PRIDE Straw Hut Media

PRIDE is back for Season Two! To celebrate the last day of Pride Month, and to kick off the rest of Pride Year, Levi Chambers sits down with queer historian, author, and professor Alex Espinoza to explore the intimate and radical history of gay cruising. Today's four part episode will:
Cover the basics of cruising
Explore its long history
Unlock its secret code
And consider the impact of COVID and dating apps on this enduring sexual practice.     


Alex Espinoza was born in Tijuana, Mexico to parents from the state of Michoacán and raised in suburban Los Angeles. He holds a BA in Creative Writing from the University of California-Riverside and an MFA from UC-Irvine’s Program in Writing. His first novel, Still Water Saints, was published by Random House in 2007 and was named a Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers Selection. The book was released simultaneously in Spanish, under the title Los santos de Agua Mansa, California, translated by Lilliana Valenzuela. His second novel, The Five Acts of Diego León, was also published by Random House in March 2013. His fiction has appeared in several anthologies and journals, including Inlandia: A Literary Journey Through California’s Inland Empire, The Southern California Review, Flaunt, and the Virginia Quarterly Review. His essays have been published at Salon.com, in the New York Times Magazine, in The Other Latin@: Writing Against a Singular Identity, in The Los Angeles Review of Books, Los Angeles Magazine, and as part of the historic Chicano Chapbook Series. He has also reviewed books for the LA Times, the American Book Review, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and NPR. His awards include a 2009 Margaret Bridgeman Fellowship in Fiction to the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, a 2014 Fellowship in Prose from the National Endowment for the Arts, a 2014 American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation for The Five Acts of Diego León, and a 2019 fellowship to MacDowell. His newest book, Cruising: An Intimate History of a Radical Pastime, was published by The Unnamed Press in June, 2019. Alex is also deeply involved with the Puente Project, a program designed to help first-generation community college students make a successful transition to a university. He lives in Los Angeles with his partner Kyle and is the Tomás Rivera Endowed Chair of Creative Writing.
Be sure to follow Alex on twitter. 
Your host is Levi Chambers, founder of Rainbo Media Co. You can follow Levi @levichambers across socials.
Follow the show and keep up with the conversation @PRIDE across socials. 
Want more great shows from Straw Hut Media? Check out or website at strawhutmedia.com.  
PRIDE is produced by Levi Chambers, Frank Driscoll, Maggie Boles, Ryan Tillotson, and Brandon Marlo. Edited by Frank Driscoll and Daniel Ferrera.
Have an interesting LGBTQ+ story to share? We might feature U! Email us at lgbtq@strawhutmedia.com.  
*This podcast is not affiliated with Pride Media.

Introducing QUEEN OF HEARTS: a new kind of blind dating game show, hosted by Jujubee (RuPaul’s Drag Race, Dragnificent). The Queen of our hearts guides singles through a series of sexy games and challenges to see if they can find their one true love-for-now. Sure to make you laugh, follow QUEEN OF HEARTS wherever you get your podcasts. Or you can listen early on Amazon Music or early and ad-free by subscribing to Wondery Plus in Apple Podcasts or the Wondery app: wondery.fm/Pride_QoH

Would you consider leaving your job, moving across the country, and buying a ranch with no farming experience? It sounds like the making of a Hallmark original movie. But that’s precisely what husbands John Kanell, and Brian Dow did. These two fathers traded their lives in Los Angeles for idyllic country life in Connecticut, running their own farm. They started a YouTube channel where they shared pieces of their lives, which has budded into a hugely successful business and a published cookbook.

Be sure to follow John and Brian on YouTube! And pre-order Preppy Kitchen: Recipes for Seasonal Dishes and Simple Pleasures.
Your host is Levi Chambers, co-founder of Gayety.
Follow the show and keep up with the conversation @Pride.
Want more great shows from Straw Hut Media? Check out or website at strawhutmedia.com.
Your producers are Levi Chambers, Maggie Boles, Ryan Tillotson and Edited by Silvana Alcala
Have an interesting LGBTQ+ story to share? We might feature U! Email us at lgbtq@strawhutmedia.com.
*This podcast is not affiliated with Pride Media.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Pride, we're embracing the Valentine season and chatting with a TikTok power couple who have the ability to make their followers swoon with the press of one upload button. TikTok superstars Nicky Champa and Pierre Boo have amassed an audience of nearly 24 million across their platforms. But being in a same-sex relationship in the public's eye comes with its challenges. Today, Nicky and Pierre share with us their love story, their highs and lows, and how they navigate the pressure to be perfect online. 

Be sure to follow Nicky & Pierre on TikTok!
Your host is Levi Chambers, co-founder of Gayety.
Follow the show and keep up with the conversation @Pride.
Want more great shows from Straw Hut Media? Check out or website at strawhutmedia.com.
Your producers are Levi Chambers, Maggie Boles, Ryan Tillotson and Edited by Silvana Alcala
Have an interesting LGBTQ+ story to share? We might feature U! Email us at lgbtq@strawhutmedia.com.
*This podcast is not affiliated with Pride Media.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Coined the "Gen Z Whisperer” by the New York Times and “The Beauty King” by The Guardian, Hyram Yarbro is a beauty influencer with over 12 million followers across his various social handles. Today on Pride, we talk to Hyram about the grueling pressure that comes with giving public beauty advice, his new line of sustainable skincare products, and how to walk the talk when it comes to social issues. But first, we’ll go back to where it all began – with a gay boy in Arizona dreaming of a way out.

Be sure to follow Hyram on TikTok!
Your host is Levi Chambers, co-founder of Gayety.
Follow the show and keep up with the conversation @Pride.
Want more great shows from Straw Hut Media? Check out or website at strawhutmedia.com.
Your producers are Levi Chambers, Maggie Boles, Ryan Tillotson and Edited by Silvana Alcala
Have an interesting LGBTQ+ story to share? We might feature U! Email us at lgbtq@strawhutmedia.com.
*This podcast is not affiliated with Pride Media.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Pride, we are speaking with Will Sterling, an actor, writer and director based in Los Angeles, California. Will hosts a podcast called “History Rated R” with his co-host Craig Smith. Throughout this episode, Will is going to share clips taken from their podcast, History Rated R and give us more insight into Craig and how he came to be a walking contradiction in terms of his sexuality, beliefs and political party affiliation.

Be sure to check out History Rated R, out now!
Your host is Levi Chambers, co-founder of Gayety.
Follow the show and keep up with the conversation @Pride.
Want more great shows from Straw Hut Media? Check out or website at strawhutmedia.com.
Your producers are Levi Chambers, Maggie Boles, Ryan Tillotson and Edited by Silvana Alcala
Have an interesting LGBTQ+ story to share? We might feature U! Email us at lgbtq@strawhutmedia.com.
*This podcast is not affiliated with Pride Media.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices