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LGBTQ+ people have been part of the American story from the beginning, fighting for the right to pursue happiness long before Stonewall. In recent decades, the movement has achieved major cultural, political, and legal gains. Yet these advances have disproportionately benefited middle-class individuals who can conform to cultural norms and can afford to assert their legal rights. Jules Gill-Peterson joins host Alex Lovit to discuss who has been left behind, why solidarity matters, and how to build a broader sense of shared interests within and beyond the LGBTQ+ community. This is the second episode in our series, “Democracy, Under Construction,” which commemorates America’s 250th anniversary by focusing on the moments when our country became a more inclusive democracy and celebrating the historical figures who pushed the country to live up to its ideals. Jules Gill-Peterson is an associate professor of history at Johns Hopkins University. She specializes in transgender history. https://www.upress.umn.edu/9781517904678/histories-of-the-transgender-child/ https://www.versobooks.com/products/3054-a-short-history-of-trans-misogyny Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this first episode of our series, “Democracy, Under Construction,” Sherrilyn Ifill joins host Alex Lovit to discuss the Second Founding, when the Reconstruction Amendments—and in particular the 14th Amendment—fundamentally changed American rights and who was defined as American. Birthright citizenship, protections from abuses by state governments, and equality before the law all entered the Constitution following the ratification of the 14th Amendment in 1868. The “Democracy, Under Construction” series commemorates America’s 250th anniversary by focusing on the moments when our country became a more inclusive democracy and celebrating the historical figures who pushed the country to live up to its ideals. Sherrilyn Ifill is among the most accomplished civil rights lawyers in the United States. She is the Vernon Jordan Distinguished Professor in Civil Rights at Howard University School of Law and the founding director of the 14th Amendment Center for Law and Democracy. She previously served as the president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Lewis Raven Wallace joins host Alex Lovit to discuss the conditions that make it possible for people to change their minds. Children gradually learn about the world: what to expect from themselves and from others, who is or isn’t part of their social group, and what society looks like. But for adults, learning new ideas requires unlearning old ones first. Wallace has advice for anyone who wants to shift their own perspectives or encourage others to do the same. Lewis Raven Wallace is a journalist. He is the abolition journalism fellow with Interrupting Criminalization. He has written multiple books, including his most recent, Radical Unlearning: The Art and Science of Creating Change from Within. https://www.lewispants.com/ https://www.interruptingcriminalization.com/projects-all/abolition-media Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The decisions judges make during the coming months in various active legal cases will affect who can vote, which districts they vote in, and what political advertising they see—among many other factors. What’s at stake is not just the outcomes of this year’s elections but also the future integrity of democracy in the US. Voting rights attorney Marc Elias joins host Alex Lovit to discuss threats to ballot access in the United States, how lawyers are fighting back, and what the rest of us can do to help. Marc Elias is one of the most experienced and prominent voting rights lawyers in the country. He is the founder of the Elias Law Group and the voting rights media platform, Democracy Docket. https://www.democracydocket.com/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As the United States continues to experience democratic backsliding, people are looking for ways to rise to the moment. But what does it take for someone to stay true to their values and say, “no, I refuse to participate in this?” Organizational psychologist Sunita Sah joins host Alex Lovit to discuss why people have more trouble standing up to injustice than they think they will and how we can prepare ourselves to make difficult choices. Sunita Sah is professor of management and organizations at Cornell University's SC Johnson Graduate School of Management and the author of Defy: The Power of No in a World That Demands Yes. https://www.sunitasah.com/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Christian nationalists view other religious, cultural, and racial identities as less than fully American. Andrew Whitehead joins host Alex Lovit to discuss the threat that this poses to democracy. Andrew Whitehead is a professor of sociology and executive director of the Association of Religion Data Archives at the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture at Indiana University Indianapolis. He is also a research fellow for the Charles F. Kettering Foundation. https://andrewwhitehead.substack.com/ https://www.axismundi.us/podcasts/american-idols https://kettering.org/author/alwhitehead/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Latinos are the largest and fastest growing minority group in the United States, which means they have growing political influence. In recent elections, Latino voters have been split between the two major parties, with Republicans gaining significant vote share (though not quite a majority) in 2024. Sergio Garcia-Rios joins host Alex Lovit to discuss what Latino Americans want from their government and what to expect in upcoming elections.  