Stay ConnectedOutward, Slate’s queer podcast, is a whip-smart monthly salon in which hosts and guests deepen the audience’s understanding of queer culture and politics, delight them with unexpected perspectives, and invite listeners into a colorful conversation about the issues animating LGBTQ communities.
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This month, Outward explores utopian fiction and dystopian reality TV. First, Bryan and Christina are joined by author Theodore McCombs to discuss Uranians, his new collection of speculative stories, which uses queer difference and divestment from the normal as an engine to drive five fascinating tales. Then they’re joined by producer June Thomas to discuss The Ultimatum: Queer Love, Netflix’s latest take on the dating show, which follows a cast of queer women and nonbinary folks as they try to decide who they will marry. Finally, the hosts add some new items to the gay agenda.
Items discussed in the show:
The CBC report on Patricia Ginn of the WindSisters
Uranians: Stories, by Theodore McCombs
More on Karl Heinrich Ulrich’s take on the Uranian
The Ultimatum: Queer Love on Netflix
June on the queerness of portrait galleries
Gay Agenda
June: The Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh
Bryan: That! Feels Good!, by Jessie Ware
Christina: “Radical Desire: Making On Our Backs Magazine,” from Cornell University Library
This podcast was produced by June Thomas.
Please send feedback, topic ideas, and advice questions to outwardpodcast@slate.com.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Spring is in the air, and the Outward hosts are gay like tulips and queer like allergies! First, they discuss a new animated version of the beloved Frog and Toad series of children’s books, which premieres on Apple TV+ on April 28. Then they welcome Daniel M. Lavery to the pod. Danny was Slate’s own Dear Prudence for many years, and now a Dear Prudence book is here to grace our bookshelves. Danny shares his philosophy of advice-giving, talks about what it was like to transition in the public eye, and offers his take on a reader question current Prudie Jenée Desmond-Harris answered a few weeks ago.
Items discussed in the show:
Jules and the Framing Agnes team at the GLAAD Awards
Outward’s December 2022 discussion of Framing Agnes with actress Jen Richards
LMN’s schedule
Somerville, Massachusetts, extends protections to polyamorous families
“Frog and Toad: An Amphibious Celebration of Same-Sex Love,” by Colin Stokes in the New Yorker
“How Frog and Toad Author Arnold Lobel Explored Gay Intimacy in His Work,” by J. Bryan Lowder in Slate
“This Is a Terrible Way to Commemorate a Major Civil Rights Victory,” by June Thomas in Slate
Dear Prudence: Liberating Lessons From Slate.com’s Beloved Advice Column, by Daniel M. Lavery
Jenée Desmond-Harris answered the question we put to Danny at the end of this Dear Prudence column
The Big Mood, Little Mood With Daniel M. Lavery podcast
The Dear Prudence podcast
Gay Agenda
Christina: Mae Martin’s new Netflix special, SAP
Jules: “Conservatives Are Turing to a 150-Year-Old Obscenity Law to Outlaw Abortion,” by Melissa Gira Grant in the New Republic
Bryan: Erick Adame’s Daily Weather Report (more background from the New York Times)
This podcast was produced by June Thomas.
Please send feedback, topic ideas, and advice questions to outwardpodcast@slate.com.
Make an impact this Earth Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to bring more parks to more people across the country. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more.
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This month, hosts Christina Cauterucci, Jules Gill-Peterson, and Bryan Lowder explore two parts of the queer world heavily associated with the 1970s: PFLAG and “The Lesbian.” First, they mark the 50th anniversary of PFLAG with a discussion of how the relationship between parents, parenthood, and queer people has changed over the last five decades, how it hasn’t, and what all that means in this dangerous era of “parental rights.” Then, they’re joined by Mairead Sullivan, a scholar and author of the newish book Lesbian Death, a fascinating analysis of the cultural association between the figure of The Lesbian and, well, death. Why is The Lesbian and her bed, her spaces, her very identity, always dying? Who’s killing her? Sullivan helps the hosts sort it out.
Items discussed in the show:
Lesbian Deathby Mairead Sullivan
Gallup’s latest count of LGBT people in the U.S.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s 1977 photo in drag.
Gay Agenda
Christina: The novel Confidence by Rafael Frumkin
BL: Nico Lang’s @QueerNewsDaily; Julia Serano on “transgenderism”; and Christina on Gov. Ron DeSantis’ love of high heels.
This podcast was produced by Morgan Givens.
Please send feedback, topic ideas, and advice questions to outwardpodcast@slate.com.
Make an impact this Women’s History Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to fund girls in STEM. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more.
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Love is in the air this month, so hosts Christina Cauterucci, Jules Gill-Peterson, and Bryan Lowder turn their attention to some very queer questions of love. First, they discuss a new Spanish film, Petit Mal, which explores the intimate drama and everyday feelings of three women in a throuple. Then they consider what is arguably the hardest kind of love: loving yourself in the wake of great loss or pain. Recent years have seen a huge growth in the applications of psychedelic drugs as a treatment strategy for PTSD, depression, anxiety, and more. Although psychedelics are becoming more popular with everyone, a lot of queer and trans people have pre-existing relationships with some of these substances, both in recreational and therapeutic contexts. The hosts are joined by Dr. Alex Belser, the leading researcher into queer people’s relationship with psychedelics, to discuss what these drugs might offer—and get back from—queers.
Items discussed in the show:
“Gay Bars and Hookup Apps”: The February 2021 episode of Outward that focused on Lex and other dating apps for women
The official trailer for Petit Mal
Queering Psychedelics: From Oppression to Liberation in Psychedelic Medicine, edited by Alex Belser, Clancy Cavnar, and Beatriz C. Labate
“Does the Queer Scene Have a Ketamine Problem?” by Delilah Friedler in Rolling Stone
“10 Calls to Action: Toward an LGBTQ-Affirmative Psychedelic Therapy,” by Alex Belser
Gay Agenda
Christina: Aftersun, written and directed by Charlotte Wells
Bryan: The legacy of Charles Silverstein, who died on Jan. 30, 2023
Jules: Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments: Intimate Histories of Riotous Black Girls, Troublesome Women, and Queer Radicals, by Saidiya V. Hartman
This podcast was produced by June Thomas.
Please send feedback, topic ideas, and advice questions to outwardpodcast@slate.com.
Make an impact this Black History Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to fund UNCF scholarships for HBCU students. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This month, hosts Christina Cauterucci, Jules Gill-Peterson, and Bryan Lowder take an in-depth look at the latest fixation of the far right: drag, an art form as old as gender itself, which has brought generations of queer people together. In the first segment, the hosts consider why conservatives are now trying to regulate drag shows out of existence and armed hate groups are showing up at drag events to threaten and intimidate performers and audiences. Then they are joined by Lil Miss Hot Mess, who in addition to performing with Drag Story Hour, has taken an academic interest in what children take away from drag events.
Items discussed in the show:
Gay Agenda
This podcast was produced by June Thomas.
Please send feedback, topic ideas, and advice questions to outwardpodcast@slate.com.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This month, hosts Christina Cauterucci, Jules Gill-Peterson, and Bryan Lowder reflect on the painful impact of anti-LGBTQ violence and dig into the new possibilities for trans storytelling and filmmaking. First, they talk through their complicated feelings about one of the responses to the shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs last month: Should queer people be organizing in self-defense, or even arming ourselves for protection? Then they are joined by actress Jen Richards who portrays Barbara in Framing Agnes, a new documentary, directed by Chase Joynt, which is centered on six trans people who were interviewed and treated at a UCLA gender clinic in the 1950s. The film combines reenactments of those interviews with contemporary conversations with trans actors reflecting on how the lives of the people they portray resonate with their own lives. Our own Jules Gill-Peterson has a central role in the movie as a historian and narrator.
Items discussed in the show:
Gay Agenda
Christina: shopping gay, including at The Little Gay Shop and Adam’s Nest
Jules: “Not a Transition: On Andrea Pallaoro’s Monica,” by Eva Pensis in the Los Angeles Review of Books
Bryan has created a bespoke cocktail for Outward listeners: the Cuddle Puddle
The Cuddle Puddle
2 oz rye
1 oz ginger liqueur
½ oz Fernet Branca or similar
Dash of orange bitters
Stir the ingredients for a long time over ice, then strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with orange peel.
This podcast was produced by June Thomas.
Please send feedback, topic ideas, and advice questions to outwardpodcast@slate.com.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This episode was recorded before the Nov. 19 attack on Club Q. Outward stands with our queer family in Colorado Springs.
This month, Christina Cauterucci, Jules Gill-Peterson, and Bryan Lowder discuss two major trans news stories from recent weeks. First, the New York Times’ latest article about trans kids and gender-affirming care, this time about puberty blockers and bone density, and how it plays into the ongoing, manufactured, and weaponized conservative panic about trans existence. Then they are joined by James Roesener of Concord, New Hampshire, who earlier this month became the first out trans man to be elected to a U.S. state legislature. They talk about why he ran and what he hopes to achieve. Finally, the hosts add some new items to the gay agenda.
Items discussed in the show:
The American Library Association Rainbow Round Table
The Lilly Pharmaceutical Twitter impersonation
AMC’s new version of Interview With the Vampire
World Pride 2025 in D.C.
“They Paused Puberty, but Is There a Cost?” by Megan Twohey and Christina Jewett in the New York Times
Michael Hobbes’ Twitter thread responding to the NYT story
“The NYT’s Big Piece on Puberty Blockers Mucked Up the Most Important Point About Them,” by Evan Urquhart, in Slate
Gay Agenda
Brian: Queer for Fear on Shudder
Christina: The Secret to Superhuman Strength, by Alison Bechdel
Jules: Gossip Girl Fanfic Novella, by Charlie Markbreiter
This podcast was produced by June Thomas.
