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Kinsey Sicks’ Dragapella: The Kinsey Sicks, “America’s Favorite Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet,” have been skewering politicians and scoffing social morés for 16 years – all in classically-trained four-part a capella harmony and high-camp drag. (Think the Capitol Steps on steroids and estrogen!) Eric Jansen chats with Kinsey Sicks co-founder and bass Irwin “Winnie” Keller about this high-octane, high-IQ, raunchy group’s antics and plays tunes from their new CD and show “Each Hit & I” (say it fast for full effect!)
- air date July 1, 2010

Robin & Ruby: K.M. Soehnlein grabbed a Lambda Literary Award for Best Gay Fiction with his very first novel, The World Of Normal Boys. Now he's out with the long-awaited sequel, Robin & Ruby, about a young gay man and his straight younger sister on their paths of self-discovery. Set in 1985, as AIDS begins to hit full force, it's about young love, break-ups, family tragedies, racism, faith, fear and hope, grief and joy and much more. Join host Eric Jansen to hear K.M. Soehnlein read from his novel and share his characters' stories and his own. - air date July 8, 2010

Gilbert Baker: On June 25th, 1978, Gilbert Baker knew that the flag of many colors flying over San Francisco's Castro would change his life. He created what is now known as The Rainbow Flag. A drag queen who sewed, Gilbert started with banners that soon turned into flags that Pride season when Harvey Milk was still leading the way. It was before AIDS and at the end of a turbulent, productive time for the gay rights movement. Marilyn talks with Gilbert about that time, how he envisioned the flag, how it changed his life, and how he feels now, looking back.

For more information on Glibert, click here.
- air date July 15, 2010

Nan Alamilla Boyd: How did San Francisco get so gay? Was it the Gold Rush? Maybe. Or during Prohibition? After? What role did the bars play? Who was leading the way? It's a summer rebroadcast of Marilyn's interview with San Francisco State University Professor and Chair of Women and Gender Studies, Nan Alamilla Boyd. Her book "Wide Open Town: A History of Queer San Francisco to 1965," explores what made this town gay before the sexual revolution of the late 60's. 
- air date July 22, 2010

The Pacific Center:
San Francisco gets all the gay attention in the Bay Area, but there’s history and plenty going on in the East Bay, too. The Pacific Center in Berkeley has been serving LGBT Bay Area residents since 1973. It’s the oldest queer community center in Northern California and the third oldest in the nation. One of its ongoing rap groups, for married and formerly married gay men, has been held weekly for more than three decades. In fact, the Center played a large part in host Eric Jansen's journey. Join Eric and his guest, Pacific Center Executive Director Leslie Ewing, to hear about this pillar of the Bay Area’s gay community and its continuing vital roles today.
- air date July 29, 2010
 

Sharon McNight:  With song titles such as "The Dumber They Come, The Better I Like 'Em," "Masochism Tango," "Goodbye, Good Luck, Good Riddance," Sharon McNight has been making gay audiences laugh for almost 3 decades as she belts out song after song. An early supporter in the fight against AIDS in San Francisco, Sharon is an integral part of the gay male community, performing tirelessly at benefits everywhere. A Tony-nominated performer, with countless accolades to her credit, McNight is coming to the Rrazz Room to kick off Pride, June 20-21. Marilyn talks to her about her new show, "Betty, Betty, Bette," at the Rrazz Room June 20-21, and plays some of her favorite songs.

For more information check out The Rrazz Room online. Tell them Out in the Bay sent you! - air date June 10, 2010

Connie Champagne:  
She may not be literally gay but she's definitely a queer. Singer Connie Champagne is an icon of the local music scene in San Francisco. From "Songs To Make You Gay," to "Over The Rainbow: An Evening With Connie Champagne as Judy Garland," on June 22nd at The Rrazz Room, her shows are a distinct part of the fabric of gay life here. Marilyn talks with her about her many shows and records, and how being a straight woman in a gay world isn't as black and white as it sounds. - air date June 17, 2010

"Life Before The Lifeboat":  Marilyn Pittman presents an audio version of the film, "Life Before The Lifeboat", which chronicles what is now known as "the San Francisco model" of patient care. Dr. Paul Volberding, the pioneering AIDS doctor, interviews nurses, doctors, and community leaders about that time on General Hospital's AIDS Ward 86. - air date June 24, 2010
 

