Shows
Socialism ConferenceCountry Queers: A Conversation about Community Care and Memory Work in End TimesRae Garringer and Dao X. Tran speak in this session recorded at Socialism 2025. Join author Rae Garringer and editor Dao X. Tran for a conversation about lessons learned through the twelve-year journey of the Country Queers oral history project and podcast, culminating in the book Country Queers: A Love Letter (Haymarket, 2024). We’ll talk about community-based oral history work, queer and trans resilience and resistance in rural communities, and the lessons that rural Appalachian and southern country queers have to teach us all about taking care of one another across political difference, in the end times of fa...
2025-09-241h 15
Socialism Conference"The Same Old Tools Don't Work Here": The Role of Rural Organizing in Defeating AuthoritarianismRae Garringer, Beth Howard, Shawn Sebastian, and Stephen Smith speak in this session recorded at Socialism 2025. This session was sponsored by Rural Defenders Union and SURJ.What can the Left learn from rural organizers about strategy, innovation, and courage? What will it take for progressives to truly invest in working class rural organizing and see rural people as a critical part of winning the world we need? Join co-founders and members of the Rural Defenders Union, a network of isolated, under-resourced, anti-authoritarian rural efforts who are fighting a wide range of live authoritarian threats, for a conversation...
2025-09-201h 00
Socialism ConferenceGender and the Rising RightRae Garringer, Andrea J. Ritchie, Sophie Lewis, Jeanelle K. Hope, and Sarah Leonard speak in this session recorded at Socialism 2025. This session was sponsored by Lux magazine.The far-right in the US and abroad has placed gender at the center of fascist politics, obsessing over trans rights, abortion, and the birthrate and attacking the very presence of the word gender in federal administration and universities. How does the right build its power through a focus on gender, and what is the role of gender in a resurgent left?The next Socialism Conference will be held...
2025-09-191h 22
EmbodiedBuilding A Queer Life In The CountryRae Garringer grew up on a sheep farm in rural West Virginia, and once they left for college and came out as queer, they weren't sure they could ever move back. They believed the story they’d been told: to thrive as an out, LGBTQ+ person, you have to live in a city. But when Rae did move back in 2011, they realized that story was a lie. Anita talks to Rae about making queer life work in the country — from navigating dating challenges to getting along with neighbors you disagree with. They also talk about Rae’s oral history projec...
2025-06-1250 min
Read AppalachiaEp. 39 | Wes BrowneKendra Winchester talks to Wes Browne, the author of They All Fall the Same and Hillbilly Hustle.Things MentionedAfter Helene by Blue Ridge Public RadioKY Flood ResourcesRead Appalachia NewsletterChicago Sun-Times Points Fingers for AI Article DebacleBooks MentionedHappy Land by Dolen Perkins-ValdezA is for Affrilachia by Frank X Walker, Illustrated by upfromsumdirtPraisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts by Crystal WilkinsonF*ckface: and Other Stories by Leah HamptonCountry Queers by Rae GarringerThey All Fall the Same by Wes BrowneHillbilly Hustle by Wes BrowneKing of Ashes by S.A. CosbyWhen We Were Hardcore by Linda...
2025-05-221h 03
Country QueersThe Battle Over Water Rights in Cuyama, CAAbout halfway between Santa Barbara and Bakersfield, California - on the ancestral lands of the Chumash people - lies a remote and strikingly beautiful high desert valley named Cuyama. The Cuyama Valley finds itself in the middle of a tense and complicated battle over water rights. A battle where all of the residents, farmers, ranchers, and even the rural underfunded school district, have been pitted against the world's largest corporate carrot growers: Bolthouse and Grimmway. The Cuyama Water Basin is one of 21 critically overdrafted basins in the state of California. Since 2020 Cuyama Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency has b...
