QueerCore Podcast

Six years in the making, we are excited to bring you the Mother of Us All, Bambi Lake. Bambi Lake changed the world and broke hearts. She joined the Angels of Light, the legendary free theater troupe founded by members of the Cockettes, in 1971 and went on to perform around the world. She made San Francisco her home base, where she sang, acted, and wrote. A fearless performer, poet, author, and tr...

PART TWO: Perry Brass and Don Kilhefner were active in the movement when gay liberation was just beginning and had not yet been recognized as such. Shortly after the Stonewall Riots in 1969, Don became a member of the Los Angeles Gay Liberation Front and a founder of what would become the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Perry Brass became active in New York's Gay Liberation Front and worked on Come Out!...

Perry Brass and Don Kilhefner were active in the movement when gay liberation was just beginning and had not yet been recognized as such. Shortly after the Stonewall Riots in 1969, Don became a member of the Los Angeles Gay Liberation Front and a founder of what would become the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Perry Brass became active in New York's Gay Liberation Front and worked on Come Out! , one of t...

We’re revisiting a 2020 throwback episode about the legendary Theatre of the Ridiculous — the outrageous, glitter-soaked underground movement that transformed queer performance and Downtown New York culture. Featuring conversations with Ruby Lynn Reyner, Agosto Machado, and Tony Zanetta, this episode captures the chaos, creativity, and rebellion of a scene that shattered artistic boundaries. Revis...

This episode takes us through the life of Jon Platania, a key member of the Los Angeles Gay Liberation Front. Jon helped create concrete ways for LGBTQ+ people to support one another through radical ideas. After joining the GLF in 1970, Jon became an active member of a movement focused not only on encouraging queer people to organize and fight back against their oppression, but also to care for on...

In this episode, three individuals describe life during and after the Stonewall Uprising, sharing their authentic accounts of the struggles they faced as they participated in the newly formed gay liberation movement. First-hand accounts are given by Perry Brass (NYC Gay Liberation Front), Don Kilhefner (LA Gay Liberation Front), and Rich Wandel (NYC Gay Activists Alliance)—providing a personal, vi...

In this episode you'll hear the unedited audio recording of a Zoom webinar called No Intermission , which took place on March 29, 2026, featuring the legendary underground artists, Cherry Vanilla and Tony Zanetta, and their reflections on the powerful convergence of queer liberation, the avant-garde theater scene, and rock and roll that occurred in New York and London during the latter half of the...

Tony Zanetta, an influential figure in both the glam rock and Off Broadway scene, helped create a period in which theater, music, and identity came together in spectacular, gender-smashed fashion. He worked as an actor in innovative plays and joined MainMan when David Bowie was at his most popular, one of the major forces behind glam rock. Tony became a part of a performance, persona, and pop cult...

Cherry Vanilla is a fearless, iconic figure in glam rock, punk, and the experimental underground of New York City. She was also a publicist for David Bowie, contributing significantly to the development of the Ziggy Stardust mystique. In the 1970s, she started performing her poetry as songs and released two albums for RCA in 1978 and 1979, in the early days of punk. Aside from music, Cherry Vanill...

The rainbow flag is one of the most well-known symbols in the world. It is celebrated as a representation of LGBTQ pride and liberation. It is widely thought to be the work of Gilbert Baker. However, history is often messier than the story we inherit. In this episode, we are joined by Faerie Argyle Rainbow. What she contributed to the flag's creation has largely been forgotten or misattributed, bu...

The episode dives into the life and contributions of John Lauritsen, an early member of the New York City Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activists Alliance, a historian, and an interesting figure. John aided in the recovery of many lost parts of LGBTQ history, but his views on different aspects within the gay movement have made him one of the most controversial figures, especially his contradict...

A live, one-night-only special podcast episode documenting a famous, rare archived Co*ckette's icon through story, memory, and the contributions of many has been produced. This episode was performed in front of an audience in New York City and featured voices from many different generations and backgrounds. The readings included personal stories, live performance, and select items from his archive...

In this episode, August returns to Rumi Missabu — Cockette, runaway, and legend — in a raw, intimate conversation recorded less than three months before Rumi’s death on April 2, 2024. Born in Hollywood and self-exiled from official life for decades, Rumi helped found the Cockettes, San Francisco’s glitter-drenched, anarchic performance collective that shattered gender and theatrical norms at the h...

This episode takes a look at the life of Rumi Missabu, a founding member of the late 1960s and early 1970s Cockettes, a radical drag performer, and a counterculture visionary who spent years reshaping what art and identity were during his time. After the dissolution of the Cockettes, Rumi spent over 35 years off the grid, living in almost complete anonymity; however, his contributions to drag, per...

In this episode, we have Dr. Rick Huskey, a physician and theologian who was instrumental in the creation of Affirmation: United Methodists for LGBTQ Concerns. As a college student in 1971, Rick was one of the first to help create the Northfield, MN, Gay Liberation Front. He later took the fight for LGBTQ inclusion in the United Methodist Church head-on and challenged the church from within. Doing...

In 1962, seven years before Stonewall, Robbie Robinson co-founded the Tavern Guild, which was America’s first association of gay bars. A true pioneer for LGBTQ+ rights, he played an integral role in creating the organization that systematized San Francisco's gay nightlife and worked toward visibility and safety for the LGBTQ+ community. In this episode, Robbie talks about his trailblazing work wit...

Part One was so juicy, we are bringing you Part Two. It's all about Reverend Robert Mary Clement, a pioneer in the LGBTQ religious movement. This is Your Church delves deeper into the life of Reverend Clement, spotlighting his groundbreaking ministry in New York City during the earliest years of gay liberation. We explore how the Church of the Beloved Disciple became a spiritual home for queer peo...

In this episode, you will be introduced to Reverend Robert Mary Clement, one of the very first openly gay bishops in the U.S. Before marriage equality was even on the radar, Clement marched in the original Pride parades wearing his clerical collar and conducted some of the first public "Holy Unions" for same-sex couples. You will hear about how he founded the Church of the Beloved Disciple and the...

This episode focuses on Dave Hayward, a passionate advocate on the front lines of the gay liberation revolution. From calling the pre-gay liberation homophile organization, the Mattachine Society, from his college dorm in Washington, D.C., to organizing the first Pride march in Atlanta, Georgia, his experiences navigate the space between buttoned-up activism and radical revolution. He shares his j...

The revolution gets personal. In this episode, three pioneers from the Gay Liberation Front in Washington D.C., New York, and Berkeley share their experiences from the early years of the gay liberation revolution. Gay liberation swept the world, and many actions occurred that are largely unknown to history. Now that changes! This panel discusses the raw and chaotic moments that transformed the mov...

The rabbit hole gets wilder. You wanted gay lib and magik? We teased in the last episode—now get ready to dive in! In Part Two, Llee Heflin of the Los Angeles Gay Liberation Front shares insights: magik, magik babies, and the surreal, psychedelic queer experiments that pushed the limits of reality. There are outrageous rituals and mind-melting actions. Llee takes us on a journey where activism, ar...

He’s back! In this episode, Llee Heflin , an early member of the Los Angeles Gay Liberation Front and author of the occult book The Island Dialogues , takes us deep into the intersections of radical activism, queer imagination, and literary exploration. From organizing on the frontlines of Los Angeles' gay liberation movement to crafting visionary works that challenge norms, Llee shares stories of...

The QueerCore Podcast returns with an earth-shattering new season. Hear archival interviews with the LGBTQ+ pioneers who sparked the Gay Liberation Revolution after Stonewall—and discover how their lessons shape the fight for equality today.

In this episode, Peter Taylor—once president of the Lexington, Kentucky Gay Liberation Front—revisits the raw, radical beginnings of queer organizing in Appalachia. From attempting to gain official recognition on a conservative college campus to being arrested under the pretext of solicitation, Peter doesn’t shy away from the shame, the fear, and the fierce resistance. You’ll hear how a simple act...

He’s preaching revolution! In this episode, Reverend Troy Perry , founder of the Metropolitan Community Church , joins us to chart his unlikely journey from Southern Baptist roots to gay‐affirming ministry and queer liberation. He recalls founding MCC in his living room in 1968, officiating groundbreaking same-sex marriages, and fighting for dignity when society told him faith and queerness could...