Duke's Download Hosted by James Duke Mason

Pride House Media
  • 5.0 (3)
  • POLITICS

Duke's Download is weekly podcast hosted by James Duke Mason, where politics and pop culture collide! Each episode features candid conversations with influential voices from the worlds of activism, government, entertainment, and beyond. Exploring the stories, ideas, and experiences shaping our culture and driving change - all through a unique and insightful lens, offering fresh insights into the world around us.

  1. 3D AGO

    Elliott with Two T’s: From Texas Farm Kid to RuPaul’s Drag Race

    This week, I’m joined by RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 13 queen Elliott with Two T’s — a classically trained dancer turned Las Vegas performer who grew up as a gay kid on a Texas farm. We talk about how dance became her safe place, and how her fiercely supportive mom helped her build confidence early on. Elliott shares what it was like performing in drag for the first time at 15 through a Dallas LGBTQ youth center charity event — and how drag quickly became more than performance. It became creative control. We get into auditioning for Drag Race during COVID, filming under intense pressure, and what life looked like after the show — nonstop touring, burnout, and learning when to “bed rot” and recharge. We also talk about advocacy. Elliott reflects on how LGBTQ rights have shifted from gaining ground to fighting to protect what we have — and why youth safe spaces matter more than ever. She credits the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) with teaching her how to understand and use her legal rights in school. Plus, she shares surreal moments from lobbying in D.C., including AOC running over to meet her. This is a conversation about resilience, performance, advocacy, and finding your voice — onstage and off. You can follow Elliott @TheRealElliottQeen You can write to us at: Questions@DukesDownload.com And follow us onInstagram:  @jamesdukemason@PrideHouseMedia

    40 min

  2. APR 1

    How Morris Kight Helped Build the Modern LGBTQ Rights Movement

    This week on Duke’s Download, I’m joined by writer and former TV producer Mary Ann Cherry, author of Morris Kight: Humanist, Liberationist, Fantabulous — a biography that took more than a decade to write and was created with Morris’s personal blessing. Mary Ann didn’t just research Morris Kight — she knew him. Their ten-year friendship shaped this book, and her reporting took her deep into the untold parts of his life, including multiple trips to Texas to interview his ex-wife after she had a stroke, uncovering the double lives and hidden chapters that history almost lost. So who was Morris Kight? Before he became a leader in the Gay Liberation Front in Los Angeles after Stonewall, Morris was a Depression-era Texas kid with a fierce moral compass. As a young man, he helped women in a brothel access medical care — an early sign of the justice-driven activism that would define his life. From there, we trace how that same instinct led him to: Organize underground STD treatment when queer people were denied careBuild housing networks and bail funds during LAPD entrapmentHelp launch early Los Angeles Pride organizingLead bold boycotts like Coors and Barney’s BeaneryUse street theater and “fantabulous” tactics to demand visibilityMorris believed activism wasn’t just about protest — it was about people. One-on-one conversations. Coalition building. Working with unlikely allies. Sometimes even working with your enemies. We talk about what made his strategy different — and why his approach to money, compromise, incremental progress, and resisting purity tests feels incredibly relevant right now. We also dig into: Post‑Stonewall organizing in Los AngelesEarly gay rights activism before marriage equalityCoalition building across movementsThe loneliness of long-term activismAIDS-era unity and unexpected alliesWhy visibility was revolutionaryLessons modern LGBTQ activists can learn from Morris KightThis conversation is a reminder that the LGBTQ rights movement didn’t happen by accident. It happened because people like Morris Kight were willing to be bold, strategic, and yes — sometimes “fantabulous.” And maybe most importantly: they were willing to stay in the fight. Click below to order Morris Kight: Humanist, Liberationist, Fantabulist NOW https://feralhouse.com/morris-kight/ https://maryanncherrywriter.com/ https://www.morriskight.com/ You can write to us at: Questions@DukesDownload.com And follow us onInstagram:  @jamesdukemason@PrideHouseMedia