2025-05-0850 minCountry QueersRural Queer Maine Audio MAGIC!Q: What happens when you bring a gaggle of country queers together for a weeklong audio workshop and retreat in rural coastal Maine? A: Rural Queer Maine Audio MAGIC! In November 2024 a group of rural and smalltown LGBTQ+ folks from across the state of Maine, spent 5 days together in Passamaquoddy territory / Washington County on the coast of Maine at a rural queer audio retreat. The retreat was organized and hosted by Out in the Open - a multiracial, majority working class, grassroots, movement and capacity building organization based in Wabanaki territory working throughout t...
2025-04-101h 00
Books on the BedAnn PancakeThis week we visit with Ann Pancake in Reedsville, West Virginia.
Ann Pancake grew up in Summersville and Romney, West Virginia and graduated from WVU with a Bachelor of Arts in English. After teaching English in Japan, American Samoa and Thailand, she earned a Masters degree in English from the University of North Carolina and a doctorate in English Literature from the University of Washington.
Pancake is—publicly and fervently—a West Virginia writer. She is the author of two story collections set in West Virginia: “Given Ground,” winner of the Bakeless Prize, and “Me and My Dadd...
2025-03-271h 27
Haymarket Books LiveCountry QueersJoin Rae Garringer and special guests Neema Avashia, Kijana West, and David Rodriguez for a virtual launch and celebration of Country Queers: A Love Letter.Part photo book, part memoir, part oral history project, this volume paints a vivid portrait of queer and trans experiences in rural areas and small towns across the US.After years as a DIY, minimally funded, community-based oral history project, the work now takes a new form in Country Queers: A Love Letter—a book of full-color photos and interviews with rural folks from Mississippi to New Mexico and beyond, wi...
2025-03-2554 min
Read AppalachiaEp. 34 | TestimoniesIn today’s episode of the podcast, Kendra Winchester talks to authors Rae Garringer and Chris Aluka Berry.Books MentionedCountry Queers: A Love Letter by Rae GarringerAffrilachia: Testimonies by. Chris Aluka BerrySalvage the Bones by Jesmyn WardBastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy AllisonSouthernmost by Silas HouseThe Prettiest Star by Carter SickelsAnother Appalachia by Neema AvashiaPraising for the Kitchen Ghosts by Crystal WilkersonWhen All God’s Children Get Together: A Celebration of the Lives and Music of African American People in Far Western North Carolina by Ann Miller WoodfordLittle Worlds by Rob AmbergA is for Affrilachia by F...
2024-11-081h 21
At The Bottom: A PodcastCountry Queers: A Love Letter by Rae GarringerRae Garringer (they/them), creator of Country Queers, joins us on the podcast for a great discussion on their oral history project that's evolved from a blog to a podcast to now a book. Follow Country Queers on Instagram @CountryQueers and at countryqueers.com. Find this book at The Bottom and through our bookshop.org online store.
2024-10-1231 min
DebutifulRae Garringer - Country Queers: A Love LetterRae Garringer, the author of Country Queers: A Love Letter, joined the podcast to discuss being an oral historian, why rural stories matter, and how we can support Appalachia when the region needs us the most.
To support support rural disaster relief please consider donating to the following mutual aid funds recommended by Rae:
Western North Carolina - Rednecks Rising (@chelseawnc on Venmo)
Eastern Tennessee - Knoxville First Aid Collective (@firstaidcollectknox on Venmo)
Southwestern Virginia - Care Collective of Southwest Virginia (@carecollectiveofswva on Venmo)
You can purchase a copy of the book here: https://bo...
2024-10-0927 min
Inside AppalachiaRural LGBTQ Voices And An Appalachian Village Witch, Inside Appalachia
This week, Rae Garringer felt isolated growing up and thought they were the only queer person in a small town. But they learned otherwise. Now they are collecting and sharing the stories of rural LGBTQ people from across the country.
Also, surface mining changes the landscape in a way that makes flooding worse. And there’s no easy fix.
And we meet an Appalachian village witch, who wonders: How come we don’t hear about more female cryptids? Why isn’t there a Mothwoman?
You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside App...
