill that would finally get the Defense of Marriage Act off the books — and codify same-gender and interracial marriage equality! Our coverage includes highlights from the floor debate, analysis from GayUSA TV and a dash of obligatory Cruz-y venom. And in NewsWrap: the European Commission takes Hungary to the Court of Justice over its “no promo homo” law, Andorra approves marriage equality, a Taipei court bends the rules to approve the marriage of a gay Taiwanese-Japanese couple, a U.S. federal court blocks President Biden's trans protection orders, a Greek gay activist's killer goes free after serving two months of a 10-year prison term, No. 1 Russian female tennis player Daria Kasatkina comes out, Christian zealots zap Seoul's Queer Culture Festival, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Elena Botkin-Levy and Joe Boehnlein (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the July 25, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Queerly Yours, Dorian Wood Our “Queerly Yours, Profiles in Courage with Roger Q. Mason” series continues as our award-winning Black Flilpinx plus size nonbinary queer playwright of color chats with genderfluid Los Angeles multi-disciplinary artist Dorian Wood about professional and personal creativity. And in NewsWrap: Russian lawmakers propose extending the homosexual “propaganda” ban to include adults, a Russian court rules that LGBTQ activist Yulia Tsvetkova’s “Vagina Monologues” blog isn’t porn, Bucharest Pride defies a Romanian “no promo homo” bill, Iraqi lawmakers plan to officially criminalize consensual adult same-gender sex, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton would gladly defend a reinstated state sodomy ban, Pennsylvania’s Governor Tom Wolf vetoes a trans school sports ban, Houston Sunday Drag Queen Brunch patrons repel a misguided invasion, a hearing on the impact of overturning Roe v. Wade becomes a lesson in trans existence for hard-right U.S. Senator Josh Hawley, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Michael LeBeau and Melanie Keller (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the July 18, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

A queer teen reveals the importance of their bond with a transgender friend whose family is oppressively unsupportive (an OutCasting Overtime commentary by Carys, produced by Marc Sophos). Brittney Griner reaches U.S. President Joe Biden on a personal level when her wife Cherelle’s efforts fail to get a response from the administration about the WNBA star’s imprisonment in Russia. And in NewsWrap: Slovenia’s Constitutional Court grants immediate marriage equality and adoption rights to same-gender couples, the High Court of Antigua and Barbuda overturns laws banning male-to-male and other sexual activities, Iran executes another gay man, Nigerian activists try to intervene in the stoning sentence levied against three gay men, Singapore’s law against sex between men is not being enforced, Turkish riot police break up Ankara’s Pride effort, Ireland’s Panti Bliss schools a rightwing protester at Drag Queen Story Hour, and Berlin mosque unfurls the rainbow flag, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Sarah Montague and Marcos Najera (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the July 11, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Assistant Secretary for Health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Admiral Rachel L. Levine is our guest for the first part of “Queerly Yours, Profiles in Courage with Roger Q. Mason.” Join the Black, Filipinx, plus-size, gender non-conforming, queer artist of color for this series of conversations with transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming thought leaders from around the world. And in NewsWrap: Riot police nab hundreds in Istanbul and make more arrests at Pride events across Turkey, five Dublin Pride party-goers are attacked by thugs, thousands pay tribute to the victims of a shooting rampage on queer venues in Oslo, anti-queer religious counter-protesters drowned out in Glasgow, Pride celebrated across South America, Kyiv Pride organizers march with Polish queers and their allies, armed U.S. white supremacist Proud Boys menace story time, Florida teachers and queer students take cover as “Don’t Say Gay” goes into effect, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Joe Boehnlein and David Hunt (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the July 4, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

The Texas Republican Convention builds a bunker of hate, but Strands for Trans launches a cutting, clandestine counter-attack led by Billy Porter and Lynae Vanee! Sounds before, during and after the world-changing LGBTQ rebellion at New York City’s Stonewall Inn that initiated an era of Pride. And in NewsWrap: Admiral Rachel Levine comments on how the overthrow of Roe v. Wade threatens U.S. queer rights, Japanese plaintiffs Machi Sakata and Yuki Kawata face the rejection of their marriage equality case with other activists at the Osaka District Court, the global governing bodies for water sports and rugby effectively ban trans females from competition, Sao Paulo Pride parades before millions to an anti-Bolsonaro tune, RuPaul reads the riot act to anti-drag queen lawmakers, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Joe Boehnlein and David Hunt (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the June 27, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

