Power, Sex & Silence in the Epstein Era: Who Actually Gets Held Accountable?

This week on Queer 101, Hugh (my resident historian-in-chief) and I are back in our Sister Outsider era — and baby, we are not keeping it cute.

We pick up where we left off with Audre Lorde and the idea of the erotic as power — not shame, not scandal, not something to clutch pearls over — but something potentially liberating. And from there? Oh, we go there.

Using the reactions to Heated Rivalry (yes, that one 👀) and the very real experiences of trans women being fetishized, we unpack how the Overton window around sexuality, morality, and public accountability has shifted since the 1970s.

Because let’s be honest — what’s considered “scandalous” today feels wildly inconsistent.

We talk about:

• The gap between puritanical moral outrage and the lack of consequences for powerful men named in the Epstein files
• How accountability seems to depend on which political team you’re on
• Why conspiracy movements like QAnon thrive during economic anxiety
• And how scapegoating marginalized communities becomes a convenient distraction

Spoiler: neither political party is fully meeting the moment. And “just vote harder” is not a complete strategy.

We get into what I call “bearable fascism,” why electoral politics alone won’t save us, and how Audre Lorde’s insistence on rejecting silence, shame, and respectability politics feels more urgent than ever.

For me, this episode is about remembering that organizing matters. Community matters. Your internal compass matters. And survival under oppression requires more than vibes — it requires intention.

New episodes drop every Tuesday, and if you want to see my face while I get fired up, the full video version is on my YouTube channel.

Come join the conversation. Bring your brain. And maybe a highlighter.

Follow us at:

• @peppermint247
• @hughoryan
• @pridehousemedia

Write to us at:

• questions@queer101podcast.com