Cary Harrison Files

• Weekly Private Reality Check

  Each week, you’ll get this special 20 min deep dig audio analysis that explains the mechanisms at play. It’s your Reality Check. Everybody is reporting "What" is happening. It's the "Why" that gives us the keys to the car of survival navigation. When you know the plot of the play, you can predict the methods to get there and hopefully avoid the worst of it. I hope you will join others and consider becoming a paid member. I thank you!Let’s not pretend anymore. The emperor’s not just naked—he’s tweeting from the tub, spying on the neighbors, and demanding you clap louder for the parade.Stay with us.Salvation may be canceled, but analysis isn’t. Please listen to this complementary first episode, which contains completely different content and breaks down the matters of the day! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit caryharrison.substack.com/subscribe

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• Unzipped: "Fairyboy"

  The Cary Harrison Files’ “Unzipped”: Emmy-winning reporter Garrett Glaser! Known for his bold career and trailblazing moments, Garrett made history in 1994 as the first TV news correspondent to come out on air. In his memoir Fairyboy, he opens up about growing up gay in pre-Stonewall New York and shattering barriers in the media world. Get ready for a conversation full of grit, humor, and lessons on living your truth.Ah, the curious case of Garrett Glaser — a man who never saw a closet he wanted to stay in. If you’ve ever watched TV in the past few decades, there’s a good chance you’ve caught a glimpse of Garrett: the Emmy-winning reporter who graced the airwaves for ABC, CBS, NBC, and Entertainment Tonight, among others. His interviews with the biggest stars and most notorious figures — from Elizabeth Taylor to Charles Manson — are the stuff of TV legend. But behind the anchor desk and in front of the camera, Garrett was fighting a far more personal battle, one that would eventually define his entire career: the battle to be his authentic self.In 1994, Garrett made headlines when he became the first-ever local TV news correspondent to come out as gay while on the air. A bold move, especially in an era when the closet was still an institution. But Garrett wasn’t interested in hiding. He wanted to shatter the glass ceilings of the media world and show the next generation of LGBTQIA+ journalists that it was possible to thrive by being 100% out.His memoir, Fairyboy: Growing Up Gay and Out in Pre-Stonewall New York and Beyond, offers a fascinating time travel experience through the hidden world of gay New York before the Stonewall riots — from the infamous West Side Highway ‘trucks’ to the Continental Baths. But Garrett’s story isn’t just about coming out; it’s about making the impossible possible. From his childhood in the 1960s, when his mom sent him straight to a psychiatrist after he came out, to his rise as a trailblazing journalist who’d never compromise on his truth, Garrett’s story is one of resilience, wit, and a hell of a lot of grit.Alongside Fairyboy, Garrett’s legacy is a call to arms for all queer journalists: ‘Don’t hide. Don’t apologize. Live your truth — and use your outsider status to make the world better.’*In his new memoir, FAIRYBOY, Garrett rips the polite veneer off mid-century America and hands you a cocktail of wit, grit, and enough confessions to make your grandmother clutch her pearls — if she's still alive to clutch anything at all.From being outed by a stepmother with the maternal instincts of a Komodo dragon.....to becoming the first TV news reporter to come out on the air and still keep his job —Garrett's life has been a masterclass in refusing to play nice.He’s here today, bruised but unbeaten, to remind you why hiding who you are is a sucker’s game — and why being an outsider might just be the ultimate insider move. * Full Q&A transcript available elsewhere on this page.Garrett Glaser, Garrett, first off — "Fairyboy" is a hell of a title. I hear Betty Friedan's kid had a hand in that one. How'd that conversation go?Garrett Glaser, You were outed at 14 by your stepmother. Can you walk us through that lovely betrayal?Garrett Glaser, Most kids stay closeted for years. You were out and strutting almost immediately. Why do you think you were wired differently?Garrett Glaser, What was it like seeing Liberace and Mary Martin as a kid? Life-altering or just fabulous chaos?Garrett Glaser, Your father worked approving ads for The Boys in the Band. Did he have any idea how much those conversations would shape your life?Garrett Glaser, You came out on live television in 1994 — did you expect a career suicide note or a standing ovation?Garrett Glaser, Multiple sclerosis ended your TV career early. How did you handle having your identity shift again — this time not by choice?Garrett Glaser, You argue that being gay helped your career. Can you explain that, when so many still believe it’s a liability?Garrett Glaser, You’ve seen the gay rights movement stretch from survival to TikTok. Has the pendulum swung too far into parody, or is this just progress being messy?Garrett Glaser, For young LGBTQIA+ journalists listening right now: What's your best piece of advice that doesn’t sound like it came from a Hallmark card?It's not great it's the whole universe on Substack is asking for 5 bucks. Unfortunate that they don't allow other ways for people to be self-sustaining without having to bug readers. But if you're open to it, your support would be heartily appreciated! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit caryharrison.substack.com/subscribe

