Podcasts about Peter Staley

In response to several requests from our (wonderful) Patreon subscribers, we're unlocking this episode from behind the paywall. Consider subscribing at Patreon.com/KnowYourEnemy to never miss an episode. March 2025 marked five years since the formal start of the pandemic in the United States, when the federal government declared the arrival and spread of the novel coronavirus to be a national emergency. The official Covid death toll in the United States now stands at over 1.2 million; globally it surpasses 20 million people. Tens of millions of others were hospitalized, and many who survived infection are facing long Covid or related health complications. Our lives were upended, whether by sheltering-in-place, working from home, and barely leaving our home or apartment, or, for others, by endangering themselves by continuing to show up to work in hospitals, making deliveries, or staffing essential businesses. And yet, as David Wallace-Wells recently argued in the New York Times, "We tell ourselves we've moved on and hardly talk about the disease or all the people who died or the way the trauma and tumult have transformed us. But Covid changed everything around us."We wanted to have a conversation with David about that reality: why, collectively, we resist acknowledging what Covid really cost us, and the ways it continues to shape our lives. The discussion begins by revisiting the first weeks and months of the pandemic, the fear we felt, and the remarkable displays of solidarity that occurred in blue states as well as red states. From there we explore the different "phases" of the pandemic, how public-health measures became culture-war fodder, the impact of the vaccine on how both the public and elected officials perceived the risks of Covid, the pandemic's profound influence on our politics, the fallout from school closures, the Lab Leak Theory, and more.Listen again: "How to Survive a Pandemic" (w/ Peter Staley), Feb 21, 2021Sources:David Wallace-Wells, "How Covid Remade America," New York Times, Mar 4, 2025— "The Covid Alarmists Were Closer to the Truth Than Anyone Else," New York Times, Feb 26, 2025— "We've Been Talking About the Lab-Leak Hypothesis All Wrong," New York Times, Feb 28, 2023— "Dr. Fauci Looks Back: ‘Something Clearly Went Wrong'," New York Times, April 24, 2023David Wallace-Wells, The Uninhabitable Earth (2019)Nicholson Baker, "The Lab-Leak Hypothesis," New York Magazine, Jan 4, 2021Zeynep Tufekci, "We Were Badly Misled About the Event That Changed Our Lives," NYTimes, Mar 16, 2025.Sam Adler-Bell, "Doctor Do-Little​: The Case Against Anthony Fauci," The Drift, Jan 24, 2021— "David Leonhardt: The Pandemic Interpreter," NYMag, Feb 24, 2022.Jacqueline Rose, "To Die One's Own Death," LRB, Nov 19, 2020.

Listen to the rest of this premium episode by subscribing at patreon.com/knowyourenemyThis month marked five years since the formal start of the pandemic in the United States in March 2020, when the federal government declared the arrival and spread of the novel coronavirus to be a national emergency. The official Covid death toll in the United States now stands at over 1.2 million; globally it surpasses 20 million people. Tens of millions of others were hospitalized, and many who survived infection are facing long Covid or related health complications. Our lives were upended, whether by sheltering-in-place, working from home, and barely leaving our home or apartment, or, for others, by endangering themselves by continuing to show up to work in hospitals, making deliveries, or staffing essential businesses. And yet, as David Wallace-Wells recently argued in the New York Times, "We tell ourselves we've moved on and hardly talk about the disease or all the people who died or the way the trauma and tumult have transformed us. But Covid changed everything around us."We wanted to have a conversation with David about that reality: why, collectively, we resist acknowledging what Covid really cost us, and the ways it continues to shape our lives. The discussion begins by revisiting the first weeks and months of the pandemic, the fear we felt, and the remarkable displays of solidarity that occurred in blue states as well as red states. From there we explore the different "phases" of the pandemic, how public-health measures became culture-war fodder, the impact of the vaccine on how both the public and elected officials perceived the risks of Covid, the pandemic's profound influence on our politics, the fallout from school closures, the Lab Leak Theory, and more.Listen again: "How to Survive a Pandemic" (w/ Peter Staley), Feb 21, 2021Sources:David Wallace-Wells, "How Covid Remade America," New York Times, Mar 4, 2025— "The Covid Alarmists Were Closer to the Truth Than Anyone Else," New York Times, Feb 26, 2025— "We've Been Talking About the Lab-Leak Hypothesis All Wrong," New York Times, Feb 28, 2023— "Dr. Fauci Looks Back: ‘Something Clearly Went Wrong'," New York Times, April 24, 2023David Wallace-Wells, The Uninhabitable Earth (2019)Nicholson Baker, "The Lab-Leak Hypothesis," New York Magazine, Jan 4, 2021Zeynep Tufekci, "We Were Badly Misled About the Event That Changed Our Lives," NYTimes, Mar 16, 2025.Sam Adler-Bell, "Doctor Do-Little​: The Case Against Anthony Fauci," The Drift, Jan 24, 2021— "David Leonhardt: The Pandemic Interpreter," NYMag, Feb 24, 2022.Jacqueline Rose, "To Die One's Own Death," LRB, Nov 19, 2020.

Peter Staley was one of the most prominent members of the AIDS activism group ACT-UP. He is largely credited as one of the pioneers responsible for the creation of life-saving AIDS drugs. He recounts the most harrowing times of the AIDS crisis — and how he persevered.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Peter Staley was a 24-year-old closeted bond trader in New York City when he was diagnosed with HIV. Having been handed a death sentence, he quit his job and devoted whatever life he had left to fighting against the homophobic Reagan and Bush administrations that were letting him and his friends die. When lifesaving drugs became available (largely thanks to his work), Peter realized he was going to live — which left him with more questions than answers. Support me on Patreon! Find more of A Bit Fruity. Find more of Matt. Try Rocket Money and start cutting your unwanted expenses! Try HelloFresh for a timesaving, budget-friendly approach to home cooking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fraser is a Scottish Catholic highlander who now edits (brilliantly) the Spectator in London. Deeply versed in Tory politics, and sympathetic to Boris, he seemed the ideal person to ask to explain what’s been going on in Westminster, what went so wrong under PM Johnson, and who is likely to replace him. It’s a one-stop guide to contemporary British politics in a mild Scottish accent.You can listen to the episode right away in the audio player above (or on the right side of the player, click “Listen On” to add the Dishcast feed to your favorite podcast app). For two clips of our convo — on how Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss compare to one another, and what Fraser calls the “absolutely electrifying” effect of Kemi Badenoch — pop over to our YouTube page.A good complement to this episode is the one I had last year with Dominic Cummings, the brilliant strategist behind Brexit and the rise of Boris. Here’s the transcript. Here’s a clip about Dominic’s break from Boris:To continue the debate over my recent column on Trump and Boris, a reader writes:Here’s a dissent: You are right about Trump. You are wrong about Johnson.Lying comes naturally to Johnson. It’s not just to get out of trouble. He lies about everything. Max Hastings knew this and presciently forecast it would all blow up.  It has.Let’s turn to Brexit. First take the term “elites.” This glib, trash term is overused, over-hackneyed and should have no place in your lexicon. Unless very carefully defined, it is completely meaningless. I know as many lawyers and city types who voted for Brexit as did Remain, and likewise for gardeners, carpenters, plumbers etc. The British public was conned, lied to and persuaded there was a problem of the EU’s doing. To be fair, there were problems, some of which can be laid at the EU’s door, but for too many years, blame deflection was the name of the game. Most of the problems the country faced were homegrown. Now look at what has happened: we have a stuttering economy, low growth and haven’t yet introduced the checks at our borders we are supposed to, as it will cause even more chaos — Jacob Rees-Mogg has admitted as much. That’s what happens when you erect major trade barriers with your neighbours and largest market. We can debate immigration as much as you like, but the problem has got worse, and as you correctly pointed out, the numbers have increased.Now let’s look at the so-called Conservative Party. Under Johnson, one-nation conservatism died. He killed it. It was replaced, deliberately, by a populist, divisive style of rule, not dissimilar to Trump’s, quite happy to bend or break laws and conventions in order to further its agenda. Its leading persona was Boris Johnson, and to the eternal shame of the Conservative Party, precious few demurred. The problems the country now face stem directly from Brexit: a plethora of unfulfillable promises built on lies. There are still many who think Brexit was a good thing, but there is a growing and significant majority that now recognises it isn’t working and was a mistake. It’s happened, and Keir Starmer is right to say that the next step should be to improve relations with the EU and to see what can be made to work, starting with the Northern Ireland Protocol (putting a border down the Irish Sea was, you’ll remember, a promise Johnson swore he would never do.  And then promptly did “to get Brexit done”). All the deceit involved drives me mad, but the Labour Party, by electing a no-hoper and no-brainer in Jeremy Corbyn, made winning a majority inevitable (and remember FPTP didn’t require a significantly higher number of votes to achieve this).It might be too early to write off the Conservative Party, much as I would like to, despite having voted for them most of my adult life. But they are tainted, out of ideas, and despite the diversity you applaud, not impressive. I fear the next few months may prove as entertaining as the last few years.One aspect that you haven’t touched on is the role of the media. It is staggering to see the degree of partisanship on display. The Telegraph, Mail and Express appear to be living in an alternative universe where truth and fantasy commingle without differentiation. And why did the Times, which I read along with the Guardian, pull the blow-job report? This, along with the Londongrad money saga, is for another day.  By the way, I am pleased you quoted Marina Hyde. Her sassiness, razor-sharp intellect and acerbic wit are spot-on.We will have her on the Dishcast soon enough. Here’s a reader in London:Sure, there was mounting frustration about Boris Johnson’s lying — not just the lying, but the fact that he invariably had to follow with “oh yes, come to think of it …” But voters, as opposed to MPs, think politicians lie all the time anyway, so I don’t think the cut-through is as great as might be supposed. I think the great point lost in all this is that Boris got his landslide because of Brexit and the increasing frustration with his inability to grasp the potential benefits became a hugely increasing sore, exacerbated by the daily shots of illegal immigrants turning up on our shores in rubber dinghies, often helped by the lifeboat service. This and his inability to grasp until too late how badly the economy was going to hit Mr & Mrs Average was what cost him public support as much as, if not more so, than his economy of truth. Another point not made enough is that Boris seemed to be a prisoner of focus groups and vocal groups of MPs, which meant he was constantly veering from one view to another. He made a string of supposedly exciting announcements that remained just that, never getting anywhere. You can only do that for so long before the public wises up.Yes, it was the MPs who knifed him, but these were MPs getting it in the neck from their constituents for what was (or more often was not) going on. My neighbour tore up his Tory membership card in sheer frustration and told our MP about it. Boris could offer no clear guiding principles we could cling to that would help us bat aside the machinations of Cummings, the BBC et al, who were manifestly on a mission to defenestrate him. In the end, even those who fear for Brexit in the wake of his departure could see there was no other course.Looking back to last week’s episode with Peter Staley, here’s a key moment where he calls the federal incompetence over monkeypox “Covid 2.0”:The whole 20-minute segment on monkeypox is here. Another listener “enjoyed the episode”:I share Mr. Staley’s concerns about the government’s handling of the monkeypox outbreak. I agree with him that the US did a disturbingly poor job of handling the Covid pandemic at the start. However, I have two important qualifiers:The US was hardly the primary “bad actor” in Covid; stupidity and misconduct in other countries was more flagrant and more consequential.I don’t know the details of the bureaucratic mangling of the monkeypox vaccine, but everything Staley reports sounds sadly accurate. However, it seems to me that the core problem early in the AIDS pandemic, and in the past two months with monkeypox, was the unwillingness of many in the gay community to modify their behavior consistent with obvious public health concerns. I was struck that neither you nor Staley mention this, beyond your effort to provide some rational current health advice, which is however strongly tilted toward vaccination over behavior modification.We did urge gay men to “cool it” for a while. Maybe we should have been more adamant. It’s also becoming clearer how this version of monkeypox is spread: primarily through sexual contact. If mere skin-touching were spreading it, then it seems to me the epidemic would be much, much larger, given the crowds during Pride. That means, of course, that we have the ability to help stop it, by not having sex until vaccinated. That’s not sex-phobic or homophobic. It’s just sensible health advice.Another dissenter expands on the reader’s second point:Your discussion of monkeypox really bugged me, for a reason I hope you take to heart. The vast majority of it was focused on the failures of the FDA and CDC, which I don’t take issue with. But the assumptions of the world you live in, particularly when in Provincetown, were alarmingly similar to the assumptions you make (rightfully) about the progressive left — that it takes for granted people not having agency in their own lives.The US government has (probably) failed with monkeypox, as it has with other diseases. Given that, what should people do? You and Staley both took it for granted that you seemed to have a right — almost an obligation — to party hard in P-Town, which the government’s failure was interfering with. It wasn’t until more than halfway through this part of the conversation that Staley and then you mentioned offhand that “some” people were suggesting people “cool it” for a month or so.But listen again to the rest of your conversation about monkeypox. Time and again, you blamed the government for its failures and never said anything about maybe the party boys could do something besides bemoan the inability to get vaccinated — maybe party less or (trigger warning) not go to Provincetown one summer. Self-restraint in the face of a still small but looming epidemic was only on the margins of your assumptions.At this early stage, restraint now among the mostly gay-male monkeypox spreaders would have exponential benefits going forward. Isn’t that a message about social good that is worth the telling?I’m older and was never much of a partier, so I guess it’s easier for me to say this. But the pretty confined groups of A-Gays ought to take some agency in their own lives at this critical time, and maybe give something up temporarily for the benefit of both themselves and a very real group of future A-Gays and B-Gays and whatever letter the rest of us get. Not to mention heterosexuals.As you can see, I take your point. Another listener moves to a different part of the discussion:Your interview with Peter Staley was fairly interesting regarding his participation during the critical years of AIDS. But the conversation became electric when the subject turned to critical queer theory, the indoctrination of children, and the discussion of sex identity in preschool. You kept asking Staley if he thought it was ok to teach children this curriculum and he kept nervously laughing and avoiding to answer and said that you’re confused and banging your little drum. I agree with you: critical theory has hijacked the gay community, gay rights, etc. and there very well could be an anti-gay backlash. Please continue to voice your side and fight for common sense. Your observations of critical theory’s dangerous impact are not anecdotal — they’re unfortunately everywhere.To decide for yourself, here’s a clip of that heated exchange:From a listener in San Francisco:I had never heard of Peter Staley before (I’m a 49-year-old gay man in SF). ACT-UP and Queer Nation had already fallen apart when I landed there in 1993 as a young punk rock guy. So I was interested in hearing his retelling of that period in the late ‘80s. But then the convo moved to gay activism today — and wow. I thought, “Well this is it. This is the denial that so many gay men have about the gender ideology cult.” They are f*****g terrified of speaking out against this. And of course it’s because they know it would mean expulsion from polite Democrat society.I was recently discussing the mass delusion period we’re living through around Gender ID extremism. Someone said we should get ready for a massive gaslighting from people who will tell us that they never believed in this cult.For what it’s worth, I keep hearing from gay men in Provincetown how alienated they are from this ideology, but also how scared they are to voice their concerns — especially about what this indoctrination is doing to gay children. Peter is emblematic of the majority, however, who prefer dismissing these concerns as overblown, and sticking to their own political tribe, which they have now internalized as “LGBTQIA+”. It’s maddening, but a function of real homophobes latching onto the “groomer” discourse, and tribal gays closing ranks in opposition. The real trouble is that the non-profit institutions allegedly representing us are packed with critical theory zealots who experience no pushback, and if they do, purge the dissenters. My view is that gay men should stop funding groups that are dedicated to the abolition of homosexuality. From a parent:It was so hard for me to listen to Peter Staley downplay the gender stuff for kids. My five-year-old stayed up an hour past her bedtime last night because she was worried she could suddenly become male, or that my breasts might disappear. She is extremely confused. At a time in her life when she is only beginning to understand what it will mean for her to grow up and become a physical woman, she thinks her “pronouns” might suddenly change and she might become genderless. Teenaged camp counselors with clear and obvious feminine features are telling her that they are neither male nor female. The worst part of that, is that my daughter is beginning to believe that her sex is determined by her interests and behavior. For example, she thinks that if I swear too much, I may become male. The result is her belief that womanhood is some sort of cartoonish stereotype of old-fashioned gender roles. It’s all so regressive. As a lifelong liberal, I am repulsed by the mainstream push to reinforce gender stereotypes and essentialism. What might be an even bigger crime for a writer like myself is that my daughter — who hasn’t even started kindergarten yet — thinks pronouns are a personal trait, not a part of speech. As horrified as I am at the regressive and sexist gender roles being pushed on my child, I am equally grimacing at the grammatical confusion this creating. Can’t the school teach my kid what a pronoun even is before scrambling her brain? Happy to air your personal experience. It’s horrifying. Another worried parent:I just had the most intriguing conversation with my 17-year-old daughter. She said that if she ever had a child who was trans, she would totally support that. Curious, I asked why. She said, “Because it’s all about who you love, and it’s ok to love different people.”I said, “Hold up, you’re talking about being gay. Trans doesn’t have anything do with who you love.”She insisted that it did. I said again, “No, you’re talking about being gay.” She said, “They're the same thing. Whenever a guy wants to be a girl, it’s because he wants to be able to date other guys. And when a girl wants to be a guy, it’s so that she can date other girls.”I said, “Now you're just confirming it — you are literally talking about being gay. There is no connection. Sometimes a guy transitions to being a woman, but still wants to date women — and will say that he has become a lesbian.”She just didn’t believe me! She shook her head and said something like, “It’s all over TikTok, and 99 percent of the time, when someone wants to be trans, it’s because they’re just trying to be gay.”We changed the subject, but even though this is just one data point (my daughter), I do wonder how prevalent her point of view is among other teenagers who watch TikTok.God only knows. But the attempt to conflate very different gay, lesbian and trans experiences is part of an ideological project, rooted in postmodernism. It is designed to destroy anyone’s coherent understanding of stable human nature. This next listener is on Staley’s side, not wanting to scapegoat queer theorists:I have to agree with Peter Staley that mass indoctrination of critical trans/queer/gender theory in school children is not the cause of any rise in gender confusion and trans identity. Something else is going on. My theory: the biological organism of homo sapiens is undergoing evolutionary reproductive change due to mounting environmental stresses.Let’s start with the simple observation that schools are only one small part of the cultural, political, environmental, familial and technological waters children swim in. One lesson from the story book How To Raise A Trans Inclusive Child is not going to make much of a sexual identity dent in the ocean of information, stress and confusion children are growing up in these days.There are so many other stresses that are going to have far greater biological impacts. Overpopulation is of course the big one that cannot be discussed. There are too many rats in the cage. Humans now live on a planet in which they are constantly bathed in low doses of industrial and agricultural chemicals of every kind. It is in our food, air and water. Developing embryos are all bathed in these chemicals to some degree.Throw in all the current economic and political chaos. Add in the bugaboo of social media and the cultural worship of money and fame. Body modification with tattoos, piercing and plastic surgery is a norm. You can create yourself to be anything.A big change, of course, is the rising equality of women. Economically, that is going to give women a better hand to play in reproductive choice. House husbands are becoming more and more common. Stereotypical gender expectations are pretty much kaput. Let’s not forget the #MeToo movement — that certainly threw a wrench into heterosexual relations.So what are these kids supposed to think about sex and gender? These are just some of the dots that Staley suggested may need a bit more connecting. So it’s a bit of a stretch to pin any rising gender confusion and dysphoria on indoctrination with critical gender/queer/trans theory in school children. That would be about as effective as conversion therapy for gay men. It’s not that simple to convert.But it’s very easy to confuse a third-grader. One more reader keeps another debate going:I wanted to respond to your response to the theory that another reader “wanted to float by you” about the nature/nurture debate over trans identity and sexual orientation. First, I think you dismiss this person’s idea a bit too readily. The possibility that sexual orientation isn’t inborn (even though I agree with you that it’s involuntary) is actually relevant to this discussion. Much of the modern trans movement incorrectly attempts to hitch its claims to the claims made by the gay rights movement, and “born this way” is no exception to this trend. If people are born trans, as this movement claims, then it’s theoretically possible to identify trans children with perfect accuracy and medicalize them before they go through puberty. But if instead, maturing into a trans adult is a stochastic process, then it’s impossible to predict perfectly which kids will persist in their trans identity after puberty. And in such a case, convincing the public to support youth medical transition is a much harder sell.Additionally, I disagree with you on whether trans people choose to be trans. Dysphoric individuals like Lauren Black, who choose to deal with their gender dysphoria without transitioning, complicate the claim that transitioning is the only possible outcome for someone with gender dysphoria. I think there are some people with dysphoria severe enough that medical transition is the best choice for them. But the decision of whether to transition or handle dysphoria in other ways is still ultimately a choice.As always, send your dissents, as well as other comments and personal stories, to dish@andrewsullivan.com. Get full access to The Weekly Dish at andrewsullivan.substack.com/subscribe

