Rated LGBT Radio

My guest today is trailblazing feminist performance artist and film director Cheri Gaulke. We discuss her remarkable new documentary, ACTING LIKE WOMEN, which chronicles the origins of feminist performance art and how those performances have shaped today's culture. In ACTING LIKE WOMEN, Cheri Gaulke takes us on a personal journey into the history of feminist performance art in 1970’s-80’s Los Angeles. Fleeing her stifling Midwestern life as a minister’s daughter, Cheri and her community forged a new kind of activist art that paved the way for today's art and social justice movements. The film is a personal and collective journey into gender, art and activism – intimately told by those who lived it. At the film’s center is the Woman’s Building in Los Angeles – an incubator for some of the most innovative, fearless and still-relevant work in the history of performance art. As an award winning filmmaker, Cheri worked in performance art from 1974-1992, addressing themes such as religion, sexual identity, and the environment. In addition to her solo work, she cofounded collaborative performance groups Feminist Art Workers (1976-81), which merged feminist art and education techniques into interactive performances; and Sisters Of Survival (1981-85), who wore nun’s habits in the spectrum of the rainbow and presented their anti-nuclear performances in Europe and the U.S.  

My guest today is the award-winning author Mathangi Subamanian. We discuss their new book Our Periods, Ourselves: An Empowered Teen’s Guide. The book is a necessary resource on a subject rarely discussed and an empowering resource for every body. It provides the information, encouragement, and support menstruators need to make informed decisions about their periods, and reminds us that our bodies and our identities are sources of power and strength. In addition to chapters on period care for neurodiverse, disabled, fat, genderqueer, and undocumented teens, it has several chapters on advocacy around period poverty, climate change, and reproductive rights. Mathangi is an award-winning neurodiverse South Asian American author and educator and the founder of Moon Rabbit Writing Studio, a boutique writing workshop providing classes aimed at queer, BIPOC, neurodiverse, and otherwise marginalized writers. Her novel A People's History of Heaven was longlisted for the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, and was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award. Her middle grade book Dear Mrs. Naidu won the South Asia book award, and her picture book A Butterfly Smile was inducted into the Nobel Museum by Dr. Esther Duflo. Subramanian's shorter work has appeared in Harper's Bazaar, The Lily at The Washington Post, Ms. Magazine.com, BOMB, Kirkus Reviews, LitHub, San Francisco Chronicle, and McSweeney's Internet Tendency, among others.

My guest is the sensational Benjamin Hightower, who wowed America's Got Talent audiences and made Simon Cowell smile with his rendition of "Pink Pony Club."  We discuss a secret he has never told about his AGT appearance, plus the inside scoop on his upcoming EP New to the City. Benjamin is a U.S. military veteran and a Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter. After separating from the Air Force and captivating millions with his breakout performance on America’s Got Talent singing “Pink Pony Club”, he has demonstrated himself to be a dynamic artist who bridges the gap between lyrical storytelling and soaring melodies. His music explores his identity as a Christian, gay man, and veteran, all the while advocating for mental health awareness, especially for fellow veterans and LGBTQ+ individuals. From singing show tunes as a kid, to belting the national anthem at Madison Square Garden, he’s always performed with purpose-- we discuss all that and more!

Yes, today's show is about Vaginas and the humans that have them. Editors Justine Payton and Caroline Beuley of the new anthology BETWEEN OUR LEGS are my guests. The book covers 20 unique essays, each telling a thought-provoking aspect of the writers' gynecological experiences, from racism and transphobia to oppression and shame.   This includes the shocking origins of gynecological practice itself and how those horrors are still used in modern medical practices today. 

My guest is legal expert and author Tracy A. Thomas. We go in depth on her new book The First Woman Judge: The Life and Legacy of Florence Allen. As the book itself says, "Florence Allen was the first woman judge many times over. She was the first in the nation appointed to a federal appellate court and the first repeatedly shortlisted for the U.S. Supreme Court. Before that, she was the first woman in the country elected to a common pleas court and the first voted onto a state supreme court. In the early half of the twentieth century, she was considered “the most famous woman judge in the world.”  Florence Allen was also most likely LGBTQ and we talk about that as well. Tracy Thomas is the author of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Feminist Foundations of Family Law. She is an acclaimed legal scholar, author, and professor who holds the prestigious Seiberling Chair in Constitutional Law at The University of Akron School of Law. Nationally recognized for her work in constitutional law, legal history, and remedies, her academic specialty focuses on recovering the lost, complex stories of trailblazing women in the American legal system.

Blazing through current film festivals is the short film SHE'S NONBINARY. In the film, the nonbinary lead character, Max (played by Jess McLeod), and their straight, cisgender boyfriend, Jake (played by Alexander Steele Zonjic), experience a sudden identity and relationship crisis.  The film explores the hidden, uncomfortable friction in queer-straight relationships, contrasting Jake's desire to be a supportive ally with his underlying, unexamined shock over physical transition. My guest is the filmmaker, and lead, Jess McLeod. We examine the film's themes and other pertinent topics inspired by the film. Jess is a Vancouver-based award-winning trans nonbinary filmmaker and actor who has had a meteoric year as an actor with the release of Ben Wheatley’s action comedy Normal alongside Bob Odenkirk (Nobody, Better Call Saul), Henry Winkler (Happy Days, Barry) and Lena Headey (Game of Thrones). Their role in Jonathan Glatzer’s AMC tech satire series The Audacity was also released this year after debuting at SXSW and they have a role in Jane Schoenbrun's slasher comedy Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, which just opened Cannes Un Certain Regard and is closing SXSW London.   

My guest is the popular diva Keeana Kee, whose thrilling music is wowing audiences worldwide. Her music and video hits are a genre-blurring fusion of cinematic storytelling, Afropop rhythms, Latin heat, and emotionally charged pop.  We discuss everything from the commanding energy of “GODDESS” to the introspective depth of “HEAL ME,” and how she transforms vulnerability into strength with every release. We also talked about the release of her sensual and uplifting hit "WASABI." Presenting the infectious dance anthem, the video's visuals unfold in a vibrant, anime-inspired world that blends a “spicy-cute” aesthetic with playful, provocative storytelling. From schoolgirl-inspired fashion to a surreal geisha-led setting, the video leans into bold colors, stylized characters, and tongue-in-cheek moments.  

My guest is the uber talent, EmmyJean Jenkins (she/her) the queer country artist based in Boulder, Colorado. We talk about her comedic country cabaret DETECTIVE CONVENTION, a true story of murder, intrigue, romance & comedy, as well as her first album, Gay All This Time, an EP of original songs with San Francisco’s Friction Quartet. She is better known as her alter ego, Annika Socolofsky, the massively awarded composer and avant folk vocalist. We discuss how she writes extensively for her own voice, including composing a growing repertoire of “feminist rager-lullabies” under the titles Don’t Say a Word and I Tell You Me, which serve to confront centuries of damaging lessons taught to young children by retelling old lullaby texts for a new, queer era.

Special show with my good friend Garrett Miller (AKA Blond Jesus). His brand-new album, I Hear You, launches tomorrow.  With a diverse catalog that ranges from rock to pop, from honkytonk to inspirational, Garrett's unique music has won numerous awards and topped multiple independent music charts.  He is a singer, songwriter, and author who shares his messages of hope and inspiration with the world. In 2013, Garrett recorded his first EP, "Eyes Wide," featuring the holiday classic, "Guess What It's Christmastime." He released the follow-up full-length album, "Blond Jesus," in 2015, with radio-friendly hits including "Gay Wedding," "Sweat & Testify," "Witch Sisters Halloween," and the title track, which have been #1 hits on the indie music charts worldwide.  Today we talk about the new album's themes, including personal growth, relationships, and empowerment, with Garrett sharing the stories behind several tracks such as "Hope Is All I Have," inspired by a friend's real-life struggle, and "Closer to You," a romantic ballad.   

My guest today is the uber talented Frankie Campisano, non-binary writer, director, and producer. Frankie has a reputation for crafting dark comedy and horror stories about deeply flawed folks struggling to reinvent themselves. A non-binary punk-rocker with a style a studio exec once favorably compared to "Aaron Sorkin on acid," they are the co-founder and lead producer behind the award-winning creative collective Nice Hog! Productions. We discuss Frankie's new films that are currently wowing film festival audiences, Breakfast at Berghain , a camp Alice in Wonderland-like adventure comedy, and My Name is John, an impeccably crafted suspense horror film.