U.S. President Joe Biden greets his White House Pride Party by signing an Executive Order touching a broad range of hot-button LGBTQ+ issues. Bonnie J. Morris carries the ball for generations of female athletes in “What’s The Score: 25 Years of Teaching Women’s Sports History” (interviewed by Brian DeShazor). And in NewsWrap: Tel Aviv hosts Israel’s happiest Pride, German thugs beat Karlsruhe Pride-goers in a fiery assault, Maryland homes are consumed by rainbow flag-burners, white supremacists target Pride picnic in northern Idaho, the U.S. rightwing expands its war on Drag Queen Story Hour, rainbow erasure sweeps the Middle East, Disney kisses off "Lightyear" censors, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Wendy Natividad and Michael LeBeau (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the June 20, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

The story of Pride as heard through the LGBTQ+ music that made a movement’s soundtrack, put into perspective by Steve Sims in this edition of Queer Music Focus (including The Tom Robinson Band, Sandy Rapp, Jon Gilbert Leavitt, Tundo Olaniran, The Deisel Tykes and more). And in NewsWrap: Thailand’s Cabinet sends a civil partnership proposal to Parliament, the Czech president vows to veto marriage equality, Istanbul’s peaceful Pride is attacked by riot police, Ohio’s House votes to verify student athletes’ genitals, drag queen readings rile rightwing hate “groomers,” U.S. Rep. Lieu tells Christian congressional homophobes to come to Jesus, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by John Dyer V and Melanie Keller (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the June 13, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

As the festival season hits full gear in the US, OutCasting Overtime queer youth broadcaster Shoshana is heading for New York City with a couple of parades and some helpful lessons already under her belt (produced by Marc Sophos). Mattachine Society and Radical Faerie founder Harry Hay and International Gay and Lesbian Archives founder Jim Kepner explore the beginnings queer theory looking through what they call “the gay window” in a classic 1975 conversation. And in NewsWrap: Jerusalem Pride organizers and supportive government officials parade despite credible death threats, Florida Senator Marco Rubio burns an army base library’s Pride Month plan for Drag Queen Story Time, South Africa’s Robben Island puts Pride where the infamous political prison was, Australia’s new Labor-majority government boasts a record number of female Cabinet members and eight out MPs, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Lucia Chappelle and David Hunt (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the June 6, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Gay researcher, author and historian Gert Hekma passed into history himself on April 19th. His groundbreaking 2004 book, “Homosexuality in The Netherlands from 1730 to Modern Times,” is still only available in Dutch, but soon after its publication correspondent Barry McKay sat down with Hekma for an extended English discussion of his work. And in NewsWrap: Australian P.M. Scott Morrison’s anti-queer coalition government is defeated by Labor’s Anthony Albanese, the Church of Scotland will allow same-gender marriage ceremonies, Austria lifts its sexual orientation and gender identity-based blood donor ban, Indiana’s legislature overrides the veto of an anti-trans school “bathroom bill,” Oklahoma doubles down against trans youth and choice, Montana’s Health Department invents “emergency” rules to block birth certificate gender changes, a Dallas judge keeps a pediatric trans clinic open to new patients pending trial, Ellen DeGeneres bids farewell to her talk show, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Michael Taylor-Gray and Marcos Najera (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the May 30, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Straight teen Tomás was called gay when he was five, leading him to learn and help teach others how to be a queer ally (an OutCasting Overtime youth commentary produced by Marc Sophos). We honor the passing of famed lesbian activist Urvashi Vaid with excerpts from a 2012 conversation about her book, “Irresistible Revolution: Confronting Race, Class and the Assumptions of LGBT Politics” (interviewed by Chris Thomas “Out FM,” WBAI-New York). And in NewsWrap: a Lublin court overturns resolutions establishing two Polish “LGBT-Free Zones,” Lithuanian lawmakers settle for a disappointing civil unions law, a federal court clogs Tennessee's warnings on trans-welcoming toilets, IDAHOBIT and respect win in West Wimmera Shire, Blackpool forward Jake Daniels comes out, Britain mints Pride, Morrison falls Down Under, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Wenzel Jones and John Dyer V (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the May 23, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Reports from May of 2012 recall the watershed moment when President Barack Obama (with a push from then-Vice President Joe Biden) announced that he had finally come around to support marriage equality, featuring Freedom to Marry attorney Evan Wolfson, Congressmember Barney Frank, Mayor Cory Booker, Secretary Colin Powell, the NAACP’s Benjamin Jealous and MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow. And in NewsWrap: Texas Supreme Court re-authorizes “child abuse” investigations into the families of transgender children, Dallas county judge orders trans pediatric clinic to re-open its services, procedural legislative maneuver gives Louisiana’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill a second chance, Russia extends WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner’s detention amid prisoner exchange rumors, lesbian Pussy Riot pair escapes Putin’s crackdown on rights activists, Greek ban on conversion therapy excludes consenting adults, Republican U.S. Senators call for warning labels on LGBTQ-inclusive children’s programming, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Joe Boehnlein and David Hunt (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the May 16, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

