logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2024
52m 48s

Gays Against Briggs | 4. You Must Come O...

Slate Podcasts
About this episode

In the early days of the anti-Briggs campaign, a Richard Pryor comedy set turned into a public fiasco and laid bare longstanding divisions in the gay community. With the movement low on cash and running out of time, thousands of gay Californians decided their only option was to tell the world who they really were. 


(If you—or anyone you know—are in crisis, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, anytime: Dial 988 or visit 988lifeline.org.)


Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock all episodes of Slow Burn: Gays Against Briggs. Your subscription also gets you ad-free access to all your favorite Slate podcasts, plus other member exclusive content. Join now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Subscribe” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/slowburnplus to get access wherever you listen.


Season 9 of Slow Burn was written and produced by Christina Cauterucci. Slow Burn is produced by Kelly Jones, Joel Meyer, and Sophie Summergrad. 


Josh Levin is the editorial director of Slow Burn.


Derek John is Slate’s executive producer of narrative podcasts.


Susan Matthews is Slate’s executive editor.


Merritt Jacob is our senior technical director. We had engineering help from Patrick Fort and Madeline Ducharme.


Our theme music is composed by Alexis Cuadrado. Artwork by Ivylise Simones, based on an image of Silvana Nova and a poster designed by Larry Hermsen and the Too Much Graphics Collective. 


Join host Christina Cauterucci and special guests as they record a special, live episode of Slow Burn at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 13.

Need to set up your Slate Plus feed? If you subscribed through Slate.com, check out our FAQ at slate.com/podcastfaqs for easy instructions. Members subscribed via Apple Podcasts get automatic access—no setup required.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Jun 2024
Gays Against Briggs | 5. Strange Bedfellows
As Election Day approached, the campaign to defeat Proposition 6 faced formidable odds. John Briggs’ fundraising juggernaut was churning out cash, and public opinion polls were solidly in his favor. To turn the tide, gay rights activists unveiled a powerful symbol and gambled on ... Show More
50m 25s
Jun 2024
Gays Against Briggs | 6. The Murders at City Hall
On election night in 1978, gays and lesbians in California braced themselves for the statewide vote on Proposition 6. Less than a month after the results came in, a pair of killings shocked San Francisco and the nation.Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock all episodes of ... Show More
51m 13s
Jul 2024
Gays Against Briggs | 7. Turn Around. Fight Back.
For the two years leading up to May 21, 1979, gay activists followed the rules. They engaged in civil debates. They sought justice at the ballot box. They peacefully mourned the assassination of Harvey Milk. But the verdict in Dan White’s murder trial changed everything.(If you—o ... Show More
47m 56s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2021
Slow Burn - The L.A. Riots | Extra: Leading Up to the Riots
This week, we're highlighting a few excerpts from this season's Slate Plus episodes—interviews with George Holliday, professor Edward Chang, L.A. Times journalist Jim Newton, and Rodney King’s best friend Johnnie Kelly—all who help to explain the cultural and social tensions buil ... Show More
16m 26s
Apr 2023
The Sands They Are A-Shifting
Words versus mobs, reckoning with CT’s past, and weird neighbors. For show notes and more, click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 
53m 42s
Mar 2021
The Maxwells | 8. Knee Deep In Muck
After making two podcasts (this one and ‘Broken: Seeking Justice’) about the murky world of Ghislaine, Epstein and Robert, Tara sits down with her reporting partner from ‘Broken’ to discuss all they have learned and to see how it has changed the way they see Epstein and Ghislaine ... Show More
31m 23s