Rated LGBT Radio

Much Ado About Dying- A Gay Uncle’s Dramatic Swan Song Documentary

The award winning documentary Much Ado About Dying has its US theatrical premiere March 15! Today we talk to filmmaker Simon Chambers. When Simon Chambers received an email from his elderly gay uncle — “I think I may be dying” — he took it as a summons. His Uncle David, a retired actor living alone in a cluttered, mouse-infested London house, was being dramatic. But a documentary film was born.
For the next five years, Simon both cared for and documented  Uncle David, through all his performative exuberance (acting out passages of Shakespeare), swings from boisterous humor to short temper, and physical/mental challenges.  Simon is present for it all and the film captures the impact on him as the gay nephew potentially witnessing his own future.
 Best Directing, International Competition at the 2022 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam Award winner, Simon taught disadvantaged teenagers in London for 14 years before turning his hand to films.  In 2006, with his first feature ‘Every Good Marriage Begins With Tears’, he realized that he had a knack for making the kind of documentaries that people want to watch.
 
With co-host Brody Levesque

The Death of Trans Teen Nex Benedict vs the Libs of TikTok Oklahoma Culture

Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old non-binary student from Oklahoma, tragically died on February 8, 2024, after three girls beat him up in a restroom on Campus. .Nex had been experiencing bullying for over a year due to their gender identity. This alleged bullying reportedly began soon after a law was passed in Oklahoma requiring students to use bathrooms corresponding to their birth certificates and an anti-trans culture emerging in Oklahoma thanks to the involvement of Libs of TikTok in the school system there.
Today we talk about what it is like to be an LGBTQ youth in the state of Oklahoma, and the effects of the death of Nex Benedict. We will be talking to Travis, a youth in the school system, with Scotty Hernandez, the president of PFLAG Oklahoma, and LGBTQ youth advocate, Lance Preston, founder and executive director of Rainbow Youth Project USA, and with Kris Williams, a queer youth advocate working through the Diversity Center of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City.. 
Scotty is also a real estate agent who serves as the Oklahoma president of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals. He ran unsuccessfully for a school board seat in the OKCPS District 4.  Lance, one of our heroes and good friend of the show, founded Rainbow Youth Project as a social welfare organization in response to recent legislation targeting the rights of LGBTQIA+ people, women, Indigenous people, and immigrants in the United States. Kris has  two decades of successful experience in developing queer youth programming; from social support, homeless services, mental health support, and inpatient residential programming. Kris specializes in 2SLGBTQ+ cultural competency trainings and was recently a guest speaker with the Trevor Project at the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention's national conference.
With co-host Brody Levesque

Everywhere is Queer, the YELP App for LGBTQ People, Creator is in the House!

Joe Jarvis of Joe.My.God. (and our guest last week!) called it "Yelp for the queer-led revolution."  It is the new  Everywhere is Queer app based on the Everywhere is Queer LGBTQ directory that launched and became popular in 2022. 
Joe describes it as providing "on-the-go discoverability to users and LGBTQ-owned businesses around the world, although the majority of spots exist in the continental U.S. It’s simple to navigate, consistently updated, and, most importantly, a living, digital document of Queer community."  When users make a profile and log on, they discover a green marker-filled map. The app finds LGBTQ-owned spaces for them. It features dozens of business categories and can filter them by zip code or neighborhood. You can also browse online-only businesses and organize listings that you've favorited. 
Today our guest is Everything is Queer founder Charlie Sprinkman. Growing up in Wisconsin, and now a resident of Oregon, Charlie started this adventure by traveling in 41 of the 50 states. During those travels, he found himself constantly craving to find "queer spots in..." In 2021 he heard himself say “I just wish there was a map of safe spaces for queer people!”
So he created it.