A Mother's Tragic Tale, with Judy Shepard:  In October 1998, her 21-year-old son, Matthew Shepard, was beaten, tied to a Wyoming fence and left to to die. Judy Shepard speaks frankly with host Eric Jansen about her loss, her activism, and her book, The Meaning of Matthew: My Son's Murder in Laramie and A World Transformed. - air date May 6, 2010

Mike Smith and the Castro County Fair:  In 1987, at the height of the AIDS crisis when gay men were dying on the streets of the Castro, Mike Smith, along with Cleve Jones and Gert McMullin, founded the Names Project Quilt. The space on Market Street near Castro was Harvey Milk's last camera store and is now the restaurant, Catch. But for almost a decade, it was filled with quilts from floor to ceiling, and people whose loved ones were dying or dead from the virus. Mike talks about those years with Marilyn, and about his newest project, The Castro County Fair on May 23rd, a benefit for The AIDS Emergency Fund, of which he is the executive director.

Set in the old Armory building on Mission and 15th, which is now owned by a gay porn company (horse stables, dungeon, locker rooms in the basement!), the fair is a fun, family-oriented event. For more on that go to: http://www.castrocountyfair.org/  - air date May 13, 2010

"IT'S ALL THE RAGE":  In 1997, Out in the Bay co-producer /co-host Marilyn Pittman's parents died in a murder-suicide. Her new solo show about the tragedy, "It's All The Rage", opens June 2nd at The Marsh in San Francisco. Marilyn, one of the first openly gay comics in San Francisco, shares her story with humor, compassion, and courage. She pored through her mother's journals and her father's love letters to ponder: Did they really love each other? Could we see this coming? In conversation with friend and co-host Eric Jansen, hear excerpts from Marilyn’s stage performance and her take on how humor -- and lots of therapy -- can help us through tragedy. Click here for tickets and more info for "IT'S ALL THE RAGE". - air date May 20, 2010

GLAAD and its Media Awards:  GLAAD -- the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation -- has been working to ensure accurate representation of queer people in the news and entertainment media for 25 years. GLAAD hosts its 21st Annual Media Awards here in San Francisco June 5.  GLAAD's S.F. director, Juan Barajas, and original GLAAD S.F. co-founder Zane Blaney join Out in the Bay's Eric Jansen to preview GLAAD's San Francisco event and talk about the organization's long fight for fairness, which included kicking Rush Limbaugh off Bay Area airwaves in 1992. - air date May 27, 2010
 

Pearls Over Shanghai:  Take a trip back to 1970s San Francisco and 1930s Shanghai on this week's Out in the Bay. The resurrection of "Pearls Over Shanghai" -- a 1970 stage musical by the Cockettes, San Francisco's infamous hippie glittery drag troupe -- has been extended yet again, now through Aug. 1. Join host Eric Jansen with "Pearls Over Shanghai" creators and original Cockettes Scrumbly Koldewyn and Russ Blackwood for a twisted look at a city perhaps even more sinful -- and fun -- than our Baghdad by the Bay.

(For Pearls Over Shanghai info and tickets go to: www.Thrillpeddlers.com. Tell them Out in the Bay sent you!).
- air date Apr 1, 2010

Robin & Ruby: K.M. Soehnlein grabbed a Lambda Literary Award for Best Gay Fiction with his very first novel, The World Of Normal Boys. Now he's out with the long-awaited sequel, Robin & Ruby, about a young gay man and his straight younger sister on their paths of self-discovery. Set in 1985, as AIDS begins to hit full force, it's about young love, break-ups, family tragedies, racism, faith, fear and hope, grief and joy and much more. Join host Eric Jansen to hear K.M. Soehnlein read from his novel and share his characters' stories and his own.  - air date Apr 8, 2010

APRIL FOLLIES: Why is it funny when men dress in drag but a turn-off when women do? Is it threatening? Are lesbians more into butch/femme drag? And when will "Dancing With The Stars" feature same-sex couples? Marilyn talks with Barbara Zoloth (zoh'-lof) and David Estrada, producers of the April 24th "April Follies," the largest competition of same-sex dancers in North America. It's coming to Oakland on April 24th. For more information check out APRIL FOLLIES ON THE WEB.  - air date Apr 15, 2010

VICKI RANDLE: What's it like to be the first and only woman on "The Tonight Show" band? Marilyn talks with Vicki Randle about working on television, her roots in the women's music scene--her first recording gig was on Cris Williamson's "The Changer and The Changed"--and her award at the National Center for Lesbian Rights gala on May 1st in San Francisco. For more information on the National Center for Lesbian Rights, check out NCLR on the web. - air date Apr 22, 2010

