Description:

Ashley Virginia joins Shane Lucas and Daniel W.K. Lee to talk about how songwriting became a way to process emotions, express identity, and connect with others. She shares how queer community, folk music, and creative spaces have shaped her journey as an artist and activist. Ashley also opens up about the realities of making a living as an independent artist, choosing integrity over a job that asked her to compromise her values, and the role community played in helping her move forward. The conversation ultimately explores why creativity belongs to everyone and how making art can help us reclaim our power, joy, and humanity.

Guest descriptors:

Creative

Visionary

Community-minded

Episode tags:

#AshleyVirginia #QueerArtists #Songwriting #FolkMusic #QueerJoy #CreativeExpression #CollectiveLiberation #LGBTQCommunit #IndependentArtists #ArtAsResistance

Songwriting, Community, and the Power of Expression with Ashley Virginia #66

Description:

What happens when a community loses touch with its own history? Hugh Ryan joins Mattie and Kenyon for a thoughtful and often hilarious conversation about queer memory, resistance, and the ways history continues to shape LGBTQ+ life today. From the Pop-Up Museum of Queer History to his upcoming memoir, Hugh shares personal stories and big ideas about archives, identity, activism, and the changes he has witnessed across generations. He challenges the idea that the past can simply be recreated and explains why queer people must continue documenting, supporting, and preserving their own stories. The episode is both a history lesson and a reminder that change has happened before—and that queer communities have always found ways to create possibility.

Guest descriptors:

Historian

Curator

Writer

Episode Tags:

#QueerHistory #LGBTQIA+History #QueerArchives #TransHistory #QueerActivism #QueerCulture #LGBTQIA+Community #QueerMemoir #Pride #communityorganizing

History, Pride, and Queer Possibility with Hugh Ryan #65

What if the phrase "second chance" is itself the problem? Adam Henderson, VP of Sales at Orijin, opens this conversation with Shane Lukas and Mattie Bynum by challenging a widely-used framing — arguing that for many incarcerated people, it was never a first chance to begin with. The episode maps what's possible: Massachusetts' model of 24/7 in-prison programming, Tennessee's "hidden talent" workforce initiative connecting incarcerated people to major labor gaps, and Iowa's tech-based parole check-ins reducing costly technical violations. Threaded through it all is a sharp analysis of how race, gender, and identity shape who gets incarcerated, who gets harmed inside, and who gets a real shot on the outside — with a particular focus on the disproportionate impact on queer and trans communities.

Justice, Community, and Clearing the Path with Adam Henderson #64

Co-hosts Melody KG and Mattie Bynum dig into the deeper currents of River Coello's work, exploring what gets erased when colonial systems take hold — and what endures anyway. As a PhD candidate in anthropology at UCF, River has traced the quiet persistence of Indigenous wisdom throughout the history of the field, arguing that Indigenous voices have always shaped knowledge, even when uncredited. Drawing from the Andean Cosmovision — conversations with sacred animals, the stars, and the moon — River weaves art, research, spirituality, and facilitation into a single practice rooted in the belief that culture is one of the most powerful sites for change. And when it comes to trans visibility, River is clear: being seen is not enough. Trans people need safety, shelter, family, and financial security — everything that pride, on its own, doesn't fully capture.

Ritual, Roots, and Radical Selfhood with River Coello #63

What happens when the internet turns politics into a consumer activity — something you watch, share, and feel, rather than something you do? Cayden Mak, publisher of Convergence magazine and host of Block and Build, joins co-hosts Daniel W.K. Lee and Kenyon Farrow to untangle the structural forces shaping digital organizing, from Shoshana Zuboff's surveillance capitalism to Silicon Valley's role in driving authoritarian consolidation. He pushes back on AI hype — arguing that much of it is marketing designed to launder ideology and remove human accountability from harmful decisions — while also insisting that the internet has been genuinely life-saving for young queer people cut off from affirming communities. Drawing on the legacy of ACT UP and the long-view thinking of Grace Lee Boggs, Cayden makes the case that real politics is not what you watch or repost, but what you do with other people over time.

Logging Off, Showing Up, and Organizing with Cayden Mak #62

The Lavender Scare — the 60-year federal policy that allowed gay people to be legally fired from government jobs — is the subject of Lisa Cordileone's historical fiction TV series Committed, and in conversation with co-hosts Kenyon Farrow and Mattie Bynum, she makes a compelling case that its echoes are very much present today. Lisa pushes back on the tendency of queer film to market itself as an education for straight audiences, arguing instead for stories where queer people simply exist, the way they always have — intersecting across race, class, gender expression, and history. Drawing from nonfiction, stoicism, and overlooked histories like Hidden Figures and The Imitation Game, she builds characters who battle with morality rather than slot neatly into hero or villain roles. She's particularly drawn to questions of colorism and passing — and how her own experience as a white queer woman means living simultaneously at the intersection of privilege and otherness. For Lisa, Power Beyond Pride means thriving without shame: not just surviving visibility, but choosing a life of truth.

