Reflector

You can hear Part 3 of this series right now when you become a Longview subscriber by visiting us ⁠here Part two of Reflector’s dive into the LGBTQ+ movement picks up with the arrival of the Qs…and all that came after. Featuring interviews with prominent trans advocates and former leaders of major LGBTQ groups, episode 2 reveals the philosophical differences lurking beneath the surface within this alliance of non-conformists. With his usual immunity from embarrassment, Ben Kawaller explores how a movement for civil rights became a project to shape society’s understanding of sex and gender. THIS EPISODE FEATURES:Dana Beyer – Early transgender rights advocate.Dr. Susan Stryker – Professor Emerita of Gender and Women’s Studies at Arizona State University.Lorri Jean – Former CEO of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center.Herndon Graddick – Former president of GLAAD.Ben Appel – Journalist and author of Cis White Gay: The Making of a Gender Heretic.Jennifer Finney Boylan – Transgender author, former president of PEN America and former contributing opinion writer for the New York Times.Leor Sapir – Journalist and senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute.Matthew McMurrow – Gay activist and adviser to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York and former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. LINKS:When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment by Ryan T. Anderson Cis White Gay: The Making of a Gender Heretic by Ben Appel The Man Who Would Be Queen: The Science of Gender-Bending and Transsexualism by J. Michael Bailey Cleavage: Men, Woman, and the Space Between Us by Jennifer Finney Boylan Galileo's Middle Finger: Heretics, Activists, and the Search for Justice in Science by Alice Dreger Crossing: A Memoir by Deirdre Nansen McCloskey The End of the Gay Rights Revolution: How Hubris and Overreach Threaten Gay Freedom by Ronan McCrea Gay Shame: The Rise of Gender Ideology and the New Homophobia by Gareth Roberts TRANS/GRESSIVE: How Transgender Activists Took on Gay Rights, Feminism, the Media & Congress… and Won! by Riki WilchinsGLAAD Media Reference Guide: Glossary of Terms CREDITS:This episode of Reflector was reported and produced by Andy Mills, Matthew Boll, Ben Kawaller, Simon Adler, Ethan Mannello, and Seth Temple Andrews. Music for this episode was composed by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Cobey Bienert⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠Peter Lalish⁠⁠⁠ Reflector artwork by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jacob Boll⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can hear Part 2 and 3 of this series right now when you become a Longview subscriber by visiting us here Reflector goes gay with a three-part look at the movement known as LGBTQ. Episode one looks at how homosexuals went from being social outcasts in post-war America to the 21st century’s most successful civil rights story and what happened when transgender activists started getting in on the action. With humility, humor, and an almost compulsive lack of piety, reporter Ben Kawaller explores the origin story of one of the most polarizing abbreviations of the modern age, telling the story of how gays and lesbians became LGBT. THIS EPISODE FEATURES:Dana Beyer – Early transgender rights advocate.Herndon Graddick – Former president of GLAAD.Lorri Jean – Former CEO of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center.Ben Appel – Journalist and author of Cis White Gay: The Making of a Gender Heretic.Jamison Green – Early transgender rights advocate. LINKS:⁠ The Gay Metropolis: The Landmark History of Gay Life in America⁠ by Charles Kaiser⁠Beyond Queer: Challenging Left Orthodoxy⁠, Ed. Bruce Bawer⁠Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington⁠ by James Kirchick⁠How to Survive a Plague⁠ by David France CREDITS:This episode of Reflector was reported and produced by Andy Mills, Matthew Boll, Ben Kawaller, Simon Adler, Ethan Mannello, and Seth Temple Andrews. Music for this episode was composed by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Cobey Bienert⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠Peter Lalish⁠⁠⁠ Reflector artwork by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jacob Boll⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adam Swart, founder and CEO of Crowds On Demand, runs a firm that organizes paid demonstrations and advocacy campaigns. He explains how the business began, how protests are planned and staffed, and how participants are vetted and paid. He challenges simple astroturf vs grassroots talking points and describes the ethics and logistics behind commodified public demonstrations.

Political tensions across the country continue to rise. Today, we spoke with protesters who believe the time for debate, peaceful protest, and civil disobedience has passed, asking what they think must now be done to defend their values. From the anti-ICE protests to the fans of Luigi Mangione, we also explore the similarities—and the key differences—between this moment and the anarchist wave that swept America more than a century ago. Check out Propaganda of the Deed (Part 1) if you haven’t listened to it yet.  CREDITS: This episode of Reflector was reported and produced by Andy Mills, Ethan Mannello, Eli Cohen, and Matthew Boll Music for this episode was composed by ⁠⁠Cobey Bienert⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠Peter Lalish⁠ Reflector artwork by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Jacob Boll⁠⁠⁠⁠ To become a Longview subscriber you can visit us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Thank you to our sponsor Ground News. You can visit them here to learn more: ⁠⁠⁠GROUND.NEWS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sean Sayers, retired philosophy professor and grandson of Luigi Galleani, offers personal and historical perspective on Galleani's life and influence. The conversation traces 1880s labor unrest, Haymarket and anarchist violence, bomb-making pamphlets, and government crackdowns that birthed the FBI and ACLU. It links past cycles of political violence to modern protest tensions.

After leaving the church that both defined and destroyed her family, Megan Phelps-Roper turned away from the Bible. In this episode, she returns to one of its dark tales to ask what still endures when belief is gone – and why some stories refuse to let us go. CREDITS: This episode of Reflector was written by Megan Phelps-Roper and produced by Andy Mills and Matthew Boll Music for this episode was composed by Cobey Bienert⁠⁠ The Hallelujah artwork by ⁠⁠Jacob Boll⁠⁠ To become a Longview subscriber you can visit us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Thank you to our sponsor Ground News. You can visit them here to learn more: ⁠GROUND.NEWS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen to our new show The Last Invention Apple  Spotify Order Katie Herzog’s new book: Drink Yourself Sober Sign up for our newsletter on Substack and become a Longview subscriber at our website.  Thank you to our sponsors Ground News and FIRE GROUND.NEWS FIRE This is a paid sponsorship link. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are living through one of the most unpredictable periods in recent history. A time of profound, destabilizing social upheaval. A time of barely-imaginable technological advancements. A time of emerging new philosophies that will reshape the world around us (for better or for worse). And, it’s a very exciting time to be a curiosity-driven, non-ideological journalist.But there's a problem: trust in journalism—especially in journalistic institutions—is at an all-time low. We’re seeing a crisis of confidence unlike anything since the days of yellow journalism during the Industrial Revolution. In fact, recent polls show that Americans trust journalists even less than they trust Congress.When Matt Boll, Megan Phelps-Roper, and I created The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling, we set out to rebuild that trust. And here on Reflector, we’ve been continuing that mission.Today, we’re here to announce that what began as a small project between Matt and me—recorded in my bedroom in small-town Illinois and Matt’s studio in Chicago—is about to evolve into something far bigger and more ambitious.For the last few months, we’ve been working behind the scenes to transform this experiment into a full-fledged independent outlet. Soon, we’ll be publishing more podcasts and investigative series, continuing to blend rigorous journalism with artful storytelling. With these new resources, we’ll be able to break more stories, dive into more topics, and speak with a wider range of voices—all while bringing clarity and context to the most consequential issues in the world.For the time being, we're taking a brief hiatus, but when we return, expect new hosts, fresh shows, and a lot more reporting.If you’re one of our paid supporters, starting today, your payments will be paused. And when we return, we’ll be sure to reach out with details on the expanded subscriber perks we’ll have on offer.Thank you to all of you who have been with us for this first chapter. Looking forward to seeing you soon in the next one. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this insightful discussion, Gregory Warner, a long-time international correspondent and NPR’s Rough Translation host, explores the complexities surrounding U.S. foreign aid. He addresses the controversial dismantling of USAID by political figures, including Donald Trump, and the potential fallout of funding cuts on vulnerable communities. Warner examines the roots of USAID, its evolution, and the urgent need for reform. Through personal stories, he highlights both challenges and successes within the aid system, emphasizing its critical role in global stability.

Despite its reputation among many on the political left, the United States has welcomed more immigrants than any other nation in history. Today, the U.S. is home to more immigrants than any other country in the world. Even amid a heated political battle over the future of immigration, it’s undeniable that a core part of America’s national identity is its image as “a nation of immigrants.”Many Americans proudly trace their ancestry to those who migrated to the U.S. in pursuit of the American Dream. Most take pride in knowing that people around the world dream of building a life in the USA.But immigration in the U.S. has always been complicated. Today, the country is also home to the largest population of unlawful migrants on Earth. In recent years, the U.S. southern border with Mexico has been cited as one of the most porous and chaotic in the world. Additionally, the U.S. has the most backlogged immigration courts globally.Our episode today examines how the U.S. immigration system became so stubbornly, frustratingly, and dangerously chaotic—from legal loopholes exploited by cartels to the failed legislation of the 1990s aimed at curbing illegal migration, and from the enduring challenges of enforcement to the growing calls for building a wall and mass deportations.Our guests are David Leonhardt, Senior Writer for The New York Times and author of Ours Was a Shining Future, and John Sandweg, former head of ICE under President Barack Obama.As always, we’d love to hear from you. Send us an email at hello@reflector.show.Thank you to our sponsor Ground News. You can visit them here to learn more:GROUND.NEWS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices