Outward

Expanding the LGBTQ conversation.

About the Show

Outward, Slate’s queer podcast, is a whip-smart weekly 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.

Hosts

Making ‘When We All Get to Heaven’

Bryan and Christina sit down with Lynne Gerber, to discuss the new limited series about how queer churches responded to the AIDS crisis.

From Hit Parade: The Hidden History of Queer Pop Icons

From Little Richard to Chappell Roan, queer artists have always been vanguards of pop, even when they have not been out.

From Hit Parade: The Closet Was Never Binary

Barry Walters, a scholar of LGBTQ music, says queer artists have long expressed their identities on a spectrum.

Archiving the Spirit of Ballroom with Michael Roberson

Michael Roberson traces the spiritual, political, and public health roots of the ballroom scene.

Bonus: Michael Roberson Adds to the Gay Agenda

Michael Roberson adds a sweeping history of ballroom to the Gay Agenda

Trans Rights in the Court and in Congress

Mark Joseph Stern breaks down the Skrmetti decision; Rep. Becca Balint speaks from inside the fight

Bonus: Books for Kids, Docs for Grownups, Care for Us All

Uncle Bobby’s Wedding, Sally Ride’s legacy, and real-time care for trans lives.

Small-Town Pride Blooms

Bryan dives in with Christina Cauterucci’s reporting on rising rural Prides and we hear from an organizer of Canyon County Pride in Idaho.

Bonus: Queer Joy Recs from Idaho to DC

Bryan, Christina, and Van share their additions to the gay agenda.

America’s Gay Restaurants with Erik Pipenberg

A history of queer placemaking through food, fellowship, and public space

Bonus: The Gay Agenda: Queer Culinary History + Rosie in Ireland

Erik Piepenburg shares his favorite queer culinary histories, and Christina breaks down Rosie O’Donnell’s latest media moment.

Queer Travel Writing with Alden Jones

Queer writers, global stories: Alden Jones on challenging the legacy of travel literature.

Bonus: Horror, Hacks, and a Touch of Sappho

Lights, Camera, Lesbian Chaos

Iowa’s Civil Rights Crisis with Hope Giselle and Dr. David Johns

What Iowa’s rollback of trans rights reveals about the fragility of civil protections.

Bonus: Hope Giselle and Dr. David Johns add to the Gay Agenda

We’ve got juicy gossip, great television, and music to get you through.

How The Gay Rights Movement Became Trans-Exclusionary

Christina sits down with author Zein Murib to talk about his recent article for Slate ‘Why Are Trans People Such an Easy Political Target?’

Bonus: Professor Zein Murib Adds to the Gay Agenda

Zein Murib has two additions to keep you busy.

Planning San Francisco Pride in a Shifting Political Landscape with Suzanne Ford

Christina Cauterucci speaks with SF Pride’s Executive Director about organizing Pride while corporate allies shift toward Trump-era politics.

Bonus: The Gay Agenda Gets a Clean Slate and a Must-Listen Addition

SF Pride’s Executive Director Suzanne Ford adds her two cents to the Gay Agenda

The New Lavender Scare with Christina Cauterucci

Jules Gill-Peterson talks with Christina Cauterucci about her latest piece on queer federal workers.

Bonus: The Gay Agenda: Andrea Long Chu’s Our Reasons

Jules Gill Peterson adds a must-read to the Gay Agenda

Renaissance Trans Theologies and History with Colby Gordon

How Renaissance theology and literature reveal a long history of transition—socially, spiritually, and surgically.

The Gay Agenda: Colby Gordon Queers the Classics.

Cis People in Paradise Lost? Not According to Colby Gordon.

Should We Get Guns?

Bryan, Christina, and Jules discuss Queer people turning to firearms for protection.

Pride and Provocations: The Twink Debate and the Fight to Preserve Queer History

Bryan, Christina, and Jules share their prides and provocations.

Why Love Isn’t Apolitical: Liberation and Rethinking Relationships

Bryan Lowder sits down with Dean Spade to talk about his new book Love in A F*cked Up World: How to Build Relationships, Hook Up, and Raise Hell Together

Bonus: Lawyer, Activist, and Author Dean Spade Adds to the Gay Agenda

Dean Spade recommends a book, and Bryan Lowder suggests a party.

Slapping Leather: The Untamed History of the Gay Rodeo

Christina Cauterucci talks with historian Rebecca Scofield about the history of gay rodeo.

Bonus: Books That Bring Queer History and Love to Life

Christina Cauterucci and Rebecca Scofield add their picks to the Gay Agenda

The “Protect the Children” Trap: How Trump Targets Trans Rights

Bryan Lowder sits down with Nico Lang to unpack how Trump is using child protection rhetoric to push anti-trans policies

Bonus: This Week’s Gay Agenda: High Society Scandals and Game Show Schemes

Bryan and Nico Share Must-Watch TV From Reality Twists to Period Mysteries

Chase Strangio on Trump’s Anti-Trans Policies

The ACLU Lawyer talks about the legal situation around healthcare, passports, and more.

Bonus: Bryan and Christina Make Additions to the Gay Agenda

Classic gay rage and important gay resources on this week’s agenda

A Trans Military Member Speaks Out

Christina Cauterucci talks with a trans lieutenant commander in the Navy about Trump’s trans military ban. A Lambda Legal lawyer describes the legal battle ahead.

Bonus: Trump’s New LGBTQ+ Appointee and Queering Severance

Pride’s rightwing drift and Severance’s love story.

Creating a Home for Trans Surgery Recovery

Jules Gill-Peterson sits down with Owen Dempsey from Quest Healing House, a post-op recovery home by and for transmasculine people.

Bonus: A Deep Dive into Trans History & Some Drag Queen Joy

Owen and Jules share what has been getting them through.

Breaking Down Emilia Perez: Backlash, Awards Buzz, and Corporate Pride

Bryan Lowder, Jules Gill-Peterson, and Christina Cauterucci take on the trans queenpin musical of our nightmares.

Bonus: Pride and Provocations for a New Administration

With the executive order onslaught, Bryan, Christina, and Jules find some pride in spite of the provocative headlines