Womencrafts is one of only 13 feminist book stores left in the country, and a pillar of Provincetown, MA. This week, we sit down with Michelle Axelson, the owner of Womencrafts since taking over in 2015. Michelle shares the history of the shop (first owned by lesbians in 1976), how she found her place in Ptown, and why so many people have come out for the first time at Womencrafts (they offer a dyke discount) ... 

Check out the Womencrafts website

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-Cruising is reported and produced by a small but mighty team of three: Sarah Gabrielli (host/story producer/audio engineer), Rachel Karp (story producer/social media manager), and Jen McGinity (line producer/resident road-trip driver). Theme song is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Joey Freeman⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Cover art is by Nikki Ligos.

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We're diving into the rich history and culture of queer country western dancing. First, Sean Monaghan will share the story of Stud Country - how he discovered queer line dancing at the historic Oil Can Harry's, and how (along with his cofounder, Bailey) Sean founded Stud Country and brought about a renaissance of country western dancing to a younger generation of queers. In Act 2, Susanna Stein shares her own journey in the queer dancing scene, which began back in the 1970s. We discuss gender roles (leading vs. following) in queer partner dancing spaces, and how relationships can form and dissipate on the dance floor. 

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-Learn more about Stud Country at their website 

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-Learn more about Big Apple Ranch at their website

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-Discover Olivia at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Olivia.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and save $100 on your next trip when you use promo code CRUISING

-⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support Cruising here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Cruising is an independent podcast. That means we're entirely funded by sponsors and listeners like you!

-Cruising is reported and produced by a small but mighty team of three: Sarah Gabrielli (host/story producer/audio engineer), Rachel Karp (story producer/social media manager), and Jen McGinity (line producer/resident road-trip driver). Theme song is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Joey Freeman⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Cover art is by Nikki Ligos.

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Our Guest this week, Heather Purser, made headlines back in 2011 when she single handedly passed same-sex marriage in the Suquamish tribe in Seattle, Washington. Today, Heather is a Suquamish lesbian activist and commercial diver! She shares her story of accepting her own identity, finding her childhood crush, and making space for herself within her community.

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-Special thanks to this episode's sponsor, Olivia Travel

-Discover Olivia at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Olivia.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and save $100 on your next trip when you use promo code CRUISING

-⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support Cruising here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Cruising is an independent podcast. That means we're entirely funded by sponsors and listeners like you!

-Cruising is reported and produced by a small but mighty team of three: Sarah Gabrielli (host/story producer/audio engineer), Rachel Karp (story producer/social media manager), and Jen McGinity (line producer/resident road-trip driver). Theme song is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Joey Freeman⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Cover art is by Nikki Ligos.

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Holly Near is a world-renowned singer and activist, known for producing music with powerful political messaging - she sings about war, racism, queer love and much more. She is one of the early pioneers of Women's Music (also known as radical lesbian feminist music) and the first lesbian to come out in People Magazine in 1975. Holly started her political career in the anti-war movement. Most notably, joining Jane Fonda's FTA (Free The Army) tour in 1971. We discuss all of her adventures from first meeting Jane - to starting her own record company - to the profound impact of her music on people from all walks of life.

Thank you for listening to Cruising Podcast!

-Reviews help other listeners find Cruising! If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave us a 5-star review!

-For more Cruising adventures, follow us @cruisingpod on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠

- Visit Holly's personal website

- Learn more about Women's Music at becauseofasong.com

- Watch the full F.T.A. documentary

- Follow Holly on Instagram

-Special thanks to this episode's sponsor, Olivia Travel

-Discover Olivia at ⁠⁠⁠⁠Olivia.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ and save $100 on your next trip when you use promo code CRUISING

-⁠⁠⁠⁠Support Cruising here⁠⁠⁠⁠! Cruising is an independent podcast. That means we're entirely funded by sponsors and listeners like you!

-Cruising is reported and produced by a small but mighty team of three: Sarah Gabrielli (host/story producer/audio engineer), Rachel Karp (story producer/social media manager), and Jen McGinity (line producer/resident road-trip driver). Theme song is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Joey Freeman⁠⁠⁠⁠. Cover art is by Nikki Ligos.

