From What Next: Trans and Shut Out in Trump’s America

From What Next: Trans and Shut Out in Trump’s America

Author: Slate Podcasts September 3, 2025 Duration: 26:23

Trans rights and access to health care have been under attack on the state level for years, but the second Trump administration and the Supreme Court have accelerated a chilling effect at clinics across the country.

Guest: Grace Byron, author of “The Grim State of Trans Health Care” and “The Bureaucratic Nightmares of Being Trans Under Trump” for the New Yorker. 

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Ethan Oberman, Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, and Rob Gunther.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


There’s a particular kind of conversation that happens among friends after the main event winds down, where the real talk begins. That’s the spirit of Outward: Slate's LGBTQ podcast. Each month, this gathering from Slate Podcasts creates a space that feels less like a formal interview and more like a lively, insightful salon. The discussions here are rooted in the vibrant and ever-evolving realities of queer life, tackling everything from politics and pop culture to health, fitness, and sexuality with both intelligence and a genuine sense of camaraderie. You’ll hear hosts and guests unpack the issues animating LGBTQ communities, often from angles you might not have considered, blending sharp analysis with personal stories. The result is a podcast that deepens your understanding while never losing its warmth or wit. It’s a colorful, thoughtful dialogue that invites you to listen in and feel like part of the conversation, offering both clarity on complex topics and the simple pleasure of connecting with smart perspectives on what it means to live openly and authentically.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Outward: Slate's LGBTQ podcast
Podcast Episodes
Masculinity and Muscles with Michael Andor Brodeur [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:27
This week, Bryan Lowder chats with Michael Andor Brodeur, author of Swole: The Making of Men and the Meaning of Muscle, to unpack the complex intersections of fitness, masculinity, and queer identity. From the sweaty int…
Sarah McBride’s Win and the Rise of Anti-Trans Politics [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:42
This week, the hosts come together to unpack Sarah McBride’s groundbreaking win as the first openly transgender member of Congress. While the win is historic, Bryan, Jules, and Christina dig in to unpack the limits of re…
What Southern LGBTQ History Can Teach Us [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:36
In this episode, host Jules Gill-Peterson speaks with the co-founders of Invisible Histories about their groundbreaking work preserving the rich, often overlooked history of queer life in the American South. At a time wh…
Gays in the Woods: History and Identity with Ben Miller [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:21
In this episode, historian Ben Miller chats with Bryan Lowder about the surprising ways white gay men have romanticized the idea of the 'primitive' in their search for utopia. Ben shares stories about key figures like Ha…