Kicking off the show was Kristina Wilfore, executive director of Ballot Initiative Strategy Center. With marriage bans on the ballot in Arizona, California and Florida – along with measures across the country ranging from affirmative action to renewable energy – there was a lot to discuss. Download parts one and two or listen:
Part one:
Part two:

Then we welcomed Wayne Besen, executive director of Truth Wins Out – a non-profit think tank and educational organization that counters right-wing disinformation, debunks the ex-gay myth and provides accurate information about the lives of GLBT people. He discussed his recent trip to Asheville, NC countering the ex-gay group Exodus International and his campaign to stop James Dobson’s induction into the Radio Hall of Fame. Download or listen:

Switching topics, we were joined by author Jennifer Storm. Her memoir, “Blackout Girl” tells her story starting with her first beer at the age of 12 and how bad decisions and addiction almost cost her life. Download or listen:

Another fascinating new book is from author, English professor and former stripper Craig Seymour. While a student at the University of Maryland, he began studying Washington DC’s notorious male strip clubs and eventually became a performer himself. He lays it all out in his book, “All I Could Bare.” Download or listen:

Wrapping up our summer reading special was David Valdes Greenwood. Dubbed by NPR as today’s “gay Erma Bombeck” he tells a classic love story with a few twists in his book, “Homo Domesticus: Notes from a Same-Sex Marriage.” Download or listen:

Of course, we had to hit the political news of the day and joining us live from our New York studios was Alex Koppelman. He edits the popular Salon.com news blog “War Room” and we discussed Sen. Obama’s world tour, the “veepstakes,” the national implications of state marriage bans and more. Download or listen:

We started out with Julia Wells, editor of the Vineyard Gazette. This long-time resident gave a primer on the island as both a vacation destination and year-round home to many.

Then we talked to a local HIV/AIDS educator on the island, Tony Lombardi. He’s the program director at the Safe Haven Project – a non-profit service learning organization confronting the global need for knowledge, truth and compassion for people living with, or affected by, HIV and AIDS. Download parts one and two or listen:
Part one:
Part two:

One prominent local gay author is Dan Waters who also runs Indian Hill Press with his partner. He’s a poet, printer and printmaker and shared his experience living a life immersed in the words and images of Martha’s Vineyard.

A number of high-profile personalities make the Vineyard a second home and one of them stopped by last night. Attorney Alan Dershowitz has defended everyone from Leona Helmsley to Claus Von Bulow to O.J. Simpson and he was our guest to talk about his work, some current political issues and what draws him to the island. Download or listen in:

Finally, one of the Vineyard’s most notable residents is Carly Simon and her brother Peter Simon was our guest to close out the show. He’s a famed photographer and author with a new book out called Reggae Scrapbook. Download or listen in:

Then we moved into economics and demographics with Gary Gates of the Williams Institute at UCLA. We discussed how marriage equality for same-sex couples can be a boon to a state’s bottom line and current statistical trends in the GLBT community. Download parts one and two or listen:
Part one:
Part two:

From there we took on literature with gay author Scott Sherman. His new book, “First You Fall” mixes humor, romance and mystery with a gay eye and he joined us in-studio to discuss it. Download or listen:

Finally, we talked about some news of the day – particularly religion – with one of our favorite regulars, Dan Gilgoff of BeliefNet. His book, “The Jesus Machine” famously profiled Focus on the Family founder James Dobson and now he covers politics for the religious website BeliefNet. We unraveled Sen. Barack Obama’s new faith-based initiative and how McCain and Obama are courting religious voters. Download or listen:

We started out the show with some summer cookout advice from the New York Times’ food writer Kim Severson. She also discussed her recent piece comparing marriages between same-sex couples to their straight counterparts. Download parts one and two or listen:
Part one:
Part two:

You may have seen director Morgan Spurlock’s McDonald’s documentary “Super Size Me” and now the filmmaker is taking his “try something for a month” shtick to television. The show “30 Days” on FX puts people in sometimes uncomfortable situations to see if there’s something to be learned from the experience. Dennis Patrick was our guest to discuss opening his home to a straight Mormon mother (and television cameras) who is opposed to same-sex unions and parenting. Download parts one and two or listen:
Part one:
Part two:

