IMRU - LGBT Issues - Monday, June 1, 2026

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15. Welcome to I Am R U, broadcasting out loud and out proud on KPFK 90.7 FM in Los Angeles.
16. I'm your host and executive producer, Michael Taylor Gray.
17. Tonight, as Pride Month gets underway, we're looking beyond the parade route and festival stage.
18. What does Pride mean in 2026?
19. How do we preserve LGBTQ plus spaces and protect our community and create a future where everyone belongs?
20. Joining me tonight are West Hollywood City Council member John Erickson and Lee Dowd, Executive Vice President of Out Loud Music Festival.
21. John Erickson and Lee Dowd, welcome to IMRU.
22. Hi, it's great to be here.
23. I'm glad to have you.
24. Who was that?
25. That was John.
26. Hi, John Erickson. Lee, are you there?
27. I am here. Happy Pride Month, everybody.
28. Thank you. Thanks for joining us, Lee.
29. Now, before we start, I just want to remind all of us that pride is more than just a word.
30. It stands for personal rights in defense and education.
31. Founded in 1966 by the Los Angeles political organization PRIDE.
32. So that's our little lesson before we start.
33. We love a good history lesson.
34. Absolutely. History was always one of my favorite subjects.
35. Now, what does pride mean to each of you today? And has that definition changed over time? Let's start with John Erickson.
36. Pride means so much. You know, I was a young gay kid from the birthplace of the Republican Party in Ripon, Wisconsin.
37. And so for me, pride is about making sure individuals back in my hometown or over here in West Hollywood, where I serve as a council member, can live freely and truly and not be afraid to come out and for fear of retribution from their communities or families.
38. We have to be not only uplifting communities that are right in our backyards, but where we grew up.
39. And so Pride to me is making sure that we're reaching out to where we're from to make sure that it's a safe space.
40. Absolutely. And Lee Dowd, what does Pride mean to you today?
41. And has it changed over time in its definition for you?
42. It's changed a lot over time.
43. I have been working in Pride to some extent for my entire career.
44. It started when I first moved down here to L.A. almost 20 years ago.
45. Um but I actually was born on the 20th anniversary of the Stonewall riots I my birthday is June 28th and I don think it a coincidence that I work in Pride and it certainly not lost on me that I been able to work in this space for as long
46. as I have for the community. I think it's really special, and to get to do it in my own backyard
47. in West Hollywood, it's awesome. It really is an incredible experience. You're my fellow Gemini,
48. I was born on June 20th. So there you go. There's power in numbers.
49. Totally. Yes. Now, do younger LGBTQ plus generations experience pride differently than previous generations?
50. What do you think about that, Lee? I mean, I, like John Erickson, love a history lesson.
51. it's something
52. to look back on
53. our history and our fight for civil rights
54. and to stand on the shoulders of giants who came
55. before us is important
56. it's an important recognition
57. while I think a lot of pride has changed over the years
58. and we're celebrating a lot more than we were protesting
59. we're still in a time where
60. our rights are being challenged. Our trans brothers and sisters are experiencing hardship
61. with this administration. So it's always a nice reminder to think back on Pride as a protest, but
62. our celebration, Queer Joy, is just as much resistance as taking to the streets with
63. signs and pickets. Absolutely. I just want to mention here more towards the beginning of the
64. show that later on in tonight's show, we will be offering one pair of We Hope Pride
65. 2026 festival tickets to a lucky caller who calls in when prompted to do so.
66. So keep your ears tuned closely to whatever device you're using to listen to us tonight.
67. Stay tuned throughout the show.
68. And when prompted, we'll have you call in and that lucky listener will get a pair of
69. tickets to this summer's Pride Festival, which will be for this weekend, Saturday or Sunday.
70. So moving on. Now, if someone asked John Erickson, if someone asked you,
71. why do we still need Pride? What would your answer be?
72. Well, the federal administration has removed every reference to LGBTQ from every website. I mean,
73. they removed the word, the Enola Gay from the website for World War II history because it had
74. the word gay and they used a lot of really cruddy AI, you know, deleting agents to ensure that they
75. did that. I mean, we have a federal administration that is rolling back HIV AIDS protections,
76. civil rights, you name it. And so pride is more important every single day. And pride seems so
77. critical right now to the work that we have to do to fight back for our rights, even in our own
78. backyards. I mean, even in West Hollywood, we have our share of bigots and we have people that love
79. to come and harass our community. And so even in quote unquote safe spaces, we all have to do what
80. we can to live loud, live proud and live without fear and ensure that individuals who come to our
81. communities are safe, welcomed and cherished. Absolutely. I have personally, I've experienced
82. the parade and festival. I've experienced the parade as a bystander, and I've also marched
83. in the parade for various organizations. For the Hollywood History Museum, I've marched
84. for some of our men's magazines here in town, and I've been, as a member of KPFK and IMRU,
85. I marched in the parade So I experienced firsthand some of those protesters and their and they very offensive signs and the language that they throw out at us throughout the parade I sure you experienced that some of yourself
86. both of you. Oh, yeah. My favorite time is when we go past all of our favorite bigots,
87. like La Cienega and Santa Monica. Yes. And more people are dancing around them than anything else
88. to distract them from everything. But, you know, hate and homophobia have no place here in West
89. Hollywood. And if you're coming to cause any of that this coming weekend, I say get the hell out.
90. There you go. But, you know, hopefully they'll learn something along the way. We hope that some
91. of our love, some of what we're sharing there, the joy and the pride, the personal rights and
92. defense and education that we all embrace will have some residual effect on them, we hope.
