Making Contact

Rodeo is a part of life for many Americans. But if you’re an LGBTQ rodeo fan participating in the sport you love can mean hiding part of who you are to fit in. But a tight knit group of queer cowboys has found a way to live the country and Western lifestyle in their own way. You don’t often hear the words “gay” and “rodeo” together. On this edition Producer Vanessa Rancaño brings us one bull rider’s story. Featuring: Jason Strand, bull rider Stud Monkey & David Grub, rodeo competitors Clint Coil, rodeo judge and Stud Monkey’s partner Judy Munson, Gay Games Rodeo Committee Chair Darcey Ward, arena crew member Rob Matyska, arena crew coordinator Tom Porter, rodeo fan and David’s partner Bill Lyle & Jane Silva, co-owners of The Thrill at Morgan Hill Rodeo Company Steve Wollert, longtime IGRA member Michael Weldert, rodeo fan Edwin & Romiro, Bill Lyle’s employees Will Ikeman, Jason’s husband

More than 60 countries either ban or require labeling on GMO foods; the US is not one of them. As GMO regulation moves to a local level, frustrated consumers and farmers are pushing for state or county regulations, but the seed and pesticide companies are fighting back. Today, we bring you a special episode investigating corporate control of our democracy and our dinner plates. This program is part of What the Fork, a collaboration between Making Contact, Center for Media and Democracy/The Progressive Magazine and Food Democracy Now. Featuring: Rebecca Wilce, Progressive and ALEC Exposed reporter Marcia Ishii-Eieman, Pesticide Action Network senior scientist Don Tipping, Seven Seeds Farm owner Chris Hardy, Rogue valley farmer Elise Higley, Our Family Farms Coalition leader Magdeleno Rose-Avila, Yes on 15-119 volunteer Barry Bushue, American Farm Bureau vice president Klayton Kubo, Kauai citizen Gary Hooser, Kauai County Council member Dr. Judy Shabert, Harvard Physician Chris Broussard, Whinney Hee, James Masey, concerned Kauai residents Dean Okimoro, Farm Bureau Association president David Louie, Hawaii Attorney General Harry Stalford & Willow Coberly, Stalford Seed Farms farmers

Parenting has never been easy. Merging your politics with your parenting decisions can be even more challenging. On this edition, fathers…and mothers…on fatherhood and how it’s changing. Traditional ideas about what a dad is supposed to be are slowly disappearing, but what will take their place? Featuring: Tomas Moniz, Rad Dad creator Airial Clark, Sex Positive Parent blogger Janine Macbeth, Oh Oh Baby Boy author Brent Ramos, Danny Gutierrez, Craig Elliot, Jeremy Smith, Jeremy John, Jason Oppy, fathers

Description: As Brazil prepares to host the 2014 soccer World Cup many are questioning the economic, environmental, and social cost of this sporting mega-event. From soccer ball manufacturing in Pakistan, to forced evictions in Brazil to make way for World Cup infrastructure, who wins, when the World Cup comes to town? On this edition of Making Contact, we take a closer look at the good, the bad, and the ugly side of the “beautiful game.” Featuring: Dave Zirin; author “Brazil’s Dance With the Devil: The World Cup, the Olympics, and the Fight for Democracy”, Mohammad Idrees and Ghafoor Husain, soccer ball workers; Safdar Sanda, soccer ball factory owner; Sarfraz Bashir, chairman of Sialkot Chamber of Commerce. Santiago Halty, founder Senda Athletics; Nasir Dogar, chief executive Independent Monitoring Association for Child Labor, Djani da Silva,resident of Camarigibe; Ana Ramalho professor of urban planning and architecture at the Federal University of Pernambuco,

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender seniors are much more likely than their straight counterparts to be alone and isolated as they age. Housing and support for these elders is a growing need--and the issue is not confined to the United States. On this edition, we’ll visit Jakarta Indonesia, and Los Angeles, California, to hear stories of building housing and community for LGBTQ seniors. Featuring: Michael Adams, Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders executive director; Alice Herman, Rosie Delmar, Triangle Square residents; Eric Harrison, Gay and Lesbian Elder Housing executive director; Yulianus Rettoblaut, waria activist and community leader; Yoti Maya, Mbok Sri, waria elders. Special thanks to FSRN-Free Speech Radio News.

Americans eat out more than any other people. But the workers who put food on our restaurant tables are struggling to feed themselves and their families. On this edition, Saru Jayaraman, co-director of the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United and author of “Behind the Kitchen Door” makes the case for bringing justice to restaurants and how ordinary diners can help. Featuring: Saru Jayaraman, co-director of the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United and author of “Behind the Kitchen Door”

From pedestrian plazas to pop-up-parklets…cities are looking to create spaces for people to gather, interact and create. But are some people being left out of this new urban renaissance? This week: from Detroit, to Montreal, to Istanbul, people are reclaiming the commons. How do we create public spaces that are embracing and inclusive? Featuring: Susan Silberberg, MIT lecturer in Urban Design and Planning in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning;Jane Jacobs, urban planning expert; Shannon Franssen, coordinator at Solidarité St-Henri; Fred Burrill, housing rights advocate; Erik Howard, The Alley Project founder; Freddy Diaz, Mary Luevanos, Detroit artists; Hugo Camarena, Alley Project neighbor; Neil Brenner, Harvard Graduate School of Design Professor of Urban Theory; Roberto Bedoya, Tucson Pima Arts Council executive director

Pregnant women in America’s prisons are being shackled to their beds and cells. Others are being sterilized, some say, against their will. Correctional institutions claim the policies are for safety’s sake, and that consent is always obtained. But others see a larger pattern at work. On this edition, from shackling to sterilization, thousands of incarcerated people are struggling to maintain control over their own reproductive health. Featuring: Courtney Hooks, Justice Now! campaign and communications director Tina Reynolds, Women on the Rise Telling HerStory (WORTH) co-founder and chair Samantha Rogers, California Coalition for Women Prisoners program assistant Karen Shain, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children former policy director Victoria Law, “Resistance Behind Bars” author Kimberly, formerly incarcerated mother Joe Higgins, Rappahannock Regional Jail Superintendent Carolyn Sulfrin, former prison nurse

Locked up for month, years, or decades. Poetry is form of self-expression that’s become vital to the incarcerated. In Prison, Poetry can keep you sane, and help you move towards a better future. To mark National Poetry Month, we bring you a special production by the Prison Poetry Workshop. We go from California’s San Quentin prison, to a group of Alabama prison poets. And we’ll meet a legendary prison poet of the 1960’s who helped spark a literary movement. Featuring: Andrew Gazzeny, San Quentin prisoner poet; Etheridge Knight, formerly incarcerated poet; Janice Knight-Mooney, Etheridge’s sister; James Depp, poet and friend of Etheridge; Melba Boyd, former Broadside Press employee; Ira Smith, Guy Carter, AJ Payne, Sarge Daniels, Calvin Green, Staton Correctional Facility poets; Keyes Stevens, Alabama Prison Arts and Education Project facilitator; Dwayne Betts, formerly incarcerated poet

Who's watching you? Nowadays it seems everyone wants to get their hands on our personal data. From the FBI to the welfare department, to some of the country's biggest retailers. On this edition, we take a closer look at the world of surveillance. Featuring: Hasan Elahi, artist and Associate Professor at the University of Maryland Charles Duhigg, New York Times journalist and author of “The Power of Habit Jodie Berger, public benefits lawyer John Gilliom, Professor of Political Science at Ohio University Kaaryn Gustafson, welfare lawyer and University of Connecticut teacher