This Way Out: The International LGBTQ Radio Magazine

This Way Out celebrates Pride Month with a special look at the power of visibility, community, and resistance.

Then, This Way Out visits Los Angeles' historic Founders Metropolitan Community Church for the unveiling of the Rainbow Liberation Steps, a permanent public art installation honoring LGBTQ+ freedom and liberation. The dedication ceremony features community leaders, activists, faith leaders, and members of the congregation reflecting on the continuing struggle for equality and inclusion.

NewsWrap reports on Colorado's successful effort to restore its ban on conversion therapy, a federal appeals court ruling blocking the Trump administration's transgender military ban, Pride activists marching forward in Hungary despite government opposition, and Ghana's parliament approving a sweeping anti-LGBTQ law.

Finally, This Way Out takes to the streets of Los Angeles to ask a timely question: What would you say to someone who believes Pride is no longer relevant? The answers reveal why Pride continues to matter for LGBTQ+ people and their allies around the world.

Featured speakers: Nithya Raman, Phillip Ray De Blieck, Gerald Garth, Lucia Chappelle

Credits: Associate Producer/Lucia Chappelle, Producer/Host Brian DeShazor, News writer Jeb Backe, feature producer Brian DeShazor and Lucia Chappelle, NewsWrap reporters, Tanya Kane-Parry and Michael Taylor Gray, music by Maggie Szabo and the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles, the Porland Lesbian Choir and Kim Wilson

All this on the June 8, 2026 Edition of This Way Out!

Our Pride Season series starts with samples from our upcoming month of specials, with Los Angeles Poet Laureate Brian Sonia-Wallace and series producers Emma Shulman and Abigail DeRoberts.

A Rainbow Rewind features June occasions from the birth of Zachary Quinto to the victory of marriage equality.

In this week's NewsWrap there’s identification liberation for Kenya’s trans people, there’s been yet another bust at an alleged “gay party” in Malaysia, abusive behavior roils UK schools, the Stonewall National Monument is in jeopardy, and PornHub Sapphic is launching.

Featured Speakers: Los Angeles Poet Laureate Brian Sonia-Wallace, Emma Shulman, Abigail DeRoberts, Cherie Moraga, Christopher Isherwood, Harvey Milk, Ivy Botini, Urvashi Vaid, Quentin Chrisp, James Baldwin

Credits: Associate Producer/Host Lucia Chappelle, Producer Brian DeShazor, News writer Jeb Backe, feature producer Lucia Chappelle, NewsWrap reporters, Ret and Sarah Montague, music by Kim Wilson

All this on the June 1, 2026 Edition of This Way Out!

Was Barney Frank a political hero, a lightning rod—or both? Following the death of the trailblazing gay former Congressmember on May 19, Lucia Chappelle explores the triumphs, tensions, and contradictions behind one of the most influential and debated LGBTQ political figures in U.S. history. Included are recollections from Andy Humm, Ann Northrop of GayUSA and journalist Karen Ocamb (Substack: LGBTQ+ Freedom Fighters). Archive audio from This Way Out archives.

And in a Rainbow Rewind, Sir Ian McKellen reflects on coming out.

This week’s NewsWrap on This Way Out reports on a rise in drug-resistant Shigella infections disproportionately affecting queer men, as health experts urge prevention without stigma. Missouri LGBTQ+ advocates celebrate the defeat of dozens of anti-queer bills during the state’s legislative session, while activists worldwide mark IDAHOBIT amid both ongoing criminalization and notable legal victories for LGBTQ+ people. In the U.S., a federal judge temporarily blocks the transfer of transgender women to men’s prisons, and the House advances a controversial “Don’t Say Trans” bill targeting transgender students and schools. We also close with a milestone from Leeds, where newly installed Lord Mayor Stephen Holroyd and his partner Simon Mapals make local LGBTQ+ history.

Credits: Associate Producer/Lucia Chappelle, Producer/Host Brian DeShazor, News writer Jeb Backe, feature producer Lucia Chappelle, NewsWrap reporters, Marcos Najera and Melanie Keller, music by the Klezmatics and Kim Wilson

Ebony Joseph concludes her three-part series on the global rise of anti-LGBTQ laws with a report from activists in Nigeria and Kenya confronting criminalization, censorship, and severe funding cuts. Organizers describe how anti-LGBTQ legislation affects housing, employment, healthcare, and online safety, while warning that many so-called “family protection” bills across Africa are linked to broader international networks of authoritarian politics and religious conservatism. Despite mounting political hostility, grassroots groups continue building coalitions, supporting vulnerable LGBTQ people, and fighting for dignity, equality, and belonging.

