Meet the Boys of Gay Radio

AE: Is it important to you to mix gay politics/activism along with entertainment into your shows and as an OutQ personality off the air?
LF: When I first started doing my show, the intention was to keep it as light as possible. I was relieved to not carry the burden of politics or activism on the air, even though I have always had strong opinions and a past history filled with activism. But then one day, my program director challenged me to go on the air and simply speak from the heart. I felt like I was set free.

I went on the next day and started talking about my life as the partner of an HIV-positive man, and there was no turning back. Since then, I have found myself jumping from politics to social issues to Britney Spears shaving her head and everything in between.

I'm not the smartest guy on the air, but I feel strongly about everything I say. My radio show is my personal act of activism. The topics and guests are all an extension of how I view life and what I think is important in life.

FD: My idea of activism is to be smart and funny and comfortable in my own big hairy gay adorable skin for the world to see. My mother always said, "Nobody is better than you, and you're no better than anybody else." I took that to heart. I want gay kids — particularly the really faggy and dykey ones — to know that they can be themselves and be happy.

MS: Yes, politics, activism and my opinions are my show.

TC: I regard covering politics, law and activism as the primary missions of Sirius OutQ News. Of course, we do try to have some fun, too. We throw in some entertainment and amusing stories ("kickers," in broadcast news jargon), but only if they're timely, and only if we know they're fact and not just rumor.

AE: Do you think your show appeals to a straight audience as well?
LF: I'm proud to say that I know that my show has a big straight audience. It's easy to discern, too, since most of the straight people who call into my show feel compelled to identify themselves as such. I'm not sure why they do, but it's all good to me. I love knowing that we're not preaching exclusively to the gay choir.

Also, I'd be a full-on liar if I didn't feel a little glee when people call in to say that they only bought their radio to hear Howard Stern's show, but they now balance their listening time between his and my shows. The prototypical Howard Stern listener is not one you envision to be a Sirius OutQ listener, but they're checking us out. Of course, it doesn't hurt to have Howard's endorsement. He's been extremely generous in his praise on and off the air.

MS: A great many of our callers and hard-core listeners are heterosexual … moms, dads, young people, all kinds. Many say they never thought they'd be listening to "gay radio," but they realize this is a perspective on the world that's been missing in their lives, and they say they find it refreshing.

DH: We've had a lot of straight listeners from the very first day. We get emails and calls all the time from straight men and women who say their attitudes about gay people have really changed because of our show and OutQ overall. I don't think that is our mission, but if that is an ancillary component of what we do, great.

JH: You'd be surprised at the amount of straight listeners who are loyal to Sirius OutQ. A lot of them are straight truckers! And with the straight truckers listening and calling in, we've discovered that there are a lot of LGBT truckers on the road as well. Our audience is certainly not what we expected when we first began in 2004. It was an eye opener for some of us.

AE: What's more important: covering gay topics or covering all topics from a gay perspective?
FD: It's important to cover everything that's interesting — and I find a lot of really gay topics and out gay and lesbian performers worth talking about. But I wouldn't want to not discuss something because it wasn't gay. Here's an example: I often talk on the show about my not-so-secret shame of going to Chili's all the time. God knows it's not a gay restaurant. But I go there with my boyfriend of 11 years, so the experience of my going there is a gay topic.

MS: Both. I have four hours a day to hit on all the big gay news but also offer my outlook on all the important news in the larger world and how it impacts all of us.

DH: Gay topics are important and we do cover them, but when I go to the store to buy a vacuum cleaner, I don't buy a gay vacuum cleaner. I may be gay, but at least 95 percent of any given day has nothing to do with my sexuality. I dress poorly. I hate going to the gym. I am very gay, but I don't hit all the stereotypes.

I think gay people are more than just the sum of their gay parts. So our show reflects everything about our lives. I think it makes us more relatable to our audience, gay, straight and otherwise.

TC: Sirius OutQ News covers only "gay news" … loosely defined as stories of direct concern to the gay community.