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Welcome to Pride Month! This is the 53rd annual pride in the United States. The first, in 1970, happened in New York City to mark the first anniversary of the Stonewall Riots – popularly considered to be a seminal moment in gay rights in the United States, when the queer community – trans folks, gay folks, drag queens, queers of all colors and races – protested the brutal tactics employed by the New York City Police Department to harass and intimidate the queer community. And, it was this protest that sent a shot across the bow of law enforcement, as well as the government generally and society as a whole, that the gay community was no longer going to be a silent victim to abuse and repression. Since then, Pride events in June each year have grown and proliferated in the United States – and also outside of our borders -  culminating in a month of visibility and celebration.

As I will discuss with my guest today, and also in my closing thoughts, these events take on special significance and meaning this year – as the queer community is under a uniquely direct and targeted campaign of hatred and derision, largely driven by the Republican Party and the far-right Christian community in the United States. 

Today’s guest confronts this environment by providing creative outlets for queer artists, creators, performers, and youth to express themselves and showcase their talent in a safe space, but also on the world stage.

Adam Odsess-Rubin is the Founding Artistic Director of National Queer Theater and co-founder of the annual, New York Times acclaimed, Criminal Queerness Festival. We talk about these projects, how and why they’ve developed, what it’s like working in this medium in these challenging times, how National Queer Theater designs programming to provide an outlet for queer people and queer youth, how you can engage, especially as the 2023 Criminal Queerness Festival is just around the corner, corporate pinkwashing, and what the future of the queer community might look like (oh...and Padma Lakshmi).

Recommended:
National Queer Theater
Criminal Queerness Festival

Mentioned:
Gay Bar: Why We Went Out - Jeremy Atherton Lin
Top Chef

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Majestic Earth - Joystock