History, Hollywood Hustle, and the Lavender Scare with Lisa Cordileone #61

Description:

What happens when creativity meets civic engagement? Jordan Robinson explains how his experiences in education, museums, and community programming inspired him to build projects that create both beauty and impact. From transforming neglected spaces into playgrounds to organizing exhibitions that spark meaningful dialogue, he demonstrates how art can help communities connect, heal, and grow. The conversation also tackles current challenges facing the arts, including funding cuts and political pressures, while offering practical ways listeners can support creative organizations. It’s a thoughtful discussion about leadership, service, and the lasting power of culture.

Guest Descriptors

 * Creative
 * Visionary
 * Community-Minded

Episode Tags

#ArtandCulture #CommunityEngagement #MuseumLeadership #CreativeActivism #ArtsEducation #CulturalPreservation #PublicArt #QueerChangemaking #NonprofitArts #JordanRobinson

Tags Again

#ArtandCulture #CommunityEngagement #MuseumLeadership #CreativeActivism #ArtsEducation #CulturalPreservation #PublicArt #QueerChangemaking #NonprofitArts #JordanRobinson

Art, Community, and Change with Jordan Robinson #60

A year after launch, Power Beyond Pride takes stock of what real progress looks like when the broader political landscape is hostile. Join hosts Mattie Bynum,  Daniel WK Lee, Hunter, Melodie Garcia, and Shane Lukas surface concrete wins—sex workers organizing mutual aid and a gun club during Minneapolis ICE raids, progressive electoral gains from leaders like Mamdani in New York and Wu in Boston, and New Mexico leading the nation on universal childcare. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee's June "Nuclear Family Month" resolution draws sharp pushback—not just as an LGBTQ+ attack, but as an erasure of the diverse family structures most Americans, including the hosts themselves, actually grew up in. The conversation connects symbolic rollbacks to the slow creep of policy harm, particularly the documented pattern of gradual restrictions on trans communities. The episode ultimately argues that sustainable movements need both vigilance and joy—and that creativity, art, and community are not soft distractions but core infrastructure for resistance.

Reply All: One Year, Real Wins, and Nuclear Family Nonsense #59

Description:

Daniel W.K. Lee and Mattie Bynum sit down with filmmaker and documentarian Tony Zosherafatain to unpack the emotional impact of telling trans stories in today’s political climate. Tony reflects on how his own transition inspired his filmmaking journey and discusses the deep connections he formed with the people featured in Trans in Trumpland. The conversation explores visibility, progress, backlash, and the realities of navigating life as a trans person in red states across America. Alongside political commentary and personal reflection, the episode also celebrates queer humor, resilience, community, and the joy that continues to exist even during difficult times.

Guest Descriptors:

Insightful, Compassionate, Fearless

Episode Tags:

#LGBTQ+Rights #TransVisibility #DocumentaryFilmmaking #QueerStorytelling #PoliticalCommentary #communitybuilding #IdentityandRepresentation #MentalHealth #TransinTrumpland #QueerJoy

Tags Again:

#LGBTQ+Rights#TransVisibility #DocumentaryFilmmaking #QueerStorytelling #PoliticalCommentary #communitybuilding #IdentityandRepresentation #MentalHealth #TransinTrumpland #QueerJoy

Visibility, Humor and Trans Stories with Tony Zosherafatain #58

Description:

This episode explores why history matters in the fight for LGBTQ+ visibility and belonging. Sophie Edwards discusses the importance of creating trans-centered educational content that goes beyond explaining trans people to cis audiences and instead helps trans people understand their own historical legacy. The conversation examines healthcare, gender-affirming care, political challenges facing queer communities in Canada and beyond, and the role social media plays in public education. Sophie also reflects on language, identity, and the ways cultural narratives shape how communities are understood. Together, the hosts and guest unpack the power of storytelling as a tool for connection and resistance

Guest Descriptors:

 * Insightful
 * Curious
 * Authentic

Episode Tags:

#TransHistory #TransgenderAdvocacy #LGBTQRights #QueerEducation #GenderIdentity #VoiceFeminization #CanadianPolitics #communitybuilding #HistoricalStorytelling #TransVisibility

Tags Again:

#TransHistory #TransgenderAdvocacy #LGBTQRights #QueerEducation #GenderIdentity #VoiceFeminization #CanadianPolitics #communitybuilding #HistoricalStorytelling #TransVisibility

History, Trans Legacy, and Courage with Sophie Edwards #57

A Great Idea

Ignite your activism! Power Beyond Pride dives deep into the electrifying work of LGBTQ+ leaders and organizers shattering barriers. Hear their inspiring stories, feel the raw power of their purpose, and discover concrete ways YOU can join the movement in your own community. Two dynamic hosts every week, plus a monthly all-host power surge discussing the latest movement news! Get ready to be inspired and take action!

Shane Lukas

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