Cruising | A Queer Documentary Podcast

This week, we're sharing the story of Ms. Mabel Hampton, in partnership with The Lesbian Herstory Archives. Ms. Hampton (1902-1989) was an African-American lesbian, an activist, a dancer, a singer, and a domestic worker. She was also a dear friend and mentor of Joan Nestle, one of The Lesbian Herstory Archives' founders. Between 1976 and 1988, Joan Nestle sat down with Ms. Hampton numerous times to record a series of oral...

In  1963, white supremacist terrorists bombed the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church  in Birmingham, Alabama, killing four young black girls. Despite the FBI and local investigators identifying four key perpetrators, no one was charged. Until 1977, when Pete Smith, a trans man, worked with the FBI to testify against and convict his uncle, Robert Chambliss. In partnership with Invisible Histories, we are releasing this 1988 interview w...

Happy Pride Month!! Starting this month, we will be releasing a series of episodes that we’re calling Cruising the Archives. We’re featuring extended interviews with LGBTQ+ icons from our own archives, as well as from the collections of queer and lesbian archives throughout the country. 

First up: Patricia McCombs. In December of 1974, Pat noticed that she and her Black and latinx friends were being discriminated against a...

Redz is a little known former lesbian bar in East LA, which opened in the 1950s and catered primarily to Chicana lesbians. This is the story of one woman in particular who called this space a home: Nancy Valverde. Nancy is most known for her long fought battle with the LAPD over masquerading laws, spending dozens of nights in jail throughout the 1950s for her refusal to wear typical women’s clothing.

Nancy passed away in M...

There's a new dyke bar in Bushwick, and it's called The Bush! These are the stories of humans that run it, and the humans that call it a home.

Thank you to everyone who shared their stories with us for this episode!

This episode features interviews with: Nikke Alleyne, Justine LaViolette, Macon Reed, Loretta Andro Chung, and Sarah Hallonquist. Check out Macon's work here. Order Dyke Beer here.
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Our full interview with Summer, security at Doc Marie's.

Thank you for listening to Cruising Podcast!

-Support Cruising here! Cruising is an independent podcast. That means we're entirely funded by sponsors and listeners like you!

-Reviews help other listeners find Cruising! If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave us a 5-star review!

-For more Cruising adventures, follow u...

In 2018, the Hershee Bar community showed up at a series of Norfolk City Council meetings to fight for their bar. This is the story of Hershee Bar, the humans that ran it, and the humans that called it a home.

Thank you to everyone who shared their stories with us for this episode!

This episode features interviews with:  Annette Stone,  Jennifer Alomari, Andria McClellan, and Mamie B Johnson, as well as excerpts from 2018 N...

Cruising is a documentary podcast about lesbian bars, the humans that run them, and the humans that call them a home.  Not sure where to start? You don’t have to listen in order! Pick your favorite city or your favorite bar and dive in.

Season 1 follows creators Sarah Gabrielli, Rachel Karp, and Jen McGinity on their 2021 cross-country road trip to visit and document every lesbian bar in the U.S. 

Season 2 chronic...

Alice Brady owned and ran various lesbian bars throughout New Orleans between 1952 and 1978. The most notable was called Alice Brady's. 

Thank you to everyone who shared their stories with us for this episode!

This episode features interviews with:  Ellen Frayle, Frank Perez, Diane DiMicelli, Randy Elwood, and Cindy 

Thank you for listening to Cruising Podcast!

-Reviews help other listeners find Cruis...

When Mara and Emily opened The Ruby Fruit in 2023, Los Angeles hadn't had a lesbian bar since 2017.  It is named after Rita Mae Brown's iconic lesbian novel Rubyfruit Jungle, and self-described as "a strip mall wine bar for the sapphically inclined."

Thank you to everyone who shared their stories with us for this episode!

This episode features interviews with: Mara Herbkersman, Emily Bielagus...

Established in 1965, Lost and Found was the longest running lesbian bar in Chicago until it was sold in 2008 and became Lizard's Liquid Lounge. Join us as we celebrate former Lost and Found regular Linda's 80th birthday at Lizard's, and hear the stories of the community members who've found a safe space at this bar over the years.

Thank you to everyone who shared their stories with us for this episode.

This episod...

In February of 2020, Chicago's newest lesbian bar, Dorothy Downstairs first opened its doors. A month later, they were forced to close when the city shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic. About 2 years later, they reopened, and they've been a staple of the Chicago queer community ever since!

Thank you to everyone who shared their stories with us for this episode!

This episode features interviews with: ...

Mona Sargent (born Mona Nystrom) is widely credited as the owner of the first lesbian bar in San Francisco, and perhaps the first public lesbian bar in United States. Between 1933 and 1950 she  owned a series of bars in clubs in San Francisco: Mona's, Mona's Barrelhouse, Mona's 440 Club, The Paper Doll, and Mona's Candle Light.

Thank you to everyone who shared their stories with us for this episode.

Rikki Streicher opened Maud's in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco in 1966. The bar would be a fixture of the lesbian community there until it closed its doors in 1989.  It's memorialized in the 1993 documentary Last Call At Maud's and in the hearts and minds of all those who called Maud's a home over the years!

Thank you to everyone who shared their stories with us for this episode.

Our full interview with Ray, bartender at Doc Marie's.

Thank you for listening to Cruising Podcast!

-Support Cruising here! Cruising is an independent podcast. That means we're entirely funded by sponsors and listeners like you!

-Reviews help other listeners find Cruising! If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave us a 5-star review!

-For more Cruising adventures, follow us @cruisingpod on Instagram, Tik...

In the summer of 2022, the city of Portland excitedly awaited the opening of a new lesbian bar: Doc Marie's. It didn't go as planned. Join us as we uncover the full Doc Marie's story, exploring the dark side of the internet, the nuances of queer culture, and the unexpected challenges of opening a business.

Thank you to everyone who shared their stories with us for this episode.

This episode feature...

Our full interview with Anjali Kumaran, regular patron at The Sports Bra. 

Thank you for listening to Cruising Podcast!

-Support Cruising here! Cruising is an independent podcast. That means we're entirely funded by sponsors and listeners like you!

-Reviews help other listeners find Cruising! If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave us a 5-star review!

-For more Cruising adventures, follow us @cruisingpod on...

In April of 2022, Jenny Nguyen opened the first women's sports bar in the entire world: The Sports Bra, in Portland, Oregon. From college basketball to the Women's World Cup to the Olympics, it's all playing at The Sports Bra! But you won't catch any men's sports on their TVs.

Thank you to everyone who shared their stories with us for this episode!

This episode features interviews with: Je...

This is our full interview with Teryl Lynn Foxx! Teryl is a renowned New Orleans entertainer, who has been winning titles across the country for decades. Her accolades include: Miss Gay Louisiana 1992, Miss Gay Mississippi 1994, Miss Tennessee Continental 1996, Miss Essence International Classic 2014, Miss Daytona Beach Continental Elite 2016, and Miss Continental Elite 2016. 

Thank you for listening to Cruising Podcast!

-S...