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Reflector

Strange Bedfellows Part I: When LGB met T

Reflector

Longview

Documentary, Society & Culture

4.6577 Ratings

🗓️ 20 March 2026

⏱️ 42 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

You can hear Part 2 and 3 of this series right now when you become a Longview subscriber by visiting us here Reflector goes gay with a three-part look at the movement known as LGBTQ. Episode one looks at how homosexuals went from being social outcasts in post-war America to the 21st century’s most successful civil rights story and what happened when transgender activists started getting in on the action. With humility, humor, and an almost compulsive lack of piety, reporter Ben Kawaller explores the origin story of one of the most polarizing abbreviations of the modern age, telling the story of how gays and lesbians became LGBT. THIS EPISODE FEATURES:Dana Beyer – Early transgender rights advocate.Herndon Graddick – Former president of GLAAD.Lorri Jean – Former CEO of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center.Ben Appel – Journalist and author of Cis White Gay: The Making of a Gender Heretic.Jamison Green – Early transgender rights advocate. LINKS:⁠ The Gay Metropolis: The Landmark History of Gay Life in America⁠ by Charles Kaiser⁠Beyond Queer: Challenging Left Orthodoxy⁠, Ed. Bruce Bawer⁠Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington⁠ by James Kirchick⁠How to Survive a Plague⁠ by David France CREDITS:This episode of Reflector was reported and produced by Andy Mills, Matthew Boll, Ben Kawaller, Simon Adler, Ethan Mannello, and Seth Temple Andrews. Music for this episode was composed by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Cobey Bienert⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠Peter Lalish⁠⁠⁠ Reflector artwork by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jacob Boll⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

The program we are about to present is a report on the homosexual lifestyle.

0:05.3

We point that out for those who do not wish their children to see any portrayal of homosexual behavior.

0:16.8

Hey, I'm Andy Mills, and you're listening to Reflector.

0:21.6

All right, let's talk about sex.

0:25.5

Okay.

0:26.4

And social movements.

0:28.3

Okay.

0:29.0

And people coming together to make a change and then maybe falling apart.

0:33.2

Yeah.

0:33.6

But first, who are you?

0:36.2

Sure.

0:37.0

I am Ben Kowler. I'm a 41-year-old homosexual, and I also do some reporting work.

0:43.8

Okay, so for today, the story of how a civil rights movement morphed into something more complicated.

0:54.0

Over the course of the next three episodes,

0:56.3

we're going to be hearing from some of the very people

0:58.6

who created the LGBTQ coalition.

1:02.5

I was part of the group that appended the T to LGBT to LGBT.

1:06.3

I'll take responsibility for that.

1:08.5

Including some who say that they do not recognize what it's become.

1:14.3

I'm sick of it all, Ben. I'm sick of it all.

1:17.2

I mean, I think we need to correct what's wrong first. And so that's a big thing,

1:22.4

particularly the medicalization of children. So we need to form alliances with people who may not pass the perfection test of the most progressive

...

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