QueerCore Podcast

He’s preaching revolution! In this episode, Reverend Troy Perry, founder of the Metropolitan Community Church, joins us to chart his unlikely journey from Southern Baptist roots to gay‐affirming ministry and queer liberation. He recalls founding MCC in his living room in 1968, officiating groundbreaking same-sex marriages, and fighting for dignity when society told him faith and queerness could never co-exist.

There were fires—literal and metaphorical—that threatened his church, courtroom battles, and protests in the street. Through it all, he held onto something radical: that God loves us all, fully and without apology. Tune in to witness faith as resistance and prophecy as sanctuary.

He’s back in the story: Keith St Clare, the trailblazing mind behind Vanguard magazine—“gay liberation pre-gay liberation”—returns to share how he gave voice to the untouchables at a time when many in the movement wanted conformity over difference. From serving in the U.S. Air Force underage, to publishing Vanguard under his own name and address, to producing a youth TV show and fostering hundreds of children, Keith’s life is a testament to radical care and uncompromised visibility.

In this episode, you’ll hear about his fear, his courage, and how he chose writing joy, inclusion, and love over silence. His legacy isn’t just in the pages of a magazine—it’s in every life he lifted up and every unheard voice he amplified.

He’s here and he’s taking us back. In this episode, Adrian Ravarour, founder of one of America’s earliest gay youth liberation groups, Vanguard, returns to share raw, unfiltered stories from the frontlines of queer rebellion in 1960s San Francisco. From organizing the now-legendary Street Sweep protests to quietly igniting the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot, Adrian reveals how grassroots action and street-level leadership changed the movement forever.

Adrian’s voice is hopeful, defiant, and deeply personal—equal parts spiritual artist, former Mormon priest, and radical educator. He’ll challenge what you thought you knew about LGBTQ+ history, insisting that youth from the Tenderloin, not just well-heeled homophile groups, helped spark real liberation. Tune in to feel the energy, the stakes, and the stubborn beauty of queer resistance.

She’s back in our hearts: Ruby Lynn Reyner, the dazzling force behind the 1960s Play-House of the Ridiculous and frontwoman of glam-punk band Ruby and the Rednecks, joins us as we dive into her wild, glitter-drenched world. From being plucked off the street and thrust into a leading role in a John Vaccaro play to commanding the Downtown New York club circuit at Max’s Kansas City and CBGB’s, Ruby’s story is pure off-off-Broadway legend with a rebellious sparkle.

We explore her fearless theatrical sprawl—from absurdist extravaganzas featuring surreal props (ever heard of a 12-foot, water-spraying “…?")—to her punk-glam musical mayhem wowing audiences as she shrieked, shrunk teddy bears, and stomped the stage with unapologetic fury. Ruby reinvented queer performance art as an act of joyful defiance, and in this episode, you'll feel every glittery, outrageous second.

He’s back! In this episode, Don Kilhefner—an early member of the Los Angeles Gay Liberation Front, co-founder of the Los Angeles LGBT Center, and co-founder of the Radical Faeries—returns to share unflinching stories from the front lines of queer revolution. With sharp wit and unapologetic honesty, Don revisits the battles, the breakthroughs, and the vision that fueled a movement determined to change the world.

From the tumult of the 1970s to the urgent challenges facing LGBTQ+ communities today, Don’s reflections remind us why liberation is never finished—and why queer love, rage, and imagination remain unstoppable forces for transformation.

Glitter, rebellion, and radical joy take center stage in this episode as we sit down with Scrumbly, Sweet Pam, and Tahara, legendary members of the Cockettes and their free-theater offshoot, the Angels of Light. From San Francisco’s wild countercultural nights to community stages where anything was possible, they share how outrageous costumes, psychedelic music, and unapologetic queerness redefined performance and politics in the early 1970s.

More than camp and glitter, their stories reveal a revolution in art and identity—where theater was free, gender was fluid, and every show was an act of defiance and love. Step into their kaleidoscopic world and discover how these visionary artists turned performance into liberation.

Dive into the fiery heart of early gay liberation as Kathy Kozachenko, the first openly gay candidate elected to public office in the U.S., Hiram Ruiz, who organized in the Tallahassee Gay Liberation Front, and Peter Taylor, a leader in the Lexington, Kentucky Gay Liberation Front, trace the movement’s roots beyond the coasts. Early 1970s Gay Liberation. Their stories prove that gay liberation was never confined to New York, San Francisco, or Los Angeles—it was taking root in communities across the country.

From underground meetings to brave public declarations, these trailblazers recall the risks, raw emotion, and fierce solidarity that powered the movement and carried queer liberation from the margins to the mainstream.

Step into the heart of the LGBTQ+ revolution with this raw and riveting podcast episode that unearths the power and passion behind the Los Angeles Gay Liberation Front. Join Llee Heflin and Don Kilhefner, two trailblazers who fought for the rights we sometimes take for granted today. From fiery protests to breaking down barriers, their stories are a testament to the fierce spirit that sparked a movement. Tune in for a glimpse of queer resistance in its purest form—raw, real, and unapologetic.

2024 is the year for women who have been pushed aside. Did you know that a woman was the catalyst behind creating the LGBTQ+ Rainbow Flag? No? Well, here we go, go go. 

Many enduring symbols that establish an instant understanding and define a diverse community are intrinsically linked with controversy, confusion, and ill-informed backstories dictated by vested interests and those who tell the story loudest. The LGBTQ+ Rainbow Flag is no different. 

While it was the work of many, the people who deserve credit the most have been minimized, if not erased. A woman named Faerie Argyle Rainbow (as per her driver’s license!) was one of the main movers. During this time, she was a member of the Angels of Light, a free-theater performance troupe whose members were forced to reject credit for their work. She proposed the idea for the Rainbow Flag, was the original dyer, and managed the whole kit and caboodle. After the 1978 flag’s debut, she moved to Japan. When she returned, the flag was everywhere (as it should have been), but the damage was done. There is more than enough credit to go around. We celebrate and respect everyone who played a role. 

This three-part oral history series features Faerie Argyle Rainbow, as well as John Serrian, Paul Langlotz, Lee Mentley, Adrian Brooks, Dan Nicoletta, Randy Alfred, and Bethany the Princess of Argyle. 

2024 is the year for women who have been pushed aside. Did you know that a woman was the catalyst behind creating the LGBTQ+ Rainbow Flag? No? Well, here we go, go go. 

Many enduring symbols that establish an instant understanding and define a diverse community are intrinsically linked with controversy, confusion, and ill-informed backstories dictated by vested interests and those who tell the story loudest. The LGBTQ+ Rainbow Flag is no different. 

While it was the work of many, the people who deserve credit the most have been minimized, if not erased. A woman named Faerie Argyle Rainbow (as per her driver’s license!) was one of the main movers. During this time, she was a member of the Angels of Light, a free-theater performance troupe whose members were forced to reject credit for their work. She proposed the idea for the Rainbow Flag, was the original dyer, and managed the whole kit and caboodle. After the 1978 flag’s debut, she moved to Japan. When she returned, the flag was everywhere (as it should have been), but the damage was done. There is more than enough credit to go around. We celebrate and respect everyone who played a role. 

This three-part oral history series features Faerie Argyle Rainbow, as well as John Serrian, Paul Langlotz, Lee Mentley, Adrian Brooks, Dan Nicoletta, Randy Alfred, and Bethany the Princess of Argyle.