The unprecedented leak of an early draft of their ruling on a Mississippi abortion rights case reveals the U.S. Supreme Court’s intention to overturn both of the key decisions that have guaranteed those rights — Roe vs. Wade and Planned Parenthood vs. Casey — with dire implications for the civil rights of LGBTQ people. Andy Humm and Ann Northrop (GayUSA) discuss the legal details with ACLU LGBTQ and HIV Project Director James Esseks; President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Senators Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell, Representative Pramila Jayapal and Secretary Hillary Clinton respond to the judicial crisis; late night television comedians Trevor Noah and Stephen Colbert satirize the political hypocrisy. (Pacifica Radio News/KPFA’s Christopher Martinez contributed to this report.) And in NewsWrap: Sarajevo court slams anti-LGBTQ hate speech, Eswatini queer rights acknowledged in legal loss, Nigerians protest harsh anti-cross dressing bill, U.S. Justice fights Alabama’s ban on trans healthcare, Floridians won’t say pay for DeSantis’ Disney retaliation tax, Louisiana’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill dies, alarming report finds half of U.S. queer kids consider suicide, Black lesbian makes White House Press Room history, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Sarah Montague and Melanie Keller (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the May 9, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Excerpts from a May, 1997 interview with Tasmanian activist Rodney Croome celebrate the 25th anniversary of the repeal of Australia’s last state sodomy law (Sydney correspondent Greg Reading). Maiden, North Carolina Baptist preacher Charles L. Worley vitriolic rant about “how to get rid of lesbians and queers” went viral in May, 2012. 640305 And in NewsWrap: Canadian blood donors draw equal treatment, Baja California governor blocks conversion therapy ban, Russia fines social media for “gay propaganda,” Missouri school district bans “safe” classrooms, Victoria town rejects IDAHOBIT rainbows, Disney refuses to “Doctor” Saudi’s “Multiverse,” and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Marcos Najera and Michael Taylor-Gray (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the May 2, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

In his zeal to retaliate against the state’s biggest company for opposing his “Don’t Say Gay” agenda, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis may have bought taxpayers a Walt Disney World of trouble, while cynical conservatives offer Mickey Mouse arguments — and pose a serious political threat (also featuring White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Fox News host Laura Ingraham and University of Central Florida Political Science Professor Aubrey Jewett). Michigan state Senator Mallory McMurrow boldly faces down a Republican attack characterizing her pro-LGBTQ position as “pedophile grooming,” and demonstrates how straight, white, suburban progressives can take back the moral high-ground. And in NewsWrap: Russian LGBT Network funder the Sphere Charitable Foundation is dissolved by court order, South Korea’s Supreme Court says the military can’t imprison service members for same-gender sex, marriage equality loses a first round in the Navajo Nation Council’s committee process, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly vetoes both a “Don’t Say Gay” bill and a ban on transgender student athletes, Montana’s new law making surgery a prerequisite for changing gender markers is hit with a temporary injunction, Florida’s Health Department gives biased guidance against gender-affirming care for trans kids, a Nevada school board candidate declares homosexuality unconstitutional, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by John Dyer V and Elena Botkin-Levy (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the April 25, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