93. You know, so let's, and speaking of that, let's talk about community. Lee, what transforms an
94. event from entertainment into genuine community?
95. That's a great question.
96. I think just thinking about West Hollywood in particular,
97. because that's obviously top of mind.
98. I think the diversity that we see who show up for a pride weekend
99. really is what is creating our community.
100. And we're seeing every color, every spectrum of this rainbow when you look out at the crowd.
101. Like, it's really incredible.
102. I agree with you being both a bystander of the parade as well as somebody who's walked in the parade or participated on the other end of it.
103. Like, it is really beautiful to see just how many different people from different walks of life have come out to celebrate.
104. Entertainment is a big part of that.
105. Music is something that can really unite people.
106. And I think it's really important to have just as much diversity on stage and in your entertainment programs as you're seeing out in the world itself.
107. You're listening to Lee Dow.
108. He's the executive vice president of Outloud Music Festival.
109. Are you also involved with the organization of the Pride Festival itself?
110. The city of West Hollywood owns WeHo Pride.
111. and it's been an honor to be one of their producers.
112. Wonderful. I love that collaboration.
113. Now, John Erickson, you were formerly the West Hollywood mayor as well, correct?
114. Yeah, I was mayor in 2024 when a very small performer,
115. I don't know if you know her, Kylie Minogue, graced West Hollywood.
116. Are you kidding me?
117. You've heard of her.
118. Yes, the biggest selling Australian female artist ever.
119. No, I'm making a joke. I know you are.
120. started in 2022 when I was elected to the West Hollywood City Council. I was on the council a
121. few years before then, but we created We Hope Pride then, and it's become the pride destination
122. in not only Southern California, but across the world. And pride really does start in West
123. Hollywood because we are here, we are queer, and it's going to be a long month to say the least.
124. I love a long month when it has to do with pride It can be as long as it wants yes now john 365 yes it should be every single day We should be proud Now John Erickson who a current West Hollywood city councilman what responsibility comes with West Hollywood role as a global LGBTQ plus symbol
125. I mean, I can tell you from going to World Pride in D.C. last year, when we showed up and showed through with our float, when we were out at different events, people recognized us as West Hollywood.
126. It's not only a space where queer community can, you know, let our flag fly, but a community that deeply invests in the LGBTQ community, whether that's, you know, in the regular work we do as government officials, as, you know, paying for social service providers that serve the LGBTQ community to uplifting out loud, as well as the WeHo Pride Festival all month long.
127. I mean, just last week we had the WeHo Arts Festival, a free arts festival at the LA LGBT Center.
128. So that meant Pride started a week earlier.
129. So we're all going to be really tired once July 1st runs around here.
130. You know that's right.
131. You know that's right.
132. And make sure you go vote tomorrow because if we don't vote tomorrow, our rights will be taken away further and forth.
133. And so we need everyone to get out there and vote because those returns are dismal right now.
134. So people, go vote.
135. I cast my vote already last week by mail.
136. Well, good.
137. Absolutely.
138. And I got my confirmation as well.
139. So it's great to know that it gets there, it gets counted, and you get a confirmation for that.
140. It's so – the power to vote, the feeling I get.
141. I get – to me, it just is – I can't explain the feeling.
142. It's just so important to have that vote cast.
143. And what you're saying tonight is so important.
144. So thank you for reaffirming that message.
145. and lead out in your collaborations that your company brings with,
146. along with West Hollywood, the city of West Hollywood.
147. You know, what responsibility do you feel teaming up with a city
148. that has this kind of global impact?
149. Yeah, impact.
150. It's a big responsibility.
151. I think it's certainly not taken lightly in all the work that we're doing throughout the year.
152. I mean, when I say Pride 365, we really start planning the following year's Pride the day after we finish this.
153. Literally, he's not joking on that one.
154. We are constantly thinking about this and it is a year round process.
155. whether that's looking for talent to grace our stage or thinking about ways we can increase our
156. footprint or expand some of these experiences so more members of the community have access like it
157. just is something we are constantly constantly thinking about and it is such a great partnership
158. with the city of West Hollywood we're so happy to get to do it here in West Hollywood
159. and it's awesome to see from my side
160. just how efficient I think the city,
161. the municipality of West Hollywood is.
162. It's really, it's awesome.
163. And to get to work so closely with the city council members
164. who I consider to be friends as well as colleagues
165. and it's awesome.
166. It's a really, really cool experience.
167. Absolutely.
168. And if KPFK or IMRU,
169. which is the longest running LGBTQ plus radio show
170. in the world in September of this year will be 52 years on the air.
171. Wow.
172. Amazing.
173. Thank you.
174. If we can be of any help to We Hope Pride this year, please reach out to us.
175. We are there in any way that you need us.
176. So I'm just putting that out there.
177. Thank you. We appreciate that.
178. Of course.
179. We always can use positive affirming messages, especially with all the fake news going out there right now.
180. And speaking of that, you know, what happens? What do we lose? This is a good question for both of you. We're going to take a brief station break right after this. But what do we lose when LGBTQ plus community spaces disappear?
181. I'll start off with Lee.
182. um i think we lose a bit of our history and we've strung together such a
183. such a long road of of this battle for civil rights that i think is the more that this gets
184. erased the the fewer people will know our story um and i think especially thinking about future
185. generations to come i think we really need to keep these spaces so that our story continues to be told
186. And John, how do you feel about that?
187. You know, any erasure of any space is taking away of a community center that someone might
188. not have discovered yet.