2023-10-1653 min
On The RecordGloss and glamour in Cumberland's storied drag scene. Plus, a new hub for LGBTQ+ community.For decades, drag performers have made a home in the ancient ridges and valleys of the Appalachian mountains. In Cumberland, Maryland, in the historic Embassy Theatre downtown, you can catch a glimpse of something glamorous and unique to this corner of the Rust Belt. Photographer Michael Snyder, who grew up in nearby Frostburg, first experienced the Cumberland drag scene more than a decade ago. He would return again and again, before starting to photograph the drag performers. His pictures capture the glamour and grit of Cumberland’s queens. Bruce Baker, known on stage as Mary Ja...
2023-07-2024 min
Country QueersTrans People Belong in West VirginiaIn 2023 state legislatures across the South and Midwest have introduced over 400 bills attacking trans adults, trans kids, and drag queens. This legislative session in West Virginia saw the introduction of more than 15 anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ bills. On Thursday March 9th, 2023 trans organizers held a rally at the Capitol Building in Charleston, WV in protest of House Bill 2007 which would enforce a total ban on gender affirming care for minors in the state. Over 100 people packed the upper level of the capitol building to protest outside the Senate Chambers where the bill was being discussed. In this episode you'll hear...
2023-03-1442 min
Vermont MadeCultivating Vermont Trans Voices with Out in the OpenHB Lozito and Grace Johnston-Fennell of Out in the Open collaborate with Rae Garringer of Country Queers to launch the 2023 Trans Audio Retreat, an opportunity for rural trans and nonbinary creatives in Vermont to foster community and let their voices be heard. Learn more about Out in the Open at weareoutintheopen.org and more about Country Queers at countryqueers.com.Download a transcript of the episode (PDF).This episode of Vermont Made is sponsored by the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing. Visit VermontVacation.com to find countless ways to enjoy our state, a...
2023-03-0150 min
On the MediaThe 'Country Queers' Who Don't Want to Flee Rural AmericaAll across the country this month, people are celebrating queer and trans pride with parades, cookouts, dances, and family gatherings. And yet the future of the community feels darker than it has in a long time. Threats from Proud Boys and elected officials seem to reinforce the idea that LGBT people cannot survive or thrive in places outside a few coastal cities. But a study from the Movement Advancement Project in 2019 revealed that at least 3 million queer people live in rural America. And many have no interest in fleeing to big cities for protection. This week, Annalee Newitz sits in...
2022-06-2316 minCountry QueersDorothy AllisonDorothy Allison is a 73 year old, white, feminist, working class story teller, who was raised in South Carolina and Florida and now makes her home in California. She is the author of many books including novels, short stories, a poetry collection, and a memoir. In this interview, recorded by Rae Garringer in August 2018, Dorothy talks about memories of growing up "a poor kid in love with language," learning to write, how she got from FL to CA, class, feminism, and the magic of writing. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * For this episode we're asking folks who are able to support...
2022-04-0557 min
The Nerve! Conversations with Movement EldersCountry Queers: Suzanne Pharr & Rae Garringer Suzanne Pharr is a queer feminist and anti-racist organizer who founded the Women’s Project in Arkansas, co-founded Southerners on New Ground and was a director of the Highlander Center. Rae Garringer, host of the podcast Country Queers, asks Suzanne about the history of mutual aid in the South and the tension between rural organizers and the Left. Pharr shares stories of political organizing experience offering practical tips for young organizers.
2022-03-2950 minCountry QueersKD RandleKD Randle (they/them) is a Black, southern, queer, genderfluid person currently living in Jackson, Mississippi. They’re a lifelong learner, visionary, creator, their mother’s youngest seed, a friend, partner, dog parent, and former farm apprentice at Sipp Culture. This episode weaves together audio diaries recorded on KD’s commutes to and from the farm, and an interview with their mother: Reverend Sandras Anderson. They reflect on the legacy of Black farmers, returning home and falling back in love with rural MS, divine androgyny, spirituality, abundance, and more. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * For this episode, we’re asking you to p...
2022-03-2247 minCountry QueersDana KaplanDana Kaplan (he/him) is a white trans person and the Executive Director of Outright Vermont and he’s on a mission to make Vermont celebratory and affirming for all LGBTQ+ youth. When not working, Dana spends time making music, fermenting food, people watching, and hanging out with his spouse and their two kids. In this episode Zach Henningsen interviews Dana about living in Vermont as a NYC kid, music, finding a sense of home in ourselves, and the creativity of rural queer people. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Zach Henningsen (he/him) is a Junior in highschool with a passion for so...
2022-03-0836 minCountry QueersMiguel MendíasMiguel Mendías is an interdisciplinary artist living in Marfa, Texas, occupied Jumano and Apache lands. He is Chicanx, Mexican-American, or Latinx (a term he dislikes). He is mestizo; of Czech, Basque, and Rarámuri (Tarahumara) descent. His father’s family has lived in Marfa, Texas for five generations. In this episode Kūʻiʻolani Cotchay (she/they) interviews Miguel about his work to restore the adobe home that's been in his family for generations, lessons his grandparents taught him, and his relationship to his father, his ancestry, and the land. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Kūʻiʻolani Cotchay (she/they) i...
2022-02-2244 minCountry QueersSharonna GoldenSharonna Henderson is a mother, an activist and a burlesque performer. She is a fat, Black, queer, woman who believes in liberation through rest and art. Her life is full of love and beauty and it’s her mission to share it with as many souls as possible during this lifetime. In this episode Toviah DeGroot draws from Bhanu Kapil's "The Vertical Interrogation of Strangers" for a dream-like conversation about bodies, fatness, disability, race, ancestral memory, parenting, white violence, silence, and more. Toviah Degroot (they/them) grew up living on occupied Abenaki land in central Vermont. They ar...
2022-02-0827 minCountry QueersSam GleavesSam Gleaves is a white gay man who was born and raised in Virginia and now lives in Kentucky. Sam is an old-time musician, educator, singer/songwriter, and a banjo, guitar, and fiddle player. This episode features Rae's 2013 interview with Sam where he talks about musical traditions, family, and finding a sense of belonging within the word "Fabulachian." Then you'll hear a phone call between Sam and Rae from January 2022 reflecting on what it's like to listen back to this interview after nearly a decade. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * There's a lot of wind in this episode so take care of...
2022-01-2557 minCountry QueersAdria StembridgeAdria Stembridge (she/her) is a goth, neurodivergent, white, queer, trans woman who was born and raised in Georgia where she still lives. She has been in bands like: The Endless, The Girl Pool, Vomit Thrower, Tears for the Dying, and more. Adria loves watching anime, roller skating, changing piston rings on her dirtbike, and operating heavy equipment like hydraulic excavators. In this episode Tommy Anderson interviews Adria about growing up in Athens, coming out as trans in the 90s, and punk and goth music! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * For this episode we're asking folks who are able to su...
2022-01-1158 minCountry QueersKūʻiʻolani CotchayKūʻiʻolani (she/they) is a queer, mixed-Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) living in their ancestral lands in Mākaha, Hawaiʻi. She is an educator, learning experience designer, musician/creative and plant person. In this episode Miguel Mendías interviews Kūʻiʻolani about Hawaiian history, lands, language, color theory, queerness, colonization, belonging, being of mixed Indigenous ancestry, and living in highly-gentrified, highly trafficked tourist destinations. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * For this episode we're asking folks who are able to support a gofundme that Kūʻiʻolani and their friend Kahele have launched to create a māhū* (nonbinary...
2021-12-281h 00
Country QueersIntroducing Season 2 with HB & RaeIn this episode HB Lozito of Out in the Open and Rae Garringer of Country Queers welcome you behind the scenes of our collaboratively produced, rural-lgbtqia+ made Season 2 adventure! Our fellow-travelers and co-producers in this Season, who you'll meet along the way, include: KD Randle, Kūʻiʻolani Cotchay, Miguel Mendías, Tommy Anderson. Tovi DeGroot, and Zach Henningsen. Our sound designer is Hideo Higashibaba, and our brilliant editorial advisory dream team is Hermelinda Cortés, Lewis Raven Wallace, and Sharon P. Holland! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * If you liked what you heard, please rate and review the pod...
2021-12-1429 min
Country QueersOde to Sheep - Part 3In this episode you’ll meet Tash Terry who is Diné and shares memories of spending time with her grandmother on a sheep camp on Black Mountain in the Navajo Reservation. Then, you’ll meet Elena Higgins who is of Maori and Samoan descent, and shares memories of spending time with her cousin and uncle who managed a huge herd of sheep in rural New Zealand. Tash and Elena are musicians, partners, and co-founders of an organization called Indigenous Ways. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * This is the third and final episode in our Ode to Sheep series dedicated to sheep and the queer...
2021-11-161h 04
Country QueersOde to Sheep - Part TwoIn this "sheep-adjacent" episode, we’re diving into the some of the ways in which we relate to and communicate with animals. You'll meet Pony Jacobson - a white, queer and trans sheep shearer - who shares stories of training his border collie herding dog and working and living in conservative rural spaces. And you'll meet Penelope Logue - a white, queer and trans rancher - who talks about raising alpaca on a queer and trans haven and active ranch, her relationship with her kiddo who's also trans, and more! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * This is part two of thre...
2021-09-2251 min
Country QueersOde to Sheep - Part OneIn this episode, we'll hear sounds of sheep and some queer and trans humans who love them. Host Rae Garringer shares memories of growing up on a sheep farm in West Virginia, Maja Black shares an audio diary of lambing season in Iowa, then we'll hear an interview with Grayson Crane who raises a flock of Icelandic sheep in western Washington, and finally we'll meet Wesley Godden who grew up in Singapore and now shepherds a flock of Katahdin hair sheep with his partner of 20 years in Ontario Canada. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * This is part one of two ep...
2021-03-2153 min
Country QueersMeet The Editorial Dream Team!This episode features audio from a webinar hosted by the Women's and Gender-Non-Conforming Center at Berea College in October 2020 as a part of their virtual pride series. In it, Rae Garringer is joined by the Editorial Dream Team: Sharon P. Holland, Hermelinda Cortés, and Lewis Raven Wallace. We talk about how we came into story-telling and narrative-shifting work, who we are accountable to in this work, and how we think about and engage with the power dynamics at play in this work. Season 2 will be dropping later in 2021, so in the meantime we'll be brin...
2020-12-2852 min
Country QueersRobyn ThirkillRobyn Thirkill farms on Monacan Territory in Prospect, VA where she raises goats, ducks, turkeys and pigs on land that's been in her family for 100 years. In this 2016 interview Robyn talks about her commitment to her family's heritage and history on the land, her adventures in beekeeping, and how Prince Edward County closed their public schools for 5 years after Brown vs. Board out of a refusal to integrate. A move that forced her mother, and countless other Black students, to seek schooling out of state. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * This is the last episode in Season 1! Learn more about t...
2020-08-2541 min
Country QueersSilas HouseSilas House is a nationally best-selling author of 6 novels, 3 plays, and a book of creative nonfiction. Silas grew up on Adena, Yuchi, Cherokee, and Shawnee land in Laurel County, Kentucky. In this interview - recorded in July 2018 at the Hindman Settlement School - Silas talks about growing up in the evangelical holiness church, how meeting his now-husband inspired him to come out at age 34, the lessons he learns from his children, how writing feels like prayer, and his faith. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Learn more about this project at www.countryqueers.com For this episode, we...
2020-08-1849 min
Country QueersKody KayAt the time of our interview, Kody Kay was 52 years old and he lived on Arapaho, Cheyenne, Ute, & Sioux land in Longmont, CO where he ran a heating and cooling company. Kody is trans and he's an announcer on the International Gay Rodeo Circuit. In this interview, recorded at the Rocky Mountain Regional Gay Rodeo on July 13, 2014, Kody talks about coming out as trans in his 50s, building community with people in his small town, and how he found the gay rodeo community. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Learn more about this project at www.countryqueers.com ...
2020-08-1135 min
Country QueersElandria WilliamsElandria Williams identifies as a Black, southern/Appalachian, disabled, genderqueer, pansexual, Unitarian Universalist, “auntiemama” to 3 nieces and nephews and 4 god kids. E grew up on Cherokee land in Knoxville and Powell, TN. In this interview - recorded at the STAY Project's summer gathering at Highlander in 2013 - E talks about organizing, their complicated feelings about "country," how you can never be anonymous in the town you grew up in, and how much joy they get from seeing youth thrive. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Learn more about this project at www.countryqueers.com For this episode, at Elandria’s sugges...
2020-08-0445 min
Country QueersDavid RodriguezDavid Rodriguez grew up on Karankawa land in Wharton, Texas in a family whose roots reach back to before TX was a state. David was 26 and living on Tonkawa and Sana land in Bastrop, TX at the time of our interview in June 2014. He shares stories of raising livestock for the FFA as a kid, his mom kicking him out of the house after coming out at age 17 and their journey towards reconnection, his frustration with the marriage equality movement's celebration of assimilation, and his love of farming. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Learn more about this project at www.cou...
2020-07-2842 min
TranscriptsTranscripts Presents: Country QueersWe're back with another "Transcripts Presents" episode, bringing you the latest and greatest in trans audio. We have some amazing stuff queued up for you this summer while our team is working hard fundraising for the next few episodes. Today, we're bringing you the trailer for a brand new show that we love: Country Queers. It's about home, resilience, and building power where you are. And it's really really good.
And hey, if you like what we're doing, please rate and review us in your podcast app! We're not selling ads or anything, but we really want t...
2020-07-2204 min
Country QueersTessaTessa grew up in Cookeville, Tennessee - which was built on Cherokee and Shawnee land. At the time of this interview, in November 2017, Tessa was 22 years old and studying chemical engineering at TN Tech. In this interview she talks about coming out to her parents, her work with Cumberland Gender Advocacy to support other trans folks in rural middle TN, the struggle to find trans affirming healthcare and jobs in the rural South, and her experiences coming up through the Boy Scouts. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * You can learn more about this project at www.cou...
2020-07-2137 min
Country QueersSharon P. HollandSharon P. Holland is a professor of critical race, queer, and feminist theory at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She lives on Catawba, Eno, and Shakori land. In this interview, recorded in June 2017, Sharon talks about her childhood in D.C. and Durham, NC, her journey towards finding an identity that fits, the 8 magical acres she calls "Sweet Negritude" where she makes her home, and the Black intellectual thought that has guided her throughout her life. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Learn more about this project at www.countryqueers.com And please donate to support My...
2020-07-1448 min
Country QueersCrisosto ApacheCrisosto Apache was born and raised on the Mescalero Apache reservation in New Mexico. After coming out at age 17, they left home and spent years searching for a sense of belonging in gay scenes in Denver and Boulder, Colorado. In this episode, featuring an interview recorded in June 2014, Crisosto describes how coming out again as two-spirit later in life enabled them to reconnect with their people, culture, and an indigenous identity that had been there all along. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Learn more at www.countryqueers.com. And please donate to support Indigenous communities that have been...
2020-07-0735 min
Country Queers0. Introducing Country QueersWhen Rae Garringer set out to gather rural and small town LGBTQIA+ histories in 2013, they had no formal training in oral history or audio recording. They were motivated by a deep frustration that it was so hard to find rural queer stories, and an intense personal need to connect with other rural queers. In this episode you'll learn more about Rae and the history of the ongoing multimedia oral history project: Country Queers. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Learn more at www.countryqueers.com * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Host, Producer, and Lead Editor: Rae Garringer A...
2020-06-3010 min