Jessica Stern’s Queer Diplomacy

Jessica Stern’s Queer Diplomacy

Author: Overnight Productions, Inc. September 16, 2025 Duration: 28:58
For more than two decades, activist, educator, diplomat Jessica Stern has worn a variety of hats in her efforts to advance LGBTQ human rights around the world, always at the forefront — unafraid, unapologetic, speaking truth to power. Currently serving as Senior Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Policy Fellow at the Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights at the Harvard Kennedy School, Stern talks about her pioneering work at the United Nations, her tenure as the top queer diplomat in the U.S. State Department and her advice for standing up for human rights in a hostile world (interviewed by David Hunt). And in NewsWrap: the lower house of the Dutch parliament votes to criminalize so-called “conversion therapy,” Hong Kong legislators overwhelmingly vote down a bill to grant same-gender couples limited legal rights, an hour-long LGBTQ+ Pride motorcade cruises through the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv in the very midst of the Russian invasion, the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily allows transgender students in South Carolina can use campus bathrooms that align with their gender identity, Oregon state lawmaker Cyrus Javadi has had enough of the Republican Party, and more international LGBTQ+ news reported this week by Joe Boehnlein and Melanie Keller (produced by Brian DeShazor). All this on the September 15, 2025 edition of This Way Out! Join our family of listener-donors today at http://thiswayout.org/donate/

For more than three decades, This Way Out: The International LGBTQ Radio Magazine has been a vital, award-winning voice broadcast from community stations across the globe. Produced by Overnight Productions, Inc., this weekly program functions as a true radio magazine, weaving together urgent dispatches from the front lines of queer life with deep explorations of our culture and creativity. Every episode opens with a concise international news roundup, providing context on the political and social developments affecting LGBTQ communities everywhere. The conversation then expands into thoughtful features and interviews that delve into the arts, performing, and the intersections of identity and society. On a monthly basis, the Audiofile segment turns up the volume, offering a curated listen to the vibrant and evolving lesbigay and trans music scene. Tuning into this podcast means connecting with a long-standing, trusted source that documents both the struggles and the celebrations, always with an ear for the stories that might not make the mainstream headlines. It’s a consistently engaging mix of journalism and cultural reflection, all delivered with the warmth and clarity of a public radio staple.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

This Way Out: The International LGBTQ Radio Magazine
Podcast Episodes
Proud Voices: Prelude to Pride [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:59
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Barney Frank: a Frank Farewell [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:57
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 t…
The Global Rise of Anti-LGBTQ Laws (Part Three) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:57
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 h…
The Global Rise of Anti-LGBTQ Laws (Part Two) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:58
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 worldwid…
The Global Rise of Anti-LGBTQ Laws (Part One) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:58
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…
Zachary James Out on Stage [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:58
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 Oli…
Echoes of Queer Poetry [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:58
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 reco…
Tribute to Greg Gordon Part Two [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:58
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, r…
Tribute to Greg Gordon Part One [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:23
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…
Hoshino’s Light Bird Transition Is “Alright” [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:56
Danni Hoshino brings us a preview of her Transgender Day of Visibility single release, “Alright”! The veteran folk-rock musician surprised everyone — not least herself — when she came out as a transgender woman in 2022,…