189. You know, when you look at whether that's a gay or lesbian bar or an arts program or
190. all of the work that we've been funding for social services, these things are critical
191. for, you know, ensuring our history, but also ensuring our future success.
192. And so it's about history, but it's also about those people who have yet to discover
193. them in their own way, shape, and form.
194. You know, I think about all that stuff in West Hollywood all the time as our city continues
195. to grow and, you know, spaces go away or reinvented or, you know, reinvigorated in a new way as
196. well.
197. You know, I think about how much COVID took away from us, some of the renowned spaces
198. that we had in the Valley and in West Hollywood, some of those places that we've known for
199. so many years, you know.
200. So with that in mind, like you said earlier, it's important you cast those votes because in this particular political climate, so much more can be taken away than just a space.
201. Even though those do have impact, it's important that we continue to engage.
202. And having you both here tonight means a lot not only to our community but here to this radio station because together we create that legacy that helps us continue our stories.
203. So with that in mind, we're going to take a brief station break, but now's the time to call in.
204. So call 818-985-5735.
205. That's 818-985-5735, option one.
206. So if you want a pair of tickets to this year's WeHo Pride 2026 Festival, call in now.
207. And then on the other side of this break, later on in the show, we'll announce our winner.
208. So we'll take a break right now.
209. We'll be right back.
210. Late night voices on the radio glow
211. Stories we carry, the truth we don't show
212. Every color, every name, every story, every flame
213. I am, are you?
214. Hear the truth come through
215. I am, are you?
216. Are you?
217. Hear the truth come through
218. Executive Vice President.
219. Joining me tonight are West Hollywood City Council Member John Erickson and Lee Dowd, Executive Vice President of Out Loud Music Festival.
220. and we continuing our conversation about We Hope Pride and what it means and how important it is to our community and where it headed Now let talk about the state of the community
221. How do you reconcile unprecedented LGBTQ plus visibility with the attacks that we're seeing around the country?
222. Let's start off with John, our council member from West Hollywood.
223. I mean, we are tired.
224. Yes, we are.
225. You know, I mean, look, people have been fighting these battles forever, right?
226. And that is the problem when our civil rights are put over not only to the voters, but to
227. people like fascists, like we have in the White House, that want to take them away.
228. We have to continually fight for not only marriage equality, but bodily autonomy, you
229. know, ensuring that the social services like our amazing orgs like Project Angel Food or
230. other organizations that provide critical life-saving tools for individuals that either
231. have AIDS or need food supplies are getting the food that they need. I mean, the work that we have
232. to do from the LA LGBT Center to Planned Parenthood, we have been fighting for decades,
233. and we will keep fighting for decades, no matter how tired we are. Because no matter what, our
234. rights and our liberties do not belong on the ballot. They belong where we should deserve them,
235. no matter what. And they should be something that no one has to fight for, because they are granted
236. to us because it's the right thing to do. But since we continue to have a lot of hatred in this country,
237. we have to continually fight for the people that need us the most. And that is something we dedicate
238. ourselves to doing. So whether it's at a music festival, on the community street fair, or
239. ensuring that you can live loud and proud who you are, that's the work that we're setting out to do,
240. no matter if it's Pride Month or if it's October or January.
241. Absolutely. Now, Lee Dowd, your work and your collaboration, your work with the Out Loud
242. Music Festival and your collaboration with West Hollywood for the WeHo Pride Festival,
243. you know, what are your concerns, especially in terms of safety for an event like this?
244. How do you approach that?
245. We are monitoring the temperature constantly.
246. I mean, it's a constant conversation for safety, which is of utmost importance.
247. We hire safety and security liaisons and consultants to work alongside us.
248. And we always make sure that every single person who shows up to our festival, whether you're coming to the free street fair or you're coming into Outloud Music Festival, our biggest concern is that people are safe.
249. And it has to be.
250. With that many people coming and congregating in one space, safety is definitely the top concern.
251. Absolutely.
252. Now, on the other side of that, gentlemen, what gives each one of you hope for our community?
253. John, you want to start off with that?
254. Yeah, I'll start off.
255. John Erickson, our West Hollywood council member.
256. I will say that I was really fortunate to be named a distinguished alumni back at my high school in Ripon, Wisconsin, right?
257. And I got to meet not only the LGBTQ club, which is like the most powerful club there now, besides Future Farmers of America. You can never compete with our farmers, of course. But nevertheless-
258. But to be on par, that's pretty amazing.
259. It beyond par It the same thing But there was a young man that I met who came out and then when he turned 18 got a great scholarship to college in my hometown and then decided to run for school board of which when he was elected to my hometown school board to be the voice of the future of the generation That what gives me hope Preston Benton is his name He gives me hope And that the exact type of work that we have to do That terrific I just want to take this moment to congratulate Carlos P who got the tickets to the Weho Pride Festival for calling in to the show tonight
260. So, Carlos P., thank you so much for listening to IMRU and KPFK and helping the legacy of this wonderful radio show continue for another 52 years and more, we hope.
261. I don't know if I'll be here for that, but I'm holding on.
262. I'm holding on.
263. so uh yeah what you know with the with that in mind lee what gives you hope
264. you know some days it's hard to have hope when you're seeing a lot of these things that are
265. happening in our country but the thing that i lean on so heavily especially in doing this work
266. and putting on events like this i remind myself that it's somebody's first ride and how they show
267. up in the world after experiencing something like this is going to be so influenced by the event
268. that they're attending, the people that they're getting to meet, the community that they get to
269. see, whether it's seeing themselves or seeing other colors of the rainbow on the streets of
270. West Hollywood. And just remembering that it's somebody's first pride gives me a bit of almost
271. childlike joy for the work that I get to do in putting something like this together.
