Kestral Gaian’s “The Boy From Elsewhere” | This Way Out Radio Episode #1981

In a genre-bending story about a quest to conquer evil and save the world, the young-adult characters of Kestral Gaian’s “The Boy From Elsewhere” take a trek through the multiverse where nothing is quite what it seems. The poet, playwright, essayist, composer and author discusses the importance of queer visibility in young adult fiction in a conversation with This Way Out’s David Hunt.

Rainbow Rewind says “Happy Birthday” to 1963 March on Washington organizer Bayard Rustin and Gay Liberation Front pioneer and Radical Faerie Don Kilhefner, and notes other memorable March dates (written and produced by Sheri Lunn and Brian DeShazor).

And in NewsWrap: Senegal’s National Assembly almost unanimously passes a bill to double the punishments for same-sex sexual activity, a Kenyan court convicts two assailants in a gay assault and extortion case, a U.S. federal appeals court issues a precedent-setting ruling against Medicaid-funded gender-affirming surgery, a Kansas judge refuses to block the invalidation of transgender people’s government identification and the ban their use of public bathrooms, the New Hampshire House passes extreme trans bathroom ban, Trump demands Congress add anti-trans laws to the SAVE America voter suppression bill, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Ret and Michael Taylor Gray (produced by Brian DeShazor).

All this on the March 16, 2026 edition of This Way Out!

Join our family of listener-donors today at thiswayout.org/donate/.

---

Complete Program Summary

for the week of March 16, 2026

Kestral Gaian’s The Boy From Elsewhere

In “NewsWrap” [full transcript below]: Senegal’s National Assembly almost unanimously passes a bill to double the punishments for same-sex sexual activity, a Kenyan court convicts two assailants in a gay assault and extortion case, a U.S. federal appeals court issues a precedent-setting ruling against Medicaid-funded gender-affirming surgery, a Kansas judge refuses to block the invalidation of transgender people’s government identification and the ban their use of public bathrooms, the New Hampshire House passes extreme trans bathroom ban, Trump demands Congress add anti-trans laws to the SAVE America voter suppression bill, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by Ret and Michael Taylor Gray (written by David Hunt and Lucia Chappelle, produced by Brian DeShazor).

Promo: This Way Out ID by drag performance artist Thorgy Thor.

Feature: The Rainbow Rewind says “Happy Birthday” to 1963 March on Washington organizer Bayard Rustin and Gay Liberation Front pioneer and Radical Faerie Don Kilhefner, and notes other memorable March dates (written and produced by Sheri Lunn and Brian DeShazor).

Promo: For listener support, write info@thiswayout.org or see thiswayout.org/donate.

Feature: In a genre-bending story about a quest to conquer evil and save the world, the young-adult characters of Kestrel Gaian’s The Boy From Elsewhere take a trek through the multiverse where nothing is quite what it seems. The poet, playwright, essayist, composer and author discusses the importance of queer visibility in young adult fiction in a conversation with This Way Out’s DAVID HUNT (intro and outro music by Tiko Tiko).

NewsWrap 

for the week ending 14 March 2026

Program 1981 distributed 16 March 2026

Reported by Michael Taylor Gray and Ret,

written by David Hunt and Lucia Chappelle,

and produced by Brian DeShazor

   “Homosexuals will no longer breathe in this country” according to one Senegalese MP during debate on a bill to double the punishments for same-sex sexual activity. The National Assembly passed the measure almost unanimously on March 11th with only three of the 135 members abstaining. Those convicted of consensual adult queer sex will now face five to ten years in prison, the maximum penalty for sex with a person under 21. It’s also a “no promo homo” law carrying three to seven years in jail for supporting LGBTQ causes. Hefty fines are also included.

The bill was a campaign promise of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko. Sonko failed to get it passed as an opposition MP in 2021. Faye is expected to sign it into law — and quickly. 

U.N. high commissioner for human rights Volker Türk said the new law “flies in the face of the sacrosanct human rights we all enjoy: the rights to respect, dignity, privacy, equality and freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.” He urged Faye not to sign the bill.

Senegal is not the only West African nation contemplating new anti-LGBTQ laws. Ghana’s dormant, draconian “Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill” is once again working its way through the legislative pipeline.

   The conviction of the perpetrators who violently robbed and attempted to extort two gay friends in Kenya is being hailed as a landmark victory for the country’s LGBTQ community. The two assailants were sentenced to 15 years in prison. They had lured their victims to a home in 2023. They beat them, held them at knifepoint, and forced them to transfer money under the threat of being killed or "outed" to their families.

The National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission alleges the existence of a larger criminal network that specifically targets queer men. They charge that local security services are often complicit. 

In a nation where consensual same-sex intimacy remains criminalized, this rare legal victory offers a sign of hope. Activists believe the sentence will serve as a powerful deterrent against the rising tide of targeted blackmail and extortion facing the queer community.

    A U.S. federal appeals court has issued a precedent-setting ruling against government-funded gender-affirming surgery. A panel of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals decided that states have a rational interest in encouraging citizens to "appreciate their sex." The judges also sided with West Virginia’s stance that states may legitimately refuse to fund procedures they deemed "experimental" or "dangerous." Therefore, they believe states should be able to exclude gender-affirming surgery from Medicaid coverage.