We also welcomed one of our favorite Agenda regulars to the show – Ed Salvato, editor of Out Traveler. Their new issue has hit the shelves and looks at great group vacations and some out of the way getaways. He also previewed their annual Reader’s Choice survey where you can vote on your favorite destinations, events and hotels. You can also become a fan of Out Traveler on Facebook (and don’t forget to do the same with our show).
Download or listen to Ed:

Finally we talked politics with Terence Samuel, deputy editor of TheRoot.com. His sight focuses on topics of interest to the African-American community and Samuel had some great insights on the candidacy of Barack Obama. Download or listen:

We started out with some entertainment and welcomed the winner of Bravo’s Top Chef season 4 Stephanie Izard. She is the first woman to have won the cooking reality show beating out three openly lesbian contestants who won the hearts of many gay fans.

Then we turned to politics… at least one take on it. Barbara Blesi owns Second Chance Boutique in Bethesda, Maryland and conducted [an albeit unscientific] poll concerning the fashions of the presidential contenders and their spouses. Find out what she learned about how people view their public images by downloading or listening:

In Capitol Hill news, this Thursday a House subcommittee will hold a hearing on gender identity discrimination in the workplace. One of those testifying will be Diego Sanchez, Director of Public Relations & External Affairs for the AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts and a member of HRC’s business council. He was our guest with a preview of the hearing. Download or listen:

We were thrilled to welcome newly named Advocate editor Jon Barrett to our New York studio last night. He was the magazine’s senior news editor from 1997-2003 and shared his thoughts on where the magazine is heading, marriage in California and the presidential race. Download or listen:

Finally we were in for a treat last night as we welcomed legendary democratic political consultant Paul Begala. He was a critical part of electing President Bill Clinton in 1992 and now serves as a consultant and is a commentator for CNN. Begala shared his insights on bringing the party together before November and how GLBT issues may play in the general election. Download or listen:

Leading off the show we checked in with Mary Breslauer live from Los Angeles. She shared some great anecdotes about the planning and celebrations. Download or listen:

Next we talked to the president of the California Association of Clerks and Elections Officials, Steven Weir. He’s made a career of giving out marriage licenses to couples as the Clerk of Contra Costa County, but until now they’ve all been to straight couples. This morning he was the first in line to get a license to marry his partner John Hemm. Download or listen:

One of the most famous same-sex couples to announce their engagement is George Takei and Brad Altman. You know George as Mr. Sulu from Star Trek and Joe spoke to them yesterday between media interviews about how all the wedding planning is coming. Download or listen:

We were so proud last night to welcome one of the heroes of the movement for marriage equality in California. Back in 2004 when San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom issued marriage licenses to same-sex couples, City Attorney Dennis Herrera led the team that argued the cases through the courts along with the coalition of legal groups. He joined us via phone from his office in San Francisco just prior to Del Lyon and Phyllis Martin’s ceremony at city hall. Download or listen:

We took a break from the marriage coverage and welcomed one of our favorite Agenda guests to our New York studio. Author Bob Morris may be familiar from his “Age of Dissonance” column in the New York Times Sunday Styles section but his new book Assisted Loving has garnered rave reviews. He discussed the book that deals with what’s it like to be a gay guy going on double dates with your straight dad. Download or listen:

Finally we talked politics with author and President Clinton’s chief speechwriter Michael Waldman. As the director of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU’s School of Law, Waldman penned A Return to Common Sense about how to make American democracy right again. Download or listen:

We started off the show with Rep. Tammy Baldwin – the only out lesbian in Congress – to talk about the new LGBT Equality Caucus. Along with Rep. Barney Frank, Baldwin created the bipartisan group to promote LGBT issues in Congress. Download or listen:

We looked at politics through a religious lens with Sally Quinn who founded and co-moderates the Washington Post’s “On Faith.” This journalist, author and Washington, DC insider is married to Ben Bradlee, the former editor of the Washington Post.