“Don’t Say Gay” laws spreading across the U.S. are allegedly to protect young students, but OutCasting Overtime’s LGBTQA+ youth commentators see through the deception and dissect the nefarious motives (OutCaster Tomas, produced by Marc Sophos). As “Tom Dooley Sails To Infamy” (read by Dan Roberts), producers Judd Proctor and Brian Burns row into broadcasting retirement and share their own “History of ‘The Rainbow Minute’” (read by Sally Holzgrefe) to bid farewell. Plus gay Missouri Democratic Representative Ian Mackey’s passionate arguments against a state anti-trans sports measure fails to move majority Republicans, but it does go viral! And in NewsWrap: Alabama bans “divisive” instruction and gender-affirming care, Tennessee’s “straight marriage” law left at the altar, Jalisco joins Mexico’s marriage equality states, Virginia stops gay-saying while Maryland stops bias, Kentucky trans sports ban vaults over governor’s veto, Australian trans sports ban gets Prime support, Dumbledore’s love life stays closeted in China, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Sarah Montague and Wenzel Jones (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the April 18, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Some of our favorite LGBTQ artists and their friends — like Doja Cat featuring SZA, Brothers Osborne, St. Vincent, Brandi Carlile and Tyler, the Creator — take home honors and deliver highlight moments at the 64th Grammy Awards ceremony, ably covered by Steve Sims of Queer Music Focus. From Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” firestorm to the White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki’s fire hose, from Ohio state Rep. Jean Schmidt’s cowardice to Alabama state Rep. Neil Rafferty’s courage, from New York Mayor Eric Adams’ welcome and back around to Florida’s exclusion, conservative Republicans and queer rights advocates are locked in combat around the U.S. Philadelphia public health hero Dr. Walter J. Lear is honored in a “Rainbow Minute” (read by Soda Nobuhle, produced by Judd Proctor and Brian Burns). And in NewsWrap: Hungarian autocrat Orban wins despite losing anti-queer referendum, U.K. backslides on trans rights, Qatar warns World Cup guests to come without rainbows, Tennessee nearly wrecks marriage to make it unequal, U.S. top court gets some Black woman justice, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by David Hunt and Tanya Kane-Parry (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the April 11, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

We’re making sure that the post-Oscar hullabaloo doesn’t drown out the rainbow highlights at the 94th Academy Awards. Best Supporting Actress Ariana DeBose’s historic win and other notable themes are reviewed by Ann Northrop and Andy Humm of GayUSA TV, and independent filmmaker David Michael Barrett talks about some queer parallels in Best Picture CODA. A pair of “Rainbow Minutes” look at war and poetry in “Walt Whitman Comforts Comrades” and “Walt Whitman Remembers Abe” (read by Allen Browne, produced by Judd Proctor and Brian Burns). And in NewsWrap: U.N. panel declares lesbian sex a human right, Thai politicians play hot potato with marriage equality, attorneys line up to fight Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law, U.S. passports now offer “X” gender marker option, crazed Q-Anon Congresswoman snipes at the Buttigiegs, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Melanie Keller and Michael Taylor-Gray (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the April 4, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

US Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson withstands her confirmation hearings despite the anti-marriage equality and transphobic “questioning” from Republicans like Senators John Cornyn and Marsha Blackburn. The penchant of some LGBTQ gatekeepers to shun those they judge to be “not queer enough” creates new barriers for young people just coming out or questioning their identities (OutCasting Overtime’s Carol speaks out, produced by Marc Sophos). And in NewsWrap: Singapore conducts a public opinion survey on sodomy law repeal, an Italian court approves the country’s first non-binary identification, a Texas appeals court blocks “child abuse” investigations into the parents of trans children, the Lone Star Attorney General calls Austin schools’ Pride Week plans "immoral and illegal,” protests proliferate over Florida’s dangling “Don’t Say Gay” bill until Governor DeSantis signs it into law, trans athlete ban vetoes face overrides in Indiana and Utah, a Kentucky clerk is guilty of violating the constitutional rights of marriage license-seeking gay couples, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Michael LeBeau and Melanie Keller (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the March 28, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Deep in the heart of Texas, loving parents face traumatizing politically-motivated “child abuse” investigations into the treatment of their transgender children with gender-affirming healthcare. Activists, constitutional law experts and doctors dissect the issues, and some of the victims of the frightening official overreach that’s spreading to other Republican-controlled U.S. states tell their stories. And in NewsWrap: the U.K. Privy Council upholds marriage equality bans in Bermuda and the Cayman Islands, Kosovo’s Parliament is uncivil on a partnership proposal, Guatemala’s Congress kills an illiberal anti-LGBTQ and anti-abortion bill, Russia’s detention of the WNBA’s Griner goes into overtime, “Don’t Say Gay” loses in a major U.S. opinion poll, Disney workers protest the Mouse’s bond with Republican rats, New York students do say “gay” in national solidarity, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Wendy Natividad and Wenzel Jones (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the March 21, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Florida’s “Parental Rights in Education Bill” is ripe for Governor Ron DeSantis’ signature, but activists like The Trevor Project’s Amit Paley and U.S. Treasury Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s husband Chasten, Walt Disney workers Dana Terrace and Benjamin Siemon and their boss Bob Chapek, state Senators Anna Eskamani and Chevron Jones, and the ACLU’s Chase Strangio still insist on the right to say “gay” in classroom discussions. Plus: lesbian Saturday Night Live icon Kate McKinnon suggests a way around the “Don’t Say Gay” bill! And in NewsWrap: Guatemala’s president rejects marriage equality ban, Ukrainian queers band together against Putin’s invasion, hackers strike Bulgaria broadcasters with Putin clown image, basketball star Griner’s Russian detention concerns U.S. congress members, Texas and Biden clash over state anti-trans witch hunt, Idaho and Oklahoma bills target trans youth gender healthcare, South Dakota and Tennessee catch “don’t say gay” fever, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Marcos Najera and David Hunt (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the March 14, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

