

Outward: Slate's LGBTQ podcast
Slate Podcasts
Outward, Slate's queer podcast, is a whip-smart monthly salon in which hosts and guests deepen the audience’s understanding of queer culture and politics, delight them with unexpected perspectives, and invite listeners into a colorful conversation about the issues animating LGBTQ communities.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 29, 2025 • 41min
Breaking Down Emilia Perez: Backlash, Awards Buzz, and Corporate Pride
Bryan, Jules, and Christina take on the troubling transphobia in Emilia Pérez, the movie that has received 13 Oscar nominations this awards season. They explore why it’s heavily nominated in this political climate. They also unpack the backlash to the film and the backlash to that backlash, exploring why some defend Emilia Pérez despite its flaws. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 22, 2025 • 32min
Meta’s New Rules: Embracing Homophobic and Transphobic Hate Speech
Host Christina Cauterucci sits down with WIRED senior writer Kate Knibbs to unpack Meta’s alarming internal shifts, including its embrace of right-wing ideologies, the elimination of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, and the policy changes that permit hate speech against gay and trans people. Together, they discuss why these changes are happening, how they align with broader political trends, and what it all signals about the future of tech, media, and LGBTQ+ rights Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 15, 2025 • 35min
Bisexual Dads, Awkward Art, and Transphobic Families: Queer Advice
This we’re diving into the delightful chaos of queer life with an advice-packed episode! Bryan, Christina, and our guest host Outward Producer Palace Shaw, tackle the perplexing world of bisexual dads navigating dating apps, strategies for dealing with transphobic relatives during family gatherings, the dos and don’ts of art-gifting etiquette, and whether to make a messy disclosure to new partners. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 8, 2025 • 42min
Conversion Therapy and Survival with Lucas Wilson
Bryan Lowder talks with writer and scholar Lucas Wilson about his new book, Shame Sex: Survivors’ Stories of Conversion Therapy. They chat about Wilson’s experience navigating same-sex attraction while on an evangelical path, experiencing conversion therapy, and the complicated relationships he experienced along the way. He also shares powerful stories from other survivors and explores the enduring harm of these practices, offering a poignant look at resilience, shame, and healing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 1, 2025 • 56min
Actor Jeff Hiller on Death Sex and Money
This week, we’re excited to share an episode of Death, Sex & Money with Anna Sale. In this conversation, Anna talks with Jeff Hiller, the gay actor known for his role in Somebody Somewhere. Jeff shares insights on his career, navigating faith and queerness, and finding joy in adulthood. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 18, 2024 • 40min
‘Queer’ on Screen: Luca Guadagnino’s Take on Desire, Loneliness, and Sex
This week, Christina Cauterucci and Bryan Lowder are joined by guest host Jeff Bloomer to discuss the new film Queer from director Luca Guadagnino based on William S. Burroughs’ groundbreaking novel of the same name. They explore the themes of desire, alienation, and the director’s approach to queer intimacy- and most importantly whether the sex scenes deliver. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 11, 2024 • 32min
How Lesbian Artists Turned Renaissance Ruins Into Queer Spaces with Kate Thomas
This week, Christina Cauterucci explores the intimate connections between queer identity and the natural world with Bryn Mawr professor Kate Thomas. In this episode, we journey through the lives of Florence Blood and Princess Ghika, two enigmatic lesbians who found self-expression, love, and freedom renovating their Italian Renaissance estate at the turn of the 20th century- creating an enchanting landscape to host lesbian artists and thinkers of the time. Thomas unpacks how their landscapes reflect their identities and what they can teach us about the enduring relationship between queerness and the environment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 4, 2024 • 39min
Masculinity and Muscles with Michael Andor Brodeur
This week, Bryan Lowder chats with Michael Andor Brodeur, author of Swole: The Making of Men and the Meaning of Muscle, to unpack the complex intersections of fitness, masculinity, and queer identity. From the sweaty intimacy of the gym to the charged symbolism of muscle, Brodeur examines how bodies become sites of desire, power, and transformation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 27, 2024 • 40min
Sarah McBride’s Win and the Rise of Anti-Trans Politics
This week, the hosts come together to unpack Sarah McBride’s groundbreaking win as the first openly transgender member of Congress. While the win is historic, Bryan, Jules, and Christina dig in to unpack the limits of representational politics and what it means for this win to exist alongside the emergence of anti-trans politics, which hit their all time high during this election cycle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 20, 2024 • 44min
What Southern LGBTQ History Can Teach Us
In this episode, host Jules Gill-Peterson speaks with the co-founders of Invisible Histories about their groundbreaking work preserving the rich, often overlooked history of queer life in the American South. At a time when LGBTQ+ communities face growing threats, safeguarding these stories is more urgent than ever. Together, they discuss how archiving resilience, joy, and everyday lives challenges erasure and ensures these vital narratives inspire future generations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices