From Stonewall to the Present, Fifty Years of L.G.B.T.Q. Rights

Masha Gessen co-hosts this episode of the New Yorker Radio Hour, guiding David Remnick through the fifty years of civil-rights gains for L.G.B.T.Q. people. From drag queens reading to children at the library to a popular gay Presidential candidate, we’ll look at how the movement for L.G.B.T.Q. rights has changed our culture and our laws. The actress and comedian Lea DeLaria takes us through five decades of queer history in five minutes. Gessen talks with a Stonewall historian named Martin Duberman about whether the movement has become too conservative, and, later, she visits with a gay asylum seeker who recently fled Russia’s state security agency.

Drag Queen Story Hour

At the Brooklyn Public Library, a drag queen teaches children a lesson of openness: “nowhere does it say you can’t play with all the colors in the crayon box.”

Masha Gessen on Fifty Years of Gay Rights Since Stonewall

Masha Gessen talks with David Remnick and the historian Martin Duberman about the fight for L.G.B.T.Q. rights.

Lea DeLaria on Fifty Years of L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ History—in Five Minutes

The actress, singer, and comedian gives a brief—really brief—tour of wins and losses in the fight for queer rights.

A Gay Russian, Exiled in Ireland

Vladimir Putin has long used the L.G.B.T.Q. community as a political scapegoat. Masha Gessen talks with an activist targeted by the Russian President’s regime.

Being Non-Binary

Kristin, a self-described “queer black kid,” explains why she doesn’t want or need a fixed gender.