LGBTQ people (including human rights activist Olena Shevchenko in Kyiv) come forward to fight and render assistance to keep Ukraine from falling into (more) homophobic hands as Russia invades! Republican-controlled state governments expand their assault on trans kids and queer families (with comments from White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, the ACLU’s Chase Strangio, Texas Values attorney Jonathan Saenz, defense attorney Paul Castillo, Governors Kim Reynolds, Kristi Noem and Jared Polis, Virginia activist Carol Schall and U.S. President Joe Biden). And in NewsWrap: Singapore high court dismisses sodomy repeal case, "indeterminate" Colombian wins nonbinary government ID, Yucatan finalizes marriage equality, Australia’s Morrison calls targeting trans youth "terrific,” queers won’t be there for China’s "Friends" fans, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Joe Boehnlein and Tanya Kane-Parry (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the March 7, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

The many complex consequences — unintended and intended — for LGBTQ rights and more as the U.S. Supreme Court considers reproductive freedom are analyzed by veteran journalist Lisa Keen (interviewed by Christopher Beale of “Out In The Bay.”) Pardoned presidential con man Steve Bannon and mercenary maven Erik Prince explain why it’s right for the U.S. right to love Putin’s Russia! And in NewsWrap: anti-LGBTQ hit squads said to follow Putin’s Ukraine invasion, queer Chechen siblings jailed for online youth activism, India’s Medical Commission calls for prosecution of conversion therapists, Mexico’s first non-binary birth certificate issued, Florida’s House won’t say gay, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Elena Botkin-Levy and Michael LeBeau (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the February 28, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Israel’s Health Ministry bars medical professionals from practicing counseling and/or prayer aimed at changing a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, and New Zealand’s Parliament prohibits such discredited “conversion therapy” after an emotional debate that included a speech by Green rainbow spokesperson MP Dr. Elizabeth Kerekere. The victories of Team LGBTQ at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing bring to mind our first encounter with Outsports.com co-founder Cyd Zeigler (a “This Way Out Rewind” from February 2002 with Rita Gonzalez). ONE Magazine’s original stocking-stuffer that jingled 1950s bells is a “Rainbow Minute” gift (read by Robey Martin, produced by Judd Proctor and Brian Burns). And in NewsWrap: the EuroCourt okays blocking funds to rights-violating Hungary and Poland, a Russian court rebuffs liquidation of a major queer rights group, Kuwait’s high court overturns an anti-trans “imitating the opposite sex” law, Thailand’s parliament passes the marriage equality buck to the Cabinet, the U.S. LGBTQ-identified population surges in the latest Gallup Poll, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Michael Taylor-Gray and MR Raquel (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the February 21, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

Family tragedy and his son’s non-conformity inform Australian M.P. Stephen Jones’ moving speech as P.M. Scott Morrison’s “Religious Discrimination Bill” is debated. The recent death of Archbishop Desmond Tutu gets the youth commentators of OutCasting Overtime about the true meaning of being an activist (“OutCaster” Tim, produced by Marc Sophos). And in NewsWrap: Poland "protects" students with anti-queer curriculum cops, Florida advances "Don't Say Gay" with Tennessee right behind, U.S. Senate confirms first lesbian of color to ambassador-level job, Cardinal Hollerith calls for Roman Catholic Church change on homosexuality, Indian officials want to get the "GAY" out of Gaya, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Wendy Natividad and John Dyer V (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the February 14, 2022 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/