Alyssa Milano: Sorry Not Sorry

We live in a time where right-wing politicians and activists are stoking anti-trans fear and hate for political gain. Around the country, legislators are enacting laws which prevent trans youth from receiving gender-affirming care, putting them and their families at risk. Our guest this week, Kate Brookes, is raising a transgender daughter. Her new memoir, Transister, brings us into her world in an unflinching and unvarnished way.

2023 has been a tumultuous year in the House of Representatives, to say the least. Kevin McCarthy barely won the speakership and has been chained to the whims of the furthest extremes of his party. The theatrics of McCarthy and the GOP have often overshadowed the important work sitting before Congress —issues that affect us all. California Congressman Ro Khanna is focused on those issues, and he joins us this week to discuss them.

One of the things that makes Alyssa angriest is when she sees men denying the scope of our national sexual violence epidemic by claiming that there are many false reports of sexual assault, and therefore victims cannot be trusted. In their stunning documentary Victim/Suspect, reporter Rae de Leon and director Nancy Schwartzman dig into cases where women were charged with filing false reports but insist they were telling the truth. What the investigation showed about police conduct when investigating reports of sexual assault was shocking. Rae and Nancy join us to discuss.

Once again, the Supreme Court ended its term with monumental decisions which will affect the way millions of Americans are able (or not able) to do important things in their lives. As usual, we covered many of those issues over the past year, and in this episode we revisit that coverage to contextualize the importance of the court's decisions and efforts to reform the court.

We live in dangerous times. Zealots on the extreme right are working to ban books which actively teach our history, particularly around civil rights and racial justice. That’s why it’s so important to remember and share our history on these issues. Our guest today is Samuel Freedman. Samuel is a journalist, author, and Pulitzer-prize finalist. His new book, Into the Bright Sunshine: Young Hubert Humphrey and the Fight for Civil Rights, is now available.

It’s hard to believe we have to say this in 2023, but across the nation, right-wing forces are banding together at all levels of government to ban access to books in schools and libraries. Florida, in particular, has been a hotbed of these bans under the dubious leadership of Ron DeSantis. Our guests this week are suing to make sure literature remains accessible. Nadine Farid Johnson serves as the Managing Director of PEN America Washington and Free Expression Programs, and Ashley Hope Perez is an author and educator whose novel Out of Darkness has been one of the most challenged books in the country during this onslaught of anti-free-speech actions.

Fighting sex trafficking is a cause that we are passionate about at Sorry Not Sorry, and our guest this week has made it her life’s work. Ruchira Gupta is a former journalist and founder of Apne Aap, an NGO that works to end child sex trafficking. She’s the author of the acclaimed new novel I Kick and Fly which is based on her experiences.

Praise for I Kick and Fly:

"In I Kick and I Fly, Ruchira Gupta has given young readers an irresistible story, and also one that could save lives. This book is a gift." -- Gloria Steinem

"Any work from Ruchira Gupta is sure to further the cause of liberating women, especially, and in this novel, girls. It takes a strong belief in us, and especially in our young ones, to persevere as she does in both art and politics. The absolute belief that if the heart is moved, so might be the positive activities for justice and freedom, of the mind." -- Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple

"I Kick and I Fly is a powerhouse of a debut. Ruchira Gupta has crafted a page-turner of a read, stepped in place and full of indelible characters, managing to be at once propulsive and enlightening, infuriating and inspiring. But maybe most important, Heera’s story is a beacon of hope to a generation of young people trying to transform an unjust world." -- Gayle Forman, New York Times bestselling author of If I Stay and We Are Inevitable

"Having been to the brothels and red-light district I Kick and I Fly so searingly captures, I can testify that this book is essential reading for anyone interested in how to empower girls to break free from intergenerational prostitution and sex trafficking. Ruchira Gupta is nothing less than a great hero, and in her book, she has created one in Heera, as she seeks to defy the destiny of rape that poverty and men have assigned her." -- Ashley Judd

"An empathetic and unflinching glimpse into a world little known to outsiders. We watch breathlessly, never sure until the very end how she will kick and punch her way past her circumstances to find her own path to freedom." -- Natalie C Anderson

"This book is a call to action, it an invitation for the rest of us to rise from the pall of apathy and join the movement to fight and fight and keep fighting―until we retrieve the last girl from the ugly jaws of the very worst effects of the patriarchy." -- Staceyann Chin

“Gupta renders Heera’s perseverance amid grueling circumstances via straightforward prose and imbues this searing tale with an ominous ambiance that complements its dark themes.” – Publisher’s Weekly

"The depth of the story’s details and its themes of bodily autonomy, community, and women’s empowerment reflect Gupta’s experience as the founder of Apne Aap, an NGO working to end sex trafficking... atriumphant debut." - Kirkus Reviews

Just a few hours before George Floyd was murdered, Christian Cooper was birdwatching in Central Park when he was the victim of a white woman who attempted to weaponize race and policing against him. The video of the event went viral, and luckily Christian was able to leave the area before police arrived, and is here with us today. His new book, Better Living Through Birding: Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World, is now available to order.

“Christian Cooper’s book is every bit as wondrous and captivating as the birds he so adores—a joyous tour across subcultures and continents, and a masterful account of a life full of song, full of heart, and fully lived.”—Ed Yong, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of An Immense World

“An uplifting and inspiring read. Christian Cooper is a national treasure.”—Van Jones, New York Times bestselling author and host of The Van Jones Show

“Utterly captivating, a marvel of storytelling . . . Christian Cooper’s memoir is tender, honest, funny, wise, poignant, piercing, and infused with brilliant observations on the nature of birds, humans, and his own extraordinary personal journey.”—Jennifer Ackerman, New York Times bestselling author of The Genius of Birds

“I cannot think of a better guide to teach us all to slow down, look, listen, and grab our binoculars than Cooper, a self-described Black queer nerd, who delivers the best nature bath ever, in lyrical, lush, relatable prose.”—Brittney Cooper, PhD, New York Times bestselling author of Eloquent Rage

“Funny, brave, kind, and eagle-eyed, Cooper brings into focus not only the spectacular winged creatures he loves, but also the glorious messiness, prejudice, courage, and passion of our own species—and how birding can show us all how to lead better lives.”—Sy Montgomery, author of How to Be a Good Creature

“Read this book if you want to discover the joys, struggles, and magic of birding, but even more because it’s a book about the joys, struggles, and magic of life. Christian Cooper is a brilliant storyteller who manages to pack history, science, and sociology—with just the right amount of laugh-out-loud sass—into his powerful memoir. This book soars!”—Juli Berwald, author of Spineless

“Christian Cooper writes with passion and honesty—even about that Central Park run-in and media storm, which he handled with aplomb. Birders are fortunate to have Mr. Cooper as a spokesperson for the modern age.”—Noah Strycker, author of Birding Without Borders

“In addressing the Central Park incident, [Cooper] elegantly frames it within both his own bird-focused narrative and a broader conversation about racism and police brutality. . . . This rewarding memoir adds heft and heart to the headlines.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

About the Author

Christian Cooper is a science and comics writer and editor and the host and consulting producer of Extraordinary Birder on National Geographic. One of Marvel’s first openly gay writers and editors, Cooper introduced the first gay male character in Star Trek, in the Starfleet Academy series, which was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award. He also introduced the first openly lesbian character for Marvel and created and authored Queer Nation: The Online Gay Comic. Based in New York City, he is on the board of directors for NYC Audubon.