© 2024 KALW 91.7 FM Bay Area
KALW Public Media / 91.7 FM Bay Area
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Queer Life & Pride in the Suburbs: How visible, how safe?

It seems gay pride is spreading. Yet mere miles from San Francisco, many LGBT people have reason not to feel safe or be “out” at work. San Mateo County held its first-ever LGBTQI Pride Celebration Saturday, joining other Bay Area communities overshadowed by San Francisco that have launched their own Pride parties. Why? How visible and how safe are gay, lesbian, bi, intersex and trans people -- and  what's queer life like -- in San Mateo, Castro Valley, Marin and other locales close to the city some consider the center of the gay universe?   Join host Eric Jansen and his “out of town” guests for a discussion of queer life outside of "The City" and a preview of San Mateo Pride (June 15) and Castro Valley Pride (July 13).  Eric's guests are Shannon Casey of San Mateo Prideand Billy Bradford of Castro Valley Pride, and if time allows, you'll hear music from San Jose-based pop-singer Xavier Toscano, who's performing at both celebrations and at San Francisco Pride, and perhaps another San Mateo Pride entertainer. (Live interview broadcast Thursday June 13, 2013)

Eric Jansen is a long-time broadcaster and print journalist. A former news anchor, producer and reporter at KQED FM, San Francisco; KLIV AM, San Jose; and Minnesota Public Radio, Eric's award-winning reports have been heard on many NPR programs and PRI's Marketplace. His print work has been in The Mercury News, The Business Journal, and LGBTQ magazines Genre and The Advocate, among other publications. He co-produced the June 2007 PBS documentary Why We Sing!, about LGBTQ choruses and their role in the civil rights fight.