Equality Double-Play & Pink Freud

Week of May 26, 2014
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Marriage equality comes to two more U.S. states: Oregon and Pennsylvania. NBC News Justice Correspondent Pete Williams, attorney Ted Boutrous, Pennsylvania's first out lawmaker Rep. Brian Sims, and MSNBC's Chris Matthews and Rachel Maddow provide analysis and predict future developments.

Commentator Charlie Bauer PhD talks about G-men, the L-word, and making it in a hetero-centric world.

CNN's Anderson Cooper has a special "honor" for the TV personality who piously protested pro-football's first gay kiss, but had previously appeared in a prurient pose with a posse of Chippendale strippers.

Plus: political humorist Bill Maher wishfully declares the victorious end to "the culture wars"!

And in NewsWrap: global actions fight homophobia and transphobia, Africa's first out gay black lawmaker takes office, Canada denies visas to Ugandan activists invited to World Pride Conference in Toronto, mixed judicial signals keep Utah's married same-gender couples in legal limbo, "stayin' tuned" in Idaho and Wisconsin, and more news reported by Michael LeBeau and Pam Marshall (produced this week by Steve Pride).

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This Way Out was funded this week by the Yavanna Foundation, a bequest from the estate of Christopher David Trentham, and by our generous listeners. Donate today to help support our work -- and the free distribution of the show to non-commercial radio stations -- at thiswayout.org!

NewsWrap for the week ending May 24, 2014

SUMMARY

A World Against Hate - Millions around the world mark the 10th annual International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT) with states-people statements and a variety of actions in such locales as Costa Rica, Australia, Paraguay, Belgium, Albania, Russia, Cambodia and China …

Africa's Harvey Milk - South Africa swears in Member of Parliament Zakhele Mbhele as the first black openly gay elected official on the continent …

Game of Keep Away - activists rail against Canadian Immigration after the agency reportedly denies visitors visas to 10 Ugandan activists invited to a World Pride Conference in Toronto because officials feared that they'd all seek asylum …

Two By Two - another week, and another couple of U.S. states getting civil marriage equality: Oregon becomes the 18th and Pennsylvania the 19th …

Married, But Not Family - a federal judge orders Utah to recognize the more than 1300 civil marriages legally performed in the state during the brief period they could, while the Utah Supreme Court approves a request by Attorney General Sean Reyes to block those lesbian and gay marrieds from adopting children …

Staying Tuned - a federal appeals court agrees to a permanent stay of a lower court ruling overturning Idaho's ban on civil marriage for same-gender couples while the state appeals, but expedites the review process …

Flood Insurance - Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen asks the federal judge hearing the challenge to his state's ban to stay her ruling even before she's made it …

The Cheese Stands Alone - with lawsuits filed by same-gender couples in Alaska, Montana, and South Dakota, North Dakota becomes the last state in the union without a legal challenge to its civil marriage ban – for now ….

Complete NewsWrap text and this week's podcast to be posted May 27, 2014.

Still Ask, Still Tell & Lounge Lizard Laughs

Week of May 19, 2014
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The U.S. military signals an "about face" on its ban on transgender service members with comments by U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. Navy veteran Landon Wilson and filmmaker Fiona Dawson discuss a possible pending policy change on MSNBC's Ronan Farrow Daily.

"America's best, least-known lounge act," Mack & Poppy (aka Tod Macofsky and Christopher Michael Graham, share their music and mirth with correspondent Steven Reigns.

And in NewsWrap: India's elections keep retro sodomy law in place, marriage equality inspires increased assaults in France, Gambia's leader vows to kill fleeing gay refugees, Conchita's victory lap riles Russians, and more news reported by Kristin Mellian and Gary Shaw (produced this week by Wenzel Jones and Steve Pride).

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This Way Out was funded this week by the Yavanna Foundation, a bequest from the estate of Christopher David Trentham, and by our generous listeners. Donate today to help support our work -- and the free distribution of the show to non-commercial radio stations -- at thiswayout.org!

