Duke's Download Hosted by James Duke Mason

Pride House Media
  • 5.0 (4)
  • 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. 1d ago

    Evan Wolfson: How We Won Marriage Equality — and What Comes Next

    In this episode, I sit down with Evan Wolfson, the civil rights attorney, strategist, and founder of Freedom to Marry, whose decades of work helped make marriage equality the law of the land in the United States. Our conversation looks back at the road to the historic 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision, but it is not just a conversation about the past. Evan and I talk about where the LGBTQ movement stands now, what has changed since marriage equality, and why the fight for freedom, dignity, and equal protection is far from over. Evan is very clear: victories matter, but they are never self-executing. They have to be defended, protected, and made real in people’s daily lives. Over the past decade, we have seen major progress — but also a dangerous backlash. That backlash is tied not only to anti-LGBTQ politics, but to broader threats against liberal democracy itself, including authoritarian movements, oligarchic power, and targeted attacks on vulnerable communities, especially transgender people. We also talk about the long arc of the marriage equality movement — from Evan’s 1983 law school thesis arguing for the freedom to marry, to the early post-Stonewall legal defeats like Baker v. Nelson, to the breakthrough Hawaii case in 1993 that helped ignite a national and global movement. Evan also reflects on how the AIDS crisis changed public understanding and forced many Americans to confront the reality, humanity, and commitments of gay people’s lives. One of the most urgent parts of our conversation is Evan’s warning that the anti-trans playbook we are seeing today mirrors many of the same tactics once used against marriage equality. His message is both sobering and motivating: we have to engage strategically, talk to persuadable people, build power, vote, donate, organize, and reclaim political power before more rights are rolled back. This is a conversation about history, strategy, democracy, and what it really takes to win — and keep winning. You can write to us at: Questions@DukesDownload.com And follow us onInstagram:  @jamesdukemason@PrideHouseMedia

  2. Sep 23

    Oliver Ryan MP: Why Politics Feels Broken — and How Progressives Can Win

    Hello everybody. I am really excited to share my interview with Oliver Ryan, a UK Member of Parliament for the Labour Party. Oliver’s story is inspiring — from watching the 2010 UK televised debates with his trade-union grandfather, to becoming a councillor at just 19, to entering Parliament at 31. In this episode, we talk about what first drew him into Labour politics, why public service still matters, and how personal experience can shape political purpose. We also get into the bigger picture: why so many people in the United States and the United Kingdom feel stuck in what Oliver describes as a political “doom loop.” We discuss how rapid technological change, social media echo chambers, economic insecurity, the financial crash, Brexit, COVID, and a growing lack of trust in institutions have all helped fuel the rise of populism. Oliver shares his perspective on why figures like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage are so effective at setting the agenda — and what Democrats, Labour, and progressive leaders can learn from that without copying the politics of fear. This conversation is really about the future of progressive politics. How do we reconnect with working-class voters? How do we tell better stories? How do we balance principle with pragmatism? And how do we resist the scapegoating of marginalized communities, especially trans people, while still speaking honestly to voters’ concerns? If you care about UK politics, US politics, the Labour Party, progressive strategy, democracy, social media, populism, LGBTQ+ rights, trans rights, or the future of the left, I think you’ll find this episode both timely and hopeful. You can write to us at: Questions@DukesDownload.com And follow us onInstagram:  @jamesdukemason@PrideHouseMedia

  3. Sep 16

    Brian Sims on Fighting Transphobia, Protecting LGBTQ+ Rights & Winning Elections

    Welcome back to Duke’s Download — and welcome to Season Two! For this season's first guest, I’m sitting down with my longtime friend Brian Sims, former Pennsylvania State Representative, LGBTQ+ civil rights attorney, activist, and one of the most unapologetically outspoken voices in progressive politics. Brian served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 2012 to 2022, and in this conversation, we get into something every LGBTQ+ person and ally needs to understand: so much of the fight for LGBTQ+ rights happens at the state level. Not just in Washington. Not just during presidential elections. But in statehouses, school boards, local courts, and midterm races that too many people ignore until it’s too late. Brian and I talk about how a relatively small number of anti-LGBTQ politicians have been able to drive an enormous amount of fear, misinformation, and transphobic rhetoric — and why defeating just a few of them can change the entire political landscape. We also dig into the complicated question of outing closeted politicians who actively harm LGBTQ+ people, the rise of performative masculinity in national politics, and the very real election integrity concerns surrounding mail-in ballots, ballot delivery, and certification. And of course, we spend time on one of the most urgent issues of our time: protecting trans rights. Brian makes a powerful case that defending trans people is not only morally necessary — it’s also one of the clearest ways to show where we stand on democracy, equality, and basic human dignity. His advice to cisgender allies is simple and essential: don’t speak over trans people — give them the microphone. If you care about LGBTQ+ rights, trans rights, progressive politics, state-level elections, democracy, or how we actually win power where it matters, this is a conversation you do not want to miss. You can write to us at: Questions@DukesDownload.com And follow us onInstagram:  @jamesdukemason@PrideHouseMedia