Oh My God , it is Joe.My.God with Author, Hero and Advocate Carl Siciliano

Today we talk to two powerful LGBTQ activists,, advocates, and writers.  We have Joe Jarvis, one of the most popular and award-winning LGBTQ bloggers on the planet with the outspoken Joe.My.God blog and website. Joe spoke about his 19th year "in business" last April:  "We’re at 138,342 posts over 19 years, the last 15 of which have been without a full day off, although posting on weekends is usually at a slower rate. As I’ve said on this day every year, whether I am insanely committed or am insane and should be committed – that is entirely your call.”
Today Jow, and we, are celebrating our other guest Carl Siciliano, and Carl's new upcoming book Making Room. Named a White House Champion of Change by Barak Obama, Carl is a nationally recognized advocate and provider for homeless LGBT youth. He has been dedicated to this population since 1994. His career began by helping manage shelters, soup kitchens, and residential programs for homeless individuals in New York, Washington, D.C., and Connecticut1. In 2002, Carl founded the Ali Forney Center (AFC) in memory of Ali Forney, a homeless gender-nonconforming youth who was killed on the streets of Harlem in New York City. The AFC has grown to become the largest agency dedicated to LGBTQ+ homeless youths in the country, assisting over 2,000 youths per year through a 24-hour Drop-In Center, medical and mental health services, and a scattered-site housing program.
In Making Room, Carl tells the story of Ali Forney, a black nonbinary teen who was an inspiration to Carl before Ali was brutally murdered. The murder drove Carl to create a home where unhoused teens could live and feel loved. The book is Carl's story of mending hearts broken by displacement and rejection, including his own.
 

Trans Power Couple Legislator Zooey Zephyr and Journalist Erin Reed Speak Out!

The AP dubbed them the Transgender Power Couple. Journalist Erin Reed was formerly the digital director of The American Independent. She currently writes for the Los Angeles Blade and Harpers Bazaar.. She is a researcher who tracks anti-LGBTQ+ legislation around the world and helps people become better advocates for their queer family, friends, colleagues, and community. Reed also is a social media consultant and public speaker.
Her fiance is Zooey Zephyr, member of the Montana House of Representatives from the 100th district. 
Zephyr was a vocal opponent of multiple anti-LGBT bills introduced during the 2023 legislative session. During a floor debate on April 18, 2023, Zephyr admonished those who supported Senate Bill 99, which prohibits gender-affirming medical and surgical care for minors. She first commented, "If you are forcing a trans child to go through puberty when they are trans, that is tantamount to torture, and this body should be ashamed."  When this remark triggered an objection from Republican majority leader Sue Vinton, Zephyr replied, "The only thing I will say is if you vote 'yes' on this bill and 'yes' on these amendments, I hope the next time there's an invocation when you bow your heads in prayer, you see the blood on your hands." This led to a massive attempt by the state Republicans to censure her and silence her.
Today we talk to them both about the wave of oppression and intolerance against trans kids and adults, and their mission to defeat it.
With co-host Brody Levesque

Director Olivier Peyon and Lie With Me, the Gay Love Story You Need to See

Lie With Me is a stunningly beautiful, bittersweet love story. It will soon be available on major platforms in the United States. The film is about a writer coming terms with the love of his life, that he had lost years before. Upon agreeing to be the brand ambassador for a famous cognac celebrating their bicentennial, novelist Stéphane Belcourt returns to his hometown for the first time in many years. Once there, he meets his first love’s son, Lucas. Memories come rushing back to him:irrepressible attraction, bodies becoming one in the heat of desire, a passion that can never be revealed... His first love’s name was Thomas. They were 17.
Today we talk with filmmaker and director Olivier Peyon. Olivier is a French screenwriter, and film director.,  He has made several short films including “Jingle Bells” (1997) which was selected for the 54th Venice Film Festival. In addition to making documentaries for French television. He directed his first feature film, “Les petites Vacances” in 2017. His second feature film, the documentary How I Came to Hate Math (2013), was nominated for a César. In addition to directing, Peyon also has translated over 150 films into French including such films as “Fargo,”“The Big Lebowski,” “trainspotting,” and “The Usual Suspects” to name a few.
With co-host Brody Levesque