272. What a beautiful segue, you know, Lee, because that was, I wanted to talk on a more personal
273. level. We've got less than five minutes left in the show. It goes by so fast. So with that in mind,
274. on a personal note, I was going to ask, has there been a moment when you realize
275. your work impacted someone's life in a way you didn't expect? And with the notion that this may
276. be their first pride and the impact that that can have on their lives. I think that that hits that
277. personal level right there. So for John, what on a personal level, where, when was that moment? Or
278. can you think of a moment where you realize that the impact that you have with the work that you
279. do can impact somebody's life in a way that you didn't expect? I mean, it was creating We Hope
280. Pride. I mean, we did that. I was on the council when we created We Hope Pride. And I'm really
281. proud of the work that it's done ever since then. I mean, I've seen so many, I mean, tens and
282. hundreds of thousands of people experience it in such a beautiful way. I mean, you go to the parade,
283. you see families there, I run off the float to hug them to give them candy and all the stuff that we
284. got. But also West Hollywood pride, you know, or pride in West Hollywood, you know, when I first
285. moved here was my first pride because I came from a state like Wisconsin. And so, you know, I only
286. know we help pride in that way so i come from ohio so a fellow midwesterner i get it i completely get
287. it yeah um in fact one of the times when i was on a float and pride uh the l word was filming uh
288. pride that and and i i was watching the l word and all of a sudden i see myself on a float
289. so you never know where it's gonna get get you so um i think that that was my very first pride
290. in West Hollywood.
291. Was that your very first pride?
292. I remember that year.
293. I just moved to LA
294. maybe a year prior to that.
295. Oh, wow.
296. But I do remember
297. the L Word shooting.
298. Yes.
299. See, we're all connected,
300. aren't we?
301. Yeah.
302. Now, this is a question
303. for the both of you,
304. both for John Erickson
305. and Lee Dowd.
306. We'll start off with Lee.
307. What has the LGBTQ plus community
308. taught you about yourself?
309. Wow.
310. I have learned
311. resilience and I think I learned a lot about resilience because of the community that we in and getting to see so many beautiful people um who are are willing to continue to wake up every morning and
312. fight and and live out loud and proud um that's that's what this community has taught me is is
313. that it's important to be resilient but it's also a beautiful thing absolutely and for John Erickson
314. or a council member in West Hollywood?
315. What has Pride taught you?
316. What has our community taught you?
317. Resilience, right?
318. Resilience, resilience, resilience.
319. I mean, it's not only getting down,
320. getting back up after you feel down
321. or the news, you know, depresses you.
322. It's about why we get back up
323. and how we get back up.
324. So it's that resilience
325. that we all need to rely on.
326. And frankly, you know,
327. live loud, live proud,
328. and don't take any guff from anyone.
329. I mean, you know, we all have to get to that level where we can be that proud in who we are.
330. But, you know, embrace the resilience and it will get you there.
331. That's a Midwestern in you.
332. Don't take guff from anybody.
333. Yeah, I did.
334. I did just out myself as not only gay, but also my Midwestern roots.
335. I would say a lot more Midwestern.
336. Yeah, me too.
337. Me too.
338. Now, for the both of you, what is for the last question for the show tonight for the both of you?
339. What do you hope Pride looks like 10 years from now?
340. Lee?
341. I hope that we're continuing to celebrate a lot of wins. I hope that we are living in a world where it's not just about tolerance, but it's about acceptance across every part of the LGBTQ plus spectrum.
342. And John?
343. I hope we are fully funding HIV and AIDS programs, meals for LGBTQ seniors and individuals that need it. I hope we have a ton more elected LGBTQ officials. And I hope President Trump's in prison and we're all celebrating that every year on Pride.
344. Now that's some gumption.
345. That's some gumption. But you know, if we dream it, we can do it.
346. Absolutely. I'm going to close out the show tonight. I'm going to give my thanks, my many, many thanks tonight to West Hollywood City Council member John Erickson and Lee Dowd, executive vice president of Out Loud Music Festival.
347. Now, tonight's conversation, we're going to have a little music under our closing. Here we go. It's our L.A. Pride remix of our I Am R U theme song.
348. Now, tonight's conversation reminds us that Pride is much more than a weekend celebration.
349. It's about community.
350. It's about visibility.
351. It's about protecting the spaces where LGBTQ plus people can gather, connect, and feel seen.
352. Whether that work happens through public service, advocacy, entertainment, or simply showing up for one another, it all helps strengthen our community.
353. Thank you both for joining us tonight and for the work you continue to do throughout the year.
354. Thank you as well to my very fabulous co-producer, Arnella Barbara, and our amazing board op, Irene.
355. For information about We Hope Pride and related events, stay connected with the organizations helping move our community forward.
356. You've been listening to IMRU on KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles, broadcasting out loud and out proud since 1974.
357. Stay tuned for our Queer Community Calendar and This Way Out coming up next.
358. And as I always like to say, this is good night, but not goodbye.
359. Good evening, my beautiful queens, kings, drag superstars, rainbow rebels, glitter warriors, fabulous humans,
360. and everyone under the magnificent LGBTQIA plus umbrella.