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This week, we sit down with Angela Denise Davis, the creative director and podcast host for ZAMI NOBLA - the National Organization of Black Lesbians on Aging. She's also a scholar, organizer, minister, and Ukulele instructor. ZAMI NOBLA, founded in 2011 by Angela's partner Mary Anne Adams, is the leading advocacy organization dedicated to empowering Black lesbians over 40. Angela breaks down her experiences with aging and vision loss, her 10 months of training with the National Federation of the Blind, and coming to terms with her queerness as a Christian minister. 

Thank you for listening to Cruising Podcast!

-Reviews help other listeners find Cruising! If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave us a 5-star review!

-For more Cruising adventures, follow us @cruisingpod on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠

- Learn more about ⁠ZAMI NOBLA⁠

-Follow ZAMI NOBLA on⁠ Instagram⁠

-Listen to ⁠the ZAMI NOBLA Podcast ⁠

-Special thanks to this episode's sponsor, Olivia Travel

-Discover Olivia at ⁠⁠⁠Olivia.com⁠⁠⁠ and save $100 on your next trip when you use promo code CRUISING

-⁠⁠⁠Support Cruising here⁠⁠⁠! Cruising is an independent podcast. That means we're entirely funded by sponsors and listeners like you!

-Cruising is reported and produced by a small but mighty team of three: Sarah Gabrielli (host/story producer/audio engineer), Rachel Karp (story producer/social media manager), and Jen McGinity (line producer/resident road-trip driver). Theme song is by ⁠⁠⁠Joey Freeman⁠⁠⁠. Cover art is by Nikki Ligos.

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For the first time, we feature two interviews - two dykes, from two different generations - on the same concept: Dyke Drag. First, we'll hear from I'm Baby, a Brooklyn drag performer who started an event they call "Dyke Drag" which brings gender-diverse drag to sapphic spaces around the city. In Act 2, we meet Denise Gaylord, a local Ptown lesbian who ran an annual brunch also called "Dyke Drag" back in the 90s. Tune in to find out how, together, they brought Dyke Drag back to Ptown!

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-For more Cruising adventures, follow us @cruisingpod on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠

- Follow I'm Baby and Dyke Drag on Instagram

-Order Denise's original Dyke Drag Brunch book!

-Special thanks to this episode's sponsor, Olivia Travel

-Discover Olivia at ⁠⁠Olivia.com⁠⁠ and save $100 on your next trip when you use promo code CRUISING

-⁠⁠Support Cruising here⁠⁠! Cruising is an independent podcast. That means we're entirely funded by sponsors and listeners like you!

-Cruising is reported and produced by a small but mighty team of three: Sarah Gabrielli (host/story producer/audio engineer), Rachel Karp (story producer/social media manager), and Jen McGinity (line producer/resident road-trip driver). Theme song is by ⁠⁠Joey Freeman⁠⁠. Cover art is by Nikki Ligos.

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Robin Tyler is a history-making activist and stand-up comic, that's been on the scene since moving to New York City in the 1960's. Robin is a treasure trove of punchlines and queer history. She shares some of her most famous stories - like making a name for herself as a female impersonator, calling for 3 Marches on Washington, being the first out gay comic on national television, and successfully suing the state of California for the right to marry her late partner, Diane.

Thank you for listening to Cruising Podcast!

-Reviews help other listeners find Cruising! If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave us a 5-star review!

-For more Cruising adventures, follow us @cruisingpod on ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠TikTok⁠, and ⁠Facebook⁠

-Check out ⁠Robin's website⁠ to learn more about her comedy and activism!

-Special thanks to this episode's sponsor, Olivia Travel

-Discover Olivia at ⁠Olivia.com⁠ and save $100 on your next trip when you use promo code CRUISING

-⁠Support Cruising here⁠! Cruising is an independent podcast. That means we're entirely funded by sponsors and listeners like you!

-Cruising is reported and produced by a small but mighty team of three: Sarah Gabrielli (host/story producer/audio engineer), Rachel Karp (story producer/social media manager), and Jen McGinity (line producer/resident road-trip driver). Theme song is by ⁠Joey Freeman⁠. Cover art is by Nikki Ligos. Logo is by ⁠Finley Martin⁠.