Then we switched to entertainment and Mary shared an interview with Andy Bell – the lead singer of the 80’s synthpop band Erasure. He’s going on the road with Cyndi Lauper on the True Colors Tour and also shared a preview of his forthcoming solo album. Download or listen:

Joe made it back to DC so we caught up with him as he recovered from his bike ride and he shared some hilarious and heartwarming anecdotes from the 545 mile trek. Download or listen:

Then to talk about the presidential race and the interesting debates over race and gender, we welcomed back Faye Wattleton, president of the Center for the Advancement of Women. She was the first African-American and youngest person ever elected president of Planned Parenthood. Download or listen:

Finally, we had a political overview with Alex Bolton, senior staff writer at The Hill. He’s been covering the 2008 race and in particular how the campaigns have been funded.

We kicked off the show with a political overview with one of our favorite guests – Rick Klein who writes The Note for ABC News. With the final two primaries today, what does the future hold for Sens. Clinton and Obama? Download parts one and two or listen:
One:
Two:

Then we took a look at the other side of the aisle and focused on John McCain’s record on GLBT issues. Arizona State Rep. Kyrsten Sinema was our guest to talk about a new report HRC PAC released today examining his votes and positions. Download or listen:

California hasn’t been the only state in the forefront of marriage news… New York Governor David Patterson announced that the Empire State will recognize legal marriages between same-sex couples. New York Times Metro Political Editor Carolyn Ryan was our guest to talk about it. Download or listen:

We were thrilled to welcome Phil Donahue as our guest last evening to talk about his new film “Body of War” that follows the story of Tomas Young – a 25 year old veteran paralyzed from a bullet in Iraq. We touched on everything from the film to his classic television show to his wife Marlo Thomas. Download or listen:

Finally we had a conversation with Dee Dee Myers, President Clinton’s first White House press secretary and the first woman to hold the job. Her new book is called Why Women Should Rule the World. Download or listen:

We also talked with one high-profile couple who have announced their impending nuptial… that’s Star Trek actor George Takei and his partner Brad Altman. Best known for playing Mr. Sulu on the TV series and films, Takei came out several years ago after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a marriage bill passed by the legislature. Download or listen:

To get our political fix we talked to veteran political consultant Bob Shrum. He’s worked with Al Gore, John Kerry and John Edwards and he gave us his take on the news of the day in the continuing presidential race. Download or listen:

And to better understand how voters make their decisions, we turned to a returning guest – psychology professor Drew Westen. His book “The Political Brain” examines how voters use emotion to make their decisions, rather than rational arguments. Download parts one and two or listen:
One:
Two:

Then we turned to a couple of authors. First, Caitlin Rother has a new book out, “Twisted Triangle: A Famous Crime Writer, a Lesbian Love Affair, and the FBI Husband’s Violent Revenge.” It’s the true story of writer Patricia Cornwell and her affair with an FBI agent. Download or listen:

Finally, we were thrilled to welcome acclaimed author Augusten Burroughs live in-studio. Known for bestsellers “Running with Scissors” and “Dry,” his new book out is “A Wolf at the Table” – a moving depiction of fear and powerlessness from a child’s point of view. Download or listen:

We started off with a woman the New York Times called the “Thurgood Marshall of the gay marriage movement.” That’s Mary Bonauto of the Boston-based legal group Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders. Not only is it their 30th anniversary, they are also celebrating the fourth anniversary this week of the first legal marriages in Massachusetts between people of the same sex. Listen in parts one and two.

Still with our eye on history we turned to author and history professor Vicki Eaklor. She discussed her new book “Queer America” that looks at the history of the modern GLBT rights movement as well as her work editing the memoirs of HRC founder Steve Endean. Listen in.

HRC’s Clergy Call 2009 is one year away and we previewed the event last night as well as looked at the Religion and Faith Program’s efforts over the next year to spur education and dialogue over inclusive workplace protection legislation. Rev. Joe Hoffman of the First Congregational United Church of Christ of Asheville, NC was our guest. Listen in.

Turning to the theater, we were thrilled to welcome renowned playwright Paul Rudnick live from our New York studios. His new collection of four one-act plays called “The New Century” is currently running at Lincoln Center.
Listen in.

Finally we got our fix of politics from New York magazine’s John Heilemann. He’s been out on the campaign trail and discussed his recent column that looks back at how things might have turned out differently for Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Listen in: