The Spectrum
The Spectrum is a podcast looking at issues important to the LGBT communities. If you don't happen to associate with one of those letters that's ok! This show is aimed at helping people outside those communities understand just how important these issues are and why we need your support.
Episodes
December 24, 2025 • 30 mins
**Episode 33 – Building LGBTQ+ Community in Hostile Times | Rainbow Ridge Social Club**
In this episode of **The Spectrum**, we sit down with **Augie** and **Paul**, two organizing members of the **Rainbow Ridge Social Club** in Virginia’s northern Shenandoah Valley. What begins as a conversation about social events and friendship quickly becomes something deeper: a powerful, honest discussion about resilience, belonging, and the ...
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November 22, 2025 • 28 mins
In this episode of The Spectrum (Episode 32, recorded November 20th, 2025), we sit down with Evelyn BruMar, the Executive Director of the Casa BruMar Foundation. Find out how this **Latina-led LGBTQ organization** serves as a crucial home and resource hub across the **whole Commonwealth of Virginia**.
Evelyn, a first-generation American of Mexican and Chumash descent, shares her deeply personal motivation for this extensive advoca...
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November 6, 2025 • 16 mins
n this episode of The Spectrum, we visit the R.I.S.E. Center at the AIDS Response Effort (ARE) in Winchester, Virginia. Executive Director Katie Vance and Co-Director Matt Buracker share the inspiring story behind ARE’s 35-year mission to support people living with HIV and to build community through the newly established LGBTQ+ R.I.S.E. Center.
Learn how ARE provides medical and non-medical case management, free HIV and STI testin...
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September 28, 2025 • 11 mins
Are we reliving the McCarthy era? In this episode, we connect the dots between Joseph McCarthy’s 1950s Red and Lavender Scares and today’s attacks on transgender people. Just as McCarthy fueled fear and persecution of suspected communists and gay people, today’s right-wing movement uses the same playbook—demonizing transgender Americans to consolidate political power.
We explore how fear-driven narratives have been recycled, from ...
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September 16, 2025 • 12 mins
This is part three of a three part series that explores the life of a transgender woman. We're calling her Emma here but this is not her name. She has chosen to remain anonymous to protect her and her family from the harassment so often directed at transgender people today.
To protect her identity, we've digitally altered her voice and appearance but the emotion you will hear is hers..
This part of Emma's story covers the time p...
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September 1, 2025 • 20 mins
This is part 2 of a three part series that explores the life of a transgender woman. We're calling her Emma here but this is not her name. She has chosen to remain anonymous to protect her and her family from the harassment so often directed at transgender people today.
To protect her identity, we've digitally altered her voice and appearance but the emotion you will hear is hers..
This part of Emma's story covers the time perio...
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September 1, 2025 • 13 mins
This is part 1 of a three part series that explores the life of a transgender woman. We're calling her Emma here but this is not her name. She has chosen to remain anonymous to protect her and her family from the harassment so often directed at transgender people today.
To protect her identity, we've digitally altered her voice and appearance but the emotion you will hear is hers..
This part of Emma's story covers her early chil...
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August 16, 2025 • 7 mins
In this episode, we break down the new policy in Shenandoah County Public Schools that bans transgender students from participating in athletics according to their gender identity. Learn why this policy, which claims to "protect girls," could actually harm all female athletes by putting them under a microscope and discouraging participation. It's not just about trans students; it's about creating a hostile environment for any girl ...
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July 31, 2025 • 29 mins
Join us for a conversation with Susie Wilburn. She is the president of the Woodstock, VA chapter of PFLAG. We discuss the history of the local.chapter, what the chapter does and Susie's motivation for becoming involved.
Even if you aren't local to Shenandoah County, this can give you some insight into what P:FLAG is and perhaps encourage you to find your local PFLAG chapter or another local LGBTQ+ organization.
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July 18, 2025 • 6 mins
Is This Really Free Speech? Or Just Plain Hate?
In this episode, we take a hard look at disturbing statements made at a recent “pray the gay away” event hosted by an Indiana church, where speakers openly called for violence and death against LGBTQ+ people. We’ll explore how this kind of speech challenges our understanding of “free speech” and whether it crosses the line into hate speech.
We also unpack what the First Amendment re...
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July 10, 2025 • 12 mins
In Episode 23 of The Spectrum, we explore what "coming out" truly means for the LGBT+ community and why it remains such a significant and personal milestone. This episode is designed to help straight, cisgender viewers understand the complexities and importance of coming out, from the first step of self-acceptance to the ongoing process of sharing one's identity with others. Drawing on personal experiences and conversations within ...
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June 30, 2025 • 17 mins
In this episode, we examine the mid-year state of LGBT+ rights, starting locally in Shenandoah County and expanding to national and international developments—including rising anti-trans policies, Supreme Court decisions undermining protections, and global rollbacks of LGBT+ freedoms. The second half delivers a hard-hitting critique of the U.S. political system, arguing that both major political parties prioritize power over people...
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June 18, 2025 • 3 mins
In this urgent episode of The Spectrum (recorded June 18, 2025), we break down the devastating news from the Supreme Court. By a 6-3 decision, the Court has upheld Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors. This isn't just a blow for transgender children in Tennessee, but for those in 25 other states facing similar bans.
We discuss how this decision, much like historical rulings on slavery and segregation, appears to def...
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June 16, 2025 • 2 mins
We’ve streamlined how you can enjoy The Spectrum: now, you can watch on YouTube, listen as an audio podcast, or subscribe through our brand-new website at spectrumpodcast.org. Thanks to open-source software, the audio podcast feed is now generated automatically from YouTube—so you’ll always get the latest episodes, whichever way you listen.
There are now three easy ways to stay updated: subscribe on our website for email notificat...
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June 7, 2025 • 13 mins
Welcome to Episode 19 of The Spectrum! In this special Pride Month episode, recorded on June 6, 2025, we dive into the powerful origins and ongoing importance of LGBT+ Pride.
Join us as we explore:
- What Pride truly means: It's not about arrogance, but about honesty and the unwavering refusal to be ashamed of who you are. We discuss why this concept of pride differs from negative interpretations often heard.
- The historical roo...
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May 24, 2025 • 7 mins
As we approach the ten year mark of the Obergefell v Hodges Supreme Court decision, my wife, Lauri and I have just celebrated our ten year wedding anniversary.
In this episode I talk about the events leading to our wedding and how it has affected my life. I hope that through sharing this personal story it may help those that don't understand why the right to same-sex marriage is so important understand why it is to those of us th...
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May 14, 2025 • 15 mins
Although this episode is about what is happening in the Shenandoah County, Virginia public school system, these same issues are happening all over the country. We must expose the bias at the heart of these issues to protect our transgender friends and family.
If you live in or have family going to school in Shenandoah County or you have information about how policies like this have hurt people where you live, please write to them ...
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April 6, 2025 • 4 mins
In this episode of The Spectrum, we're taking a hard look at the recent wave of "bathroom bills" and their far-reaching consequences. Proponents claim these laws are about protecting women, but what is the real impact of policing who can use a public restroom?
We'll break down the flawed logic behind these bills and reveal who actually gets caught in the crossfire. It's not just transgender people who are targeted; these laws crea...
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March 20, 2025 • 2 mins
This episode provides an update on the changes being made to policy on transgender students in the Shenandoah County Public School system.
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March 14, 2025 • 26 mins
In this episode, we talk with Annalise, who explains asexuality and the broad spectrum of ways this can apply to people.
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