Out FM: A Long-Running LGBTQ Voice on New York Radio

Out FM is a New York City radio program centered on LGBTQ public affairs and culture. It airs Tuesday evenings from 8 to 9 p.m. on WBAI 99.5 FM, a Pacifica Radio station. The program describes itself as anti-racist and progressive, placing community-focused discussion at the center of its format.

The show began in 1982 under the name The Gay Show. Its long history has made it part of New York’s LGBTQ media landscape, and the Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History has identified it as one of the longest-running queer programs in the United States. That history also gives the program a clear place in the city’s record of LGBTQ cultural and political organizing through media.

Out FM is produced by and for a broad range of communities. The program specifically includes lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, two-spirit, non-binary, gender-nonconforming, intersex, queer and questioning people in its stated audience and community base. Rather than presenting LGBTQ life as a single experience, that description signals an intentionally expansive approach to identity and belonging.

The show’s guest list reflects its combination of political discussion, intellectual inquiry and artistic conversation. Past guests have included Urvashi Vaid and Dean Spade, figures associated with LGBTQ intellectual and political thought; Larry Kramer and Rosie Mendez, who represent political and activist perspectives; and artists Jim Brochu and Jewelle Gomez. The range of guests illustrates the program’s interest in ideas, public life and culture within a single broadcast setting.

For New Yorkers looking for LGBTQ-focused radio, Out FM offers a recurring public-affairs and culture program rooted in the city’s community media network. Its Tuesday evening schedule, WBAI home and decades-long history distinguish it as an established outlet rather than a short-term project. The program’s identity is tied both to its longevity and to its effort to serve communities across the LGBTQ spectrum.

Out FM’s place in New York LGBTQ culture can therefore be understood through three connected features: its origins in 1982, its continuing presence on WBAI, and its broad community mandate. Together, those elements make it a notable part of the city’s LGBTQ media history and an enduring example of queer radio made for and by the communities it represents.

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Further links listed by the Wikipedia page (not independently checked): - https://twitter.com/outfm - https://books.google.com/books?id=nWQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT20 - https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0001-8996 - https://outfm.org/liberation/ - https://outfm.org/ - https://www.facebook.com/groups/37044533319/ Image rights Photograph description: Source: Islamic Center web-site The Islamic Center of Washington is a mosque and Islamic cultural center in Washington, D.C., United States. It is located on Embassy Row on Massachusetts Avenue just east of the bridge over Rock Creek. When it opened in 1957 it was the largest Muslim place of worship in the Western Hemisphere. Some 6,000 people attend prayers there each Friday. The center was origi Creator: dbking from Washington, DC. License: CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0). Original image page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AIslamic_Center_of_Washington_DC.jpg. The image was resized for display; no other changes were made.