Sergio Garcia-Rios is an assistant professor and the associate director for research at the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin. He is also the director for polling and data at Univision News.  https://sergiogarciarios.com/   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Free and fair elections are an essential component of democracy. But fair elections face a number of threats in the United States right now. Onerous ID and proof of citizenship requirements exclude millions of legal voters. And lack of legal clarity about the process to certify results creates the risks of post-election chaos. Samantha Tarazi joins host Alex Lovit to discuss these and other threats to American elections. Samantha Tarazi is the cofounder and chief executive officer of Voting Rights Lab, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization securing and expanding the freedom to vote in all 50 states since 2017. Her voting and elections policy expertise has been featured in major national and in-state publications. Previously, as the inaugural chief engagement officer at Everytown for Gun Safety, Sam helped grow Moms Demand Action from a Facebook group into a national network of over 55,000 volunteer leaders working to advance gun safety education and policy. https://votingrightslab.org/ https://tracker.votingrightslab.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Transparency is essential to hold democratic governments accountable. That requires preserving documents and making them accessible to the public. Colleen Shogan joins host Alex Lovit to discuss the important role that the National Archives and Records Administration plays in our democracy—and how history shapes national identity. Colleen Shogan served as the 11th Archivist of the United States from 2023 until 2025. She currently serves as the CEO of In Pursuit, a history and civics education initiative from the pro-democracy organization More Perfect. https://www.inpursuit.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We’ve gotten a ton of excellent advice from our guests this year about how everyday people can get involved in fighting authoritarianism and encouraging citizen engagement. So, in this year-end lookback episode, we decided to put the top seven suggestions together in one place. Featuring clips from Ece Temelkuran, Jeffrey Winters, Deva Woodly, Maria Stephan, Sharon Davies, Steven Levitsky, and John C. Yang. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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The Trump administration is trying to restrict who gets to be an American: who can be in the country, who has citizenship, who has the right to vote, and who can access government services. American identity has always been complicated and contested, but this administration is narrowing the scope in dangerous new ways. John C. Yang joins host Alex Lovit to describe how these policies harm all Americans, and especially the Asian American community, which has been uniquely targeted historically and today. And he outlines what his organization is doing to fight back against this administration’s exclusionary policies. John C. Yang is the president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, which advocates for the civil and human rights of Asian Americans and has filed a number of lawsuits against the Trump administration. https://www.advancingjustice-aajc.org/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Recent advances in artificial intelligence have drawn a lot of media attention. But little of this has focused on how this new technology may affect democracy. Spencer Overton joins host Alex Lovit to discuss how AI may push the United States away from becoming an inclusive, multiracial democracy—or toward it. Spencer Overton is the Patricia Roberts Harris Research Professor of Law and the director of the Multiracial Democracy Project at George Washington University Law School. https://ssrn.com/abstract=4754903 https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5196382 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How did right wing voices take over podcasting? Media analyst Angelo Carusone joins host Alex Lovit to discuss how the online media ecosystem came to be dominated by anti-inclusive and authoritarian narratives and what that means for democracy. Angelo Carusone is the president of Media Matters, a nonprofit media watchdog organization. https://www.mediamatters.org/ https://www.mediamatters.org/google/right-dominates-online-media-ecosystem-seeping-sports-comedy-and-other-supposedly https://www.mediamatters.org/tiktok/study-interacting-these-popular-right-leaning-comedy-podcasters-can-turn-your-tiktok-feed Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Nonviolent movements are more effective at combatting authoritarianism than violent resistance, according to research from today’s guest. Maria Stephan joins host Alex Lovit to discuss the implications of her research for the United States in this moment of political upheaval and growing authoritarianism. Maria Stephan is the co-lead and chief organizer of the Horizons Project. She’s written several books, including co-authoring the award-winning Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict. https://horizonsproject.us/ https://freedomtrainers.net/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.