  4. Sep 9

    Pop Culture, Politics & the Midterm Sprint | Duke’s Download Season 2 Premiere

    I’m back! Welcome to Season 2 of Duke’s Download — and this time, we’re turning up the energy, the urgency, and the conversation. Nearly a year after launching the show in November 2025, I’m returning with a renewed purpose: the midterm elections are just two months away, and the stakes could not be higher. Politics isn’t something happening “over there” anymore — it’s in our schools, libraries, social feeds, drag brunches, courtrooms, campaigns, and everyday conversations. This season, we’re diving into the powerful intersection of pop culture and politics — from celebrity media and identity to freedom, gender, sexuality, LGBTQ+ rights, and especially the fight for trans rights. Because who controls the narrative often controls the power. I’ll be joined by incredible guests this season, including Brian Sims, former Pennsylvania legislator and LGBTQ+ trailblazer; Oliver Ryan, UK Labour MP; activist and drag performer Marti  Gould Cummings; plus more politicians, pop culture voices, and icons along the way. My goal is simple: bring together progressives, pragmatic Democrats, activists, culture-shapers, and everyday viewers who care about protecting democracy and defeating Republicans this November. Drop your thoughts, questions, and hot takes in the comments — or email me at questions@dukesdownload.com. I want this to be a real conversation, not a monologue. New episodes of Duke’s Download drop every Wednesday — so subscribe, share, and join me for the two-month sprint to Election Day. You can write to us at: Questions@DukesDownload.com And follow us onInstagram:  @jamesdukemason@PrideHouseMedia

  5. Jul 29

    Charlie David’s Queer Rom‑Com Is Giving Major 1999 Energy

    This week on Duke’s Download, I sit down with actor, filmmaker, author and producer Charlie David — known for playing the lead in the cult LGBTQ series Dante’s Cove — to talk about queer representation, indie film hustle, and his new interactive rom‑com novel, Bless This Hot Mess (out August 11). We start with his wild origin story (it’s crazy,  he was playing organ at funerals at 14), then dive into: Making Dante’s Cove during industry strikes and a recessionHosting 100+ episodes of the LGBTQ travel series BumpHow queer media and film festivals have changedPolitical backsliding and the fight for LGBTQ rightsLaunching his production companty, Border2Border EntertainmentAnd of course, his interactive, music‑linked 1999‑set queer rom‑com novelCharlie opens up about balancing creativity and business, mentoring new filmmakers, and writing queer stories. If you care about:  ✅ LGBTQ representation in media  ✅ Political shifts affecting queer rights  ✅ Indie filmmaking  ✅ Dante’s Cove nostalgia ✅ Queer romantic comedies You’ll love this conversation. You can pre-order his book Bless This Hot Mess here. https://www.border2border.ca/bless-this-hot-mess You can write to us at: Questions@DukesDownload.com And follow us onInstagram:  @jamesdukemason@PrideHouseMedia