361. Here is our community calendar for the week.
362. Tuesday, June 2nd.
363. Taco Tuesday at Jungle Hollywood at 1640 North Coanga Boulevard in Hollywood.
364. Opens at 9 p.m.
365. Wednesday, June 3rd, Flamingo Girls Disco Burlesque at Tramp Stamp Granny's.
366. I'm glad my grandma's got something going on.
367. At 1638 North Coenga Boulevard in Hollywood.
368. Opens at 8 p.m.
369. On Thursday, June 4th, Studio 420 at the Artist Tree at 8625 Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood.
370. From 5.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m.
371. On Friday, June 5th, LGBTQ Plus Night at Dodger Stadium.
372. Go Dodgers!
373. 1000 Vinscully Avenue, Los Angeles.
374. Start time, 7.10 p.m.
375. We Hope Pride weekend begins Friday, June 5th through Sunday, June 7th
376. at West Hollywood Park at 647 North San Vicente Boulevard in West Hollywood.
377. Friday night programming and concerts start at 6 p.m.
378. Saturday, June 6th, We Hope Pride Street Fair, West Hollywood Park from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
379. I'm sure our ticket winner from tonight, Carlos P, will be going to that on Friday or Saturday or Sunday.
380. So have fun.
381. Now, also on Saturday, June 6th, Roteria.
382. El Amor es Resistencia at La Plaza de Cultura y Artes at 501 North Main Street, Los Angeles from 2 to 7 p.m.
383. And Sunday, June 7th, the We Hope Pride Parade from 12 to 6.
384. I think it starts early in the morning, so get the early kids and watch your parking signs.
385. Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, and the street fair begins from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
386. Also on Sunday, June 7th, Pride at the Fowler Museum at UCLA starts at 2 p.m.
387. And that's your community calendar for the week.
388. You've been listening to IMRU on KPFK with your host and executive producer, Michael Taylor Gray.
389. A huge thank you to Arnella Barbara, our fabulous queer community calendar producer and co-producer of IMRU.
390. Thank you to our amazing board operator Irene and everyone at KPFK, who helps keep community radio alive, thriving, and fabulous.
391. Remember, stay full of glitter and never litter.
392. Stay tuned for This Way Out, coming up next on KPFK 90.7 FM in Los Angeles.
393. I'd like to thank all of our listeners for tuning in and especially thank those of you who pledged your support or renewed your membership to KPFK during this past fund drive.
394. The support of generous listeners like you is what allows this listener-sponsored station to operate and to maintain its fierce independence.
395. It's a very special relationship, so thank you once again for being a part of it.
396. I am talking to you as Jimmy Baldwin, who has a certain responsibility to the people that produced him.
397. That is all of you.
398. I'm thinking of James Baldwin's poem in this response and the idea of what it means to have the responsibility of speaking for someone or for a people.
399. I am going to be doing a compare and contrast piece about how Pride has changed and how generations view the future of Pride It time to seize the power of dyke love dyke vision dyke anger dyke intelligence dyke strategy
400. Welcome to This Way Out, the international LGBTQ radio magazine. I'm Lucy Chappell.
401. In this week's news, there's identification liberation for Kenya's trans people,
402. but there's been yet another bust at an alleged gay party in Malaysia.
403. From the present-day news, we'll recall yesterday's headlines in a rainbow rewind
404. featuring June occasions from Kinto to marriage equality.
405. And we'll glimpse into the future with samples of our upcoming series for Pride season.
406. We'll get into the heads of LGBTQ plus youth and elders.
407. We'll march with dykes, hear young poets respond to their ancestors.
408. And that's not all this week.
409. I'll bet you'll be glad you discovered this way out.
410. I'm Rhett.
411. And I'm Sarah Montague.
412. With News Wrap, a summary of some of the news in or affecting LGBT communities around the world
413. for the week ending May 30th, 2026.
414. The latest raid on a so-called gay party in Kuala Lumpur nabbed 51 men.
415. An individual found unconscious in the lobby of a luxury hotel prompted the police action.
416. He was rushed to the hospital but pronounced dead on arrival.
417. Details about the cause of death have not been released.
418. Four raids are said to have been carried out in the evening on Sunday, May 24.
419. The men detained were taken from different rooms throughout the hotel.
420. Police seized MDMA, ecstasy, and ketamine.
421. 36 people tested positive for drugs in initial urine tests.
422. The 51 men who were apprehended remained in custody for three to six days.
423. Some of those arrested allegedly were found using rooms at the hotel to party, abuse drugs, and engage in immoral activities.
424. Homosexuality is criminalized in Malaysia.
425. No charges related to queer activity have been announced so far.
426. Criminal lawyer Goshi Yee criticized the police for calling the men's gathering a gay party.
427. He warned that unprofessional labeling or comments from the authorities risk influencing judicial perception on the matter.
428. As co-founder of the Malaysian LGBTQ Rights Group, Justice for Sisters Thilaga Sulathire pointed out the fact that LGBTQ people and their identities are perceived as a form of vice and immorality in a context of criminalization of LGBTQ people makes LGBTQ people vulnerable to human rights violations.
429. The Kenyan High Court has ruled that it is a constitutional violation to deny the right to change gender markers on official documents.
430. The major win for the rights of transgender and intersex Kenyan people comes at the end of a legal battle that began in 2020.
431. Transgender activists Audrey Mbugwa Itibu and two others who did not receive amended birth certificates
432. sued Attorney General Dorcas Odor, the Register of Births and Deaths,
433. the National Registration Bureau, and Immigration Services Director.
434. On May 20th, the High Court ruled that Kenyan law does not expressly prohibit altering gender markers.
435. Applications to change gender markers on birth certificates and other government IDs
436. must now be processed on a case-by-case basis.