NewsWrap for the week ending May 17, 2014

SUMMARY

Post-Landslide Legal Limbo - India's law criminalizing gay sex is likely to stay in force for at least five years – unless it's overturned by the Supreme Court – following national elections that swept the anti-gay, opposition party to power …

Wedding Wrangling - Arkansas joins Utah and Michigan with hundreds of civilly-married same-gender couples in legal limbo after an appeals court stays a lower court ruling authorizing them, while an appeals court stays a similar ruling in Idaho to avoid such uncertainties …

Backlash - anti-gay violence spikes sharply in France after marriage equality becomes the law of the land there in mid-2013 …

Floodgates of Hate - abuse of and violent assaults on people perceived to be LGBT continue to mushroom in Uganda since the February enactment of the draconian Anti-Homosexuality Law …

Don't Feel Threatened Or I'll Kill You - Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh calls anyone seeking asylum by claiming anti-gay persecution in his country "liars," warning that "If I catch them I will kill them"…

Pork Prize - the sky has yet to fall following bearded gay Austrian drag queen Conchita Wurst's celebrated win at the Eurovision Song Contest as a butcher in her hometown creates a top-selling special sausage featuring the singer's portrait that he calls "extra spicy, just like she is" …

Razor's Edge - although Russian lawmakers call for a "gay free" competition, and one apocalyptically laments "the end of Europe," several men in Russia and in Eastern Europe reportedly shave their beards to protest Conchita's win, and social media lampoons priests in the Conchita-condemning Russian Orthodox Church as "bearded men in dresses opposing bearded men in dresses" ….

Complete NewsWrap text and this week's podcast to be posted May 20, 2014.

GiveOUT Day: Look what we found in our closet!

It's not a pretty sight … what happens to 30+ year old recording tape!

But that's not just rotting acetate you're looking at -- it's the disappearing voices of LGBT activists and artists representing over half a century of progress and strife.

Today, you can help prevent the tragic loss of thousands of hours of community-based LGBT radio programming!

There's been a lot of buzz about GiveOUT Day, but do you know what it is? May 15th is a national day of giving to LGBT organizations. Last year over 5400 people donated in excess of $600,000 for more than 400 non-profits across the U.S., of which Overnight Productions, Inc. (the producer of This Way Out) was one. Top fundraisers win awards, but the real reward is being a part of the outpouring of commitment to the work of advancing equality.

For this year's GiveOUT Day, This Way Out is collaberating with the Pacifica Radio Archives to ensure that historic LGBT programming will be preserved … and that contemporary programming will grow even stronger!

Every This Way Out program since it's debut in 1988 is housed in the Pacifica Radio Archives, making it one of the key contributors to PRA's LGBT collection. Those early programs are already in need of preservation, and you can see above what's happened to some audio gems from the 1970s!

History isn't just in the archives, it's marching forward every day. This Way Out documents the fast-moving events of today's international LGBT movement, bringing the information to the airwaves and storing it in the Pacifica Radio Archives for all time.

How long "all time" is depends on you! Your GiveOUT Day donation to the This Way Out/Pacifica Radio LGBT History Project will be shared between archival tape restoration and program production expenses. Can you be a $500 Project Angel? Can you finance the restoration of a one-hour program for $200? Can you save 10 minutes of audio history for $25? All the details are at our GiveOUT Day page:

This Way Out/Pacifica Radio LGBT History Project: GiveOUT Day 2014

… and find out about a special "thank you" gift!

What else can you do to help?

• Share this email with five friends
• Post the link below to social media
• Encourage a young person to learn more about LGBT history

Time is running out for many, many hours of precious recordings … and time is running out for you to get the This Way Out/Pacifica Radio LGBT History Project off to an auspicious start on this GiveOUT Day!

Thanks again for your generosity,

The Friends of This Way Out

GiveOUT Day: Preserve the Past -- Record the Future!

On May 15th, you can help save -- and help make -- LGBT history!

You're already a fan of This Way Out: The International Lesbian and Gay Radio Magazine, and chances are you're also familiar with the Pacifica Radio Archives -- well our big news for GiveOUT Day is ... we're dating!

The This Way Out/Pacifica Radio LGBT History Project was born out of urgency. Classic programs tracing the LGBT journey from before Stonewall to the dawn of marriage equality are on tape that is rapidly disintegrating. The problem was brought home dramatically when a treasure trove of old shows were discovered -- molding in a volunteer's garage! Something had to be done!