This March 10th ruling differs from the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Skrmetti decision in a major way: it extends gender-affirming care restrictions to transgender adults for the first time. It’s also the first decision from a federal appeals court to explicitly apply the legal framework used for minor care bans to adult healthcare. Legal experts are alarmed at the court’s suggestion that if a state can refuse to pay for such care, it may also have the power to ban it entirely. The ruling faces sharp criticism from medical professionals, who maintain that gender-affirming surgery is a medically necessary, evidence-based treatment for gender dysphoria. 

    A different U.S. federal judge has ruled on the side of transgender healthcare rights. In Connecticut, District Judge Victor Bolden says that Aetna Life Insurance must reconsider its denial of coverage for gender-affirming facial reconstruction surgeries. Bolden rejected Aetna's motion to dismiss a proposed class-action lawsuit, finding that the company’s categorical exclusion of these procedures is likely discriminatory under the Affordable Care Act.

The ruling includes a preliminary injunction requiring Aetna to reassess the denied claims of two transgender women. Bolden emphasized that denying access to this medically necessary care constitutes "irreparable harm" by continuing to aggravate the plaintiffs' gender dysphoria.

    New York Attorney General Letitia James is ordering NYU Langone Health to immediately resume its Transgender Youth Health Program. She says that its recent closure violates state nondiscrimination laws. U.S. President Donald Trump’s threatened cuts to the federal funding of hospitals that offer gender-affirming care to minors led the New York City health provider to shutter the program in February.

In a letter to the hospital, James’ office defined transgender youth as a “protected class” and warned that it is illegal to deny them medically necessary care while providing similar treatments to non-transgender patients. Officials emphasized that the sudden discontinuation of such care can lead to severe, negative health outcomes for a vulnerable population. James maintains that federal pressure does not override state requirements. She promises “further action” if the hospital fails to comply.

   A Kansas judge is refusing to block a sweeping new law that invalidates the driver’s licenses of transgender Kansans and criminalizes their use of public bathrooms. Douglas County District Judge James McCabria denied a request for a temporary restraining order against Senate Bill 244 on March 10th. The law that was fast-tracked by the legislature earlier this year mandates that all state-issued IDs reflect sex assigned at birth. It’s also been called a “bounty bill” in that it creates a private right of action -- individuals can sue those they suspect of using the "wrong" restroom for up to $1,000 in damages.

The ACLU argued that the law causes "irreparable harm” to trans people. They claimed that their ability “to hold a job, go to school, or go about their daily lives” is threatened, but the judge said they failed to prove the law would lead to widespread harassment. Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach made one small concession: trans people’s invalidated IDs won’t be added to law enforcement databases until March 26th. However, the law remains in full effect as the legal challenge continues.

    Unfortunately, Kansas is not the only U.S. state targeting the rights of its transgender residents.

One of the nation’s most extreme transgender bathroom bans just passed the New Hampshire House of Representatives. The legislation mandates that a person’s so-called "biological sex" determine their use of facilities in public buildings — including parks and airports.

The bill offers a unique enforcement mechanism: "asserting" one’s gender identity to access the prohibited spaces is the criminal act. As civil rights violations, every rest stop could result in a fine of up to $5,000 and jail time. It lets private businesses off the hook for discrimination lawsuits if they restrict bathroom access based on sex assigned at birth.

Advocates warn the measure puts the state at odds with its New England neighbors, who hold a long-standing pro-LGBTQ rights consensus. The bill’s move to the state Senate makes New Hampshire part of the national legislative campaign targeting transgender rights.

    Not to be left out of the war on transgender people this week, President Trump has shoe-horned it into his top legislative priority — the SAVE America Act. Yes, it could get even worse. Trump now says he won’t sign any pending legislation into law unless Congress adds anti-transgender provisions to his cherished voter suppression bill. It's not enough that the bill mandates voters present in-person proof of citizenship. In a recent Truth Social post, Trump demanded that it also be expanded to include a national ban on pediatric gender-affirming care as well as a ban on transgender athletes in competitive sports.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the new strategy, describing the additions as "common sense" priorities. However, the move does nothing to break the stalemate in the United States Senate and the Democrats’ promised filibuster.

    Finally … [Titanic music]

… cue the romantic music and open your eyes near the Reflecting Pool in Washington, DC’s National Mall. There at sunset in all their bronze glory … is it Jack and Rose on the bow of the Titanic? No! It’s Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein riding high together in an unauthorized sculpture entitled “The King of the World!” 

Secret Handshake is the organization behind this and other satirical Trump statues that have appeared on the Mall in recent months. The caption on this one reads, "The tragic love story between Jack and Rose was built on luxurious travel, raucous parties, and secret nude sketches. This monument honors the bond between Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, a friendship seemingly built on luxurious travel, raucous parties, and secret nude sketches."

The installation hit its permit iceberg on March 13th when, like the mock-gilded age friendship it parodies, it took a dive.