437. State agencies must stop automatically denying those requests The Kenyan advocacy group Initiative for Equality and Non chaired the ruling saying access to legal identity documentation
438. is not just a human rights issue,
439. it's a foundational pillar of socioeconomic inclusion.
440. Transgender Kenyans will ideally have fewer barriers to employment,
441. travel, financial systems,
442. and participate in the political process now with accurate IDs and passports.
443. The official Stonewall National Monument in New York City is in jeopardy again.
444. The National Trust for Historic Preservation is adding it to the list of the United States' most endangered historic places.
445. The Trust has identified 11 endangered sites each year since 1988.
446. This year's list commemorates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence,
447. featuring places that exemplify the equality of all people.
448. Earlier this year, the rainbow flag was removed from the Stonewall National Monument by the Trump administration.
449. Public outrage brought protesters into the streets and the federal government was sued.
450. The settlement required the government to rehang the flag.
451. The monument, dedicated to the site of the Stonewall uprising in 1969, is the first and only national monument dedicated to LGBTQ plus history.
452. This year will mark the 10th anniversary of its designation. The Pauli-Murray Center, honoring the late black gender variant theologian and activist, was a national landmark until the same Trump policy demands recently stripped it of its status.
453. the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit National Trust for Historic Preservation,
454. says their lists have galvanized public support to protect more than 350 sites.
455. Their statement warns that the National Stonewall Monument faces federal actions and policy changes
456. that endanger the site's historically accurate interpretation, community representation,
457. and educational impact, including the participation of the full range of LGBTQ plus people in the
458. Stonewall uprising. Student suspensions related to homophobic, transphobic, ableist, and racist
459. abuse are on the rise in United Kingdom schools. New data from the Department of Education shows
460. a 68% increase in mentions of prejudicial abuse in the reasons for suspension over the past four
461. years. In 2020, abuse based on sexual orientation and gender identity were added as reasons for
462. suspensions in the Department of Education's data. The BBC, Yahoo UK, and other news outlets
463. reported a jump in these abuses from 2021 to 2025. However, the data appears to be a bit more
464. complicated. Further study shows that these outlets all had an incorrect starting number of suspensions.
465. The accounts of homophobic and transphobic suspensions
466. have stayed within the same ballpark over the last five years.
467. With the biggest jump actually happening last year,
468. the current numbers stay around the 1,000 mark.
469. So rather than homophobic and transphobic abuses
470. specifically being on the rise,
471. the research indicates that prejudicial abuses in schools
472. are generally on the rise.
473. However, homophobic and transphobic abuse
474. is an ongoing crisis in UK schools.
475. It looks as if that'll be the way for some time.
476. a wing designed specifically for queer women and non-binary people.
477. It's being advertised as a platform of content curated for the female gaze,
478. inclusive of lesbian, trans, and non-binary identities.
479. Lesbian was the most viewed category for women on the website in 2025.
480. VP of brand and community Alex Kasecki's press release proclaimed,
481. Pornhub Saffik was created in direct response to feedback from lesbian, queer, and straight women
482. who told us they wanted an experience that felt made for them. Nonetheless, not everyone finds
483. the idea titillating. Initial dissenters are concerned that Pornhub Saffik will just continue
484. the industry's exploitation and fetishization of lesbians. Other critics say it's capitalism
485. under the guise of diversity and inclusion.
486. Paulita Poppel is the founder of Lustry.com.
487. She told Metro that Pornhub responds to market signals.
488. Women and non-binary people watch porn.
489. They are a demographic worth designing for,
490. and making that visible matters.
491. Poppel added, with anything related to pornography,
492. its industry, and its social impact,
493. nothing is ever simply good or bad,
494. and Pornhub's new SAFIC site is no exception.
495. The site is now available in a public beta format.
496. That's News Wrap, global queer news with attitude.
497. For the week ending May 30th, 2026.
498. Follow the news in your area and around the world.
499. An informed community is a strong community.
500. News Wrap was written by Jeb Bockey, produced by Lucille Chappelle and Brian DeShazel, and brought to you by you.
501. Thank you. Help keep us in ears around the world at thiswayout.org, where you can also read the text of this newscast and much more.
502. For This Way Out, I'm Rhett. Stay healthy.
503. And I'm Sarah Montague. Stay safe.
504. you're listening to this way out the international lgbtq radio magazine now it's time to rewind the
505. rainbow this is the rainbow rewind where we take a quick look back at the people and the moments
506. that made queer history i'm sherry lunn this week we honor the early june birthdays of actor
507. Zachary Quinto, journalist Anderson Cooper, performer Josephine Baker, and poet Allen
508. Ginsberg. Now, let's rewind to a few June key queer milestones. Let's kick off Pride Month
509. with a look back at some landmark happenings in the early morning hours of June 1969.
510. New York City police officers raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Manhattan's Greenwich Village.
511. Instead of dispersing, patrons and local community members fought back against the police harassment.
512. Led heavily by trans women of color, drag queens, and street youth, the subsequent riots lasted for several days and served as the primary catalyst for the modern LGBTQ rights movement.
513. Exactly one year after the uprising, activists organized the Christopher Street Liberation Day March in New York City in June 1970.
514. Concurrently, marches were held in Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco, marking the first coordinated gay pride parades in history.
515. And the Supreme Court has issued some of its most critical decisions on LGBTQ civil rights in June.
516. In 2003, they ruled that sodomy laws were unconstitutional, effectively decriminalizing same-sex relationships and establishing
517. a constitutional right to privacy. In 2013, the Defense of Marriage Act was struck down,
518. ruling that the government could not deny federal benefits to legally married same-sex couples.