Peter is a political activist, most famously as a pioneering member of ACT UP — the grassroots AIDS group that challenged and changed the federal government. He founded both the Treatment Action Group (TAG) and the educational website AIDSmeds.com. An old friend and sparring partner, he also stars in the Oscar-nominated documentary “How to Survive a Plague.” Check out his memoir, Never Silent: ACT UP and My Life in Activism.You can listen to the episode — which gets fiery at times — in the audio player above (or click the dropdown menu to add the Dishcast to your podcast feed). For two short clips of my convo with Peter — on how he and other AIDS survivors turned to meth, and Peter pushing back on my views of critical queer theory in schools — pop over to our YouTube page. There’s also a long segment on just the monkeypox stuff. If that episode isn’t gay enough for you, we just posted a transcript of the episode last year with Katie Herzog and Jamie Kirchick. Both of these Alphabet apostates were on Real Time last month — here’s Jamie:Katie appeared alongside this clapped-out old bear:Come to think of it, two more Dishcast alums were on the same episode of Real Time last month — Michael Shellenberger and Douglas Murray:Oh wait, two more in June — Cornel West and Josh Barro:We now have 20 episodes of the Dishcast transcribed (check out the whole podcast archive here):Bob Woodward & Robert Costa on the ongoing peril of TrumpBuck Angel & Helena Kerschner on living as trans and detransKatie Herzog & Jamie Kirchick on Pride and the alphabet peopleDominic Cummings on Boris, Brexit and immigrationCaitlin Flanagan on cancer, abortion and other Christmas cheerGlenn Greenwald on Bolsonaro, woke journalists and animal tortureJonathan Haidt on social media’s havocYossi Klein Halevi on the origins of ZionismFiona Hill on Russia, Trump and the American DreamJamie Kirchick on the Lavender ScareJohn McWhorter on woke racismJohn Mearsheimer on handling Russia and ChinaRoosevelt Montás on saving the humanities Michael Moynihan on Afghanistan and free speechCharles Murray on human diversityJonathan Rauch on dangers to liberalismChristopher Rufo on critical race theory in schoolsMichael Shellenberger on homeless, addiction and crimeCornel West on God and the great thinkersWesley Yang on the Successor IdeologyA Dishcast listener looks to last week’s episode and strongly dissents:I enjoyed your interview with Matthew Continetti. Unfortunately, an exchange at the end reminded me of why I had to reluctantly tune you out for years: your hero worship of Obama. I respect and admire the way you call out the failures and excesses of both sides, including those of mine (the right), which I acknowledge were glaring even before Trump. During the Obama years, however, it was hard not to cringe when I watched you tear up on Chris Matthews’s show and compare him to a father figure. I also recall you yelling at SE Cupp and aggressively pointing a finger at her on Bill Maher’s show for daring to compare the foreign policies of Obama and W Bush:It’s hard to imagine anyone with that kind of emotional response being objective, and sadly, you never were during his presidency.You argued with Continetti that Obama was a middle-of-the-road pragmatist, when nothing could be further from the truth. He came into office with the economy reeling in a banking and housing crisis, and he took the Rahm Emmanuel approach of never letting a crisis go to waste. Even before his inauguration, he begin planning to rush through major legislation on healthcare, climate, and education. These may be worthy goals, but they are not the actions of a pragmatist who wants to govern by addressing the problems of the moment. He then outsourced the stimulus bill to Pelosi, which was a pork-filled bonanza with almost nothing even remotely stimulative. He refused to incorporate any Republican ideas into the healthcare legislation and arrogantly said to McCain that “the election’s over” when McCain voiced some opposition. Obama then lied in selling the bill to the American people by saying you would be able to keep your plan and your doctor in all cases.When Obama lost his congressional majority, he resorted to gross lawlessness, taking executive actions that exceeded his constitutional authority on everything from carbon emissions to insurance company appropriations to immigration, including on measures that were recently voted down by Congress or (as Continetti noted) he previously acknowledged he lacked the constitutional authority to do. He even flouted his ability to do this — knowing the media would cover for him — by saying he had “a pen and a phone.”Obama was one of the more divisive presidents in history. Every speech followed the same obnoxious shtick of chiding Republicans for playing politics and claiming that he alone was acting in the national interest. We saw this again, even post-presidency, during the funeral of John Lewis. For once, both sides came together, and even Republicans celebrated the achievements of a genuine American hero.  But during Obama’s speech, he turned the event into a partisan tirade about voting rights, calling the filibuster a Jim Crow relic (never mind that he used as a Senator).Finally, you argued that Republicans never gave Obama a chance. Not true. When he was inaugurated, his approval ratings were among the highest on record and were even above 40 percent among Republicans. They plummeted among Republican voters because he refused to ever take their concerns seriously or acknowledge that they had any legitimate points. When he finally did something they had even slight agreement with, the Trans Pacific Partnership, most Republicans supported him, while much of his own party opposed him.I respect your objectivity and believe that you are largely back to it. But I’m hoping the next time someone you love comes along, you will remain able to see the forest from the trees. (And sorry about the War and Peace-length email. There isn’t another intellectual I’m aware of who would actually welcome a dissent like that, which is why I wish I became a subscriber sooner.)That’s a lot of political history to litigate, but if you think I was blindly supporting Obama, read “The Fierce Urgency of Whenever,” “Obama’s Marriage Cowardice,” “Obama’s New War: Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb,” “Obama’s Two New Illegal Wars,” “Is Obama A Phony On Torture?”, “Obama Is Now Covering Up Alleged Torture,” “Obama’s Gitmo Disgrace,” “Obama To The Next Generation: Screw You, Suckers,” my reaction to his townhall comments on cannabis, “Behind the Obama Implosion,” and my excoriation of his first debate against Romney, if you remember.Obama’s healthcare proposal originally came from the Heritage Foundation; it was the most conservative measure to move us to universal healthcare access available; he passed it; and it remains the law because Republicans realized it was too popular to repeal. If that’s what you call extremism, you have a different definition of the word than I do.His stimulus was — yes — insufficient to the moment. But that’s because it veered toward a fiscal prudence long abandoned by the GOP. And he put it before any other priority. The GOP still refused to give this new president in an economic crisis any support at all, and acted as if the Bush debacle had never happened.Another listener defends the former president’s record — to a point:Obama had one chance to pass health care reform — something presidents had been trying and failing to do for several decades. In reality he had a razor-thin margin, especially in the Senate. He spent months letting moderates like Max Baucus take the lead in Congress. He gave moderate Republicans like Olympia Snowe endless time to pretend to be willing to vote for a centrist bill. Remember: this was largely RomneyCare, an already moderate Republican policy idea and one which had originally come out of a conservative think tank.In the end, no matter how much Big Pharma and other healthcare lobbies had to be bribed and how much Obama compromised — no public option; no federal negotiation via Medicare to lower drug prices — the moderate Republicans had strung him along. He had to give Ben Nelson goodies to get his vote. And, overall, as much as the bill was a corporate sellout, it still — and 12 years on it’s so easy to forget this — still made massively important reforms the public was desperate for: it expanded family access for kids up to 26; it ended the rampant abuse of preexisting conditions to deny coverage; it ended retroactive rescissions in which insurance employees were tasked to comb through patient records and fine print to find pretexts for dumping patients when they needed care the most; it ended lifetime caps on coverage for things like major early childhood diseases and illnesses and catastrophic illnesses in adults; and of course it expanded access to Medicaid (most people don’t realize how stunningly low one’s income has to be to qualify). ObamaCare, flaws and all, was necessary — and a major step forward. There was no Republican compromise to be had in 2010 or ever. Remember what Mitch McConnell said his #1 priority was? Ensuring Obama was a one-term president with no major successes to campaign on. They simply wanted the legislation to crash and burn, similar to how it did in 1994. DACA and DAPA and the rest? Very very different story. And I agree with Continetti: Obama did not have that authority and he knew he didn’t. And after the Gang of Eight fell apart, his second term was all about caving to radical, often openly ethnically chauvinistic, identitarian, open borders advocates. And that’s where the Democratic Party has been stuck ever since. Executive decisions like DACA were a big part of why I soured on the Obama administration. ObamaCare, flawed as it was, was a big reason I volunteered so heavily for Obama in 2012. We’re still not close to the kind of publicly guaranteed, universal health care virtually all peer countries and allies enjoy. But we’re closer due to ObamaCare. And that’s a clear example of what Democrats can accomplish when they’re focused on passing the best bill they can pass (by the barest of margins) for the common good. For the record (see the Daily Dish links above), I also opposed the Libya war, the Iraq surge, and the DACA executive overreach. This next reader is more sympathetic to Obama on DACA:Deporting kids who have never known another country has a 19 percent approval rating. Obama begged Congress for years to do something to correct this. So is the Continetti position that Obama needed to do something that more than 80 percent of Americans don’t want because far-right extremists are holding Boehner hostage? If that is your position, then it’s fundamentally undemocratic.Another clip from last week:Yet another take on the Continetti convo:I’m a moderately liberal person, and I listen to conservative voices to hear good arguments that make me consider more deeply my innate biases. But the conservatism described by Continetti is just uninteresting. Describing the 1964 Civil Rights Act as too large an overreach? Talking about constitutionalism in the same way that Alito does — as frozen, depending upon the section, in either 1789 or 1868? Dissing Obamacare?Obamacare is a big improvement on pre-ACA insurance, and I’m glad Obama persevered after Ted Kennedy's death. Healthcare has a lot of moving parts, but finally we have an individual insurance market with plans as good as those in the employer group market. My kids have used it at various times switching between jobs and school, or even instead of a law school's highly mediocre plan. One of my biggest problems with Biden is that he hasn’t even managed to get the subsidy income limit, which was lifted by the pandemic relief bill, made permanent. My biggest problem with Biden is that I expected that he’d be able to negotiate with someone like Manchin, who’s dim but probably willing to support something. Cranking up the ACA subsidies and funding some solar panel research and LWTR reactor prototypes, with the work being done in part in West Virginia?  It can’t be that hard to cut some deal. Instead, we seem to have nothing.So, until the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs, I figured the Dems would get wiped out in '22 and '24. I figured the combination of trans-positive teaching in lower schools and race essentialism everywhere would lead to races like the Virginia governor election, where someone with a sane approach to schools would dominate. Dobbs may change all that.  From a small sample of Republican suburban voters I know, a lot of people are furious at the Court’s decision. They rightly view it as an ignorant decision that makes even pregnancy for wealthy women in red states far more dangerous than it was, since a partial miscarriage with lots of bleeding — not a rare event by any means — will now require sign-off from a hospital’s legal staff before a lifesaving D&C can be performed, by which time a pregnant woman may well be dead. And while Republicans typically don’t mind making life miserable for poor people (fun fact: a family of four has to have an income below $4,700 per year to get Medicaid in Mississippi), f*****g over the upper middle class will not go over nearly as well.Keeping with the abortion theme, another reader:This caught my eye in your most recent podcast email: “[T]he question of when human life becomes a human person is a highly debatable one.”First, thank you for stating the issue correctly! The issue is NOT when HUMAN LIFE begins. Science has answered that question definitively: at conception. It’s not a “theory,” religious or philosophical doctrine or anyone’s “opinion,” and it’s not debatable. We may not know everything that happens during conception, but no embryologist denies that it’s the beginning of human life. The term “person” is not scientific, and that’s why I avoid using it when debating abortion with non-believers. As I’ve noted before, the term “person” arose out of debates about the relations among the Three Persons of the Trinity in the run-up to the council of Nicea. Before that, the Latin term “persona” just referred to public citizenship. Slaves were not legally persons. The Christian philosophers made it into a much richer and more resonant concept, in order to explain that God could be one God but three “persons” — a way of saying that if God is Love, love is not a monism but a mode of relationality. Anyway, for purposes of modern discussion of abortion, the term “person” now means something close to what the pagan Roman meaning of “person” was: a human being legally granted rights by the state, including the right to life. In other words, some human beings are not “persons.”This distinction is morally troubling and creates issues for defenders of abortion. If it’s really up to the state to say who is or is not a “person,” why stop at the unborn? In the Roman Empire, and in later periods (including our own history, of course), slaves were not legally considered full “persons.”Is “personhood” a sliding scale, or an absolute state of being? Can you have “more” or “less” personhood? Are comatose (but stable) human beings persons, or do they lose their legal rights to life, as many seem to think? What about the conscious but mentally challenged? Do high-IQ people have more “personhood” than low-IQ people? You see where this is going, I’m sure. I’ve had many discussions about this, and there is NO criterion that denies full personhood to the unborn that cannot also be used to deny it to the already-born. I think once you hive off human rights from the status of being human, and attach them to some scientifically indefinable status like “personhood,” you go down a tricky path. Because you’re right, of course. “Personhood” is endlessly debatable, because it’s a philosophical and (ultimately) theological concept. It’s like arguing “Who has a soul, and who doesn’t?”But in our tribally inclined species, the question quickly becomes, who is “human” (i.e, like “us”) and who is “other” (i.e., not really “human”) — with the “other” not possessing the same rights. Most names of tribes for themselves translate to “the Human Beings” or “the People” — with anyone outside the tribe being less than human. (Did you ever see Little Big Man?)Of course, as a Christian I believe ALL human beings are also persons, no matter their mental state, helplessness, poverty or low social status. I also agree that all human beings are images of God. For purposes of argument with non-believers, rather than get side-tracked into personhood, I prefer to say that human rights are anchored in (inherent in) humanness, not “personhood.” This requires abortion advocates (if they have the slightest thoughtfulness or openness to engage in actual discussion) to explain how some human beings aren’t “persons” and who gets to make that determination. But any honest abortion defender who doesn’t want to deny non-contestable science must make that distinction.Here’s the difference between personhood in abortion and every other area. One person is literally inside another person’s body. In a society based on property rights, the body itself — “habeas corpus” — is central to freedom and autonomy. Another reader turns to sexuality:I was struck by one of the dissents you ran last week: “No mention of the 63 million babies who were murdered in the last 49 years, but oh how well you stand up for women and their right to have as many one-night stands as they want without consequences, guilt, or their morality even being questioned.”The second half of that sentence is so interesting. The dissenter is not only offended by potential babies not being born, but also by women having sexual fun without life-altering consequences. To the dissenter, one-night stands are an evil (at least, on the part of the woman), and going through a public pregnancy (look at her! shame!) and having babies (no career for her!) is the least punishment the female participants should deserve. The lost babies are bad, but even worse, look at what all those loose women are getting away with!I’ve always had a sneaking suspicion that some part of the opposition to abortion in this country is actually driven by people who want to bring back 1950s prudery. They see abortion as an evil precisely because it allows more sexual pleasure — and even more galling, more sexual pleasure on the part of women (because this 1950s prudery so often seems to carry 1950s misogyny along with it). Of course we know many abortion opponents are deeply moved by love for potential babies that aren’t born, but this dissenter shows there’s at least one person out there celebrating Dobbs for the renewed opportunities abortion bans will provide to scare women out of sex or, failing that, shame them and derail their careers as punishment.Another reader turns the focus to me:For some context, I am a Christian who has spent most of my life in the evangelical subculture, but I am more moved in worship by liturgical forms. I am politically anti-Trump and I am abhorred by the current state of the Republican Party, though I am a lifelong Republican. Call me David French-like.I am responding to your dissent from the conservative writer and your comment that consent between adults is the sole limiting factor in sexual behavior. You have likely been asked and answered this question many times, so just send me a link if that’s easier for you: Since you are a Christian, what role does the Bible and/or church teaching have in your understanding of human sexuality? One could argue that in addition to consent, the Bible speaks of fidelity, monogamy, love, nurture, self giving, mutual submission, and adoration in sexual relationships. How do you treat the foregoing characteristics (or others) in your sexual ethic? Does your Christian faith have any role to play in your sexual ethics?I enjoy your writing and the Dishcast, keep it up. Guest suggestions: Kevin Williamson. (He had deep dissents on gay marriage, but culturally that train has left the station, and as you know, he has the added benefit of having been fired by The Atlantic three days after hiring — an early example of cancel culture by the insulated Left). Also Jonah Goldberg.I responded to some of these points on the main page. But I’ve written much more widely on this question — and I recommend Out On A Limb for the rest. The essay “Alone Again, Naturally,” comes closest to answering. But I do not share orthodox Christianity’s Augustinian terror of the body and its pleasures. Your guest suggestions are always appreciated: dish@andrewsullivan.com. Here’s one more from a “20-year Dishhead writing for the first time”:I think Iain McGilchrist would be a great guest for the pod — and for TWO episodes, since the ideas in his recent work are so vast, complex, and far-reaching. (I encountered his earlier book on the Daily Dish.) It seems like IMcG is really working to get out his incredibly important, expansive, but very difficult project out and a couple of good conversations with you would be a great way of doing that, not to mention fascinating for us Dishcast listeners.Thanks for everything that you and Chris are doing with The Weekly Dish — trying to help us all think clearly and openly. My wife and I both appreciate having your voice in our lives each week. She especially likes the dissents!Subscribe to read them all — along with everything else on the Dish, including the View From Your Window contest. There are also gift subscriptions if you’d like to spread the Dishness to a loved one or friend — or a frenemy to debate the dissents with. Get full access to The Weekly Dish at andrewsullivan.substack.com/subscribe

