You Make Me Real

Larry Byes tells of the extreme racism he experienced growing up as a poor black sissy kid in Ohio, the incredible story of his arrival in San Francisco in 1975, his experience in Black and White Men Together and at Glide church, the worst of the AIDS epidemic, and more.

JD Wade arrived in San Francisco in 1965, making him the earliest arrival of all our guests thus far. Among other things, he discusses the role of gay hippies, both within the wider hippie scene and also in the development of what would become the gay world of San Francisco.

In this second episode, Brian Freeman talks about the creation of not ine but TWO iconic works by black gay men, the movie Tongues Untied and the theater company PomoAfroHomos.

First of a two-part episode with actor, writer, director, and public intellectual Brian Freeman. In this episode Brian talks about arriving in San Francisco in 1977, negotiating the race landscape of 1970s San Francisco as a black gay man, his work in the San Francisco Mime Troupe,  meeting his future collaborator Marlon Riggs, and the early years of the AIDS pandemic.  Be sure to check out episode 2, in which Brian tells the story of the making of the landmark film Tongues Untied, and his landmark theater company PomoAfroHomos. 

One day after his 70th birthday, we interview none other than Timmy Spence - actor, musician, drag queen, provocateur par excellence. From growing up in Philly to landing in San Francisco at age 19 with nothing but $35; to doing drag when drag wasn't popular all the way through TrannyShack, to beating AIDS and 8 episodes of cancer to finding himself happy and wise at an age no one including Timmy ever thought he would see.

As fate would have it, Gerry Kirby passed away peacefully during the night just hours before this fourth and final episode of his oral history was published. RIP Gerry. We will miss you, dear friend. We are so happy were were able to, as you said, tell your truth.

Danny Nicoletta remembers arriving in San Francisco's Castro district in the mid-1970s, becoming Harvey Milk's  employee and occasional sex partner, the journey through drugs for both him and his community, and Harvey's legacy. He concludes with some profound observations comparing the ethical and political questions confronting the queer community back then and today. 

In this third of four episodes, Gerry talks us through his adventures in Europe with aTom of Finland's principal model, touring Europe with Donna Summers, returning to NYC to work in a male bordello, moving to San Francisco and becoming Sylvester's room mate and back up singer, becoming the lead singer in Messiah, walking the streets in drag and bringing home a member of the 49ers, his experiences with meth, and more.

Part 2 of Gerry Kirby. In this episode, Gerry goes into detail about his extraordinary experiences arriving in NYC in 1969 at age 18, opening for Bette Midler at the Continental Baths, performing on Broadway with Pearl Bailey and Cab Calloway, Greenwich Village the night the Stonewall riots erupted, and much more. 

Drag icon Heklina talks about arriving in San Francisco at the peak of AIDS, joining the Sick and Twisted Players, creating the legendary drag club Trannyshack and running it for 12 years, and co-founding San Francisco's flagship cabaret club Oasis.