Resisting the Erasure of Pauli Murray | This Way Out Radio Episode #1932
- Jason Jenn
- Apr 8
- 7 min read
Even at the National Historic Landmark dedicated to a queer civil rights activist, legal scholar, author and Episcopal priest, the Trump administration is rewriting U.S. history. Executive Director Angela Thorpe Mason of the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice in Durham, North Carolina is fighting to keep the legacy alive (produced by David Hunt).
And in NewsWrap: Greek men whether gay or straight won’t be able to access surrogacy services under a law being proposed to parliament, the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office declares The Elton John AIDS Foundation “undesirable” because of its support for queer rights, a new law goes into effect making “conversion therapy” against the law in New South Wales, anti-queer hate speech is now illegal in the Australian state of Victoria, an injunction puts a law forcing Montana trans people to use sex-segregated facilities according to their birth certificate gender on temporary hold, Utah is the first U.S. state to ban LGBTQ Pride flags at all public schools and government buildings, and more international LGBTQ+ news reported this week by Michael LeBeau and Ava Davis (produced by Brian DeShazor).
All this on the April 7, 2025 edition of This Way Out!
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Complete Program Summary
for the week of April 7, 2025
Resisting the Erasure of Pauli Murray
NewsWrap (full transcript below): The Greek government proposes a ban on surrogacy services for gay couples and single men; Russia bans the Elton John AIDS Foundation as “undesirable” because it “promotes” LGBTQ equality; the Australian state of New South Wales bans conversion therapy, while the Aussie state of Victoria adds LGBTQ and disabled people to classes protected by anti-vilification laws; a Montana judge temporarily blocks enforcement of the Republican-majority-enacted state law denying trans people access to sex-segregated facilities, such as bathrooms and changing rooms, that match their gender identity; and Utah Republicans make it the first U.S. state to ban LGBTQ Pride flags (written by GREG GORDON and LUCIA CHAPPELLE, produced by BRIAN DeSHAZOR, and reported this week by MICHAEL LEBEAU & AVA DAVIS).
Feature: The Nazis lit public bonfires with books in the 1930s. These days the book-burnings are digital. The TRUMP administration has wasted no time rewriting diversity out of U.S.history. Transgender and gender nonconforming people and causes in particular are being scrubbed from official websites. As the growing right-wing queer cleansing crew reaches the National Historic Landmark dedicated to the queer legacy of one pioneering human rights leader, “This Way Out’s” DAVID HUNT wanted to experience the DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA childhood home of PAULI MURRAY (with music by BEN PHANTOM).
NewsWrap
A summary of some of the news in or affecting
global LGBTQ communities
for the week ending April 5th, 2025
Written by Greg Gordon and Lucia Chappelle,
reported this week by MICHAEL LEBEAU & AVA DAVIS
and produced by Brian DeShazor
Greek men – gay or straight – won’t be able to access surrogacy services if parliament passes a law the government says it’s preparing. Minister of Justice Giorgos Floridis announced on April 1st that it’s an effort to clarify the legal definition of the phrase “inability to carry a pregnancy.” As he explained to reporters, “We are now clarifying unequivocally that the concept of inability to carry a pregnancy does not refer to an inability arising from one’s gender.” The ban does not include women regardless of sexual orientation. Floridis said, “In other words, a woman may be unable to carry a pregnancy whether she is in a male-female couple, a female same-sex couple or on her own.”
Greece opened civil marriage and adoption to same-gender couples last year, although it caused serious defections by opposing lawmakers from the ruling party.
The male surrogacy ban appears to be an effort by the Greek government to appease conservative forces in parliament and in the politically powerful Greek Orthodox Church. They all had posed vocal opposition to marriage and adoptions equality. Statements by the Church suggested that the children of same-gender couples were nothing more than “accessories” and “companion pets.” Conservatives warned that queer families would “confuse parental roles” and “weaken the traditional family.”
It's not known when the new statutes might be introduced in parliament.
Russian officials are exiling The Elton John AIDS Foundation. The Prosecutor General’s Office declared the charitable group “undesirable” because of its support for queer rights. If the Foundation attempts to continue operating in Russia, anyone officially associated with it can be criminally prosecuted.
Despite its longtime operation in the country offering education and treatment programs, a statement posted to the Prosecutor General’s website office claims, “to a greater extent, they are focused on the promotion of non-traditional sexual relations, Western family models, and gender reassignment.”
The Russian government officially believes in an “international LGBT Movement,” a non-existent global organization. In reviewing the so-called “no promo homo” laws against alleged “gay propaganda,” the country’s highest court condemned the mythical queer menace as “extremist” in 2023.
Sir Elton John is one “homo” that gets plenty of “promo” in Russia. The rock star plays to sold out concerts there, while being a vocal critic of what he calls the country’s “vicious” anti-queer legislation. He’s offered to introduce the Russian president to some real-life LGBTQ communities, but Vladimir has thus far declined.
