Mercury Stardust Helps Queer People Feel Safe and Sound at Home

Mercury Stardust Helps Queer People Feel Safe and Sound at Home

Author: Slate Podcasts September 20, 2023 Duration: 1:02:58

It’s September. Are you ready to warm up your muscles as the temperatures dip and get your apartment all cozy for the cuffing season to come? If so, Outward has you covered. First, listeners Elizabeth and Peter respond to last month’s discussion of Amazon’s film adaptation of Red, White & Royal Blue. Then the hosts talk with sports journalist Katie Barnes about their new book Fair Play: How Sports Shape the Gender Debates, which tells the remarkable story of how sports have been gendered long before today’s anti-trans panic. After that, they’re joined by writer and TikTok-er extraordinaire Mercury Stardust, who is known as the “Trans Handy Ma’am” for her DIY home-repair videos. Mercury’s new book, Safe and Sound: A Renter-Friendly Guide to Home Repair, blends stunning illustrations and emotional-processing breaks with how-to guides for making your apartment into a sanctuary. The hosts end the show, as always, with some new additions to the Gay Agenda.


Items discussed in the show:

Bottoms Queers the High-School Comedy,” the Culture Gabfest’s discussion of the movie, with Christina

Power Bottoms,” by Rachel Handler, on Vulture

Fair Play: How Sports Shape the Gender Debates, by Katie Barnes

Safe and Sound: A Renter-Friendly Guide to Home Repair, by Mercury Stardust

The Safe and Sound book tour


Gay Agenda


Bryan: What Happens When You’re Almost Out of Testosterone–and You Live in Florida,” by Nico Lang

Christina: Deadloch, on Amazon Prime

Jules: People Collide, by Isle McElroy


This podcast was produced by June Thomas.


Please send feedback, topic ideas, and advice questions to outwardpodcast@slate.com.


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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
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