Today's "activism" is essentially a process of expressing collective community grievances and disgust, feeling there's either no control over situations or even how to react. Or hope that someone else will do it. Well, there's no someone else. Nor is there a blueprint for creating change. It's simple: "get out" and make sure every voter is informed on our issues and registered to vote. If there's a message that we believe, it is "Don't worry about rocking the boat because you are not in the boat, so rock it as hard and as often as you can." If you don't feel the wall at your back now, you should.instagram: @waybourninstagram: @fallingoutlgbtqpodtwitter: @fallinglgbtq

As a complement to our episode featuring Ann Northrop, meet Peter Staley, another seminal member of ACT UP, in this 2021 interview courtesy of the LGBTQ&A podcast, hosted by Jeffrey Masters and produced by The Advocate in partnership with GLAAD. Listen to the LGBTQ&A podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As a complement to our episode featuring Ann Northrop, meet Peter Staley, another seminal member of ACT UP, in this 2021 interview courtesy of the LGBTQ&A podcast, hosted by Jeffrey Masters and produced by The Advocate in partnership with GLAAD. Listen to the LGBTQ&A podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Torch Song Trilogy opened on Broadway in 1982, Harvey Fierstein became the first and, at the time, only out gay leading man on Broadway. He made further history by winning the Tony Award for Best Play and Best Actor in a Play for Torch Song Trilogy. One year later he won a third Tony Award for La Cage aux Folles and 20 years after that he won a fourth for playing Edna Turnblad Hairspray. Harvey joins us to talk about his unexpected life in theatre, his lifelong "gender issues", and his new memoir, I Was Better Last Night. This is part of our new LGBTQ+ Elders Project. You can listen to our interview with the 87-year-old, Barbara Satin. You can also listen to recent interviews with ACT UP's Peter Staley and Dr. Charles Silverstein.  A condensed transcript of each week's interview is posted on The Advocate's website in the afternoon (or earlier if I get enough coffee). Come find us on Instagram (@lgbtqpod) to see the photos that Harvey shared with us, including one with his friend, Marsha P. Johnson.   LGBTQ&A is hosted by Jeffrey Masters and produced by The Advocate magazine, in partnership with GLAAD. Follow us on Twitter: @lgbtqpod

In his memoir Never Silent, Peter Staley shares the untold story of his journey from closeted Wall Street bond trader to one of the leading AIDS and LGBTQ rights activists of his generation. Infusing personal chronicle with what Tony Kushner (Angels in America) praises as an “incisive, precise, and revelatory insider's history of ACT UP” and “an electrifying primer for anyone who's thinking/worrying/wondering about how to change/save the world,” Staley's firsthand experience at the frontlines of AIDS activism generated a fascinating conversation full of insight and reminiscence with Ann Northrop, veteran journalist and fellow longtime ACT UP member. Staley and Northrop joined Greenlight virtually to discuss the trajectory of their activism, sex positivity and white privilege within the movement, and the present political climate concerning public health, and much more. (Recorded October 18, 2021)

Ype hekelt het nieuwjaarsritueel en Botte bespreekt een bijzonder boek: 'Never Silent' van ACT UP-activist Peter Staley. Verder kijken we naar het Sterren op het Doek-schilderij van Erica Terpstra, praten we over kantoorbanen en ergens mee ophouden, het enige culturele dat er nog mag namelijk het Amsterdam Light Festival, ervaren we een vorm van geluk, heeft Tiktok ontdekt dat we gay zijn, en bespreken we hoe de presentatie van het nieuwe kabinet wordt besproken. Voor vrienden van de Show hebben we, alleen voor hen, bij deze aflevering een speciale theezakjes-aflevering. Veel plezier!Zie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Legendary activist Peter Staley joins us for a conversation on lessons learned from the fight against AIDS that have informed today's global battle with COVID-19. We also discuss the evolution of Peter's decades-long friendship with NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, the lives that have been saved as a result, as well as Peter's recently published memoir "Never Silent" which chronicles his activism journey with the iconic New York-based group Act Up. Movies referenced in the episode:How to Survive a Plague - https://surviveaplague.comCrip Camp - https://cripcamp.comThe name of the producer Ben and Peter referenced:Howard GertlerYou can purchase Peter's book here:https://www.chicagoreviewpress.com/never-silent-products-9781641601429.phpFor more information, please visit:https://www.bayareaglobalhealth.orghttps://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.htmlhttps://www.who.inthttps://www.unaids.org/enhttps://www.niaid.nih.gov/https://coronavirus.health.ny.govwww.ashotinthearmpodcast.comhttps://www.hunuvat.comhttps://newsdocmedia.com#peterstaley #ActUp #HIVAIDS #AIDSactivism #NeverSilent #silenceequalsdeath #HIV #AIDS #LGBTQ #humanrights #DrAnthonyFauci #TonyFauci #DrFauci #Fauci #NIAID #NIH #CDC #COVID19 #Coronavirus #SARSCoV2 #COVID19

We're continuing our LGBTQ+ History Month celebration with the legendary activist, Peter Staley. His new memoir, Never Silent: ACT UP and My Life in Activism is out now.  LGBTQ&A is hosted by Jeffrey Masters and produced by The Advocate magazine, in partnership with GLAAD. @lgbtqpod You can listen to our interview with ACT UP historian, Sarah Schulman here: bit.ly/actuppod And to our interview with Ann Northrop here: bit.ly/annnorthrop "There is no way we could have gotten through the tragedy that was those years without a heavy dose of sex, love, humor, and community. It was a surreal existence."

Amy: Welcome to Breaking Down Patriarchy! I'm Amy McPhie Allebest. Today is our fourth and final episode on LGBTQ history and rights, with our essential texts being Obergefell v. Hodges, The Trouble With Normal, by Michael Warner, Cruising Utopia: The Then and There of Queer Futurity, by Jose Estaban Munoz, and No Future: Queer Theory and the Death Drive, by Lee Edelman. Today we are going to discuss the last of two of those titles, and my reading partner is the spectacularly brilliant historian and teacher, Matthew Nelson. I'm so excited for this conversation with you today, Matthew! Thanks for being here! Matthew: Great to be back in conversation with you, Amy.  Amy: Could you introduce us to the subject matter of today's texts, maybe starting as usual with some background? Matthew: Few communities, like survivors of genocide, understand what it is to face annihilation -- both as an individual and member of a group. I was just a boy when the HIV/AIDS brutalized the queer community, but as a student of history I try to read every book and watch every movie related to this extraordinary and tragic moment in order to understand better. David French's How to Survive A Plague, an emotionally arresting and informative book and documentary, most certainly ranks among my favorites to help me inhabit the experiences of gay men, who bore the brunt of the pandemic in the Long 1980s. I also obsessively watch Angels in America, Beats Per Minute, and The Normal Heart because I never want to be too far away from my community's brush with queer generational annihilation. I talk to all of my gay forefathers of San Francisco about this darkness. One of the common themes remarked on frequently in these conversations is the disenchanting experience of seeing crowds of young gay men ambling about the sidewalks like zombies -- emaciated and stumbling. They tell me they went to a funeral every week, sometimes multiple times a week. Their circle of friends -- vanquished in the span of a decade. I used to live on Alamo Square in San Francisco, and I would jog to the Castro, a historically gay neighborhood, to visit my gym. I passed an older African American man who sold beautiful flower arrangements on a street corner who would smile and wave almost every time I passed. One day, I saw another of these documentaries called We Were Here, and I recognized that one of the men profiled in this PBS film was Guy, the same street-side florist who waved me on as I made may way to the gym. The next workout, I resolved to stop and say hi to Guy. So, I did. He was delighted that I admired his contributions to the film. I asked him what it must have been like to sell the funeral flowers to attendees of all these funerals, and he said, “Business was never better!” with a chuckle. Guy elaborated on his stories of death and dying to me, of course with a dolorous tone. But, he wanted me to know that younger gay men like me have to remember that death is forevermore an important part of our history, and we cannot be afraid of death. Instead, and this is where his tone shifted to jubilance: “We have a FUTURE!” Queer theorist, Heather Love, characterizes this contradictory experience as “looking forward” while “feeling backward.” Guy's words reminded me of the concluding interviews with ACT-UP leaders Gregg Bordowitz, David Barr, and Peter Staley in France's How to Survive A Plague. The men say: Bordowitz:  I FEEL VERY FORTUNATE, AND THERE'S PROBABLY A LOT OF COMPLICATED REASONS WHY, BUT I STILL FIND IT VERY DIFFICULT TO PLAN FOR THE FUTURE, AND/OR ACCEPT THAT I WILL HAVE A LONG LIFE. WHICH IS UNFORTUNATE BECAUSE I'VE HAD A LONG LIFE AND I'VE BEEN LIVING WITH AIDS FOR 20 YEARS. BUT IT'S HARD FOR ME TO RELAX INTO LIFE. Barr:  I KNOW LOTS OF US WENT THROUGH REALLY DIFFICULT TIMES AFTER... UM, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, WELL, WHAT DO I DO NOW? YOU KNOW. NOT JUST BECAUSE I DIDN'T THINK I HAD A FUTURE AND NOW I DO, SO I HAVE TO MAKE SOME...