519. In 2015, they legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, requiring all 50 states to issue
520. marriage licenses and recognize marriages performed in other states. And in 2020,
521. they ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects LGBTQ employees, making it illegal
522. for employers to fire someone simply on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
523. That's this week's Rainbow Rewind, because remembering our past fuels our pride.
524. I'm Sheri Lunn. Stay tuned. More This Way Out is coming up.
525. How did the event that put lesbian visibility on the map get its start?
526. Where is the next generation that will shape queer identities?
527. How does art fuel the movement?
528. We'll be looking at all those questions and more in Proud Voices,
529. a series of special features for Pride season.
530. Today's program is a tray of hors d'oeuvres to whet your appetite.
531. Here comes one of our special guests now.
532. My name is Brian Sonia Wallace, and I'm the Poet Laureate of the City of Los Angeles.
533. I'm excited this Pride Month to be featuring the voices of youth from Get Lit, Words Ignite,
534. which is a teen literacy program based here in Los Angeles,
535. and their responses to poems and writing by classic LGBTQ plus authors and thinkers.
536. Aristotle created his poetics within the context of a slave-based economy.
537. an imperialist democracy not unlike the corporate controlled democracy we are witnessing in these
538. United States. The in my view idolatrous and indeed blasphemous idea that the United States
539. or any other nation is a sort of pagan god which has to have literature offered up to it
540. as a burnt sacrifice.
541. American capitalism is not ready for people of color theater
542. that holds members of its audience complicitous
543. in the oppression of its characters.
544. And that one sort of literature should be unacceptable to its nostrils.
545. Prior to Hitler's taking over in the 20s,
546. the gay movement in Germany was more advanced
547. than the gay movement in San Francisco in 1978.
548. There were letters written to the Reichstag
549. They told them to throw out the anti-gay laws.
550. Scientists, doctors, everybody was preaching for gayness and acceptability.
551. In Russia, 1917, they threw out the anti-gay laws.
552. And then Stalin took over.
553. That was the end of the gay movement.
554. Hitler took over, then the gay movement.
555. And if you think history doesn't repeat itself, you're crazy.
556. We, young and black and fine and gay,
557. sweated out our first heartbreaks with no school nor office chums
558. to share that confidence over lunch hour.
559. Just as there were no rings to make tangible the reason for our happy secret smiles,
560. there were no names nor reasons given or shared
561. for the tears that messed up the lab reports or the library bills.
562. We were good listeners and never asked for double dates,
563. but didn't we know the rules?
564. I introduced the word lesbian into the movement.
565. didn mean to do it but I did it and it worked fine We discovered and explored our attention to women alone sometimes in secret sometimes in defiance sometimes in little pockets that almost touched Why are those little black girls always either whispering together or fighting
566. I did a panel called, Is Lesbianism a Feminist Issue? And that was the first time the word was said out loud. And all hell broke loose in 1970.
567. Lesbian feminist is actually two dirty words.
568. These words are dirty to the ears of most people
569. because women who are lesbians and feminists
570. challenge the order and control of our society.
571. We represent a threat to the heterosexual norm,
572. we challenge the invisibility and powerlessness of womankind,
573. and we have a self-proclaimed mission
574. to destroy the patriarchal world order.
575. Threatening? You bet.
576. What you have to do, as I see it,
577. is to decide what you would be like
578. if there were nobody else in the world.
579. I have to say some very reckless things tonight,
580. and so I want to make it absolutely clear
581. that I am talking for myself.
582. I am not, I might be at other platforms and other occasions,
583. more or less representing this or that organization
584. or this or that committee,
585. but tonight I am talking to you as Jimmy Baldwin,
586. who was born in Harlem 39 years ago, who has a certain responsibility to the people that
587. produced him, that is all of you. And I'm speaking to you, if I may say so, not as an organizer,
588. and not as a Negro leader, and not as a public figure, not as any of those things,
589. but as one of the poets that you produced. I'm thinking of James Baldwin's poem in this
590. response and the idea of what it means to have the responsibility of speaking for someone or for a
591. people and the ways in which in the words of a friend of mine about the current generation we
592. are all terminally unique and our experiences are so uh individualized that it can be tough to
593. find shared experiences or find analogous experiences from other people and the importance
594. of that as we are within that experience and thinking as well what it means to
595. be a leader in a community in a movement and still to take care of your own story and still
596. to be able to tell your own story and to get in trouble for your own story the edge
597. epigraph of all the unimportant things football is the most important pope john paul ii
598. okay you know on second thought i think we'll keep brian sonia wallace's poem until the end
599. of the program right now i'm going to speak with emma shulman who's working on another piece for
600. our Pride series. Tell us about it, Emma. Yes. So I will be interviewing a couple members,
601. a couple of clients of the LGBT Center, one of whom is a member of the Youth Center named Cassie
602. and another member, which is someone who is in senior services. And I am going to be doing a
603. compare and contrast piece about how Pride has changed and about how Pride has evolved and how
604. generations view the future of pride.
605. Since you're a younger person, what do you think about the future of pride?
606. I have a lot of hope about the future of pride.
607. I think there a lot of energy and a lot of momentum and a lot of of course strides to be made Trans rights are under attack everywhere The administration is trying to ban any form of mentions of queer people and trans people in education
608. And is basically trying to implement a national don't say gay bill, essentially, that Florida had.
609. But I am optimistic because I think that we are getting energized.
610. And I think that we will have the spirit to fight it.
611. It sometimes seems so strange to me that like your generation is almost going to be starting where we started.
612. All the rights stripped away and you have to start again to get everything back.
613. And I think that even though it does seem like maybe we are moving backwards, there's this quote by Mark Twain that I'm going to paraphrase a little bit.