⁠Support the show

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The Greenham Common Women’s Peace Encampment was an anti-nuke encampment outside of a US military base in England, that women (and loads of lesbians) occupied from 1981 all the way through 2000. Fed up with male-on-male violence, and society's expectations on women, Sue Say joined the protest in its very beginnings as an 18-year-old. There, every day was exciting, for better or for worse. Greenham women were evicted from their camps and terrorized by police every morning, they rebuilt every day, and by the end of the night found new creative ways to peacefully disrupt the military base next to them. Sue talks all about living in an anarchist society, overcoming her fear of arrest, and Greenham’s 80/20 breakdown of lesbians to non-lesbians. You’ll also get some additional insights from another Greenham woman, Oak Chezar, who lived at Greenham from 1985-1988. 

Thank you for listening to Cruising Podcast!

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-Follow Sue on Instagram

-Check out Oak’s book about her time at Greenham

-Learn more about Greenham Common through Greenham Women Everywhere

-Special thanks to this episode's sponsor, Olivia Travel

-Discover Olivia at Olivia.com and save $100 on your next trip when you use promo code CRUISING

-Support Cruising here! Cruising is an independent podcast. That means we're entirely funded by sponsors and listeners like you!

-Cruising is reported and produced by a small but mighty team of three: Sarah Gabrielli (host/story producer/audio engineer), Rachel Karp (story producer/social media manager), and Jen McGinity (line producer/resident road-trip driver). Theme song is by Joey Freeman. Cover art is by Nikki Ligos. Logo is by Finley Martin.

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Valery Hughes is a retired nurse who spent her career working in HIV/AIDS care and research. She coauthored Nurses On The Inside: Stories Of The HIV/AIDS Epidemic In NYC with her colleague, Ellen Matzer, after working together in designated AIDS units for many years. Valery takes us behind the scenes of some of the city's busiest hospitals - from crossing paths with her first AIDS case in 1979, to all of the stigma around the disease, and the patients that touched her most. We also hear how Valery met her wife Mary working at Roosevelt Hospital (now Mt. Sinai), the other queer women they worked with, and how they all hung out at the original Cubby Hole (now Henrietta's) after-hours. 

Thank you for listening to Cruising Podcast!

-Reviews help other listeners find Cruising! If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave us a 5-star review!

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Follow Valery's book "Nurses on the Inside"

-Special thanks to this episode's sponsor, Olivia Travel

-Discover Olivia at Olivia.com and save $100 on your next trip when you use promo code CRUISING

-Support Cruising here! Cruising is an independent podcast. That means we're entirely funded by sponsors and listeners like you!

-Cruising is reported and produced by a small but mighty team of three: Sarah Gabrielli (host/story producer/audio engineer), Rachel Karp (story producer/social media manager), and Jen McGinity (line producer/resident road-trip driver). Theme song is by Joey Freeman. Cover art is by Nikki Ligos. Logo is by Finley Martin.

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Kristen Becker is a standup comedian and activist based out of Provincetown, Massachusetts. Becker also has a long history of touring, living, and organizing in the Deep South. In 2006, she founded the "Dykes of Hazard," an all-lesbian comedy group that toured the Deep South for a decade. In 2014, Becker testified before the Louisiana State Legislature in support of the Louisiana Non-Discrimination Act. From there, she set out on a tour called "Loosen the Bible Belt" with pastor Jay Bakker. In 2017, she founded "Summer of Sass," a nonprofit that hooks queer teens up with a job and housing, and flies them out to Ptown for a summer on the gay beach. More recently, she crashed out at a fancy party and secured $3 million worth of funding for her program. You'll have to stick around til the end for that story!

Thank you for listening to Cruising Podcast!

-Reviews help other listeners find Cruising! If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave us a 5-star review!

-For more Cruising adventures, follow us @cruisingpod on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook

-Follow Kristen Becker @KristenBeckerComedy

-Follow Summer of Sass @SummerofSass

-Donate or find out more about Summer of Sass

-Special thanks to this episode's sponsor, Olivia Travel

-Discover Olivia at Olivia.com and save $100 on your next trip when you use promo code CRUISING

-Support Cruising here! Cruising is an independent podcast. That means we're entirely funded by sponsors and listeners like you!

-Cruising is reported and produced by a small but mighty team of three: Sarah Gabrielli (host/story producer/audio engineer), Rachel Karp (story producer/social media manager), and Jen McGinity (line producer/resident road-trip driver). Theme song is by Joey Freeman. Cover art is by Nikki Ligos. Logo is by Finley Martin.

Support the show

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