So we're joining forces on May 15th to launch a campaign to restore and preserve this precious audio history. On this day of unprecedented LGBT-related philanthropy, we implore you to get involved with this unique project!

Meanwhile, week after week This Way Out continues to bring an international audience LGBT history in the making. It would be a foolish mistake to save the audio record of how the movement has developed thus far and lose one of the primary sources for that ever-expanding record! That's why half of your GiveOUT Day donations will go to the preservation project, and the other half will help keep This Way Out on the air.

We're so excited about this new relationship, we want to celebrate by giving our friends a special gift to commemorate the day! For every donation of $25 or more we will send you a CD sampler of some of the treasures we recently discovered, featuring Christine Jorgensen, Dr. Don Clark, Holly Near, Michael Kearns, Malcolm Boyd, Amy Horowitz and more!

For more details about this important fundraiser, check out our GiveOUT Day page -- RIGHT NOW!

Be a part of the groundswell of LGBT philanthropy on GiveOUT Day by donating generously to the This Way Out/Pacifica Radio LGBT History Project. Future generations will be glad you did!

Thanks as always for your enduring support!

The Friends of This Way Out

This Way Out/Pacifica Radio LGBT History Project: GiveOUT Day 2014

P.S. $25 will save about 10 minutes of deteriorating audio tape … for $200 we can restore an entire hour-long program!

P.P.S. Become a $500 Project Angel -- you'll preserve an hour-long show and fund the free distribution of This Way Out to a community radio station for a year!

Sultan, Celebration & Unstoppable!

Week of May 12, 2014
To listen to the whole show, click here!

A fast-growing boycott against the Sultan of Brunei shortens stays at the Beverly Hills Hotel as the Feminist Majority Foundation's Eleanor Smeal, comedian Jay Leno, the United Farm Workers' Dolores Huerta, and the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center's Lorri Jean rally with supporters outside.

"Golden Girl" Betty White and her current Hot in Cleveland co-stars Wendie Malick, Jane Leeves, and Valerie Bertinelli honored the 31st anniversary of Los Angeles' Celebration Theater -- the oldest queer theater in the country -- with a reading of a script from the 80s gay sitcom fave. Chrisanne Eastwood also interviews Celebration's co-artistic director Michael A. Shepperd, original Supreme Mary Wilson, and former Golden Girls writer Stan Zimmerman (produced with Steve Pride).

Bearded and "unstoppable" Austrian drag queen Chonchita Wurst conquers the Eurovision Song Contest with a spectacular performance of Rise Like A Phoenix and offers hope for the future in her moving victory speech.

Plus: out Missouri Tiger Michael Sam becomes a St. Louis Ram!

And in NewsWrap: democracy-fearing Chinese cops detain LGBT activists, Taiwan equality advocates organize, marriage rights come to Arkansas, and more news reported by Carole Meyers and Rick Watts (produced by Steve Pride).

Subscribe to our podcast so you'll never miss a show! 

Get CDs of the regular show and specials from our archives at our website, thiswayout.org!

Like our Facebook page ... 

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Follow @TWORadio on Twitter! 

This Way Out was funded this week by the Yavanna Foundation, a bequest from the estate of Christopher David Trentham, and by our generous listeners.

On May 15th, you can help save and make LGBT history!
Donate to our This Way Out/Pacifica Radio LGBT History Project!

NewsWrap for the week ending May 10, 2014

SUMMARY

Paranoid Puzzle Box - Nervous about the impending 25th anniversary of the military's democracy-crushing Tiananmen Square action, Chinese authorities detain nine gay activists who were preparing to lead a Beijing seminar critically examining "civil society and the state" …

Watch Out for PrideWatch.tw - a new marriage equality lobbying group is born in Taiwan …

Another "Beat the Stay" Race - lesbian and gay couples race to the altar in Arkansas as it becomes the latest of the United States to have its same-gender civil marriage ban declared unconstitutional …

The Guest & The Refugee - Uganda President Yoweri Musevini takes heat at a U.K.-Uganda business conference in London, while high-profile Ugandan gay activist John "Longjones" Wambere seeks asylum in the U.S. …

Forever Sticking It Out - the U.S. Postal Service prepares to issue a first class "forever" stamp honoring trailblazing gay politician Harvey Milk on what would have been his 84th birthday …

Still Whipping Up A Frenzy - international demand for Tom of Finland's homoerotic images on a series of Finnish first class stamps crashes the website selling them ….

