Out Laws and the Politics of Queer Existence with James Lewis

Becoming Together: Queer Kinship and the Lives We Build

In the Season 1 finale of Living Queer, Carly Terkiel and Jessie Wang reflect on friendship, chosen family, and the relationships that make queer life possible. Across the season, we’ve explored resilience, stewardship, belonging, and power. This final conversation brings those threads together through kinship: the ways we find each other, care for one another, and build lives that feel whole and true. Carly and Jessie share what it means to grow alongside someone, to create spaces of trust and joy, and to navigate the world with a sense of shared grounding. Their conversation is both intimate and expansive, reminding us that queer life is not just about identity—it’s about connection. As Living Queer closes its first season, this episode offers a simple but powerful truth: we do not become ourselves alone.

Out Laws and the Politics of Queer Existence with James Lewis

In this episode of Living Queer, Erwin de Leon speaks with James Lewis, director and screenwriter of the documentary Out Laws [https://outlawsfilm.com/], about the global criminalization of homosexuality and its roots in colonialism. Through the stories of activists challenging these laws in court, James explores how history continues to shape the present. The conversation examines the politics of queer existence, the weaponization of division, and the role of storytelling in shifting public narratives. James also reflects on his work at The Good Side [https://thegoodsideproductions.com/] and why communication—how we invite people into conversation—matters as much as the message itself. At the heart of the episode is a question about how change happens: not only through confrontation, but through connection, shared values, and the difficult work of engaging across difference.

Resilience, Aspiration, and LGBTQ+ Movement Leadership with Odell Mays

In this episode of Living Queer, Erwin de Leon speaks with Odell Mays, longtime LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS activist, nonprofit leader, and founding board member of the American LGBTQ+ Museum. With more than three decades of leadership across some of New York’s most influential LGBTQ+ institutions, Odell reflects on the experiences that shaped his commitment to community, service, and movement building. Together, they discuss the early years of HIV/AIDS activism, the importance of organizing across difference, and the ongoing challenge of confronting race, power, and representation within LGBTQ+ movements. Odell also shares his work helping build the American LGBTQ+ Museum and why telling the full story of our community, including voices often left out of the historical narrative, matters now more than ever. Reflecting on the present moment, Odell returns to two principles that guide his life: resilience and aspiration, drawing strength from history while continuing to work toward a more just and inclusive future.

Families, Law, and the Fight for LGBTQ+ Rights in Argentina with Andrea Rivas

What does it mean to fight for LGBTQ+ rights through families and the law? In this episode of Living Queer, Erwin de Leon speaks with Andrea Rivas, lawyer, activist, and founder of Asociación Familias Diversas de Argentina (AFDA), about building a movement that centers families, community, and access to justice. Together they discuss Argentina’s pioneering LGBTQ+ rights movement, the role of strategic litigation, and the challenges facing activists amid rising political backlash. Andrea reflects on her early work helping advance Argentina’s landmark gender identity law and how lawyers and activists used creativity and boldness to push courts and institutions toward equality. Today, AFDA supports families across Argentina through legal advocacy, research, and community organizing. At a moment when hate speech and policy rollbacks are reshaping LGBTQ+ life in Argentina, Andrea offers a clear-eyed perspective on resilience, democracy, and the long struggle for justice.

Activism Beyond the Parade: Power, Science & Queer Leadership with Harvey Kennedy-Pitt

What does it mean to be both a scientist and unapologetically queer? In this episode of Living Queer, Erwin de Leon speaks with Harvey Kennedy-Pitt, founder of Unstukk and global public health practitioner, about power, queer identity, and the evolving nature of activism. Their conversation explores LGBTQ+ health equity, anti-trans backlash in the U.S. and U.K., minority stress, and why activism must move beyond visibility alone. Harvey shares how his work blends public health principles with biomimetics, learning from nature’s resilience to help people and organizations “get unstuck.” From butterflies to biodiversity, he explains how nature offers powerful lessons on transformation, adaptation, and collective strength. As Harvey reminds us, “Activism is not all placards and parades.” In a political moment defined by fear, misinformation, and subtle forms of exclusion, this episode is a call to take up space, strategically, sustainably, and with intention.