The Herricanes, the New Documentary About Women in Pro Football

Today we talk to filmmaker, producer, director, Lisa France! We will be discussing the new documentary she produced called The Herricanes, and all it represents. 
Directed by Olivia Kuan, The Herricanes will be featured in key fim festivals including Slamdance 2024 this week in Park City, Utah. The Houston Herricanes was a women's professional full-tackle football team. The players found camaraderie and strength as they controversially open a new door in the world of sports. Women playing football and stepping into a terf, not just dominated, but protected for, and only allowed for men.
The Houston Herricanes were a part of the first women's full tackle football league in the 1970s. Their unknown story is one of commitment, courage, and
strength. Despite adversity and hardship, they fielded a team purely for the love of the game. What they started is a movement that is still in motion today.
Lisa France began her film and TV career as a stunt woman . She directed, co-wrote and produced her first feature film, Anne B Real in 2003, which won more than 30 film festival awards and nominations around the world, including two Independent Spirit Award nominations, a Black Reel Award, Urbanworld, Pan African Film Festival and American Black Film Festival. Her first documentary, Roll with Me also garnered numerous awards, and has been acquired by and distributed by ARRAY Releasing.
France has directed numerous thrillers and Christmas movies for Lifetime, BounceTV, OWN Hulu and Tubi; directed and produced on Season 5 and 6 of Queen Sugar and more.
With co-host Brody Levesque

Hot Hip Hop /R&B Artist and Out Magazine Coverboy Damez is in Our House

Hip Hop star DameZ is with us today, talking with us, and playing a track from his new album Hell Now, Heaven Later.  He is a rapper, singer, dancer, songwriter, editor, creative director, and a rising star in music. With a focus on on rap and and R&B, he showcases his talents and versatility through an eclectic catalog of self-penned songs and choreography-heavy visuals and performances.
DameZ was named the “New Face of Atlanta’s Music Scene” by Out Magazine’s Pride edition in 2020, as well as Atlanta Magazine. In 2022, MTV News said Damez was ready to take the throne. He was featured on Billboard.com twice, as part of their ‘Billboard Pride’ playlist for his 2019 singles “Pull Up” and “Big Mood.” He’s performed for Atlanta’s Black Pride Festival in 2019, 2021, & 2022, as well as other notable performances such as 2021’s MOBI Fest, Human Rights Campaign’s HBCU Summit in 2019, and opening for original Dreamgirl Jennifer Holliday during NAESM’s 2020 Leadership Conference. An advocate for equal rights and healthcare, he has participated in numerous campaigns for brands such as CDC and PrEP, among others. Most recently, he was featured in a 2022 campaign alongside Tina Knowes-Lawson and more for ViiV Healthcare to end HIV stigma and raise awareness on preventive medication.
With co-host Brody Levesque

The LA Blade’s 2023 Review of the Year That Was

Brody Levesque, editor of the LA Blade Magazine shares the most popular stories across various topic aresa concerning the LGBTQ community.

BOY CULTURE Writer, Director and its Star are all in the House!

The 2006 movie Boy Culture is cited by Rotten Tomatoes on its list of the Best LGBTQ+ Movies of all time. Its long awaited sequel has just arrived on the on-demand platforms: Boy Culture: Generation X.  The sequel finds X and Andrew, the fan favorite romantic couple of the original film in an on-again, off-again couple situation. They are now both 40, broken up, and tensely sharing a home out of financial necessity. When X attempts to plunge back into his previous job as a sex worker, he's in for a rude awakening — he's no longer the flavor of the month, and the entire industry has been transformed by progressive sex positive attitudes, an evolvement of LGBTQ acceptance and the effects of technology. Enter a new character named Chayce "With a Y", a Gen Z sex worker big on attitude and savvy how to navigate the world of Only Fans, and the latest creative sex play.
Today we have live on board, Director and Co-writer Q. Allan Brocka and the stunning Jason Caceres, who plays Chayce. Director Brocka is a vetran of gay romantic film romps creating the popular Eating Out series of independent films. The original Boy Culture won more than a dozen awards at  film festivals around the world, including Best Writing at the 2006 Outfest and Best Feature Film at Festival del Mar in Spain.  Allan's animated series Rick & Steve aired from 2007 to 2009 on the Logo Channel.   
Jason played Jimmy Bennet” on Criminal Minds and appeared on Jimmy Kimmel as well as Facebook’s Turnt,  Netflix’s Insatiable and Showtime’s Kidding. 
With co-host Brody Levesque