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
Harvard’s Global LGBTQI+ Human Rights Program [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:58
While Harvard University faces off with the Trump administration over its diversity, equity and inclusion programs, director Diego Garcia Blum of its John F. Kennedy School of Government Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights…
U.N.’s Crucial Queer Rights Vote [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:58
On the eve of the U.N. Human Rights Council’s vote on whether to renew the Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, Fabiana Leibl of the International Service for Human Rights, trans activist Best Ch…
Podcast Extended Interview: Marval A Rex's Big Dad Energy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:02
Extended interview with actor/astrologer/comedian Marval A Rex, the ringmaster of an all trans male comedy troupe called Big Dad Energy. The conversation is an extended version of This Way Out Radio Episode 1944 about Bi…
Marval A Rex’s Big Dad Energy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:58
During this terrible time of queer and trans erasure, finding a moment to laugh can be another form of protest - especially when the source of the laughter is from an all trans male comedy troupe called Big Dad Energy. T…
U.S. Supreme Court v. Trans Kids’ Health Care [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:58
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld Tennessee’s ban on pediatric gender affirming health care with a decision that lowered the bar for establishing its constitutionality and that imperils the rights of young trans patients in…
USAID Cuts Cripple Global Queer Rights [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:58
In the aftermath of the Elon Musk chainsaw gutting the United States Agency for International Development, LGBTQ+ people around the world were robbed of more than a hundred programs geared to promote their health, safety…
The Scrubbing of the USNS Harvey Milk [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:58
The U.S. Navy launched a fleet replenishment oiler in honor of assassinated San Francisco Supervisor and Navy vet Harvey Milk in 2021, but a new administration finds the gay icon not “reflective of the Commander-in-Chief…
Erik Piepenburg’s “Dining Out” [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:58
The rich history of LGBTQ+ eateries and the role they’ve played in encouraging community is served up by Erik Piepenburg in his new book, “Dining Out: First Dates, Defiant Nights and Last Call Disco Fries at America’s Ga…
Drag Queen Violinist Thorgy Thor [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:58
As Trump-phobia stokes concert homophobia across the U.S. during Pride season, RuPaul's Drag Race favorite Thorgy Thor weaves classical music into her unique performance style (interviewed by Brian DeShazor). And in News…
Texas v. DEI & Garcia v. Noem [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:58
The Texas state House held a hearing on a bill that LGBTQ+ activists say would undermine education by eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion policies from public schools. State Representative Ron Reynolds, Equality…