When HIV was first identified in the early 1980s, it was a public health crisis mired in urgent scientific questions: How was it transmitted? What were the symptoms? Could it be treated? But alongside that, and equally challenging to public health, was the stigma attached to the virus. Homophobia, racism, and shame around sex combined with a woefully inadequate response from our government made the epidemic even more deadly. Today, we know how to treat HIV/AIDS and help prevent transmission. Still, thousands of Americans contract HIV every year, millions of people around the world do not receive treatment, and stigma remains dangerous, even deadly. In this debut episode, you'll hear from activist Peter Staley about his experience as a member of the group ACT UP back in the 1980s, and his work today to fight stigma, and help people get the education and care they deserve. Then Queer Eye's Jonathan Van Ness shares his journey through fear and stigma after being diagnosed as HIV-positive to becoming a fierce advocate and inspiration for other. And finally, Dr. Oni Blackstock, an HIV physician and advocate working in New York City, shares her experience treating patients on the front-lines amid a pandemic and the ongoing fight for equity in healthcare access and quality for all.   Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matt and Sam have an in-depth conversation with HIV/AIDs activist Peter Staley to get his perspective on Dr. Anthony Fauci's role in America's response to two of the most devastating public-health emergencies of recent decades: the AIDS crisis and the pandemic that began nearly one year ago.  They discuss how Peter got his start in ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) in New York City in the 1980s, what the group was fighting for, his run-ins with Pat Buchanan, Jesse Helms, and other rightwing rogues, and how he came to know Fauci. How does Peter understand Fauci's role in the Trump administration's response to the pandemic? Should Fauci have resigned? What good was he able to do? And how does his experience as an activist inform his views about working with government officials on the "inside"?  Watch:How to Survive a Plague (the 2012 documentary about ACT UP in which Peter figures prominently) Read:Sam Adler-Bell, "Dr. Do-Little: The Case Against Anthony Fauci," The Drift, February 4, 2021"A Timeline of the Coronavirus Pandemic," New York Times, January 10, 2021...and don't forget to subscribe on Patreon for all Know Your Enemy bonus episodes! 

A disease, global in reach but intimate in its cruelty. A nation plunged into economic ruin. A president raging and incompetent. Society's unforgiving disparities revealed like never before. What a year to be putting out a weekly news podcast. On this week's episode of the Mother Jones Podcast, our last for 2020, the entire production team joins host Jamilah King to reflect on the year and replay what we thought were the most meaningful moments from our coverage. It seemed the best way—both personal and journalistic—to chart these extraordinary events. We start as the coronavirus catches fire. In March, producer Molly Schwartz followed reporter Noah Lanard to document how restaurants in Flushing, Queens, faced imminent collapse. As our producer James West recovered from his own bout of COVID, he turned to Peter Staley, a prominent AIDS activist who worked (and sparred) with Dr. Anthony Fauci in the early days of that epidemic. Staley's scathing indictment of Trump's inaction is haunting still. "The deaths are all on his head," he said. "The blood is all on his hands. The people dying now are Trump deaths." Soon, the unequal impact of coping with quarantine became painfully apparent. Learning from home was hard enough, but Molly found that remote education in a place known as the "valley of the telescopes"—in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, where WiFi is outlawed to preserve the integrity of a massive radio telescope—was a complete disaster. But other historic fissures were soon to crack open anew. The death of George Floyd in May at the hands of the Minneapolis police was broadcast to the world and "pushed nearly anyone with a political conscience into physical action," Jamilah wrote soon after, in a painful but galvanizing personal essay we turned into radio. Anger indeed was a 2020 touchstone. Trump's chief enabler Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, upon the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in September, began ramming through a new conservative justice. "His entire vision for the Trump presidency has been to pack the courts," reporter Ari Berman explained during a podcast about this unfolding democratic emergency. Jamilah recalls this breathtaking hypocrisy: "It was a moment that kind of signaled that 'we're done'," she says. "We're done, being run over and being dictated to." And that was the sentiment that turned out, finally, to hold. Election Day 2020 was a picture of democracy in action. In the swing state of Arizona, long a laboratory for anti-immigrant laws, reporter Fernanda Echavarri documented a new group of activists determined to turf Trump from office, a coalition that became emblematic of Joe Biden's ultimate victory in November. "It really was this full circle," Fernanda says of the effort to flip Arizona. "Young, old, rich, poor, people came together and said, 'We're not going to have this here in Arizona anymore. And not only that, we're not going to have this country be run by somebody like this anymore.'” And come January 20, 2021, it won't be. "It was great for me to be reminded that change takes time," Jamilah says, neatly summarizing this tumultuous, tragic, unnerving, historic year.

President Trump says he has a very good relationship with White House Task Force Member Dr. Anthony Fauci despite the White House attempting to discredit the nation’s top infectious disease expert. Dr. Fauci has been increasingly vocal about his concerns over reopening the country while there’s a surge of coronavirus cases in some states. Peter Staley, an AIDS activist and a member of the Covid-19 Working Group of New York, has worked with Dr. Fauci for decades and has been talking to him throughout the pandemic. He tells Anderson Cooper Dr. Fauci is “deeply frustrated” and just wants to fight the virus and save lives. Plus, the superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest school district in the country, announced they will start the school year online only, despite the President and his administration pushing for schools to reopen. Arne Duncan, former Education Secretary in the Obama Administration, joins Anderson Cooper and says superintendents ultimately have the power to make the decisions that are best for their schools, not the governors or the President. Airdate: July 13, 2020To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Peter Staley, HIV/AIDS activist, former member of ACT-UP NY and founder of the Treatment Action Group, traces the link between the race to find a COVID-19 vaccine and the long term struggle develop a vaccine for AIDS.

Air Date 5/7/2020 Today, Amanda and I discuss the dangerous, pervasive epidemic of hope fueled by desperation spreading throughout the country that is leading people to self-destructive thoughts and actions.  Be part of the show! Leave us a message at 202-999-3991 MEMBERSHIP ON PATREON (Get AD FREE Shows & Bonus Content) EPISODE SPONSORS:  SHOP AMAZON: Amazon USA | Amazon CA | Amazon UK SHOW NOTES Ch. 1: Dr. Tony Fauci From One Pandemic to Another: Mark Harrington and Peter Staley - EPIDEMIC with Dr. Celine Gounder and Ronald Klain - Air Date 4-10-20 Dr. Celine Gounder talks to Peter Staley and Mark Harrington, members of Act Up, co-founders of the Treatment Action Group, and dedicated HIV/AIDS activists who know firsthand what it is like to live through a large-scale pandemic. Ch. 2: The placebo reject Ch. 3: Waiting For a Game-Changer - On The Media - Air Date 5-6-20 Derek Lowe, the organic chemist behind the science blog In the Pipeline, urges caution. He speaks with Bob about how to report on the so-called "game-changer" drugs, and where he believes reporting on the "race for a cure" falls short. Ch. 4: Profiteering off of the desperation of those with rare diseases Ch. 5: Dr. Leana Wen Discusses the Tortuous and High Stakes Path that Dr.'s Fauci and Birx Must Navigate - The Al Franken Podcast - Air Date 4-5-20 Dr. Wen gives her unique insight into the dilemma that Fauci and Birx face in dealing with an inarguably crazy president. Ch. 6: Strategic lying to save the lives of the irrational and those with whom they come in contact MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions): Opening Theme: Loving Acoustic Instrumental by John Douglas Orr  Tar and Spackle - Plaster The Summit - K2 Closer - American Moon Bicycle Voicemail Music: Low Key Lost Feeling Electro by Alex Stinnent Closing Music: Upbeat Laid Back Indie Rock by Alex Stinnent   Produced by Jay! Tomlinson Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com Support the show via Patreon Listen on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | +more Check out the BotL iOS/Android App in the App Stores! Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Facebook!

Join Hayden and Dustin as they explore Mosiah Chapters 1-3 through the Queer Perspective of SERVICE!Study along in the "Come, Follow Me" Manual (April 13-April 19).Show Notes:Interview with Peter Staley about Dr. Fauci (Time: 22:34)Radiolabs Oliver Sipple EpisodeJoin the conversation by sending your own Queer Perspective on Gospel Topics (or Haikulelujah) to: lovespokenqueer@gmail.comor DM us on Social:Instagram: @lovespokenqueerTwitter: @lovespokenqueerFacebook: Love Is Spoken Queer

During the pandemic we’ll air some pertinent past episodes. This one features AIDS activist Peter Staley, who, 40 years ago, encountered Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Staley didn’t much like Fauci but grew to admire him, as do all of us who are not the president. Plus a segment from Dr. Tom Farley, Philadelphia's health commissioner. Music: Robert Duncan and Karl Meyer.

Transcript“I mean, many of us spent the whole ‘80’s in a state of terror, knowing that we'd been exposed, not knowing our status, not knowing whether we were going to live or die. And I think the vast majority of the population now has exactly the same feeling, where they don't know if they've been exposed. They don't know if they're going to get sick. Every single person is a risk.” - Mark Harrington, Executive Director and co-founder of the Treatment Action GroupIn today’s episode, co-host Dr. Celine Gounder talks to Peter Staley and Mark Harrington, members of Act Up, co-founders of the Treatment Action Group, and dedicated HIV/AIDS activists who know firsthand what it is like to live through a large-scale pandemic. They discuss their experiences as activists during a pandemic, including challenges, such as a lack of needed support from government and issues surrounding research and treatments, as well as how they are continuing their activism today through the founding of the COVID Working Group of New York. They also discuss similarities between the HIV/AIDs pandemic and COVID-19 today, including the magnification of health disparities that these infectious diseases bring about, as well as the man who has been there through it all, Dr. Tony Fauci.This podcast was created by Just Human Productions. We're powered and distributed by Simplecast. We're supported, in part, by listeners like you.#SARSCoV2 #COVID19 #COVID #coronavirus

What happens inside your body after you recover from COVID-19? What are the chances that survivors will develop immunity? And how should the legions of soon-to-be recovered think about their usefulness—to scientists and society—in this altered world? These questions got very personal for the Mother Jones Podcast team after our executive producer, James West, tested positive for COVID-19. James is recovering and feeling better. Now, as a survivor, he wants answers to questions that are of great importance—to himself, to doctors, to researchers, and to a planet fighting a pandemic. Is he immune to the disease? If so, for how long? Can he donate his plasma to exciting new trials? How close are doctors to finding a vaccine? In this episode, you'll hear James's conversation with Kamal Khanna, an immunity specialist at NYU School of Medicine. You'll also learn about the FDA's antiquated restriction on plasma donations, and how the stigma from a past pandemic are hurting our chances of fighting this one. You'll also here from Peter Staley, the veteran AIDS activist whose groundbreaking work helped erode medical and regulatory barriers to fight HIV. He talks about how to channel the rage you might be feeling about political inaction into lasting change, while dishing on private dinners with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert.

What does the AIDS crisis teach us about the current pandemic?In this episode, I interview Peter Staley, AIDS activist and subject of the documentary How to Survive a Plague.Support the show (http://ericcervini.com)

This week Aaron and Tracy chat with artist Peter Staley about blending creativity and construction.   LET’S CHAT! You can always call and leave your questions and comments on our voicemail! 978-709-1040   QUICK FACTS ABOUT PETER’S WORK: - Peter refers to his structures as shrines to nature. - His first woodworking was building stretchers for paintings and then he moved on to set design. - Once he built his own store (his wife’s kids shop), a lot of people had him start building their stores. He likes to bring nature inside. - Recently he’s been building a lot of cabins, which was a natural progression after building a work cabin for his wife’s second store. His latest cabin is a liveable space, 200 sq ft with a sleeping loft and outdoor shower. - His nature inspiration stems from his time in the Adirondacks as a child. https://visitadirondacks.com - Peter can look at a space and visualize what he wants to do with it. - Peter sees his builds as art and it’s a very spiritual process. - His favorite materials are: cedar and shou sugi ban. - He loves buying from Angel City Lumber- https://www.angelcitylumber.com - Peter feels this medium is the one that connects with people the most, whereas his art doesn’t necessarily connect with everyone. - Peter’s tip for creating a more functional small space is: laying stuff out with blue tape and seeing how it would feel to move around in the space. - “I would like someone to enter a space I made and have a spiritual experience.” - Peter’s suggestion for the beginner: “Get some tools and start playing around. Make a box!” - Peter believes everything needs to go as green as possible. He’d like to see a return to natural and comfortable materials.   SOCIAL QUESTIONS: Q: Do you feel you have a signature style? A: Not on purpose, but yes. Peter doesn’t try to make things in his style, it’s just his natural progression.   Q:  How long is the planning process? A: A couple of weeks.   Q: Where does your inspiration come from with your art? A: It just comes to Peter and he needs to get it out.   Q: Is it hard to see a structure decorated in a way that doesn’t fit your intention for the space? A: At first it is, but then you get used to it.   FIND PETER: Website (Build) | https://www.mindtreearts.com Website (Art) | http://www.peterstaley.com The Gram | https://www.instagram.com/mindtreearts & https://www.instagram.com/p_staley   FOLLOW US on Social Media: Website | https://howtohome.com/ Instagram | http://bit.ly/2WqVfSp Twitter | http://bit.ly/2RRyYij Facebook | http://bit.ly/2MC3Hdc Youtube | http://bit.ly/2SifqTH SUBSCRIBE to the How to Home Podcast: Itunes | https://apple.co/2DL0lSp Android | http://bit.ly/2B9k7Fm Stitcher | http://bit.ly/2DM0W6c Spotify | https://spoti.fi/2GcRCKo   THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSOR FILTERBUY.COM

A new episode of A Shot In The Arm is out!This week it is just me. I tell the story of Pangaea Global AIDS, a global non profit think tank and technical assistance agency that I had to be the privilege to lead for seven years, and which closed in 2017. Its a tough but ultimately positive story. Many listeners have urged me to reflected on the contribution of non-profit, non governmental organizations, what they do and what happens when they know they need to pack up shop...Read the rest of the article on our webpage: http://bit.ly/asita_s01ep08References You May Find Useful:AVACIPPFInternational Partnerships for Microbcideshttps://www.tballiance.org/https://www.preventionaccess.org/https://tac.org.zahttps://womendeliver.org/If you are concerned, or want to learn more about HIV testing, prevention and treatment:http://www.thebody.comhttps://www.calpep.org/https://sfcommunityhealth.org/https://prepfacts.org/prep/the-basics/And for some groovy British Indie Pop from the 1990s that is still going strong, may I suggest Saint Etiennehttp://www.saintetienne.com/You can find us at:Apple PodcastsSpotifyStitcherGoogle Podcastsand on Facebook and Twitter @shotarmpodcast. Subscribe, and if you like us, remember to give us five stars!