In this week’s Newswrap, a record-breaking boycott rocks the Eurovision Song Contest as protests over Israel’s participation intensify amid the war in Gaza, while a new GLAAD report warns that major social media platforms are becoming increasingly unsafe for LGBTQ users. Additional stories include Japan’s growing legal recognition of non-binary people, the delayed opening of a landmark African LGBTQ art exhibition in Washington, D.C., and the European Commission’s decision not to pursue an EU-wide conversion therapy ban despite strong public support.

In a Rainbow Rewind, poet Adrienne Rich reflects on responsibility to both past and future generations in a powerful archival excerpt.

Featured speakers: Adrienne Rich, Ebony Joseph, JUSTIN CHIDOZIE, MOSES, CHEPKIRUI RONOH, GOODLUCK

Credits: Associate Producer/Lucia Chappelle, Producer/Host Brian DeShazor, News writer Jeb Backe, feature producer Ebony Joseph, NewsWrap reporters, Ava Davis and Joe Boehnlein, music by Audra Day, Tom Petty and Kim Wilson

In part two of her series on the global rise of anti-LGBTQ laws, This Way Out’s Ebony Joseph explores how criminalization and political hostility are creating a growing public health crisis for queer communities worldwide. Advocates say laws targeting LGBTQ people not only fuel stigma and violence, but also discourage people from seeking HIV prevention, mental health care, and other essential services. The report highlights countries where fear of arrest or public exposure keeps people from accessing clinics, while anti-LGBTQ rhetoric increasingly spreads from government policy into everyday life.

The story also examines the impact of the Trump administration’s cuts to U.S. foreign aid programs, including the dismantling of USAID and restrictions on funding tied to “gender ideology.” Former USAID officials and global health advocates warn that the loss of support for LGBTQ-focused HIV outreach programs could have devastating consequences, especially in countries where queer people already face criminalization. Despite growing hostility, organizers and activists continue building local networks of care and resistance, insisting that queer and trans lives deserve dignity, safety, and access to healthcare.

NewsWrap: Botswana amends penal code removing anti-LGBTQ+ provisions which previously criminalized same-sex relationships, United States Trump Administration release 2026 Counterterrorism Strategy defining major terror groups including “violent secular political groups” with ideologies that are “anti-American, radically pro-transgender,” Zambian RightsCon is abruptly cancelled with officials claiming the event does not align with the country’s “national values,” Pennsylvania legislators amend Pennsylvania Human Relations Act prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, Isaac Ranson, a transgender man, joins Minnesota Aurora FC soccer team as the first openly trans player, but must play with women’s team because of his gender assigned at birth— and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by John Dyer the 5th and RET (News Writers Ebony Joseph and Jeb Backe, News Producer Brian DeShazor).

Author Armistead Maupin reads from Tales of the City from September 10, 1990 on This Way Out in the Rainbow Rewind.

In part one of a two-part series, This Way Out’s Ebony Joseph examines a growing global wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation—from Africa to Eastern Europe and Central Asia—where governments are increasingly criminalizing queer identity under the guise of “morality,” “tradition,” or child protection. Featuring insights from Neela Goshal of Outright International, Gurchaten Sandhu of ILGA World, and Polish advocate Annamaria Linczowska, the report connects these laws to political power plays, colonial legacies, and rising authoritarianism, while highlighting their real-world consequences—from increased violence to the silencing of advocacy. Despite legal shifts in some regions, the piece underscores the ongoing struggle for safety, visibility, and basic rights, and the critical role of grassroots movements in pushing back.

Featured speakers: Phil Thoman, Pope Leo XIV, Father James Martin, Steven Reigns, Ebony Joseph, Neela Ghoshal, Gurchaten Sandhu, Annamaria Linczowska

In NewsWrap: Russia escalates its campaign against LGBTQ communities, as courts label advocacy groups “extremists,” a U.S. appeals court upholds West Virginia’s ban on Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming surgeries, raising concerns about broader limits on transgender healthcare nationwide, transgender Idaho residents sue the state over what some are calling the harshest bathroom ban in the country, human rights groups issue travel warnings ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America citing risks for LGBTQ people and other marginalized communities, and Pope Leo XIV weighs in on same-sex marriage, emphasizing unity over doctrine as debate continues within the global Church—and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Joe Boehnlein and Tanya Kane-Parry (News Writer Ebony Joseph, News Producer Brian DeShazor).

Credits: Associate Producer Lucia Chappelle, News Producer/ Host Brian DeShazor, News Editor Ebony Joseph, feature report Ebony Joseph producer, NewsWrap reporters Joe Boehnlein and Tanya Kane-Parry, music by Joy Oladokun and Kim Wilson.

This Way Out’s Brian DeShazor talks with Out Opera and Broadway actor Zachary James about his roles in Philip Glass’ Akhnaten, Broadway, and being out on stage. In addition to his current role as Amenhotep III in the Olivier and Grammy-Award winning production of Akhnatan, he's played roles as Lurch in The Addams Family on Broadway, Abraham Lincoln in The Perfect American, Hades in the West End production of Hadestown. James was named one of the 30 most influential LGBTQIA+ artists in Opera by Operawire.

And in NewsWrap: Hungary’s anti-LGBTQ law ruled illegal as a new leader faces pressure to reform, the U.S. Supreme Court takes up a religious rights clash over queer families, Australia lifts blood donation restrictions for gay and bi men, Tennessee declares “Nuclear Family Month” to counter Pride, a trans custody case sparks international intervention, and a Trump photo-op goes off-script. Reported this week by Michael LeBeau and Michael Taylor Gray.

Those stories and more when you find “This Way Out" for the week of April 27, 2026.

Join our family of listener-donors today at thiswayout.org/donate/.

National Poetry Month revisits the 1979 March on Washington with poetry from the rally stage recited by Allen Ginsberg, Paula Gunn Allen, and Audre Lorde. Audre Lorde also reads a poem to close the program from 1980 recorded at a feminist event in New York City. (Produced by Brian DeShazor)

Music by Elizabeth Clyde and Blackberri

And in Newswrap: Hungary’s political shift as Viktor Orbán is unseated by Péter Magyar, an Australian court allows trans exclusion at lesbian events, Montana affirms transgender legal recognition, and the Pride flag is restored at Stonewall National Monument.

All this on the April 20, 2026 Edition of This Way Out!

This Way Out’s founding Coordinating Producer Greg Gordon is honored in “In Memoriam Part 2,” continuing a legacy that helped shape international LGBTQ radio. This tribute features voices from across his life and work, reflecting on his impact as a journalist, historian, and community storyteller (Part 2 of 2, produced by Lucia Chappelle and Brian DeShazor).

And in NewsWrap: India swears in its first openly queer Member of Parliament amid ongoing trans rights rollbacks, Belarus criminalizes LGBTQ “propaganda,” U.K. veterans seek justice over historic service bans, U.S. schools face new challenges to transgender protections, Los Angeles schools come under federal scrutiny in a trans student case, a judge condemns conversion therapy, and the queer blues legacy of Ma Rainey is celebrated—plus more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Marcos Najera and Sarah Montague (News Editor Ebony Joseph, News Producer Brian DeShazor).

All this on the April 13, 2026 edition of This Way Out!

Join our family of listener-donors today at thiswayout.org/donate/.

This Way Out’s founding Coordinating Producer leaves a legacy of historic LGBTQ audio that begins more than a decade before the only internationally syndicated queer radio show debuted. This memorial tribute features his exclusive 1979 interview with San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk and “Diminished Capacity,” his documentary on the aftermath of Milk’s assassination, and coverage of the first LGBTQ March on Washington (Part 1 of 2, produced by Lucia Chappelle and Brian DeShazor).

And in NewsWrap: the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy for minors, rebellious protests in India on International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) after the president signs a law that erases trans rights, the Trump White House denounces the Biden administration’s support of TDOV, New South Wales is still waiting for the release of the Sackar Report on hate crimes, queer Kenyan activists are launching a voter registration campaign, a trio of trans athletes win third place in the Oceanside, California Ironman race, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Ava Davis and John Dyer V (News Editor Ebony Joseph, News Producer Brian DeShazor).

All this on the April 6, 2026 edition of This Way Out!

Join our family of listener-donors today at thiswayout.org/donate/.