Slate Gender and Society

Bryan Lowder is still out on book leave, but hosts Christina Cauterucci and Jules Gill-Peterson summon him back to discuss Bros, the gay rom-com of the moment. The film lingers on questions of queer history, shows what happens when a nerdy podcast guy dates a beefy gay bro, and is a fascinating meditation on what it means to be a cis gay man in a time of both progress and prosecution. (This segment lasts around 31 minutes if you want to skip ahead to avoid Bros spoilers.) Then they are joined by Meg Metcalf, an LGBTQ collections specialist at the Library of Congress, to discuss how the world’s biggest library is surfacing the plentiful LGBTQ resources that can be found in its building and in cyberspace. Finally, they add some new items to the gay agenda.Items discussed in the show:The Problem With Jon Stewart, “The Problem With Gender” “Why Jon Stewart’s Humiliation of an Anti-Trans Official Is So Important,” by Evan Urquhart in SlateA new report from the Human Rights Campaign and Bowling Green State University“Billy Eichner’s Curious Claims About Bros,” by J. Bryan Lowder in Slate“Was Eleanor Roosevelt a Lesbian?” by Heather Schwedel, in SlateThe Library of Congress’ Collections Policy Statement for LGBTQIA+ studiesIf you have a question for Meg, or other Library of Congress librarians, go to ask.loc.govChronicling America, the Library of Congress’ database of historic newspapers Gay AgendaChristina: The episode of NPR’s Code Switch in which Kumari Devarajan profiled comedian and playwright D’Lo, who has a role in BrosJules: Faltas: Letters to Everyone in My Hometown Who Isn’t My Rapist, by Cecilia Gentili This podcast was produced by June Thomas.Please send feedback, topic ideas, and advice questions to outwardpodcast@slate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Five years after exposés in the New Yorker and New York Times, Harvey Weinstein is in jail—but a major rallying point of #MeToo was just how widespread this sexual harassment, abuse, and violence really is in workplaces across industries. Looking back, from the top of media to blue- and pink-collar work, how much has the #MeToo movement changed?Guest: Christina Cauterucci, senior writer at Slate.If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate homepage editor Sol Werthan sits down with trans rights activist and author, Paisley Currah. They discuss Paisley’s new book, Sex Is As Sex Does and discuss why “male” and “female” are used as a legal and social classifier. And why, even for cis people who identify with the gender binary, that might not be the right way to go.In Slate Plus, Sol and Paisley talk about the politicization of trans kids.Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus, Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior editor Rebecca Onion is joined by Slate contributing writer Imogen West-Knights to talk all about queens. From the daily news to Sunday nights on HBO, queens are everywhere right now. Rebecca and Imogen talk about the enduring appeal of shows like The Crown, House of the Dragon, Victoria, and more and what these representations are lacking. In Slate Plus, is the modern iteration of Hillary Clinton still feminist?Recommendations:Rebecca: Dirty Dancing abortion fundraisers, like this one.Imogen: Netflix’s Dahmer (in order to grapple with its lack of sensitivity) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus, Daisy Rosario, and Alicia Montgomery.Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After three decades of marriage, Bernadette wasn’t exactly blindsided when Rodney asked for a divorce. Things had been rocky for awhile, but she always assumed they’d live the rest of their lives “unhappily ever after.” Now Bernadette is facing an uncertain future, wondering how she’s going to navigate her new life socially, emotionally, and financially. On this episode of How To!, we bring on Dr. Elizabeth Cohen, author of Light on the Other Side Of Divorce: Discovering the New You, and host of the podcast The Divorce Doctor. She helps Bernadette formulate a plan for keeping things civil, and handling everything from personal finances to awkward inquiries from well-meaning friends. If you liked this episode, check out: “How To Save Your Marriage,” “How To Have a Fight That Actually Helps Your Relationship,” and “How To Reconnect With Your Kid After a Nasty Divorce.”Do you have a question without an answer? Send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show.If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows—you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on How To!. Sign up now at slate.com/howtoplus to help support our work.Thanks Avast.com! Learn more about Avast One at Avast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior editor Shannon Palus and transgender journalist Evan Urquhart pose the question: Do we really need to separate sports by sex? The pair discusses Maggie Merten’s recent piece in The Atlantic, “Separating Sports By Sex Doesn’s Make Sense” and what role biology does (and doesn’t) play in determining who the top player on the field is. Later in the show, Shannon and Evan talk about why co-ed sports would be great for transgender youth. In Slate Plus, is the Adam Levine sexting controversy feminist? Recommendations:Shannon: Adopting a dog.Evan: The Power Wash Simulator game. Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus, Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dahlia Lithwick’s new book Lady Justice: Women, the Law and the Battle to Save America, tells the story of the women lawyers who stood up to Trump and stood up for those unseen and unrepresented by a brutal presidency, and the stories of the women who will fight on in the wake of life-altering decisions from a radicalized Supreme Court.Lady Justice is also available as an audiobook, and Amicus listeners can get a 25% discount by entering the code “AMICUS” at checkout. https://books.supportingcast.fm/lady-justice Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Nicole Lewis, former Slate senior editor and Daisy Rosario, senior supervising producer of audio at Slate, talk about Britney…bitch. Mega-pop star Britney Spears is trying to navigate her life after being released from the court order that gave her father almost total control of her life. But the fans that put her conservatorship in the spotlight still can’t let her go. Nicole and Daisy unpack the toxic relationship between Britney Spears and fame—as well as whether there’s a way to be a fan without contributing to the damage. In Slate Plus, is the TNFW Nique rap Baby Daddy Free about abortion feminist? Recommendations:Daisy: Love Is Blind: After the Alter on Netflix.Nicole: House of the Dragon on HBO. Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus, Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery. Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Roberta Kaplan, who along with co-counsel Karen Dunn brought a successful civil suit against twenty-four neo-Nazi and white supremacist leaders responsible for organizing the racial- and religious-based violence in Charlottesville in August 2017. They discuss how the KKK Act of 1871 applied to discord channels and now January 6th defendants. And they explore the complicated relationship women find themselves in with the law in this moment, as defenders of rights but also as constitutional afterthoughts. Dahlia Lithwick’s new book is Lady Justice: Women, the Law and the Battle to Save America.If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows—you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Amicus. Sign up now at slate.com/amicusplus to help support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior editor Shannon Palus sits down with writer and political scientist Virginia Eubanks. They talk about Virginia’s New York Times magazine essay , “His PTSD, and My Struggle to Live With It,” and how the condition is more widespread than most people realize, even as terms like “trauma” and “triggered” are tossed around cavalierly. Later in the show, they talk about why you shouldn’t give unsolicited advice to people living with PTSD—and what kind of support caregivers of people with PTSD really need.   In Slate Plus: Why Virginia wanted to write her New York Times essay, and whether the COVID-19 pandemic is, technically speaking, a traumatic event. Further Recommended Reading:What to Say When Someone Tells You They’re Chronically Ill by Rachel MeeksIrritable Hearts: A PTSD Love Story by Gabriel MacPodcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus, Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices