Tune in for the final part of Bob Lederer's interview with Bettina Aptheker, author of the exciting new book, Communists in Closets: Queering the History, 1930s–1990s.  You’ll hear Professor Aptheker discuss the inner workings of the U.S. Communist Party’s nearly 60-year ban on openly gay and lesbian members – as well as both the damage done by that shaming and exclusionary policy, plus the heroic contributions by queers who remained in the party despite the obstacles thrown at them. You’ll also hear about two important white lesbian intellectual and activist feminist leaders of the party, Betty Millard and Eleanor Flexner, who kept their memberships by never discussing their sexual identities. And we’ll again air the inspiring back story behind the political development of brilliant Black playwright Lorraine Hansberry, who according to Professor Aptheker, was schooled by what she calls the Black communist intelligentsia surrounding the Party in the 1950s. This time, we’ll also air excerpts from WBAI’s 1967 documentary titled "Lorraine Hansberry in Her Own Words," courtesy of the Pacifica Radio Archive. You’ll hear excerpts from major Hollywood names, including Paul Robeson, paying tribute and reading Hansberry’s writing.

Aptheker's book explores the history of gay, lesbian, and non-heterosexual people in the Communist Party USA, which banned lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people from membership between 1938 and 1992. Based on a decade of archival research, correspondence, and interviews, Bettina Aptheker explores this history, also pulling from her own experience as a closeted lesbian in the Communist Party in the 1960s and ‘70s.

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E-book available: On all three programs, we'll be offering copies of Bettina's e-book as thank-you gifts to those who donate at the $50 level. We urge those of you who value this type of programming to make a donation so this listener-sponsored, progressive radio station can survive. Only by refusing to take corporate funding can this station, and its parent Pacifica network, keep radical voices on the air. Funding is more at risk now than ever. Any donation, however small, will make a real difference. Please visit give2wbai.org or call (any time) 212-209-2950. (after the page appears, scroll down to the Communists in Closets premium.) Thanks so much for your support.

About Out-FM
Out-FM is a weekly progressive, intersectional queer show on listener-sponsored, noncommercial WBAI/Pacifica Radio. It airs at 99.5 and wbai.org, generally on Tuesdays from 8-9 PM.  Please support us by donating to WBAI. Become a member for $25 or a BAI Buddy (sustainer) for $10/month or more. Go to give2wbai.org or call 212-209-2950 and let the station know you listen to Out-FM choosing us as a favorite show and by supporting the station with a donation. Be sure and mention our show when you donate. Click here to download the Pacifica Radio App from the iTunes store or Google Play Android store and then click on WBAI/NY. Sign up for Out-FM's Weekly Newsletter with show announcements.