The now banned in Russia Elton John AIDS Foundation is registered in both the U.S. and U.K. Its “devastated” staff said in a press statement, “For more than two decades, we have worked in collaboration with federal and non-governmental partners in Russia to provide hundreds of thousands of people with vital HIV services, including testing, treatment, and care. … Today’s decision … will undoubtedly endanger lives and disrupt critical HIV prevention efforts.”
“Conversion therapy” is against the law in New South Wales as of midnight on April 4th. The measure cleared the Upper House of the Australian state’s legislature 12 months ago. It’s now a crime to practice the debunked “cure” that’s supposed to change sexual orientation or gender identity through a combination of counseling and prayer. Practitioners face civil charges of discrimination.
The laws do not violate freedom of religion statutes. General religious teachings or expressions of religious principles won’t be impacted. Parents can still discuss sexual orientation or gender identity with children. New South Wales Attorney General Michael Daley was eager to stress, “There’s still plenty of room to respectfully practice your religion. … What we are talking about are attempts to get someone to suppress or change a fundamental part of themselves.”
The Australian Capital Territory, and the states of Victoria, Queensland, and South Australia have also banned conversion therapy.
Anti-queer hate speech is now illegal in the Australian state of Victoria and offenders face up to five years in prison. Parliament passed legislation on April 2nd to add gender, sexuality and disability to the current protected categories of race and religion.
The five-year prison maximum applies to incitement of hatred or physical threats. Injured parties will also have more ways to take legal action and seek financial compensation.
The Private Members bill to expand the anti-hate speech protections was introduced about five years ago. The government was pressured to advance it after noticeably rising antisemitism in the state led to the firebombing of the Adass Israel Synagogue in Ripponlea last year. Jewish groups across the state strongly backed the new inclusive legislation. However, there are both religious and political conservative critics who warn that hate speech laws threaten freedom of speech.
Equality Australia’s Anna Brown said the anti-vilification laws are about “cutting off hate at its source.” In her words, “Attacks on the queer community have escalated in recent years and harassment, discrimination and violence shockingly remain a lived experience for many people. … This legislation makes it clear that hate is not just against humanity – it’s against the law.”
A law forcing Montana trans people to use sex-segregated facilities according to their birth certificate gender is on temporary hold. State District Court Judge Shane Vannatta’s injunction calls the law “motivated by animus and supported by no evidence that its restrictions advance its purported purpose to protect women’s safety and privacy.”
Republican Governor Greg Gianforte signed House Bill 130 into law on March 27th. It claims to “reaffirm the longstanding meanings [of] sex, male, and female” and to “preserve women’s restrooms, changing rooms, and sleeping quarters for women in facilities where women have traditionally been afforded privacy and safety from acts of abuse, harassment, sexual assault, and violence committed by men.”
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are being represented by the ACLU of Montana. Legal Director Alex Rate noted in a media statement that Vannatta’s ruling “provides enormous relief to trans Montanans across the state.”
Gianforte spokesperson Kaitlin Price told reporters that the governor will defend the law “and the privacy and safety of women and girls.” Price quipped, “We’re not surprised to see far-left activists run to the courts to stop this commonsense law.”
Judge Vannatta’s order will be in effect until an April 21st hearing. He’ll then consider whether the measure should continue to be blocked while the lawsuit challenging its constitutionality moves forward.
Finally, LGBTQ Pride flags are now banned at all public schools and government buildings in Utah -- the first U.S. state to do so. Republican Governor Spencer Cox allowed it to become law without his signature because he said a veto would almost certainly have been overridden by the Republican-dominated legislature. Cox issued a half-hearted apology to the LGBTQ community for the “blood sport” of politics, but activists called his action cowardly.
The ban goes into effect on May 7th. State or local government buildings will be fined $500 a day for flying any flag other than the United States flag, the Utah state flag, military flags, or a short list of others specifically approved by the lawmakers.
The bill’s Republican sponsors argue that it’s meant to encourage “political neutrality” from teachers and other government employees. Opponents cautioned that its real intent is to erase LGBTQ+ expression and punish cities and towns that diverge from the Republican legislature’s political positions. For example, Salt Lake City welcomes annual Pride Month celebrations every June with widespread rainbow flag displays. Every night since the bill’s passage, officials have defiantly bathed Salt Lake City and County Buildings in rainbow lights.
The law also forbids Utah teachers from hanging any restricted flag in their classroom. Teacher J. Ryan Waddoups sent a courageous letter to state Republicans declaring, “You will have to fire me before I take down my Pride flag.” He defended what he called a symbol of support for LGBTQ youth saying, “A Pride flag does not promote homosexuality any more than a U.S. flag promotes invading Greenland or taking over Canada.”
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