Complete NewsWrap text and this week's podcast to be posted May 13, 2014.

"Modern" Marriage & "Same Love" Remake

Week of May 5, 2014
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As television fans await the impending nuptials of Modern Family's "Mitchell and Cameron," actors Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet have a bachelor party on ABC-TV's Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Hip-hop's Angel Haze freestyles against homophobia over Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' hit of Grammy wedding fame.

Commentator Janet Mason loves the literature of love in the pages of The Wilde Passions of Dorian Gray (Mitzi Szereto) and Foolish Hearts: New Gay Fiction (Timothy J. Lambert and R. D. Cochrane, eds.).

And in NewsWrap: Brunei's deadly penal code gets Sultan's blessing, Japan's First Lady floats message of Pride, Russian repression enters Crimea, Uganda targets "homo-promoting" NGO's, the United Church of Christ challenges North Carolina's equality ban, and more news reported by Carole Meyers and Rick Watts (produced by Steve Pride).

Subscribe to our podcast so you'll never miss a show! 

Get CDs of the regular show and specials from our archives at our website, thiswayout.org!

This Way Out was funded this week by the Yavanna Foundation, a bequest from the estate of Christopher David Trentham, and by our generous listeners. Donate today to help support our work -- and the free distribution of the show to non-commercial radio stations -- at thiswayout.org

NewsWrap for the week ending May 3, 2014

SUMMARY

Sultanic Verses - Death by stoning for consensual adult gay sex is celebrated in the tiny Southeast Asian nation of Brunei by the omnipotent Sultan Hassnal Bokiah, while protests at and boycotts of Brunei-owned high-end hotel properties in the U.S. and Europe begin …

Prime Example - Japan's First Lady Akie Abe rides atop a float with a colorfully-bedecked drag queen at Tokyo's LGBT Pride Parade …

May Flowers - about 300 rainbow flag-waving Russian LGBT people and their supporters participate without incident at the St. Petersburg May Day march …

Charge of the Homophobic Brigade - the so-called "no promo homo" law comes to Crimea following its annexation by Russia, and the measure's architect Vitaly Molonov wants to crack down on LGBT people on the peninsula even further …

No NGO Promo Homo - a draft bill in Uganda would add to the draconian "Anti-Homosexuality Law" by banning NGOs from providing monetary or other assistance to LGBT people in the east African nation because that would be "promoting homosexuality" …

No Green Light - Northern Ireland lawmakers reject a proposal to discuss marriage equality …

God On Our Side - the United Church of Christ sues the U.S. state of North Carolina for its law banning ministers from officiating the marriages of same-gender couples …

Not Neutrality - Louisiana lawmakers reject a bill to protect LGBT people from housing discrimination because, as the rightwing Louisiana Family Forum argues, only "morally neutral" characteristics deserve protection ….

Complete NewsWrap text and this week's podcast to be posted May 6, 2014.

Support Your Lesbian Police Chief!

Week of April 21, 2014
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Fired Latta, South Carolina lesbian police chief Crystal Moore has lots of friends in town, but there's no ENDA in sight to protect her job from the homophobic mayor (MSNBC's Ari Melber gets her story).

ABC's Cokie Roberts plays LGBT ally against religious right leaders Franklin Graham, Russell Moore and Ralph Reed … MSNBC's Rachel Maddow offers her unapologetically out perspective -- what the heck happened to mainstream news?

And in NewsWrap: same-gender couples win rights in Oaxaca and Alaska, North Korea critiques UN report with queer complaint, Brunei stalls on death by stoning, Boy Scouts excommunicate church over out scoutmaster, and more news reported by Rick Watts and Michelle-Marie Gilkeson (produced by Steve Pride).

Subscribe to our podcast so you'll never miss a show! 

Get CDs of the regular show and specials from our archives at our website, thiswayout.org!

Stay tuned …     

This Way Out was funded this week by the Yavanna Foundation, a bequest from the estate of Christopher David Trentham, and by our generous listeners. Donate today to help support our work -- and the free distribution of the show to non-commercial radio stations -- at thiswayout.org!