HOW WE GOT GAY tells the incredible story of how gay men and women went from being the ultimate outsiders to occupying the halls of power, with a profound influence on our cultural, political and social lives. After the battles over civil rights for African Americans, and equal rights for women, the battle over gay rights is the first great fight for freedom in the 21st century. It is succeeding beyond anyone’s wildest imagination, with the speed and breadth of the victory stunning its detractors and supporters alike. It is remarkable that the battle for gay rights in the Western world is advancing the battle over gay rights is the first great fight for freedom in the 21st century. It is succeeding beyond anyone’s wildest imagination, in a fraction of the time that it took the women’s movement and the civil rights movement to achieve similar goals. However, at the heart of the revolution is a tragedy. What drove the gay community to finally demand power was a disease that was decimating its ranks: AIDS. HOW WE GOT GAY tells the powerful story of the struggle for gay rights, from the 40’s and 50’s to the present day. It takes us inside the secret lives gay people were forced to live, at a time when homosexuality was illegal in every province in Canada and every state in America and police harassment was a fact of life. Using a rich mix of never before seen archival images and footage and candid interviews with activists and personalities including author Edmund White, and Village Voice columnist Michael Musto, the documentary explores what life was like for gay people at a time when homosexuality was seen as a mental illness, and to be openly gay was to live in utter exile from society. With the social and sexual revolution of the 1960s, gays enjoyed a new found freedom. They also started to fight back. In 1969, the ‘Gay Revolution’ was unleashed with the Stonewall Riots, as an angry mob of gay people rose up against a routine police raid on a Greenwich Village bar. The film tells the devastating story of AIDS and its dramatic effect on the gay rights movement. What started as a barely noticed outbreak of a rare form of cancer in a small number of homosexual men in 1981 spread to become one of the deadliest pandemics in modern history. When AIDS is treated with indifference and hostility by society, the lack of response gives rise to a new kind of anger and a new kind of gay rights organization: the activist group ACT-UP. Through an extensive interview with AIDS activist Peter Staley, HOW WE GOT GAY shows how the movement for gay equality becomes consumed with the AIDS crisis, and how the gay community finally got the world’s attention. In the crucible of AIDS, the modern gay rights movement is born. By the year 2000, almost 500,000 people in North America have died of AIDS, but gay activists have also pushed for a drug regimen that has transformed AIDS from a death sentence to a chronic disease. Through the work of groups like ACT-UP, AIDS finally forces the issue of homosexual equality, and it leads directly to the increasing embrace and acceptance of gay people into heterosexual society. HOW WE GOT GAY takes us into the gay rights movement of the 21st century. Now the movement has evolved into a powerful network of disciplined, top-down, media-savvy, Ivy League-staffed organizations that know how to operate the levers of power... Sourced From and description information From; https://youtu.be/foQrmKRUFgg Public Access America PublicAccessPod Productions #America #History #Podcast #Education #Not4Profit Footage downloaded and edited by PublicAccessPod Podcast Link Review us Stitcher: http://goo.gl/XpKHWB Review us iTunes: https://goo.gl/soc7KG Subscribe GooglePlay: https://goo.gl/gPEDbf YouTube https://goo.gl/xrKbJb

Juno Steel’s first day back on the job has started well: he’s outnumbered, cornered, and almost certainly going to be killed any second now. Just life as usual in the PI business. This case may be typical, but the solution will prove anything but. The mystery, after all, is one of the strangest Juno has ever encountered: who kidnaps a woman’s cat… just to replace it with an exact copy of the one they’ve stolen? Welcome to the Penumbra, dear Traveler. We hope you enjoy your journey. (Note: Trigger warnings for all episodes will now be posted at the bottom of the episode description. In this way, we hope to accommodate those of our fans for whom emotional triggers are a significant concern without causing inconvenience for any listeners worried about spoilers. If this is a concern for you, please scroll down to the bottom of this description now.) We’d like to thank our Patreon supporters: Jaimie Gunter, Eliza Gray, The Princess and the Scrivener, mcf, Elizabeth Miller, Angel Acevedo, Hannah Tsim, Molly Donaldson, Angalee Marano, Daisy Hines, Naomi Snelson, Ashley R HAynie, Katelyn Diekhaus, Maayan Priel, spaghettoni, Bobbie R, Michelle Ma, Emma Rose, Katelyn Davis, sally martin, Nadine, Julia Rosen, Marilene Desrosiers, Ari, M Moon, Elisabeth Hartmark, Emily Moore, Leslie Calderon, Abby Goodlaxson, Rachel Reeves, Sarah W, Jennifer Troemner, Sue Stewart, Kinsey Pena, Alyssa Kruft, syncytio, Ness Bivins, Savannah Patterson, Sarah, Rachel McLean, Jason Mellin, Alice Card, Kai Blake, Alice Chuang, Shannon, Wilhelm Engelbrecht, Laura, Carla Langa, Clarissa Tokash, Hailey Reed, Jennifer Xiang, Sarah Kolb, Hayley Wan, Joseph Marques, Sarah Cowan, Briana W, Autumn B, Leo Mahler, Kaitlin Medlin, Allison Stanek, Robyn Jefferson, Asgket Wright, Lynne +M, S. Staton, Robyn, elesteria, Julia M, Emily Hull, Laura Wagner, Kristen Koopman, Madison Lindsley, Rose Saia, Anna Meehan, Emily Marazzo, Peter Staley, Sienna Warecki, Phoebe Joy, Amanda McMains, M, Alex Fingerguns, Han Taub, Tales of THATTOWN, Abby, Kelli Glazebrook, caitlyn, Gabi Gonzalez, Alli Salwen, Jo, Lottie, Liv, Brittany Flanagan, Emma Johnson, Kaitlyn Steele, Katie Laffoon, Riley Clarke, Olivia Vogt, Sam Jam, Ashleigh Ford, Kelly Quinn, Timothy LaGrone, Kes L. Radford, Mandy Grady, Delaney Messer, Damian Salizar, Allison K, Veronica Borders, Nic Duhamel, Sean Toland, Janet Robinson, David Rheinstrom, Elizabeth, Brigitte Lefebvre, Celia Meredith, Amanda Kilbane, McKenna Waddill, Chan Aleksandra Melbye, Arcadiy Vournelis, Abbey James, A. Gannon and S. Conley, Mary Murphy, Hayley Cole, Sydney Bell, Tarot, Emily Broude, ABS, Maddie Alzamora, Zoe, Carmen, Ashten Sykes, Julia Adams, Katarina Schwartz, Vi Nguyen, Demilade Adefope, Jennifer Ellison, Kate Mraz, Emily Jones, Scott Galica, Melissa Mosley, Toby MGK, Adrienne Diehl, Sarah Brink, Allen Grevey, M R Clay, Alex Stan, Ben Stanfield, Emily Olivieri, BeatButton, Sara Spookystitch, Annie Mosity, Sierra Netz, Jeremy Holstein, earlgreytea68, Emma Baker, Spencer Hubbard, Mossthewolf, Kirstyn Grout, Fiona Parker, Jamie G., Tristen A. H., Allison Stanek, Dashiell Mecoy, Charlie Lewins, Cerys Jones, Caitlin Collins, qwerty067, Sanja Seibold, Laura M, Esaema, sam lang, Rachel Peri, Galen M., hellian, Jenna Danoy, Caleb Melchior, Kirsten Colligan, Megan Woods, Xarse Myunes, September Brogan, Annclaire Livoti, Jake Thompson, Marialilia Ruiz, MJ Redmond, Maddie Stowe, Peregrine Macdonald, Aldwin Brooks, Ryan Meier, Kristy Hinkle, Anne Joroch, Dylan, Rhiannon Brown, Fey Vivar, Kat Cunico, Shannon Cefalu, Kate Cipolla, Joy Silvey, Rachele Cate, and Melissa Bostic! With Patreon, you can support us by scheduling a small donation for each episode we release. If you’d like to show the artists behind the Penumbra that you appreciate their work, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/thepenumbrapodcast Attribution: Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode "Kind of Girl" by Jeris, featuring spinningmerkaba: http://ccmixter.org/files/VJ_Memes/35657 “Filing Cabinet and Metal Door” by FilmBrute http://www.freesound.org/people/Filmbrute/sounds/223891/ “Smashing, Wooden Fence, B.wav” by InspectorJ http://www.freesound.org/people/InspectorJ/sounds/352204/ “down town street ambience 01.wav” by klankbeeld http://www.freesound.org/people/klankbeeld/sounds/127590/ “crash.wav” by Sparrer http://www.freesound.org/people/Sparrer/sounds/50506/ “Big Crash” by PatrickLieberkind http://www.freesound.org/people/PatrickLieberkind/sounds/243613/ “wooden rubble” by jorickhoofd http://www.freesound.org/people/jorickhoofd/sounds/178657/ “Beep1.wav” by Freezeman http://www.freesound.org/people/Freezeman/sounds/153213/ “Rocks Falling No-Reverb Edition 16 Bit. Foley Sound” by ALLANZ10D http://www.freesound.org/people/ALLANZ10D/sounds/323477/ “AE0090 Volvo 740 GLE handbrake turn 01.flac” by audible-edge http://www.freesound.org/people/audible-edge/sounds/76804/ “Nissan Maxima handbrake turn (04-25-2009).wav” by audible-edge http://www.freesound.org/people/audible-edge/sounds/71741/ “AE0091 Volvo 740 GLE handbrake turn 02.flac” by audible-edge http://www.freesound.org/people/audible-edge/sounds/76805/ “AE0092 Volvo 740 GLE handbrake turn 03.flac” by audible-edge http://www.freesound.org/people/audible-edge/sounds/76806/ “splats.wav” by FreqMan http://www.freesound.org/people/FreqMan/sounds/42962/ Trigger warnings: Please be advised that this episode includes the following potential triggers: Animal abuse and death Gore Sudden loud noises Depictions of being chased Violence Explosions

Detective Steel is in a slump, and Maia King might have just the case to bring him out of it. One problem: half the case is going to be figuring out what the case even is, because if Ms. King is to be believed, the culprit would have to be… well, something that doesn’t exist. The stakes are life-or-death here… so hopefully Juno can figure out whose life or death before time runs out. Welcome to the Penumbra, dear Traveler. We hope you enjoy your journey. (Note: Trigger warnings for all episodes will now be posted at the bottom of the episode description. In this way, we hope to accommodate those of our fans for whom emotional triggers are a significant concern without causing inconvenience for any listeners worried about spoilers. If this is a concern for you, please scroll down to the bottom of this description now.) We’d like to thank our Patreon supporters: Jaimie Gunter, Eliza Gray, The Princess and the Scrivener, mcf, Elizabeth Miller, Angel Acevedo, Hannah Tsim, Molly Donaldson, nicole yim, Angalee Marano, Daisy Hines, Naomi Snelson, Ashley R HAynie, Katelyn Diekhaus, Maayan Priel, spaghettoni, Bobbie R, Michelle Ma, Emma Rose, Katelyn Davis, sally martin, Nadine, Julia Rosen, Marilene Desrosiers, Ari, M Moon, Elisabeth Hartmark, Emily Moore, Leslie Calderon, Abby Goodlaxson, Rachel Reeves, Sarah W, Jennifer Troemner, Sue Stewart, Kinsey Pena, Alyssa Kruft, syncytio, Ness Bivins, Savannah Patterson, Sarah, Rachel McLean, Jason Mellin, Alice Card, Kai Blake, Alice Chuang, Shannon, Wilhelm Engelbrecht, Laura, Carla Langa, Clarissa Tokash, Hailey Reed, Jennifer Xiang, Sarah Kolb, Hayley Wan, Joseph Marques, Sarah Cowwan, Briana W, Autumn B, Leo Mahler, Kaitlin Medlin, Allison Stanek, Robyn Jefferson, Asgket Wright, Lynne +M, S. Staton, Robyn, elesteria, Julia M, Emily Hull, Laura Wagner, Kristen Koopman, Madison Lindsley, Rose Saia, Anna Meehan, Emily Marazzo, Peter Staley, Sienna Warecki, Phoebe Joy, Amanda McMains, M, Alex Fingerguns, Han Taub, Tales of THATTOWN, Abby, Kelli Glazebrook, caitlyn, Gabi Gonzalez, Alli Salwen, Jo, Lottie, Liv, Brittany Flanagan, Emma Johnson, Kaitlyn Steele, Katie Laffoon, Riley Clarke, Olivia Vogt, Sam Jam, Ashleigh Ford, Kelly Quinn, Aslee Graves, Timothy LaGrone, Kes L. Radford, Mandy Grady, Delaney Messer, Damian Salizar, Allison K, Veronica Borders, Nic Duhamel, Sean Toland, Janet Robinson, David Rheinstrom, Elizabeth, Brigitte Lefebvre, Celia Meredith, Amanda Kilbane, McKenna Waddill, Chan Aleksandra Melbye, Arcadiy Vournelis, Abbey James, A. Gannon and S. Conley, Mary Murphy, Hayley Cole, Sydney Bell, Tarot, Emily Broude, ABS, Maddie Alzamora, Zoe, Carmen, Ashten Sykes, Julia Adams, Katarina Schwartz, Alexandra Theodotou, Vi Nguyen, Demilade Adefope, Jennifer Ellison, Kate Mraz, Emily Jones, Scott Galica, Melissa Mosley, Toby MGK, Adrienne Diehl, Sarah Brink, Allen Grevey, M R Clay, Alex Stan, Ben Stanfield, Emily Olivieri, BeatButton, Sara Spookystitch, Annie Mosity, Sierra Netz, Jeremy Holstein, earlgreytea68, Emma Baker, Spencer Hubbard, Mossthewolf, Kirstyn Grout, Fiona Parker, Jamie G., Tristen A. H., Allison Stanek, Dashiell Mecoy, Charlie Lewins, Cerys Jones, Caitlin Collins, qwerty067, Sanja Seibold, Laura M, Esaema, sam lang, Rachel Peri, Galen M., hellian, Jenna Danoy, Caleb Melchior, Kirsten Colligan, Megan Woods, Xarse Myunes, September Brogan, Annclaire Livoti, Jake Thompson, Marialilia Ruiz, and MJ Redmond! With Patreon, you can support us by scheduling a small donation for each episode we release. If you’d like to show the artists behind the Penumbra that you appreciate their work, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/thepenumbrapodcast Attribution: "Kind of Girl" by Jeris, featuring spinningmerkaba: http://ccmixter.org/files/VJ_Memes/35657 “train_breaking_outside.wav” by Anton http://www.freesound.org/people/Anton/sounds/23641/ “Traffic along apartments 131212_00.flac” by klankbeeld http://www.freesound.org/people/klankbeeld/sounds/210750/ “tommygoogle_smash_tv.wav ” by tommygoogle http://www.freesound.org/people/tommygoogle/sounds/118393/ “sfx-plug-1.wav” by davilca http://www.freesound.org/people/davilca/sounds/157903/ “Static R us.ogg” by jobro http://www.freesound.org/people/jobro/sounds/38484/ “cat meow.wav” by cameronmusic http://www.freesound.org/people/cameronmusic/sounds/138404/ “Busy Traffic lights suburban 161003_1006.flac” by klankbeeld http://www.freesound.org/people/klankbeeld/sounds/361640/ “AE0090 Volvo 740 GLE handbrake turn 01.flac” by audible-edge http://www.freesound.org/people/audible-edge/sounds/76804/ “down town street ambience 01.wav” by klankbeeld http://www.freesound.org/people/klankbeeld/sounds/127590/ “Car Breaking Skid 01.wav” by Iberian_Runa http://www.freesound.org/people/Iberian_Runa/sounds/217542/ “Smashing, Wooden Fence, B.wav” by InspectorJ http://www.freesound.org/people/InspectorJ/sounds/352204/ “MetalCabinetSlidingOverLinoleum.flac” by qubodup http://www.freesound.org/people/qubodup/sounds/192063/ “Day 12 12th July Robinhood76 Enhanced Flyby” by kwahmah_02 http://www.freesound.org/people/kwahmah_02/sounds/316658/ Trigger warnings: Please be advised that this episode includes the following potential triggers: Animal abuse Some gore/"body horror" Sudden loud noises Depictions of being chased

On Start the Week Tom Sutcliffe looks at what happens during a health epidemic and its aftermath. The US activist Peter Staley was instrumental in forcing scientists and pharmaceutical companies to develop life-saving HIV/AIDs drugs. Thirty years later and with drugs now readily available, the concern is that the rate of new cases of HIV remains constant. Professor Anne Johnson was involved in the biggest-ever-official investigation of Britain's sexual habits, which was vetoed at the time by Margaret Thatcher. She says continuing to understand people's attitudes and behaviour is vital to the nation's health. More than eleven thousand people died during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. When the crisis hit its peak in 2014 there were no effective drugs and Professor Peter Horby was one of a team of scientists who conducted a drugs trial in the midst of the epidemic. He explains how what they discovered can be used for future health scares. The author Louise Welsh is completing a trilogy of novels in which a killer disease has devastated the world. She explains why plague literature has proved so popular and enduring. Producer: Katy Hickman Photo: ACT UP activists at the International AIDS Conference in San Francisco, 1990 Credit: Rick Gerharter.

