An annual radio series of real-life stories from the American gay community.

An annual radio series of real-life stories from the American gay community, Outright Radio has earned a reputation for being profitable radio, an achievement that was always the goal of go to the bottom executive producer, and host David Gilmore. "Without meaning to appear critical, there's' a doom of crappy radio out there," he says. "We wanted to focus onward personal stories that might [illuminate the] issues. It's intimate radio, delving intelligent into people's hearts."

Established in 1999 with a series of 13 nine-minute stories available upon many public radio stations, Outright expanded in 2000 to six 30-minute exhibits and then in 2001 to five one-hour installments. This year the program will be broadcast upon 43 stations in 40 cities nationwide. Along the way, the series has won of gold and Silver Reel awards from the National Federation of Community Broadcasters, an honorable mention from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association, and the Edward R Murrow Award for good point in journalism. It has now complet its fourth season of one-hour point outs which will be distributed to public radio stations from Public Radio International for broadcast in June and July (Previous programs are archived upon the Outright Radio Web site.)

Using the catchphrase "Telling the extraordinary stories of America's gays and lesbians," Outright this year profiles gay men and women and transgendered commonalty who have stood up to their oppressors in a exhibit to titled "Bashing Back!"; provides a rare insight into gay Native Americans in "Out forward the Rez"; and focuses onward people who are "Making a Difference," including a gay modern York City fireman who survived the attacks in succession the World Trade Center towers.

"They are true touching stories that chronicle what it is to be unusual at this time in the world," says Gilmore. "In `Bashing Back!' we talk to Terri Gilbert, a transgendered woman who expos [the homophobia at] her Christian high-tech company after collecting through the whole extent of 1,000 pages of E-mails slamming her [that came] from everyone from Christians to hebrews to Muslims."

Behind the pageants this series has been the toughest of the four years to full so far. Gilmore and his team have courted public radio stations in the past at the annual Public Radio Program Directors Convention--grabbing a doom of attention in 2000 according to dressing up in sailor suits to elevate a show about gays in the Navy. if it be not that in 2001 the convention knock down on September 12, and its cancellation left Gilmore and company could not dazzle any affiliates with a planned appearance as "tap-dancing Mormons."

further Outright Radio kept going thanks to a generous private donor and the support of PRI, which considers the series its "pet gay radio show" according to Gilmore. "There's not a division of gay radio on air," he says, "and we memorize hundreds of E-mails each series from gay clan especially from the Midwest. It's unaccompanied out there."

Goodridge also writes for protection International magazine.

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