614. and it's that history doesn't repeat itself, but sure does rhyme.
615. And I think that that's what we're saying right now.
616. But that doesn't mean, just means it's rhyming,
617. doesn't mean that we can't be louder than that.
618. We'll have more previews of our Proud Voices series after this message.
619. Our listeners support This Way Out in many ways.
620. By subscribing to our e-newsletter.
621. Email us at info at thiswayout.org.
622. and through your financial contributions to our program.
623. More information about how you can give is online at thiswayout.org.
624. Thank you.
625. Our Pride programming preview now continues with Abigail DeRoberts.
626. As the 1993 march on Washington for LGBT rights and liberation was approaching,
627. the New York City-based direct action group the Lesbian Avengers had some plans.
628. Along with ACT UP groups from L.A. and Philadelphia and Puss in Boots in L.A.,
629. The Avengers put ads in lesbian publications and distributed 8,000 flyers promoting a dyke march on the evening before the big event.
630. They asked for no permission and no permits, but came armed with a manifesto that called for a fierce lesbian movement.
631. On April 24, 1993, over 20,000 women showed up to DuPont Circle in D.C. and marched to the White House and onto the National Mall with dykes on bikes, fire-eating lesbians, and a united front for the movement.
632. The manifesto declared, calling all lesbians, wake up.
633. It's time to get out of the beds, out of the bars, and into the streets.
634. It's time to seize the power of dyke love, dyke vision, dyke anger, dyke intelligence,
635. dyke strategy.
636. It's time to organize and incite.
637. It's time to get together and fight.
638. By directly confronting political issues faced by dykes in the queer community and encouraging
639. social justice activism, the Dyke March brought a whole new dimension to the celebration of pride.
640. Today, the spirit of the first Dyke Marches has blossomed into a decentralized,
641. grassroots constellation of lesbian pride and organizing, with lesbians still taking to the
642. streets to demand justice and liberation for themselves and their communities. Dyke Marches
643. happen in dozens of cities worldwide across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the U.K., Spain, Italy,
644. France, Germany, Sweden, Japan, the Netherlands, and more.
645. Dyke Days center inclusivity and non-commercial celebration by and for queer women.
646. Collectively, these events keep the radical fire burning, encouraging organizing within
647. the lesbian community and centering social justice issues One example is this year D Dyke March Stepping up with the theme Dikes Against Ice Marching for Liberation confronting intersectional issues of oppression
648. faced by their own community. Another hallmark of Dike Marches is the centering of safety and
649. inclusivity for all, ensuring that the breadth and depth of the SAFIC community is represented
650. through language access, disability access, strong marshals, and inclusive planning to represent a
651. diverse tapestry of dykes. As we celebrate Pride Month here in the U.S., This Way Out Radio will
652. be covering dyke marches and events across the country from D.C. to West Hollywood. Stay tuned
653. for our extra special Pride Month programming, and remember the words of the Lesbian Avengers,
654. we're dykes, we're out, we're out for power. Los Angeles poet laureate Brian Sonia Wallace
655. started us off with his thoughts about James Baldwin. We end with his poem in response.
656. The Edge. Epigraph. Of all the unimportant things, football is the most important. Pope John Paul II.
657. I built an athlete's body over a frightened youth.
658. Me, the queer kid in drama club.
659. The awkward American in another country, reaching for a way to speak.
660. How many of us find it on a soccer pitch?
661. In the calluses, a weight leaves on your palms.
662. My handprint tells the story of every time I overcame myself.
663. These muscles are another book I've written
664. Poem in motion
665. Memoir at rest
666. To be queer
667. Is to have a history
668. Of trying to overcome
669. Your body
670. We learn through practice
671. Which desires can be put aside
672. And which are fundamental
673. To who we are
674. Queer means the body
675. Is not to be taken for granted
676. Our village of outcasts pushed toward acceptance
677. Learned to embrace the sports that haunted us as kids
678. As a way of speaking proudly
679. We come back tomorrow, win or lose
680. And the world is a little lighter
681. We strain, which is to say we remember to breathe
682. The body never lies
683. It needs no translator
684. To grow up in Los Angeles is to grow up between cultures
685. In school they taught us folklorico dances and taiko drums
686. Shakespeare and how to make ice cream with just milk and ice and salt
687. Our playground screams spanned half a dozen languages
688. Tethered by the handball we passed between us
689. There is so much we cannot understand by speaking
690. We had to learn, to walk, to love, to sing
691. And some of us didn't stop
692. Knew if the body was capable of these miracles
693. It must be capable of others
694. My dad is patient
695. Every time I crash the bike
696. He does not reprimand the tears
697. On which I build my strength to try again
698. My mom holds my hands
699. While my feet learn to kick
700. Until I can tread water
701. We are all so much more than ourselves
702. It took family to get us here
703. We arrive with their strength in our fingertips
704. More than blood
705. I am made of every training partner and coach and friend and poet who ever scolded me, praised me,
706. pushed me to be more because we find our best selves through each other. Beyond every division,
707. competition, a wild, hoping heartbeat, you can learn to trust how someone else will move.
708. where they'll be when the ball leaves your hand.
709. In that moment, you'll let it go.