    43 min

  3. MAR 25

    The First Openly Gay Major-Party Presidential Candidate | Fred Karger

    In this episode, I sit down with one of the most unexpected — and fearless — figures in modern LGBTQ political history: Fred Karger. Before he became a nationally recognized LGBTQ activist, Fred was a longtime Republican political consultant working inside the GOP at the highest levels. But in 2004, after retiring from political consulting and taking a life-changing trip to Peru, everything shifted. What started as a local fight to save Laguna Beach’s historic Boom Boom Room — one of the country’s oldest gay bars — became the moment that publicly brought him out at age 53 and launched him into full-time activism. We talk about how that campaign (“Save the Boom”) ignited something bigger. After California’s Proposition 8 passed in 2008, Fred founded Californians Against Hate, targeting the major donors behind the anti-marriage equality movement. Instead of yelling into the void, he focused on strategy: Publicly tracking Prop 8 donorsPublishing a “dishonor roll”Organizing high-profile boycotts — including the Manchester Grand HyattForcing accountability through economic pressureThose efforts cost businesses millions and ultimately pushed several donors to redirect money toward LGBTQ causes. Fred also details his years-long battle exposing the Mormon Church’s behind-the-scenes involvement in Prop 8, filing ethics complaints across multiple states, facing threats and subpoenas, and refusing to back down. Then we get into history. In 2012, Fred became the first openly gay major-party candidate to run for President of the United States as a Republican. We talk about: Why he decided to runHis experience campaigning in New HampshireMedia breakthroughsWhat it was like challenging his own partyThe global impact of that historic candidacyThis conversation isn’t just about the past. It’s about strategy, courage, and what effective activism actually looks like. Fred shares his rules for winning political change, lessons from independent organizing, and why voter registration and campaign involvement still matter more than outrage. We also discuss his two books and how he wants his legacy — as an activist and as a presidential candidate — to be remembered. If you care about LGBTQ political history, marriage equality, the fight over Prop 8, or how to create real accountability in politics, this is a conversation you need to hear. For more about Fred Karger check out his website  https://fredkarger.com/   And also “FRED”  the documentary https://youtu.be/sb6__cDI1o4 You can write to us at: Questions@DukesDownload.com And follow us onInstagram:  @jamesdukemason@PrideHouseMedia

    48 min

  4. MAR 18

    A Conversation With My Dad: From Old Hollywood to the White House — and Home Again

    Ok.. this one is really special and this week’s episode feels a bit different. For the first time ever, I sat down with my very private father, Morgan Mason — at home — and just… talked. About growing up in a version of Hollywood that doesn’t exist anymore. When movie stars were neighbors. When Marilyn Monroe just popped by. When meeting The Beatles wasn’t a headline — it was a story from down the street. We talk about him acting at nine with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, later becoming Elizabeth’s agent, and somehow weaving through decades of culture, politics, and history — from Elvis encounters to working in the Reagan White House to traveling with five presidents on Air Force Two. But what makes this episode special isn’t the names. It’s getting to sit across from my dad and hear how he’s moved through all of it — fame, politics, loss, family — and most importantly,how he showed up for me when it mattered most. It’s Old Hollywood. It’s 80s politics. But really it’s father and son ‘at the table.’ And it’s one of my favorite conversations I’ve ever recorded. Welcome to my family. 💙

    1h 1m

  5. MAR 11

    Ask Duke Anything: Politics, Belinda Carlisle, Coming Out & Finding Love

    It’s time for an Ask Duke Anything episode of Duke’s Download — and yes, my boyfriend Armie is guest-hosting from his apartment, which means I’m answering everything. 😅 You sent in questions via social media and email, and nothing was off limits — from serving your country and running for office to vinyl collecting, growing up in France, and what it was really like having a famous mom. In this episode, I open up about: 🇺🇸 What “serving your country” actually means in 2026 (and why nuance matters)🗳️ Whether I’ll ever run for office again🏡 My Beverly Hills childhood home and memories of my grandmother Pamela Mason🇫🇷 Growing up in France and why I chose California as home🎶 My love of vinyl and bands that shaped me (New Order forever)💻 My early political obsession (shoutout Kids for Kerry)🌟 What it was like growing up with my mom, Belinda Carlisle🏳️‍🌈 Coming out and family support❤️ How Army and I reconnected — and why 2025 changed everythingThis one is personal, reflective, and a little chaotic (in the best way). Thank you for the thoughtful questions — I loved this format. If you enjoy this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and send in your next “Ask Duke Anything” question. You can write to us at: Questions@DukesDownload.com And follow us onInstagram:  @jamesdukemason@PrideHouseMedia