Peter Staley was diagnosed with AIDS-related complex in 1985 while working as a bond trader at JP Morgan on Wall Street. He joined ACT UP New York shortly after its founding in 1987, and chaired its fundraising committee for three years. In 1988, he left his Wall Street job to become a full-time AIDS activist, joining ACT UP’s Treatment & Data Committee (T&D). In 1989, Staley led ACT UP’s campaign to force Burroughs Wellcome to lower the price of AZT. He organized activists to infiltrate their North Carolina headquarters and seal themselves in a third-floor office, and led a demonstration on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, disrupting trading and resulting in a price reduction of AZT three days later. In 1990, Staley was an opening plenary speaker at the VI International Conference on AIDS in San Francisco. In 1992, Staley and other members of T&D founded the Treatment Action Group (TAG), and he became its Founding Director. TAG’s first action and “art project” involved covering Senator Jesse Helms’ home with a giant condom. In 1993, TAG successfully lobbied for a radical restructuring of the management of the government’s AIDS research effort. The NIH Revitalization Act created a powerful Office of AIDS Research (OAR) to provide coordination, strategic planning, and leadership in the NIH’s AIDS research programs. In 1994, Staley was appointed by President Clinton to the National Task Force on AIDS Drug Development. He was also a member of amfAR’s Board of Directors from 1991 to 2004. In 2000, Staley launched a web site called AIDSmeds.com, offering complete and easy-to-read treatment information for people living with HIV. Since then, AIDSmeds.com has become one of the most popular HIV-related sites on the Web, and it merged with POZ Magazine and POZ.com in 2006. In January, 2004, Staley launched a personal ad campaign to bring much needed attention to an epidemic of crystal meth use among gay men. Using $7,000 of his own money, he placed six phone booth kiosk ads in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York that said “Huge Sale, Buy Crystal, Get HIV Free!” Within days, the ads, along with the issues they raised, became a major news story, with coverage in The New York Times and on all three local TV stations. Two months later, New York City appropriated the first government funds anywhere in the U.S. targeting meth prevention for gay men. Other cities and states soon followed. According to ongoing CDC HIV surveillance studies, meth use among gay men in New York City fell from 14% in 2004 to 6% in 2008. In 2013, Staley was appointed by Governor Andrew Cuomo to New York State’s Ending the Epidemic Task Force, which developed a blueprint to dramatically lower HIV infections in the state by 2020. In 2014, Staley was appointed by Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the NIH, to the search committee tasked with finding the next Director of AIDS Research at the NIH. Also in the 2014, Staley helped form a coalition of advocates for Truvada PrEP – the once-a-day pill that prevents HIV infections – that successfully pressured Gilead Sciences to liberalize its patient assistance programs, removing barriers to access for this new tool to fight the AIDS epidemic. Staley is a leading subject in the Oscar-nominated documentary, How To Survive A Plague, directed by David France. In recent years, he has lectured often at U.S. colleges, and during international exchange programs.

In all likelihood, this is the end. The only question is: the end of how much? The end of Juno Steel… that’s pretty likely. Alone in a Martian tomb, Peter Nureyev gone, and Miasma’s experiments drawing to a close. Juno will outlive his usefulness any minute now, and if Miasma has her way he won’t outlive for long. And if it’s the end of Juno Steel it may well be the end of Mars, too: with Miasma’s hands on the Egg of Purus, a superweapon strong enough to destroy the entire Ancient Martian civilization, this human civilization doesn’t stand much of a chance. What does Miasma have planned for that Martian wasteland? Where is Peter Nureyev? And just how much will Juno Steel lose? Because surely, this is the end, the final resting place… but how much will end here, today? Welcome to the Penumbra, dear Traveler. We hope you enjoy your stay. (Note: Trigger warnings for all episodes will now be posted at the bottom of the episode description. In this way, we hope to accommodate those of our fans for whom emotional triggers are a significant concern without causing inconvenience for any listeners worried about spoilers. If this is a concern for you, please scroll down to the bottom of this description now.) We’d like to thank our Patreon supporters: Elizabeth Miller, Angel Acevedo, Hannah Tsim, Ivy Keller, Savannah Patterson, Marilene Desrosiers, Sarah, Marina Snowden, Rachel McLean, Jason Mellin, Alice Card, Sarah D, Kai Blake, Maeve Moon, Naomi Snelson, Alice Chuang, Shannon, Christoffel Engelbrecht, Laura, Carla Lange, Lauren, Jennifer Troemner, Laura Wagner, Kristen Koopman, Madison Lindsley, Rose Saia, Sue Stewart, Anna Meehan, Emily Marazzo, Peter Staley, Sienna Warecki, Aslee Graves, Timothy LaGrone, Kes L. Radford, Mandy Grady, Tales of THATTOWN, Delaney Messer, Damian Salizar, Emily Becnel, Arsit Rouke, Genesis Aguirre, Allison K, Veronica Borders, Nic Duhamel, Sean Toland, Kate Mraz, Emily Jones, Scott Galica, Melissa Mosley, Toby MGK, Adrienne Diehl, Sarah Brink, Allen Grevey, M R Clay, Mershon Moore, Tygr, Ben Stanfield, Emily Olivieri, Mitchell Ferree, Sara Spookystitch, Annie Mosity, Sierra Netz, Phoebe Nowak, Jeremy Holstein, Jon Fortune for World Dominator Promotional Campaign, David Spain, Maureen Vibert, Debra Simes, Duncan Whincup, Kian Alvane, Ness Bivins, mcf, Riley Clarke, Kelly Quinn, Jennifer Griffin, Samantha Jamieson, syncytio, Ashleigh Ford, Eliza Gray, Alyssa Kruft, Angie G, Jennifer Ellision, Janet Robinson, Emily Hull, Kinsey Pena, Kina Qiu, Sarah Richardson, Julia M, and Marissa Goodvin! With Patreon, you can support us by scheduling a small donation for each episode we release. If you’d like to show the artists behind the Penumbra that you appreciate their work, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/thepenumbrapodcast Attribution: Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode "Kind of Girl" by Jeris, featuring spinningmerkaba: http://ccmixter.org/files/VJ_Memes/35657 “horror ambience 72 12 Xicochi – Capella Ducis Quercus 130525_14.wav” by klankbeeld http://freesound.org/people/klankbeeld/sounds/212045 “Various Scifi Elevator Door Sounds” by Nicistarful http://freesound.org/people/Nicistarful/sounds/344224 “MetalCabinetSlidingOverLinoleum.flac” by qubodup http://freesound.org/people/qubodup/sounds/192063 “box falls (2).wav” by FreqMan http://freesound.org/people/FreqMan/sounds/43595 “Wet_Slaps.mp3” by HerbertBoland http://freesound.org/people/HerbertBoland/sounds/104686 “splats.wav” by FreqMan http://freesound.org/people/FreqMan/sounds/42962 “Soup slurp” by Slave2theLight http://freesound.org/people/Slave2theLight/sounds/157121 “Kids Birthday Party Crowd.wav” by jakobthiesen http://freesound.org/people/jakobthiesen/sounds/188420 “jets_low_pass.wav” by primeval_polypod http://freesound.org/people/primeval_polypod/sounds/160596 “BodyDrag2.aif” by bennychico11 http://freesound.org/people/bennychico11/sounds/44407 “Rockslide.wav” by juskiddink http://freesound.org/people/juskiddink/sounds/77931 “Metal Ping.aif” by timgormly http://freesound.org/people/timgormly/sounds/170957 “Gore slush slime sounds” by VlatkoBlazek http://freesound.org/people/VlatkoBlazek/sounds/318592 “Pouring Soup in a Metal Pan” by Hitrison http://freesound.org/people/Hitrison/sounds/251410 (Below are under the Sampling+ license) “Blood Hitting Window.wav” by Rock Savage http://freesound.org/people/Rock%Savage/sounds/81402 “SciFi Computer-1.wav” by Andrewthomson http://freesound.org/people/Andrewthomson/sounds/100674 Transcript: A transcript of the spoken lines in this episode can be found here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1c8hQV2rkIl0e8YV6rqqSPSa3avHbOqS9LD-VaThkrX0 Production scripts with behind-the-scenes direction, character insights, notes for actors, and ridiculous jokes are available on Patreon at the $7 level. (Transcription credit to lequeenofmoondoor, with assistance from Dana Stahl, bisclavretsred, lilkittybean, Tara Olivero, and Kevin Vibert.) TRIGGER WARNINGS: Depictions of self-harm Suicide and death Some gore/"body horror" Sudden loud noises

Who is Peter Nureyev? The question has dogged Juno Steel, Private Eye for six months now, ever since he first met that master of disguises. It doesn’t help that he changes identities like most people change clothes: Rex Glass, Duke Rose, Miasma’s anonymous “the Thief…” How is Juno supposed to know who he is? How is Juno supposed to trust him? He needs to know he can, because the clock is ticking. Miasma’s experiments on Juno won’t last forever, and once his usefulness has passed she’ll kill the both of them. And once they’re gone, who will stop her from using the Egg of Purus, the Martian superweapon she now has under her control? Juno needs to trust Nureyev, but he hardly knows him. And so, that same old question remains: who is Peter Nureyev? Welcome to the Penumbra, dear Traveler. We hope you enjoy your stay. (Note: Trigger warnings for all episodes will now be posted at the bottom of the episode description. In this way, we hope to accommodate those of our fans for whom emotional triggers are a significant concern without causing inconvenience for any listeners worried about spoilers. If this is a concern for you, please scroll down to the bottom of this description now.) We’d like to thank our Patreon supporters: Elizabeth Miller, Angel Acevedo, Hannah Tsim, Ivy Keller, Savannah Patterson, Marilene Desrosiers, Sarah, Marina Snowden, Rachel McLean, Jason Mellin, Alice Card, Sarah D, Kai Blake, Maeve Moon, Naomi Snelson, Alice Chuang, Shannon, Christoffel Engelbrecht, Laura, Carla Lange, Lauren, Jennifer Troemner, Laura Wagner, Kristen Koopman, Madison Lindsley, Rose Saia, Sue Stewart, Anna Meehan, Emily Marazzo, Peter Staley, Sienna Warecki, Aslee Graves, Timothy LaGrone, Kes L. Radford, Mandy Grady, Tales of THATTOWN, Delaney Messer, Damian Salizar, Emily Becnel, Arsit Rouke, Genesis Aguirre, Allison K, Veronica Borders, Nic Duhamel, Sean Toland, Kate Mraz, Emily Jones, Scott Galica, Melissa Mosley, Toby MGK, Adrienne Diehl, Sarah Brink, Allen Grevey, M R Clay, Mershon Moore, Tygr, Ben Stanfield, Emily Olivieri, Mitchell Ferree, Sara Spookystitch, Annie Mosity, Sierra Netz, Phoebe Nowak, Jeremy Holstein, Jon Fortune for World Dominator Promotional Campaign, David Spain, Maureen Vibert, Debra Simes, Duncan Whincup, and Kian Alvane! With Patreon, you can support us by scheduling a small donation for each episode we release. If you’d like to show the artists behind the Penumbra that you appreciate their work, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=3386677 Attribution: Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode "Kind of Girl" by Jeris, featuring spinningmerkaba: http://ccmixter.org/files/VJ_Memes/35657 “High pitched drilling.wav” by Satoration http://freesound.org/people/Satoration/sounds/54970 “VillagePark Birds Coast NL 130503_00.flac” by klankbeeld http://freesound.org/people/klankbeeld/sounds/187597 “Door Open And Close” by rivernile7 http://freesound.org/people/rivernile7/sounds/234244 “Atmosphere Cave (Loop)” by xDimebagx http://freesound.org/people/xDimebagx/sounds/232685 “chair_sitting_8.wav” by FreqMan http://freesound.org/people/FreqMan/sounds/25931 “Thuds on Window” by zerolagtime http://freesound.org/people/zerolagtime/sounds/245033 “a good kick in the head sound.aif” by mwl500 http://freesound.org/people/mwl500/sounds/54807 “SpaceEngine_ControlRoom_Loop_00.wav” by LittleRobotSoundFactory http://freesound.org/people/LittleRobotSoundFactory/sounds/274187 “Alarm-04-Short.wav” by Lalks http://freesound.org/people/Lalks/sounds/316847 “Scanning sound” by Projects U012 http://freesound.org/people/ProjectsU012/sounds/340959 “ClothFoleyGrab.aif” by bennychico11 http://freesound.org/people/bennychico11/sounds/44408 “Computer Scan.wav” by spoonsandlessspoons http://freesound.org/people/spoonsandlessspoons/361332 “Various Scifi Elevator Door Sounds” by Nicistarful http://freesound.org/people/Nicistarful/sounds/344224 “Scifi Elevator Start Moving and Stop” by Nicistarful http://freesound.org/people/Nicistarful/sounds/344223 “chair_sitting_5.wav” by FreqMan http://freesound.org/people/FreqMan/sounds/25928 “Alien Soundscape.wav” by dingo1 http://freesound.org/people/dingo1/sounds/161383 Transcript: A transcript of the spoken lines in this episode can be found here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=19BX4E9OoSE7V4TKI8VJQJkjlvaqVSrgmrDEbduQt6xE Production scripts with behind-the-scenes direction, character insights, notes for actors, and ridiculous jokes are available on Patreon at the $7 level. (Transcript by Wendy Wang and edited by Kevin Vibert.) Trigger warnings: Please be advised that this episode includes the following potential triggers: Torture Death Some gore/"body horror" Sudden loud noises

Who is Peter Nureyev? The question has dogged Juno Steel, Private Eye for six months now, ever since he first met that master of disguises. It doesn’t help that he changes identities like most people change clothes: Rex Glass, Duke Rose, Miasma’s anonymous “the Thief…” How is Juno supposed to know who he is? How is Juno supposed to trust him? He needs to know he can, because the clock is ticking. Miasma’s experiments on Juno won’t last forever, and once his usefulness has passed she’ll kill the both of them. And once they’re gone, who will stop her from using the Egg of Purus, the Martian superweapon she now has under her control? Juno needs to trust Nureyev, but he hardly knows him. And so, that same old question remains: who is Peter Nureyev? Welcome to the Penumbra, dear Traveler. We hope you enjoy your stay. (Note: Trigger warnings for all episodes will now be posted at the bottom of the episode description. In this way, we hope to accommodate those of our fans for whom emotional triggers are a significant concern without causing inconvenience for any listeners worried about spoilers. If this is a concern for you, please scroll down to the bottom of this description now.) We’d like to thank our Patreon supporters: Elizabeth Miller, Angel Acevedo, Hannah Tsim, Ivy Keller, Savannah Patterson, Marilene Desrosiers, Sarah, Marina Snowden, Rachel McLean, Jason Mellin, Alice Card, Sarah D, Kai Blake, Maeve Moon, Naomi Snelson, Alice Chuang, Shannon, Christoffel Engelbrecht, Laura, Carla Lange, Lauren, Jennifer Troemner, Laura Wagner, Kristen Koopman, Madison Lindsley, Rose Saia, Sue Stewart, Anna Meehan, Emily Marazzo, Peter Staley, Sienna Warecki, Aslee Graves, Timothy LaGrone, Kes L. Radford, Mandy Grady, Tales of THATTOWN, Delaney Messer, Damian Salizar, Emily Becnel, Arsit Rouke, Genesis Aguirre, Allison K, Veronica Borders, Nic Duhamel, Sean Toland, Kate Mraz, Emily Jones, Scott Galica, Melissa Mosley, Toby MGK, Adrienne Diehl, Sarah Brink, Allen Grevey, M R Clay, Mershon Moore, Tygr, Ben Stanfield, Emily Olivieri, Mitchell Ferree, Sara Spookystitch, Annie Mosity, Sierra Netz, Phoebe Nowak, Jeremy Holstein, Jon Fortune for World Dominator Promotional Campaign, David Spain, Maureen Vibert, Debra Simes, Duncan Whincup, and Kian Alvane! With Patreon, you can support us by scheduling a small donation for each episode we release. If you’d like to show the artists behind the Penumbra that you appreciate their work, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=3386677 Attribution: Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode "Kind of Girl" by Jeris, featuring spinningmerkaba: http://ccmixter.org/files/VJ_Memes/35657 “High pitched drilling.wav” by Satoration http://freesound.org/people/Satoration/sounds/54970 “VillagePark Birds Coast NL 130503_00.flac” by klankbeeld http://freesound.org/people/klankbeeld/sounds/187597 “Door Open And Close” by rivernile7 http://freesound.org/people/rivernile7/sounds/234244 “Atmosphere Cave (Loop)” by xDimebagx http://freesound.org/people/xDimebagx/sounds/232685 “chair_sitting_8.wav” by FreqMan http://freesound.org/people/FreqMan/sounds/25931 “Thuds on Window” by zerolagtime http://freesound.org/people/zerolagtime/sounds/245033 “a good kick in the head sound.aif” by mwl500 http://freesound.org/people/mwl500/sounds/54807 “SpaceEngine_ControlRoom_Loop_00.wav” by LittleRobotSoundFactory http://freesound.org/people/LittleRobotSoundFactory/sounds/274187 “Alarm-04-Short.wav” by Lalks http://freesound.org/people/Lalks/sounds/316847 “Scanning sound” by Projects U012 http://freesound.org/people/ProjectsU012/sounds/340959 “ClothFoleyGrab.aif” by bennychico11 http://freesound.org/people/bennychico11/sounds/44408 “Computer Scan.wav” by spoonsandlessspoons http://freesound.org/people/spoonsandlessspoons/361332 “Various Scifi Elevator Door Sounds” by Nicistarful http://freesound.org/people/Nicistarful/sounds/344224 “Scifi Elevator Start Moving and Stop” by Nicistarful http://freesound.org/people/Nicistarful/sounds/344223 “chair_sitting_5.wav” by FreqMan http://freesound.org/people/FreqMan/sounds/25928 “Alien Soundscape.wav” by dingo1 http://freesound.org/people/dingo1/sounds/161383 TRIGGER WARNINGS: Please be advised that this episode includes the following potential triggers: Torture Death Some gore/"body horror" Sudden loud noises

Somewhere in this desert lies the greatest weapon Mars has ever seen. It’s on board the Utgard Express, a mobile lockbox that shatters the speed of sound at its slowest setting, a train that no one has ever entered… until today. The plan is set. Juno and Nureyev know exactly what they must do to board that train. If there are no surprises they’ll just wake up, drive to a drone launch site in the desert, hijack a drone, and then ride off into the sunset, Martian Weapon in hand. If there are no surprises, that is. But someone in this desert doesn’t much like the idea of things going smoothly for Juno and Nureyev, and the first of his surprises should be arriving at their door right about… now. Welcome to the Penumbra, dear Traveler. We hope you enjoy your stay. We’d like to thank our Patreon supporters: Elizabeth Miller, Angel Acevedo, Jason Mellin, Alice Card, Sarah D, Kai Blake, Maeve Moon, Naomi Snelson, Alice Chuang, Shannon, Christoffel Engelbrecht, Laura, Carla Lange, Kristen Koopman, Madison Lindsley, Rose Saia, Sue Stewart, Anna Meehan, Hannah Tsim, Emily Marazzo, Peter Staley, Sienna Warecki, Mandy Grady, Tales of THATTOWN, Delaney Messer, Damian Salizar, Emily Becnel, Arsit Rouke, Genesis Aguirre, Allison K, Veronica Borders, Nic Duhamel, Sean Toland, Scott Galica, Melissa Mosley, Toby MGK, Adrienne Diehl, Sarah Brink, Allen Grevey, M R Clay, Merson Moore, Tygr, Ben Stanfield, Emily Olivieri, Mitchell Ferree, Sara Spookystitch, Annie Mosity, Sierra Netz, Phoebe Nowak, Jeremy Holstein, Jon Fortune for World Dominator Promotional Campaign, David Spain, Maureen Vibert, Debra Simes, Timothy LaGrone, Duncan Whincup, and Kian Alvane! With Patreon, you can support us by scheduling a small donation for each episode we release. If you’d like to show the artists behind the Penumbra that you appreciate their work, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=3386677 Attribution: "Kind of Girl" by Jeris, feat. spinningmerkaba http://ccmixter.org/files/VJ_Memes/35657 “Interior Rally Racing Car.wav” by efksound http://freesound.org/people/efksound/sounds/193679 “Destruction, Wooden, A.wav” by InspectorJ http://freesound.org/people/InspectorJ/sounds/352513 “Plunk” by OwlStorm http://freesound.org/people/OwlStorm/sounds/209011 “Nuerburgring-Pit-Lane.flac” by Erdie http://freesound.org/people/Erdie/sounds/34526 “Airplane Ambience” by SeanSecret http://freesound.org/people/SeanSecret/sounds/251653 “thing.rocket.02.mp3” by dobroide http://freesound.org/people/dobroide/sounds/15463 “Key out of the pocket.wav” by BarkersPinhead http://freesound.org/people/BarkersPinhead/sounds/274669 “Light Metal Gate Close” by qubodup http://freesound.org/people/qubodup/sounds/219587 “Indy Blow Darts Cue 3.wav” by pscsound http://freesound.org/people/pscsound/sounds/71260 “Clothing_ShirtsandPants_Rustling.wav” by duckduckpony http://freesound.org/people/duckduckpony/sounds/204016 “underwater ambience” by akemov http://freesound.org/people/akemov/sounds/255597 “Large Earthquake” by LoafDV http://freesound.org/people/LoafDV/sounds/148002 “metal door close.wav” by Tomlija http://freesound.org/Tomlija/sounds/98946 “kitchen metal.wav” by offthesky http://freesound.org/people/offthesky/sounds/34654 “good kick in the head sound.aif” by mwl500 http://freesound.org/people/mwl500/sounds/54807 TRIGGER WARNINGS: Violence Gunfire Deception and gaslighting Sudden loud noises Alcohol Threats

He arrived in the night: Peter Nureyev, the burglar who got away, the thief Juno Steel couldn’t catch. Until he returned, things had been so simple: solving crimes, chasing a killer with her eye on Ancient Martian artifacts, and not letting personal business get in the way. With Nureyev, though, things always seem to get personal very quickly. But Juno has no choice. Nureyev’s the only one with a lead on the killer Juno’s after. He knows exactly what she plans to take next, and according to him it’s something very big, and very dangerous. According to Nureyev, anyway. But the question remains: can Juno trust Peter Nureyev? Welcome to the Penumbra, dear Traveler. We hope you enjoy your stay. If you miss us between episodes, remember to follow us on Facebook (The Penumbra Podcast), Twitter (@thepenumbrapod), and our website (thepenumbrapodcast.com) for updates, information about the cast and crew, and irresistible witticisms. We’d like to thank our Patreon supporters: Angel Acevedo, Hannah Tsim, Naomi Snelson, Alice Chuang, Shannon, Christoffel Engelbrecht, Laura, Carla Lange, Madison Lindsley, Jason Mellin, Rose Saia, Sue Stewart, Anna Meehan, Peter Staley, Sienna Warecki, Emily Becnel, Maeve Moon, Arsit Rouke, Genesis Aguirre, Allison K, Veronica Borders, Nic Duhamel, Sean Toland, M R Clay, Mershon Moore, Tygr, Ben Stanfield, Emily Olivieri, Mandy Grady, Kayla Mullins, Mitchell Ferree, Sara Spookystitch, Annie, Sierra Netz, Phoebe Nowak, Jeremy Holstein, "The Jon Fortune Promotional Campaign," and David Spain! With Patreon, you can support us by scheduling a small donation for each episode we release. If you’d like to show the artists behind the Penumbra that you appreciate their work, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=3386677 Attribution: Music: "Kind of Girl" by Jeris, featuring spinningmerkaba: http://ccmixter.org/files/VJ_Memes/35657 “Underwater ambience.WAV” by ben_jamin0 http://freesound.org/people/ben_jamin0/sounds/116657 “I Feel Like Dancing” by Steven M Bryant © 2012 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/stevieb357/35149 Ft: Jeris & Copperhead “J.S. Bach – Cantante Profane No.205 – 1.Chouer des Vents,” European Archive. Public Domain Mark 1.0 “Antonio Vivaldi – Concerto in C major Op. 8 No. 12 – I. Allegro II. Largo III. Allegro,” Europen Archive. Public Domain Mark 1.0 “Organ Concerto in C major, BWV 595 (For Trumpet and Organ – Rondeau,” Johann Sebastian Bach, performed by Michel Rondeau. Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported “MacBook Pro Feedback” by ejgvibes http://freesound.org/people/ejgvibes/sounds/198459 “Café connection” by morgantj, copyright 2009. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/morgantj/18947 Ft: Morusque “Growing” by Jeris © copyright 2012 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/VJ_Memes_35240 Ft: Mykleanthony “Concerto No. 4 in F minor, Op. 8, RV 297, ‘L’inverno’ (Winter) = Allegro non molto,” Antonio Vivaldi, performed by the US Air Force Band. Public Domain Mark 1.0 “Concerto Gross in B flat major no. 7, HWV 325 – III. Andante,” Georg Friedrich Handel, European Archive. Public Domain Mark 1.0. Transcript: A transcript of the spoken lines in this episode can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yGUMR-aqGQvoTvpPykmLfaAFwFsdgNOUlmgoi15h7Ws/ Production scripts with behind-the-scenes direction, character insights, notes for actors, and ridiculous jokes are available on Patreon at the $7 level. TRIGGER WARNINGS: Violence Gunfire Deception and gaslighting Sudden loud noises Alcohol Threats

What does Rita do when Juno Steel, Private Eye, is out of the office? Why, everything she's not supposed to, naturally. Welcome to the Penumbra, dear Traveler. We hope you enjoy your stay. If you miss us between episodes, remember to follow us on Facebook (The Penumbra Podcast), Twitter (@thepenumbrapod), and our website (thepenumbrapodcast.com) for updates, information about the cast and crew, and irresistible witticisms. We’d like to thank our Patreon supporters: Anna Meehan, Sue Stewart, Sean Toland, Sienna Warecki, Avery (aka Jack) W, David Spain, Jeremy Holstein, Phoebe Nowak, Carla Lange, Nic Duhamel, Peter Staley, Kayla Starling, Hannah Tsim, Laura, Veronica Borders, "The Jon Fortune Promotional Campaign--Vote Jon Fortune!", and Allison K! With Patreon, you can support us by scheduling a small donation for each episode we release. If you’d like to show the artists behind the Penumbra that you appreciate their work, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=3386677 Attribution: “ding.wav” by Corsica_S http://freesound.org/people/Corsica_S/sounds/91926 “Dropped plastic bottle.wav” by JacquelineKohrs150067 http://freesound.org/people/JacquelineKohrs150067/sounds/326673 “Clothing_ShirtsandPants_Rustling.wav” by duckduckpony http://freesound.org/people/duckduckpony/sounds/204016 Transcript: A transcript of the spoken lines in this episode can be found here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-y86BiJZDUmZVJBanh2djVDN1U Production scripts with behind-the-scenes direction, character insights, notes for actors, and ridiculous jokes are available on Patreon at the $7 level. (Transcript by Wendy Wang and edited by Kevin Vibert.)

Lily doesn’t want to move. This house is the only home she’s ever known, and she loves it – but in a few days her family is leaving, and her older brother Jake says she’ll never see it again. Dad says not to worry about it, that it’s okay to be sad when you’re leaving home, but sadness isn’t what Lily’s worried about. Lily’s scared. Because for the last few weeks Lily’s been having nightmares, strange dreams about a thing in the dark with cold breath and sharp teeth. Normally Mom and Dad help her with her nightmares, but… tonight, Mom and Dad are out of town. And normally Lily would just turn on a light and try not to think about the monster in the dark… but tonight, the power’s gone out. Welcome to the Penumbra, dear Traveler. We hope you enjoy your stay. If you miss us between episodes, remember to follow us on Facebook (The Penumbra Podcast), Twitter (@thepenumbrapod), and our website (thepenumbrapodcast.com) for updates, information about the cast and crew, and irresistible witticisms. We’d like to thank our Patreon supporters: Anna Meehan, Sue Stewart, Sean Toland, Sienna Warecki, Avery (aka Jack) W, David Spain, Jeremy Holstein, Phoebe Nowak, Carla Lange, Nic Duhamel, Peter Staley, and Kayla Starling! With Patreon, you can support us by scheduling a small donation for each episode we release. If you’d like to show the artists behind the Penumbra that you appreciate their work, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=3386677 Attribution: Music: "Kind of Girl" by Jeris, featuring spinningmerkaba: http://ccmixter.org/files/VJ_Memes/35657 “Borneo Jungle – Night” by RTB45 http://freesound.org/people/RTB45/sounds/253301 “Nighttime Summer NJ Suburb 24_48.wav” by Justin BW http://freesound.org/people/JustinBW/sounds/78538 “Come Home” by Alex © copyright 2014 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/AlexBeroza/46603 Ft: spinningmerkaba “down stairs.aif” by limwei http://freesound.org/people/limwei/sounds/100015 “FlashLight On/Off Clicks” by mshahen http://freesound.org/people/mshahen/sounds/271109 “PowerDown1.wav” by duckduckpony http://freesound.org/people/duckduckpony/sounds/187327 “rocks2.wav” by mystiscool http://freesound.org/people/mystiscool/sounds/7136 “Work indoor demolition:destruction impact cement:concrete, 1m perspective, falling remains of wall, Hammer, stereo XY.wav” by gaby7129 http://freesound.org/people/gaby7129/sounds/238764 “Bricks, stones, tumble, rockslide” by nebulousflynn http://freesound.org/people/nebulousflynn/sounds/234360 “walking up metal stairs.mp3” by morgantj http://freesound.org/people/morgantj/sounds/58575 TRIGGER WARNINGS: Violence Profanity Sudden loud noises Threats of violence and death Family abuse Claustrophobic and dark spaces

