July 12th 2023 Queer Voices Historian/Author JD Doyle, Mint Julep and Normal Anomaly

JD Doyle historian/author -- Legacy Community Health's Mint Julep -- Normal Anomaly

We speak with Houston activist/historian and now author of the book, "1981: My Gay American Road Trip, A Slice of Our Pre-AIDS Culture". 1981. Rich with promise and possibility, the post-Stonewall era saw queer Americans standing up for themselves and each other like never before. With the rise of gay newspapers, bars, clubs, and businesses in cities all over the US, it was a time of hedonism, activism, pride, and community. A scene ripe for exploration and documentation, and journalist JD Doyle hit the road to do just that, traveling through 27 states to create a playful, intimate, profusely illustrated, one-of-a-kind record of gay life, love, lust, and liberation in the heady days before the devastating crisis that would change everything.

Guest: JD Doyle
https://www.amazon.com/1981-My-Gay-American-Road-Trip/dp/1943444412/ref=sr_1_1?crid=37O5EHNZ3JFI9&keywords=jd+doyle+1981&qid=1689977274&sprefix=jd+doyle%2Caps%2C111&sr=8-1

Then, we speak with Bella Villarreal, Development Manager, about Legacy Community Health's Mint Julep, a fundraiser for Legacy's HIV/AIDS programs in its 21st year. This year's event will HONOR: Linda Cantu, JD Doyle and Doug Boyd aka Kimberly Anne O’Neil.

The Mint Julep CO-CHAIRS include: Tony Bravo, Cyndy Garza Roberts and Ray Purser. The event is held  July 16th, 2023 at the White Oak Music Hall.

Guest: Bella Villarreal
https://www.legacycommunityhealth.org/development/mintjulep/

Finally, we speak James Drake, lead research coordinator for the Normal Anomaly, 2023 Honorary Grand Marshal. The Normal Anomaly Initiative began in 2016 in Houston as a blog to tell the stories of people at the margins. Throughout the span of 3 years, the Founder, Ian L. Haddock, had the organization working with Huffington Post, Unites States Conference on HIV/ AIDS (USCHA) and Prime Video. As the platform grew, the Founder had amassed a team of nontraditional activists that began to expand the trajectory in which the group was going.

Guest: James Drake
https://www.normalanomaly.org

Queer Voices airs in Houston Texas on 90.1FM KPFT and is heard as a podcast here. Queer Voices hopes to entertain as well as illuminate LGBTQ issues in Houston and beyond. Check out our socials at:

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Chapters

• 1:53 JD Doyle Historian/Author
• 15:11 Mint Julep, an HIV AIDS fundraiser
• 21:44 Normal Anomaly 2023 Honorary Grand Marshal
• 45:22 This Way Out