We get into the weeds with Calpernia Addams about how language can change, casual activism, and reflect on fighting and surviving the queer liberation. Calpernia shares some of her experiences growing up in a strict fundamentalist Christian cult and her journey coming to adulthood serving in the military as a combat medic in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War. Then she tells us all about how Navy lesbians contributed to her post-service glow up! 

Calpernia gives us an insider perspective on Hollywood casting of transgender, gay, and lesbian roles and she tell us about the work of her production company Deep Stealth Productions with Andrea James. We ask her about the film Soldier’s Girl (2003) which portrayed the 1999 hate crime murder of her real life boyfriend PFC Barry Winchell at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, USA. 

We have Peppermint! She tells us all about her experiences working in her first Broadway show, “Head Over Heels” featuring music and lyrics from The Go-Go’s!

Peppermint brings us an update on Black Queer Town Hall, a collaboration with Bob the Drag Queen. We find out about her Twitch show all about classic Black cinema called “Pepp Talks.” She has a trilogy of albums and you can hear a little something from the new release A Girl Like Me: Letters To My Lovers (get it on Soundcloud).

“Best Sex” song by Peppermint is featured with permission by the artist.

We have the legendary Kiki DuRane AKA Auntie Glam, that’s right... it’s Justin Vivian Bond! Viv and Heklina recollect sharing stages in San Francisco and then Mx Viv gives us a pretty jarring (canning?) account of Heklina’s first ever drag performance... Marc is not sure if we should include a trigger warning: it involves creamed corn. We remember the recently departed Bambi Lake. Viv regales us with stories about Eartha Kitt and Bambi Lake. We find out about the Bambi-Lake-inspired San Francisco origin story of Kiki and Herb’s Kiki DuRane and all about the masterclass Eartha Kitt gave Vivian Bond on being absolutely glamorous and perfectly political.

“Golden Age of Hustlers” is written by Bambi Lake and performed by Justin Vivian Bond. The song is featured with permission from Justin Vivian Bond.