In the hunt for a crime boss's murderer, Detective Juno Steel and Agent Rex Glass have ended up somewhere very peculiar: a game show. Well, it should be peculiar. But in the house of the Kanagawas, Hyperion City's premier crime-family-slash-entertainment-network, nothing is peculiar so long as it's caught on camera. In the eyes of a camera you can sell anything: a mad genius's horrific game show; an ancient death mask that kills whoever disturbs it; and even, strangest of all, a Detective and Special Agent who really think they have a shot at surviving this mess. Welcome to the Penumbra, dear Traveler. We hope you enjoy your stay. We’d like to thank our Patreon supporters: Jaimie Gunter, Eliza Gray, The Princess and the Scrivener, mcf, Elizabeth Miller, Angel Acevedo, Hannah Tsim, Molly Donaldson, Kirsten Burns, nicole yim, Angalee Marano, Daisy Hines, Naomi Snelson, Ashley R HAynie, Katelyn Diekhaus, Maayan Priel, spaghettoni, Bobbie R, Michelle Ma, Emma Rose, Katelyn Davis, sally martin, Nadine, Julia Rosen, Marilene Desrosiers, Ari, M Moon, Elisabeth Hartmark, Emily Moore, Leslie Calderon, Abby Goodlaxson, Rachel Reeves, Sarah W, Jennifer Troemner, Sue Stewart, Kinsey Pena, Alyssa Kruft, syncytio, Ness Bivins, Savannah Patterson, Sarah, Rachel McLean, Jason Mellin, Alice Card, Kai Blake, Alice Chuang, Shannon, Wilhelm Engelbrecht, Laura, Carla Langa, Clarissa Tokash, Hailey Reed, Jennifer Xiang, Sarah Kolb, Hayley Wan, Joseph Marques, Sarah Cowwan, Briana W, Autumn B, Leo Mahler, Kaitlin Medlin, Allison Stanek, Robyn Jefferson, Asgket Wright, Lynne M, S. Staton, Robyn, elesteria, Julia M, Emily Hull, Laura Wagner, Kristen Koopman, Madison Lindsley, Rose Saia, Anna Meehan, Emily Marazzo, Peter Staley, Sienna Warecki, Phoebe Joy, Amanda McMains, M, Alex Fingerguns, Han Taub, Tales of THATTOWN, Abby, Kelli Glazebrook, caitlyn, Gabi Gonzalez, Alli Salwen, Jo, Lottie, Liv, Brittany Flanagan, Emma Johnson, Kaitlyn Steele, Katie Laffoon, Riley Clarke, Olivia Vogt, Sam Jam, Ashleigh Ford, Kelly Quinn, Aslee Graves, Timothy LaGrone, Kes L. Radford, Mandy Grady, Delaney Messer, Damian Salizar, Allison K, Veronica Borders, Nic Duhamel, Sean Toland, Janet Robinson, David Rheinstrom, Elizabeth, Brigitte Lefebvre, Celia Meredith, Amanda Kilbane, McKenna Waddill, Chan Aleksandra Melbye, Arcadiy Vournelis, Abbey James, A. Gannon and S. Conley, Mary Murphy, Hayley Cole, Sydney Bell, Tarot, Emily Broude, ABS, Maddie Alzamora, Zoe, Carmen, Ashten Sykes, Julia Adams, Fanni Olah, Katarina Schwartz, Alexandra Theodotou, Vi Nguyen, Demilade Adefope, Jennifer Ellison, Kate Mraz, Emily Jones, Scott Galica, Melissa Mosley, Toby MGK, Adrienne Diehl, Sarah Brink, Allen Grevey, M R Clay, Alex Stan, Ben Stanfield, Emily Olivieri, BeatButton, Sara Spookystitch, Annie Mosity, Sierra Netz, Jeremy Holstein, earlgreytea68, Emma Baker, Spencer Hubbard, Mossthewolf, Kirstyn Grout, Fiona Parker, Jamie G., Tristen A. H., Allison Stanek, Dashiell Mecoy, and Charlie Lewins! With Patreon, you can support us by scheduling a small donation for each episode we release. If you’d like to show the artists behind the Penumbra that you appreciate their work, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/thepenumbrapodcast (Note: Trigger warnings for all episodes will now be posted at the bottom of the episode description. In this way, we hope to accommodate those of our fans for whom emotional triggers are a significant concern without causing inconvenience for any listeners worried about spoilers. If this is a concern for you, please scroll down to the bottom of this description now.) Attribution: "Kind of Girl" by Jeris, featuring spinningmerkaba: http://ccmixter.org/files/VJ_Memes/35657 “Laughing_audience” by unchaz http://www.freesound.org/people/unchaz/sounds/150968/ “Audience cheering” by unchaz http://www.freesound.org/people/unchaz/sounds/150957/ “Boo 01.wav” by Corsica_S http://www.freesound.org/people/Corsica_S/sounds/336997/ “Scavenging.wav” by yadronoff http://www.freesound.org/people/yadronoff/sounds/320414/ “Clothing_ShirtsandPants_Rustling.wav” by duckduckpony http://www.freesound.org/people/duckduckpony/sounds/204016/ “Sewing 2.mp3” by jimsim http://www.freesound.org/people/jimsim/sounds/238156/ CityNight wind wet 130129_01.flac by klankbeeld http://www.freesound.org/people/klankbeeld/sounds/176587/ “Ticking Clock, A” by InspectorJ http://www.freesound.org/people/InspectorJ/sounds/343130/ “Monster_screaching.aif” by SunnySideSound http://www.freesound.org/people/SunnySideSound/sounds/67706/ Transcript: A transcript of the spoken lines in this episode can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/15faN7fThyWWv7hFUsu5yP2WDOrwEwDQiMu4-i08Q8mk/edit?usp=sharing Production scripts with behind-the-scenes direction, character insights, notes for actors, and ridiculous jokes are available on Patreon at the $7 level. (Transcript by Sarah Baum.) TRIGGER WARNINGS: Death Some gore/"body horror" Sudden loud noises Depictions of being chased/pursued

(Note: this episode is a rewrite, recasting, and remaster of the original "Juno Steel and the Case of the Murderous Mask (Part 1)," and is our recommended jumping-on point for the series. If you're curious about changes made, the original version of "Murderous Mask" can be found on our website at thepenumbrapodcast.com.) Juno Steel has had a lot of clients in his time, high-profile and low. But when he’s called in to investigate the murder of Croesus Kanagawa, head of the Kanagawa crime-family-slash-entertainment-network, it’s not the client that interests him. It’s what Croesus was wearing when he died – and an ancient curse that hangs over that very strange mask. Welcome to the Penumbra, dear Traveler. We hope you enjoy your stay. We’d like to thank our Patreon supporters: Jaimie Gunter, Eliza Gray, The Princess and the Scrivener, mcf, Elizabeth Miller, Angel Acevedo, Hannah Tsim, Molly Donaldson, Kirsten Burns, nicole yim, Angalee Marano, Daisy Hines, Naomi Snelson, Ashley R HAynie, Katelyn Diekhaus, Maayan Priel, spaghettoni, Bobbie R, Michelle Ma, Emma Rose, Katelyn Davis, sally martin, Nadine, Julia Rosen, Marilene Desrosiers, Ari, M Moon, Elisabeth Hartmark, Emily Moore, Leslie Calderon, Abby Goodlaxson, Rachel Reeves, Sarah W, Jennifer Troemner, Sue Stewart, Kinsey Pena, Alyssa Kruft, syncytio, Ness Bivins, Savannah Patterson, Sarah, Rachel McLean, Jason Mellin, Alice Card, Kai Blake, Alice Chuang, Shannon, Wilhelm Engelbrecht, Laura, Carla Langa, Clarissa Tokash, Hailey Reed, Jennifer Xiang, Sarah Kolb, Hayley Wan, Joseph Marques, Sarah Cowwan, Briana W, Autumn B, Leo Mahler, Kaitlin Medlin, Allison Stanek, Robyn Jefferson, Asgket Wright, Lynne M, S. Staton, Robyn, elesteria, Julia M, Emily Hull, Laura Wagner, Kristen Koopman, Madison Lindsley, Rose Saia, Anna Meehan, Emily Marazzo, Peter Staley, Sienna Warecki, Phoebe Joy, Amanda McMains, M, Alex Fingerguns, Han Taub, Tales of THATTOWN, Abby, Kelli Glazebrook, caitlyn, Gabi Gonzalez, Alli Salwen, Jo, Lottie, Liv, Brittany Flanagan, Emma Johnson, Kaitlyn Steele, Katie Laffoon, Riley Clarke, Olivia Vogt, Sam Jam, Ashleigh Ford, Kelly Quinn, Aslee Graves, Timothy LaGrone, Kes L. Radford, Mandy Grady, Delaney Messer, Damian Salizar, Allison K, Veronica Borders, Nic Duhamel, Sean Toland, Janet Robinson, David Rheinstrom, Elizabeth, Brigitte Lefebvre, Celia Meredith, Amanda Kilbane, McKenna Waddill, Chan Aleksandra Melbye, Arcadiy Vournelis, Abbey James, A. Gannon and S. Conley, Mary Murphy, Hayley Cole, Sydney Bell, Tarot, Emily Broude, ABS, Maddie Alzamora, Zoe, Carmen, Ashten Sykes, Julia Adams, Fanni Olah, Katarina Schwartz, Alexandra Theodotou, Vi Nguyen, Demilade Adefope, Jennifer Ellison, Kate Mraz, Emily Jones, Scott Galica, Melissa Mosley, Toby MGK, Adrienne Diehl, Sarah Brink, Allen Grevey, M R Clay, Alex Stan, Ben Stanfield, Emily Olivieri, BeatButton, Sara Spookystitch, Annie Mosity, Sierra Netz, and Jeremy Holstein! With Patreon, you can support us by scheduling a small donation for each episode we release. If you’d like to show the artists behind the Penumbra that you appreciate their work, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/thepenumbrapodcast (Note: Trigger warnings for all episodes will now be posted at the bottom of the episode description. In this way, we hope to accommodate those of our fans for whom emotional triggers are a significant concern without causing inconvenience for any listeners worried about spoilers. If this is a concern for you, please scroll down to the bottom of this description now.) Attribution: "Kind of Girl" by Jeris, featuring spinningmerkaba: http://ccmixter.org/files/VJ_Memes/35657 "La Madeline Au Truffe" (composed by Jeris) by basematic (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/basematic/33580 Ft: Jeris (VJ_Memes) “Sitting on chair.wav” by renatofarabeuf http://www.freesound.org/people/renatofarabeuf/sounds/232666/ “RG window.wav” by cmusounddesign http://www.freesound.org/people/cmusounddesign/sounds/95841/ "Spooky ambience #2” by KRISTIANKULTA http://www.freesound.org/people/KRISTIANKULTA/sounds/368309/ “Jackhammer” by MrAuralization http://www.freesound.org/people/MrAuralization/sounds/317361/ “16582_tedthetrumpet_kettleswitch1_(remix).wav” by FreqMan http://www.freesound.org/people/FreqMan/sounds/25862/ “Trap_02.wav” by LittleRobotSoundFactory http://www.freesound.org/people/LittleRobotSoundFactory/sounds/270398/ “Sqeaky chair.wav” by speedygonzo http://www.freesound.org/people/speedygonzo/sounds/257666/ Transcript: A transcript of the spoken lines in this episode can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/157nJN2Q8jm_2IJyNEGoG4YDeKFFsW-ie9tSpzdACNmk/edit?usp=sharing Production scripts with behind-the-scenes direction, character insights, notes for actors, and ridiculous jokes are available on Patreon at the $7 level. (Transcript by Sarah Baum.) TRIGGER WARNINGS: Death Some gore/"body horror" Sudden loud noises Depictions of being chased/pursued

A stoned gentleman is wracked with guilt for making the dog he's caring for stop masturbating already! (Maybe he should be hitting the indica rather than the sativa, say the TSARY.) “Virginity is obsolete as a concept,” declares this 20 year-old woman, who is seeing an 18 year-old lad with precious little experience. How can she take care of her little darling and gently guide him to the land of sexual pleasure, honoring the campsite rule? A strident feminist has found a man who can really get her off. The problem is that he is a chauvenist pig! Is it ethical to sleep with the enemy? On the Magnum, Dan and AIDS activist Peter Staley get into a dust-up over PreP and its effect on rising STD rates among gay men. (Don't worry, they're still friends.) Get your Savage Lovecast coffee mugs over at www.thestranger.com/savageswag 206-302-2064 This episode is also brought to you by Club W- the wine club that helps you to choose wine that suits your taste and ships it right to your door. For 50% off your first order, go to Club W.com/savage. This podcast is also brought to you by Stamps.com. Click on the microphone and enter "Savage" for $55 free postage and a digital scale. This episode is also brought to you by Harrys.com. Get $5 off your first purchase by entering the code "Dan" when you check out.

A stoned gentleman is wracked with guilt for making the dog he's caring for stop masturbating already! (Maybe he should be hitting the indica rather than the sativa, say the TSARY.) “Virginity is obsolete as a concept,” declares this 20 year-old woman, who is seeing an 18 year-old lad with precious little experience. How can she take care of her little darling and gently guide him to the land of sexual pleasure, honoring the campsite rule? A strident feminist has found a man who can really get her off. The problem is that he is a chauvenist pig! Is it ethical to sleep with the enemy? On the Magnum, Dan and AIDS activist Peter Staley get into a dust-up over PreP and its effect on rising STD rates among gay men. (Don't worry, they're still friends.) Get your Savage Lovecast coffee mugs over at www.thestranger.com/savageswag 206-302-2064 This episode is also brought to you by Club W- the wine club that helps you to choose wine that suits your taste and ships it right to your door. For 50% off your first order, go to Club W.com/savage. This podcast is also brought to you by Stamps.com. Click on the microphone and enter "Savage" for $55 free postage and a digital scale. This episode is also brought to you by Harrys.com. Get $5 off your first purchase by entering the code "Dan" when you check out.

Ebola has killed nearly 5,000 people and put America and the world on high alert. In contrast, the world’s worst pandemic, AIDS, hit the U.S. three decades ago and was largely ignored. Because of that, hundreds and then thousands fell sick and died of AIDS before the U.S. government even mentioned it publicly. “The country had never had much of a discussion about homosexuality, they loathed us and feared us,” says long-time AIDS activist Peter Staley. In those bleak years, activists organized, staged dramatic protests, and demanded new procedures at the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health -- procedures that could help Ebola patients today. “The openness to using experimental treatments and vaccines is a legacy of the AIDS epidemic and AIDS activists,” says Mark Harrington, director of the Treatment Action Group, an organization founded at the height of the crisis. The lessons learned from AIDS are informing the world’s response to Ebola. But, says Harrington, it’s also clear there are lessons the world didn’t learn. “We don’t really have a good rapid response system and these outbreaks are going to keep happening until we have better health systems in place in poor countries.” On this week’s DecodeDC podcast, host Andrea Seabrook explores the legacy of the AIDS crisis, and its reverberations in the world’s response to Ebola.

Peter Staley has been a long-term AIDS and gay rights activist, first as a member of ACT UP New York, then as the founding director of TAG, the Treatment Action Group. He served on the board of the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) for 13 years and then founded AIDSmeds.com, an educational website for people living with HIV. Staley is a leading subject in the Oscar-nominated documentary How to Survive a Plague.