Proud Voices: Steps to Liberation

Proud Voices: Steps to Liberation

Author: Overnight Productions, Inc. June 9, 2026 Duration: 28:57
This Way Out celebrates Pride Month with a special look at the power of visibility, community, and resistance. Then, This Way Out visits Los Angeles' historic Founders Metropolitan Community Church for the unveiling of the Rainbow Liberation Steps, a permanent public art installation honoring LGBTQ+ freedom and liberation. The dedication ceremony features community leaders, activists, faith leaders, and members of the congregation reflecting on the continuing struggle for equality and inclusion. NewsWrap reports on Colorado's successful effort to restore its ban on conversion therapy, a federal appeals court ruling blocking the Trump administration's transgender military ban, Pride activists marching forward in Hungary despite government opposition, and Ghana's parliament approving a sweeping anti-LGBTQ law. Finally, This Way Out takes to the streets of Los Angeles to ask a timely question: What would you say to someone who believes Pride is no longer relevant? The answers reveal why Pride continues to matter for LGBTQ+ people and their allies around the world. Featured speakers: Nithya Raman, Phillip Ray De Blieck, Gerald Garth, Lucia Chappelle Credits: Associate Producer/Lucia Chappelle, Producer/Host Brian DeShazor, News writer Jeb Backe, feature producer Brian DeShazor and Lucia Chappelle, NewsWrap reporters, Tanya Kane-Parry and Michael Taylor Gray, music by Maggie Szabo and the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles, the Porland Lesbian Choir and Kim Wilson All this on the June 8, 2026 Edition of This Way Out!

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: 50

This Way Out: The International LGBTQ Radio Magazine
Podcast Episodes
Proud Voices: GetLit Poets Part #2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:57
This week on This Way Out: in the second installment of our special Pride Month collaboration with Los Angeles' Get Lit – Words Ignite, young poets respond to the voices of James Baldwin and Urvashi Vaid with original sp…
Proud Voices: GetLit Poets #1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:59
In a special Pride Month feature produced by Brian DeShazor, young poets from Los Angeles-based Get Lit – Words Ignite respond to the words of LGBTQ trailblazers across generations. After listening to archival recordings…
Proud Voices: Prelude to Pride [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:59
Our Pride Season series starts with samples from our upcoming month of specials, with Los Angeles Poet Laureate Brian Sonia-Wallace and series producers Emma Shulman and Abigail DeRoberts. A Rainbow Rewind features June…
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…