    47 min

  6. MAR 4

    Coming Out, Speaking Up, Starting Over: Getting Real with David Archuleta

    This week on Duke’s Download I sat down with the one and only David Archuleta — and let me tell you, this conversation is everything. We talk about his New York Times bestselling memoir, Devout: Losing My Faith to Find Myself, and why he finally felt ready to tell the full story — growing up Mormon, coming out, and stepping into his power as an openly queer artist. And when I say full story? I mean full story. David gets real about writing the book in his own voice (yes, he had a collaborator — but trust me, this is 100% David). We dive into the chapters that were hardest for him to relive — especially the complicated, emotional journey with his dad. We talk boundaries. We talk about stepping away for years. We talk about what it actually takes to rebuild something healthier after you’ve had to break it apart first. It’s vulnerable. It’s honest. It’s beautiful. And of course, we couldn’t just stay serious the whole time — we also get into the Devout EP, where his music is headed now, and a very unexpected bonding moment over our shared love of EDM and house music.  He also leaves us with something I think a lot of people need to hear: give yourself space to figure out who you are. It’s okay to question. It’s okay to evolve. And it’s definitely okay to start over. If you’ve ever struggled with faith, identity, family expectations, or just finding your own voice — this one’s for you. You can write to us at: Questions@DukesDownload.com And follow us onInstagram:  @jamesdukemason@PrideHouseMedia

    29 min

  7. FEB 25

    From Marriage Equality to the U.S. Senate: My Conversation with Zach Wahls

    Hey Everyone, this week’s episode is a good one. I sit down with Zach Wahls — Iowa State Senator, LGBTQ+ advocate, author, and now Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate. You might remember him from that mic-drop 2011 testimony in the Iowa legislature defending marriage equality and talking about growing up with two moms. Yeah… that one. The video that went wildly viral before “going viral” was even really a thing. We talk about what it’s like to have your life change overnight — how a college engineering student suddenly found himself at the center of a national conversation on equality… and how that moment pulled him from civil and environmental engineering into full-time advocacy. Zach shares how he co-founded Scouts for Equality, took on anti-LGBT discrimination in the Boy Scouts of America, and eventually made the leap into elected office — winning a seat in the Iowa State Senate at just 27 years old. (He’s now 34 and still the youngest state senator in Iowa. Casual overachiever stuff.) Big thanks to Zach for coming on and having a real conversation — about policy, politics, and the personal side of public service. As always, thanks for tuning into Duke’s Download. See you next week. 🎧 If you want to learn more or support Zach's campaign, head to zachwahls.com. You can write to us at: Questions@DukesDownload.com And follow us onInstagram:  @jamesdukemason@PrideHouseMedia

    29 min

  8. FEB 18

    This Ain’t “Heated Rivalry”: Coming Out in Pro Hockey

    This week on Duke’s Download, I sit down with someone who didn’t just break the ice — he cracked it wide open. Zach Sullivan, defenseman for the Manchester Storm, came out as bisexual in January 2020 during the UK Elite Ice Hockey League’s first Pride weekend — while he was still actively playing. And let me tell you… that is not the easy route. I had so many questions for Zach… Why do it while still active?  What happens inside the locker room?  And has men’s pro hockey actually changed? We get into: 🏒 Coming out in a hyper‑masculine sport  🌈 The NHL Pride tape controversy & jersey refusals  🔥 When Pride nights feel real… and when they feel performative  📺 The truth about Heated Rivalry — what it gets right and what it misses 💬 Why closeted athletes avoid attention (and why most won’t come out tomorrow) 🧠 “Man up” culture, mental health, and misogyny in men’s sports Zach shares the media pressure, the backlash, the support from teammates, and why he still believes visibility matters — even when it’s complicated. This isn’t a rainbow‑wash conversation. It’s honest, nuanced, and necessary. And I defy anyone not to fall in love with this disarmingly charming queer trailblazer! Watch now and join the conversation. 👇 Drop your thoughts in the comments.  📲 Subscribe for new episodes of Duke’s Download. You can write to us at: Questions@DukesDownload.com And follow us onInstagram:  @jamesdukemason@PrideHouseMedia

    45 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Duke's Download is weekly podcast hosted by James Duke Mason, where politics and pop culture collide! Each episode features candid conversations with influential voices from the worlds of activism, government, entertainment, and beyond. Exploring the stories, ideas, and experiences shaping our culture and driving change - all through a unique and insightful lens, offering fresh insights into the world around us.

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