  6. Jul 22

    From Analog to AOL & Beyond: Growing Up Queer in the 1990s

    Hello everybody. This week I am ‘on the road’ so I am coming to you from a makeshift studio care of my boyfriend’s sister’s childhood bedroom in Florida.  Anyway, I cannot believe it, but we are winding down this season. This episode marks my 34th show, so we are a little overdue so we are going to take a short Summer break. But before I do, I am going to leave you with a couple more AMAZING episodes. This week on Duke’s Download, I sit down with historian, cultural critic, and all-around brilliant human Hugh Ryan (aka Hugh the Historian co-host Queer 101 with Pepermint) to talk about his memoir My Bad: A Personal History of the Queer ’90s and Beyond—and wow, do we go there. We dive into what the queer 1990s were really like. Not the glossy, playlist-ready nostalgia version. I’m talking about the messy, confusing, sometimes dangerous reality of growing up LGBTQ in the shadow of the AIDS crisis—when community was analog, the internet was barely a thing, and representation was… limited at best. Hugh opens up about why he chose memoir instead of straight history—because sometimes the most powerful way to tell queer history is to tell the truth about how it actually felt. We talk about how the shift from analog queer spaces to early internet connection changed everything, why progress is never a straight line (pun absolutely intended), and why marriage equality didn’t magically solve systemic inequality. We also get into: Why ’90s nostalgia leaves out some hard truthsThe limits of assimilation politicsHow queer archives can be endangered—even inside major institutionsThe “dangerously fabulous” early-2000s NYC nightlife sceneThe Pop-Up Museum of Queer History and the Smithsonian Hide/Seek controversyThe fight to build lasting institutions like the American LGBTQ Museum (opening 2028)This episode is about queer culture, queer history, queer survival—and why preserving our stories matters now more than ever. And yes, we laugh a lot too. You can write to us at: Questions@DukesDownload.com And follow us onInstagram:  @jamesdukemason@PrideHouseMedia

  7. Jul 15

    Boy George on Makeup, Reinvention & His Next Era

    This week on Duke’s Download, I sit down with the one and only Boy George (yes that Boy George) — and let me tell you, he does not disappoint. We had a super fun and really relaxed conversation about reinvention — again. George gets real about makeup, transformation, and how differently people treat him when he’s not in full Boy George mode. (Spoiler: the face changes, the attitude doesn’t.) I even share a memory of watching him put on make up backstage when I was a little kid. It is kind of crazy… he is auctioning off some of his most iconic looks in LA — yes, actual fashion history — and he shares the stories behind the pieces. We also get into the new Boy George & Culture Club documentary, and how he refuses to become a nostalgia act while still honoring the past. Touring, DJ sets, even spinning at London’s goth club The Dark Room — he’s still out there. We also dive into why he quit X (formerly Twitter), the madness of online culture wars, and how words like “woke,” “gay,” and “trans” get repeated until they harden into “truth.” And then — plot twist — we talk AI. George is experimenting with AI as a songwriting tool, using it to spark ideas and bring fresh hooks to the band. He’s testing it on tour, writing daily like therapy, and exploring where technology and creativity collide. Plus: A revival of TabooPossible new music directionsBuddhism, astrology, EurovisionAnd how to survive the internet without losing your mindIt’s reflective. It’s sharp. It’s funny. It’s very George. He’s not stuck in the ’80s. He’s not stuck anywhere. And honestly? That might be the most punk thing about him. You can write to us at: Questions@DukesDownload.com And follow us onInstagram:  @jamesdukemason@PrideHouseMedia

  8. Jul 8

    Ask Duke Anything: Presidents I’ve Met, Politics, Wellness & Favorite LGBTQ+ Films

    Hello everybody. Well…you asked — I answered. In this Ask Duke Anything episode of Duke’s Download, I’m diving into your questions about everything from the U.S. presidents I’ve met (yes, really!) to my daily wellness routine, my political origin story, and my favorite LGBTQ+ films of all time. Over the years, I’ve either met or been in the room with Presidents Reagan, Carter, Clinton, George W. Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden — which still feels surreal to say out loud. I also share what it was like meeting Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip back in 2002 (a moment I’ll never forget). We also get into: My current wellness routine (daily walking, weight training, high‑protein focus, meditation, and faith)Why mental health and movement go hand in handWhether I’d ever make a documentary about my family and my grandfather, James MasonMy thoughts on the upcoming book James Mason: The Star Hollywood Forgot (coming this September)How I first got involved in politics around the 2000 electionMy favorite songs from my mom’s career (you know I had to!)Thoughts on the war in UkraineMy all‑time favorite LGBTQ+ films like The Birdcage, To Wong Foo, and Priscilla, Queen of the DesertFavorite travel spots, actors, and what’s ahead this summerThis one is personal, wide‑ranging, and honestly a lot of fun. I love doing these Q&A episodes because they let me connect with you beyond headlines and hot takes. If you enjoy conversations about politics, Hollywood history, wellness, LGBTQ+ culture, and life behind the scenes — this episode is for you. Drop your questions for the next Ask Duke Anything in the comments 👇 You can write to us at: Questions@DukesDownload.com And follow us onInstagram:  @jamesdukemason@PrideHouseMedia

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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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