Cruising | Queer History and Culture Podcast By Sarah Gabrielli Rachel Karp and Jennifer McGinity cover art

Cruising | Queer History and Culture

Cruising | Queer History and Culture

By: Sarah Gabrielli Rachel Karp and Jennifer McGinity
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Conversations about lesbian bars, sapphic spaces, and beyond! Not sure where to start? You don’t have to listen in order! Pick your favorite city, space, or LGBTQ+ icon and dive in. Season 1 follows creators Sarah Gabrielli, Rachel Karp, and Jen McGinity on their 2021 cross-country road trip to every lesbian bar in the U.S., sharing the stories of the humans that run these spaces and the humans that call them a home. Season 2 features 14 more spaces, chronicling the current lesbian bar resurgence AND taking you back in time to lesbian bars of decades past. In Season 3, host Sarah Gabrielli sits down with history-making lesbians and LGBTQ+ folks to discuss all kinds of queer spaces - from bookstores, to farms, to peace encampments and more! New episodes air every other Tuesday.© 2025 Cruising | Queer History and Culture Biographies & Memoirs Social Sciences Travel Writing & Commentary
Episodes
  • Angeli Luz on creating the Lesbian Masterdoc and the backlash

    Angeli Luz on creating the Lesbian Masterdoc and the backlash
    Mar 31 2026
    Angeli Luz was 18 years old when she sat down to research, pen, and post the “Am I A Lesbian?” Masterdoc. Over a decade later, her work has withstood the test of time having reached millions of readers worldwide. The Lesbian Master Doc, for those that don’t already know, is a 30 page research paper asking the question that Angeli herself was parsing out at the time: How do I know if I'm a lesbian? What is the difference between actual attraction and compulsory heterosexuality (comphet) fostered by the world around us? In conversation, Angeli discusses: -the story behind the creation of the doc -going viral and the backlash that comes with that -what she would change about her writing if approaching it today -attention from celebrities like Reneé Rapp and Kehlani -discovering her own sexual identity and coming out, for a second time, as bisexual Read the full “Am I A Lesbian?” Masterdoc Follow Angeli on Instagram, Tiktok, Twitter, or visit her website! Thank you for listening to Cruising Podcast! -Reviews help other listeners find Cruising! If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave us a 5-star review! -For more Cruising adventures, follow us @cruisingpod on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -Check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cruising's Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for deep dives and companion pieces to our episodes! -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Preorder our book⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, THE LESBIAN BAR CHRONICLES -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support Cruising here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Cruising is an independent podcast. That means we're entirely funded by sponsors and listeners like you! -Cruising is reported and produced by a small but mighty team of three: Sarah Gabrielli (host/story producer/audio engineer), Rachel Karp (story producer/social media manager), and Jen McGinity (line producer/resident road-trip driver). Theme song is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Joey Freeman⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Cover art is by Nikki Ligos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    38 mins
  • Bernie Stark on women's softball, Title IX, and trans inclusion in sports

    Bernie Stark on women's softball, Title IX, and trans inclusion in sports
    Mar 17 2026
    The Mary Vazquez Women's Softball League was founded in 1976 in Northampton, Massachusetts. A collection of lesbian feminists (Eileen Stewart, Jean Grossholtz, Susan Tracy, and Maryann Jennings) formed the league around their values of equity, inclusion, and community. Today, Sarah sits down with long-time player, and former league commissioner, Bernie Stark to discuss: -The league's history and origin story -Unique traditions, rules, and culture -The impact of Title IX on different generations of players -How the league decided to define "women's" softball and include trans athletes -Growing up in a traditional home as a girl in sports Explore the leagues website! Follow the league on Instagram! Thank you for listening to Cruising Podcast! -Reviews help other listeners find Cruising! If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave us a 5-star review! -For more Cruising adventures, follow us @cruisingpod on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -Check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cruising's Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for deep dives and companion pieces to our episodes! -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Preorder our book⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, THE LESBIAN BAR CHRONICLES -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support Cruising here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Cruising is an independent podcast. That means we're entirely funded by sponsors and listeners like you! -Cruising is reported and produced by a small but mighty team of three: Sarah Gabrielli (host/story producer/audio engineer), Rachel Karp (story producer/social media manager), and Jen McGinity (line producer/resident road-trip driver). Theme song is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Joey Freeman⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Cover art is by Nikki Ligos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    53 mins
  • Activists Heather Booth and Martha Scott on their historic underground abortion network

    Activists Heather Booth and Martha Scott on their historic underground abortion network
    Mar 3 2026
    They called it "The Service," the world has called them "The Janes" - this episode follows the story of Chicago's underground abortion network. From its 1965 inception, through their devastating police bust, and the eventual legalization of abortion on the federal level in 1973. Act I features Heather Booth, a Civil Rights activist who first founded the service and trained other women in her procedures and philosophies. In Act II we meet Martha Scott, a stay-at-home mom who decides to dedicate a bit of her time to a worthy cause, and ends up a central figure in the collective. Both women help paint a chilling picture of the time: including women's oppression, treatment in the medical industry, access to birth control, and the impact of "Our Bodies Ourselves." -Stream "The Janes" documentary on HBO -Order the book "The Story of Jane" by collective member Laura Kaplan Thank you for listening to Cruising Podcast! -Reviews help other listeners find Cruising! If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave us a 5-star review! -For more Cruising adventures, follow us @cruisingpod on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -Check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cruising's Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for deep dives and companion pieces to our episodes! -⁠⁠⁠⁠Preorder our book⁠⁠⁠⁠, THE LESBIAN BAR CHRONICLES -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support Cruising here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Cruising is an independent podcast. That means we're entirely funded by sponsors and listeners like you! -Cruising is reported and produced by a small but mighty team of three: Sarah Gabrielli (host/story producer/audio engineer), Rachel Karp (story producer/social media manager), and Jen McGinity (line producer/resident road-trip driver). Theme song is by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Joey Freeman⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Cover art is by Nikki Ligos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 4 mins
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Love this podcast!! I’m so excited to hear more about your trip!! Cheers to all of you and our community

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