Bonus: Cruising Podcast Swap — Les Pierres, Love, and Queer Family in the Deep South

Bonus: Cruising Podcast Swap — Les Pierres, Love, and Queer Family in the Deep South

Author: Jaimie Kelton – Queer Parenting & LGBTQ Families'. August 11, 2025 Duration: 1:08:37

While we gear up for Season 20 (September 1st!), I’m sharing something special — an episode swap with the fabulous podcast Cruising. They’re featuring one of my episodes on their feed, and I’m thrilled to bring one of theirs to you. This one’s a beautiful slice of queer history, love, and resilience.

Juanita Pierre and Leslie Martinez opened New Orleans' first Black-owned lesbian bar, Les Pierres, on the corner of Pauger St and N. Rampart St. No one can quite remember the exact date Les Pierres opened, but based on some other stories and dates, we can guess it would have been around 1980. By 1990, they had closed, but their legacy remains. In this episode, Juanita--alongside family and friends--shares memories of the bar, her love story with Leslie, and what it was like raising children as a same-sex couple in the Deep South in the 70s and 80s.

This episode features interviews with Teryl Lynn Foxx, Juanita Pierre, Mike Pierre, and Emelda Sterling.

Subscribe to Cruising on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you listen.



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Hosted by queer mom Jaimie Kelton, The Queer Family Podcast-LGBTQ Families & Queer Parenting Stories offers a weekly space that is both uproariously funny and deeply genuine. Each episode features conversations with LGBTQIA+ parents, hopeful parents, and their allies, delving into the specific joys and hurdles of building a family outside of traditional frameworks. You’ll hear firsthand accounts of the paths to parenthood-from adoption and fostering to IVF and surrogacy-and the everyday realities of raising kids in a world that can still feel unfamiliar. This podcast moves beyond theory, focusing on lived experiences that cover everything from health and fitness routines that work for queer families to navigating complex conversations about sexuality and society with children. The goal is straightforward: to share stories that normalize these experiences, elevate diverse voices, and celebrate the full spectrum of queer family life. Tuning in means connecting with a community, finding resonance in shared challenges, and gathering a lot of practical wisdom-and laughter-along the way. It’s a resource and a companion for anyone curious about or living within the beautifully expansive definition of a modern family.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

The Queer Family Podcast – LGBTQ Families & Queer Parenting Stories
Podcast Episodes
The Bio/Non-Bio Myth: Why Love, Not DNA, Makes a Family [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:14
Kevin and Alim—longtime partners, dads of two, and global citizens—share how they built their family through Canadian surrogacy, what they looked for in an egg donor, and how they talk to their kids about donor conceptio…
Bonus Replay: Redefining Parenthood: A Queer Guide to Modern Parenting [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:35
🎉 Bonus Episode Alert! 🎉 Season 20 officially drops on September 1st, but while you wait, we’ve got one last bonus for you. This heartfelt and thought-provoking conversation redefines what it means to parent in our queer…
BONUS REPLAY: A Beautifully Complicated Transition with Emme Reynolds [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:55
As we gear up for the launch of Season 20 this September, we're sharing some favorite past episodes that continue to resonate—because queer family-building is never just a one-time story.Originally aired in Season 14, th…
BONUS REPLAY: Flipping the Script on Foster Adoption [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:18
🎉 BONUS REPLAY: Flipping the Script on Foster AdoptionAs we gear up for the launch of Season 20 this September (!!!), I’m revisiting some of my favorite episodes from past seasons. These stories continue to resonate, ins…