Gay Global Giving:
The Rainbow World Fund gets gay Americans to help disaster victims and other desperate people around the globe. But why on Earth should we send our queer dollars to some of the most homophobic countries on the planet -- like Haiti? Founder Jeff Cotter says his work and our dollars are opening minds, here at home and around the world. Hear this lively discussion about why gays should give globally, with Jeff Cotter, Rainbow World Fund board member Karen Kai and host Eric Jansen.  
- air date Apr 29, 2010
 

"Over Our Heads" turns 25:  Celebrate the 25th anniversary of the world's only lesbian improv troupe, "Over Our Heads." Marilyn talks with one of the first dyke comics, Karen Ripley, and actor and singer, Annie Larson, about their Bay area following, what lesbians laugh at, the trouble they've gotten into, and the success they've had. March 13th is the anniversary performance at the Montclair Women's Club in Oakland. Go to: overourheadscomedy.com for more info. - air date Mar 4, 2010

Sex & Religion:  Eric Jansen interviewed Rev. Lea Brown – not your typical minister. She had to leave her military chaplain training program when she realized she was lesbian. Twenty years later, she’s Senior Pastor at San Francisco’s primarily gay Metropolitan Community Church -- and a big, butch, leather dyke. In fact, she’s writing her ministry doctoral thesis on reclaiming pleasure as a spiritual value. - air date Mar 11, 2010

Don't Ask, Don't Tell:  He's the poster child for ridding the armed services of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. He's an Arabic translator and Army Lieutenant who served in Iraq and then got kicked out of the military for following his West Point moral code: to be honest.  He came out and, by doing so, ended his career. He is now 50% disabled, gay married, and speaking out on this punitive, immoral policy.  

Marilyn interviewed him in New York City last fall and we're putting it back up in light of the recent debate about rescinding "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."  - air date Mar 18, 2010

Sally Carter:  She works with kids whose lives are like the movie, "Precious." She's an out butch lesbian. Meet Sally Carter, a former advertising producer who changed careers to make a difference. She teaches 5th graders in the Hayward, California, school system and she talks with Marilyn about what's wrong with education, what can be done about it, and what it's like to be out in this conservative part of the Bay area. - air date Mar 25, 2010

Deeper than the Flesh - Eric Jansen speaks with choreographer Sean Dorsey, whom Dance Magazine names among the nation’s top 25, about his highly acclaimed dance suite “Uncovered: The Diary Project” and plays clips from the show's moving, thought-provoking narration. Based on real-life diaries that reveal truths about queer lives and aid self-discovery, it features the life of pioneering gay transgender San Franciscan Lou Sullivan, who wrote in his diary, "No-one looks deeper than the flesh, do they?"

"Uncovered: The Diary Project" plays at San Francisco's Dance Mission Theatre Feb. 4 - 7. Tickets and information at www.FreshMeatProductions.org - air date Feb 4, 2010

"Justin Bond: Close to You" is the name of the latest Marc Huestis production at The Castro Theatre. And why not on Valentine's Day? Justin, of course, is the aging alcoholic singer, 'Kiki,' in "Kiki and Herb," a Tony-nominated satirical cabaret act that started in San Francisco and went on to great acclaim in New York City. "Close to You" features a 10-piece orchestra directed by Lance Horne, and the show also screens Marc's new short film, "Justin Bond Tells You Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex," a comic retelling of the 1969 book's chapter on homosexuality.
- air date Feb 11, 2010

Queer Refugees - We’ve heard about the horrific anti-gay violence in Jamaica, the Middle East and other parts of the world. Now hear how those who’ve fled their homelands fare as refugees, usually with no resources and in neighboring countries just as homophobic. Host Eric Jansen speaks with longtime immigration lawyer Neil Grungras, who founded the Organization for Refuge, Asylum and Migration (ORAM) to help LGBT refugees. - air date Feb 18, 2010

Gay Teens and Smoking: Why do gay teenagers smoke more than their non-gay peers? Does smoking help relieve the anxiety of discovering you're gay? Why do the tobacco companies sponsor so many gay events? What's being done to discourage them? Find out when Marilyn interviews Brian Davis of Breathe California. He's the BUTT OUT project coordinator for them and has lots of new research to share about the dangers of taking tobacco money for our community. - air date Feb 25, 2010