Did you miss us? Because we sure missed you!

Leading Queer is happy to back and better than ever at our new location, Simon's Rock at Bard College.

For our first episode of the new year, Leading Queer is joined by our guest–Simon’s Rock alum, artist, publisher, educator, personal care attendant, working-class advocate, and newly elected Holyoke Ward 3 City Councilmember, Anne Thalheimer. Anne Thalheimer is also an outspoken supporter of gun control, as a survivor of gun violence on Simon's Rock campus in 1992.

https://simons-rock.edu/

Prepare for a truly electrifying-- or should we say ZAPPING-- episode with Mark Segal.

Mark is a veteran of the gay rights movement, participating in the 1969 Stonewall uprising, known traditionally as the event marking the beginning of the movement in the United States. Mark was a member of the Gay Action Group (later part of the Gay Liberation Front) and a leader of Gay Youth during his 3 years in NY. He became a Gay Raider, zapping high profile celebrities to increase the visibility of the gay community. His greatest impact has been on our hometown, Philadelphia, where he served as political chair of the Philadelphia Gay Activist Alliance, and founded as well as publishes the Philadelphia Gay News. He is also the author of And Then I Danced: Traveling the Road to LGBT Equality, a wonderful memoir detailing his experiences as a gay rights activist. As recently as June 14, 2025, Mark was one of the signatories of a statement from the Gay Liberation Front Foundation protesting egregious acts of the Trump administration against marginalized communities.

https://www.marksegalstonewall.com/

Happy Pride Month, Leaders! This month we are thrilled to provide TWO episodes for your listening pleasure. Call it a Pride gift from us to you!

For our first Pride episode, the BQLP sits down with two-time U.S. Figure Skating Champion Amber Glenn. In addition to her 2024 and 2025 U.S championships, Amber topped the podium at the 2024 Grand Prix Final. Amber began skating at the age of five, won the U.S. junior championship in 2014, and became the sixth U.S. woman to land the triple Axel in 2023. Whether is shattering the Ice Princesses image or advocating for mental health, Amber is a force to be reckoned with on and off the ice.

https://www.teamusa.com/profiles/amber-glenn

Season 2 already? How time flies!

This month, the BQLP had the pleasure of chatting with today’s leading queer, our guest and incredible friend of the BQLP, Schuyler Bailar. Schuyler is an internationally-celebrated inspirational speaker, bestselling author, and advocate for trans inclusion, radical body acceptance, and mental health awareness. Schuyler, along with our Episode 6 guest, Jim Fielding, was one of the first queer leaders we were honored to have as a guest for the BQLP Queer Leaders Vision Forum.https://www.pinkmantaray.com/

This month, we sat down with Jackson Lewis to discuss what it means to be young and politically active.

At age 19, Jackson became the youngest elected official in Utah’s history. Note, this is youngest ever vs. simply the youngest LGBTQIA+ individual. Jackson represents District 1 on the Canyons School Board. We chatted with Jackson about his first few months on the School Board, what inspired him to run, and how to stand firm in the age of the internet.

A reminder and encouragement that it is never too early to become politically engaged!

Can you feel the love? We certainly can! This month, the Leading Queer team has the pleasure of chatting with Bob Witeck. Bob is a seasoned communicator, public speaker, counselor, public affairs professional, speechwriter as well as a trusted crisis communications expert. Bob authored Business Inside Out: Tapping Millions of Brand-Loyal Gay Consumers, recognized as the first book advising marketers and business leaders on building successful bridges with LGBT stakeholders. He also worked with the Human Rights Campaign to develop the prototype for its Corporate Equality Index, a benchmarking tool that rates businesses based on social responsibility, internal policies and employee benefits with a specific focus on LGBTQ+ inclusion.

Bob served five appointed terms on the board of directors for the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association. He has also served on the boards of directors of such prestigious LGBTQ+ organizations as GLAAD, GLSEN and Virginia’s LGBT Tourism Task Force. He currently serves on the Board of Visitors of George Mason University and Board of Directors of the Matthew Shepard Foundation.

New Year, Same Queer! To kick off the new year, the Leading Queer team presents a special episode to inspire hope in these challenging times. This is an audio recording of a speech done on our campus by Representative Becca Balint, the first woman and LGBTQ+ person elected to the U.S Congress from Vermont.

Becca's career from the beginning, has been rooted in empathy and justice - first as an educator who taught middle school for fourteen years, then as an activist and State Senator and, ultimately, as the President Pro Tempore of the Vermont State Senate in 2021, before moving on to the national stage in U.S. House of Representatives. While times are hard, we invite our fellow Leading Queers to listen to this speech and know you are not alone. We are with you, and we will persevere. Joy and love win!

Happy Holidays, Leading Queers! In this month's episode, we are talking all things Space: The Final Frontier with Colonel Bree Fram. Bree Fram is an author, podcaster, keynote speaker, and active-duty colonel and astronautical engineer in the United States Space Force. Bree also co-leads the Department of the Air Force LGBTQ+ Initiatives Team, dedicated to eliminating barriers to LGBTQ+ military service in the Air and Space Force.

Bree came out publicly as transgender on the day the transgender ban in the military was dropped in 2016. She transitioned while in a command position and served through the re-imposition of a transgender ban from 2019-2021. She is currently one of the highest ranking out transgender officers in the United States military.

Bree has appeared on national and international media. She hosts the “Forged in Fire” podcast. Her books include:  With Honor and Integrity: Transgender Troops in Their Own Words (its sequel, Valor and Visibility: The Next Chapter of Transgender Service, is scheduled for publication next month), and Forging Queer Leaders: How the LGBTQIA+ Community Creates Impact from Adversity.

Are you ready to GOBBLE up this month's episode? This month, the BQLP is thankful to be speaking with award-winning researcher and educator, Chad Topaz. Chad is Professor of Complex Systems at Williams College and co-founder of an independent nonprofit organization: Institute for the Quantitative Study of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (QSIDE), a research-to-action institute working at the intersection of social justice and data science. The author of 70 scientific papers and pieces of public scholarship, Chad’s work has been covered nationally and internationally in The Atlantic, Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Mother Jones, People, Smithsonian Magazine, and more. He is driven to engage the public about the synergy of data science and social justice.

Boo! Did we scare you? This Hallows eve episode, the BQLP chats with Florida activist and icon, Nadine Smith. Nadine is the Executive Director of Equality Florida, the state's largest organization dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. In 2022, she was named to the Time100, TIME Magazine's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. An award-winning journalist turned organizer, Nadine was one of four national co-chairs of the 1993 March on Washington. She served on the founding board of the International Gay and Lesbian Youth Organization. Nadine was part of a historic meeting with then-President Bill Clinton, the first Oval Office meeting between a sitting President and LGBTQ community leaders. She also served on President Obama's National Finance Committee. 

Nadine has been named one of the state's "Most Powerful and Influential Women" by the Florida Diversity Council. She has received the League of Women Voters' Woman of Distinction Award, and in 2018 was named one of the 100 Most Influential Floridians by Influence Magazine. She is a Florida Chamber Foundation Trustee and currently serves as chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Florida Advisory Committee.

https://www.eqfl.org/team