Please send feedback, topic ideas, and advice questions to outwardpodcast@slate.com.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Bryan Lowder is still out on book leave, but hosts Christina Cauterucci and Jules Gill-Peterson summon him back to discuss Bros, the gay rom-com of the moment. The film lingers on questions of queer history, shows what happens when a nerdy podcast guy dates a beefy gay bro, and is a fascinating meditation on what it means to be a cis gay man in a time of both progress and prosecution. (This segment lasts around 31 minutes if you want to skip ahead to avoid Bros spoilers.) Then they are joined by Meg Metcalf, an LGBTQ collections specialist at the Library of Congress, to discuss how the world’s biggest library is surfacing the plentiful LGBTQ resources that can be found in its building and in cyberspace. Finally, they add some new items to the gay agenda.
Items discussed in the show:
The Problem With Jon Stewart, “The Problem With Gender”
“Why Jon Stewart’s Humiliation of an Anti-Trans Official Is So Important,” by Evan Urquhart in Slate
A new report from the Human Rights Campaign and Bowling Green State University
“Billy Eichner’s Curious Claims About Bros,” by J. Bryan Lowder in Slate
“Was Eleanor Roosevelt a Lesbian?” by Heather Schwedel, in Slate
The Library of Congress’ Collections Policy Statement for LGBTQIA+ studies
If you have a question for Meg, or other Library of Congress librarians, go to ask.loc.gov
Chronicling America, the Library of Congress’ database of historic newspapers
Gay Agenda
Christina: The episode of NPR’s Code Switch in which Kumari Devarajan profiled comedian and playwright D’Lo, who has a role in Bros
Jules: Faltas: Letters to Everyone in My Hometown Who Isn’t My Rapist, by Cecilia Gentili
This podcast was produced by June Thomas.
Please send feedback, topic ideas, and advice questions to outwardpodcast@slate.com.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This month, Bryan Lowder is away, so hosts Christina Cauterucci and Jules Gill-Peterson are joined by the podcast’s founding co-host Brandon Tensley to talk about some new representations of LGBTQ people involved in the wide world of sports. First, they debate whether the new Amazon Prime take on A League of Their Own, starring and co-created by Abbi Jacobson, might possibly be too queer. Then they discuss the making of Stay on Board: The Leo Baker Story, the new Netflix documentary about a transgender pro skateboarder, with Nicola Marsh, who directed the movie, along with Giovanni Reda, and executive producer Alex Schmider. Finally, they add some new items to the gay agenda.
Items discussed in the show:
Race Deconstructed, Brandon’s newsletter at CNN
A League of Their Own, on Amazon Prime
Stay on Board: The Leo Baker Story, on Netflix
Slate’s coverage of the Yummers debacle
The 2022 NLGJA Convention in Chicago
The Transgender Issue, by Shon Faye
Gay Agenda
Brandon: Listen to Rina Sawayama’s new album Hold the Girl
Jules: Follow actor, writer, model Hari Nef on Instagram
Christina: Listen to Lauren Ober’s new podcast The Loudest Girl in the World
This podcast was produced by June Thomas.
Please send feedback, topic ideas, and advice questions to outwardpodcast@slate.com.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This month, host Christina Cauterucci, Jules Gill-Peterson, and Bryan Lowder start the show with a Thots & Queries segment in which a listener asks about orgy etiquette. In a completely different party setting, they try to figure out what on earth is going on in the U.S. Congress, where legislators are debating marriage equality in the form of the Respect for Marriage Act. Then Northwestern University professor and journalist Steven Thrasher joins them to discuss his new book The Viral Underclass: The Human Toll When Inequality and Disease Collide. Finally, they add some new items to the gay agenda.
Items discussed in the show:
Taylor Blake and her emu friend Emmanuel
Beyoncé’s Renaissance
A shocking tweet from the official Log Cabin Republicans account
The June 29 episode of Outward in which Mark Joseph Stern considered how the Dobbs decision might affect LGBTQ rights
“Why Is There More Republican Support for Gay Marriage Than for Abortion Rights?” by Moira Donegan, in the Nation
The Viral Underclass,, by Steven Thrasher
Let the Record Show, by Sarah Schulman
“An Uprising Comes From the Viral Underclass,” by Steven Thrasher in Slate, June 12, 2020
Gay Agenda
Jules: X, by Davey Davis
Bryan: The Sandman, on Netflix
Christina: “We Failed,” by Eric Neugeboren, in the Texas Tribune
This podcast was produced by June Thomas.
Please send feedback, topic ideas, and advice questions to outwardpodcast@slate.com.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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