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  17:46
• CBS' Dr. Celine Gounder/Senate's Josh Karetny Offer Safety Dating Platform

  The Cary Harrison Files: I’m live today from the jungle of Yalapa, Mexico! Flash is in LA, so, we’re covering the whole sphere together.Well, you, poor denizens of the modern dating jungle, listen up: Once upon a time, a man could meet a woman at a soda fountain, fib about his job, and both parties would call it a day. Now? You can swipe right on a "yoga instructor" who turns out to be a 47-year-old chain-smoking cat burglar from Dayton. Progress, they called it.Tonight, we’re talking about a brave new attempt to fix the great mess that dating apps have made of courtship — not by restoring honesty, which would be a miracle, but by enforcing it, through technology, shame, and medical records.Enter PlumCheck: a platform so practical, so overdue, it’s a wonder we didn’t already have it before we had 17,000 variants of TikTok dances. Founded by Dr. Céline Gounder and Josh Karetny, who each got mugged by reality in the Wild West of online dating, PlumCheck aims to give you what you've been too polite — or too afraid — to ask for: actual verified information about the stranger who's promising you "long walks on the beach" but might actually have a rap sheet longer than the Dead Sea Scrolls.Verified names. Real ages. Real health statuses. Vaccinations. Medications. STD testing. The works.In short: less guesswork, fewer horror stories, and maybe — just maybe — a few more real dates that don’t end in a police report or a blood test.Dr. Celine Gounder and Josh Karetny now join us. Josh went from a U.S. Senate office to a $40 million health tech startup, he’s built and run organizations, and has a Passion for innovation and disruption. Gounder is the Editor-at-Large for Public Health at KFF Health News and a CBS News Medical Contributor. You’ve seen her on CNN, read her in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The New Yorker — basically, if the world's falling apart, she's explaining why. She’s a practicing infectious disease doctor at NYU’s Bellevue Hospital, served on Biden’s COVID Advisory Board, fought Ebola in Guinea, treated patients from the Navajo Nation to New York City. In short: if it's contagious, deadly, or drowning in disinformation, Dr. Gounder’s been in the thick of it. They join us now to talk about PlumCheck — and whether technology can salvage modern romance before it collapses under the weight of its own absurdity. Please listen above to enjoy the discussion. (Also, full transcript available elsewhere on this page)Dr. Celine Gounder & Josh Karetny, So tell us—what moment of existential despair convinced you PlumCheck had to exist?Dr. Celine Gounder & Josh Karetny, We've had dating apps for decades. Why has nobody bothered to fix the basic problem of "who the hell am I talking to" until now?Dr. Celine Gounder & Josh Karetny, Your first users are going to be gay men — is that because they’re the early adopters, the realists, or just the ones with the best stories?Friends, I hope you will join David on both Public Radio Stations & YouTube and consider becoming a paid subscriber to keep this Red-State-banned content going. I thank youDr. Celine Gounder & Josh Karetny, Privacy’s a beast with many teeth. How do you plan to tame it, especially with HIPAA lurking in the background?Dr. Celine Gounder & Josh Karetny, Let’s get clinical for a second: A negative STD test from last week doesn’t mean you’re in the clear today. How do you expect users to read that information without getting lulled into a false sense of security?Dr. Celine Gounder & Josh Karetny, Once you get basic verification nailed down, what other features are you itching to add to PlumCheck? Lie detectors? Tarot readings?Dr. Celine Gounder & Josh Karetny, Could PlumCheck eventually move beyond dating into the wider world — roommates, business partners, politicians maybe? (God knows we could use it.)Dr. Celine Gounder & Josh Karetny, You’re launching in New York City first. Is that because it’s the best proving ground, or just because nowhere else is quite as insane?Dr. Celine Gounder & Josh Karetny, There’s a certain romance, ironically, in trusting a total stranger. Are you worried your app might kill what little magic’s left in meeting someone new?Dr. Celine Gounder & Josh Karetny, If people want to actually trust their next date — or at least verify they’re not talking to a chatbot with syphilis — where should they go to learn more about PlumCheck?Our Sponsor - On how to get rid of your timeshare!It's not great it's the whole universe on Substack is asking for 5 bucks. Unfortunate that they don't allow other ways for people to be self-sustaining without having to bug readers. But if you're open to it, your support would be heartily appreciated! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit caryharrison.substack.com/subscribe

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  40:00
• Thousands of you stood up, marched out, and said, “Hands off!”

  Friends, I hope you will join David on both Public Radio Stations & YouTube and consider becoming a paid subscriber to keep this Red-State-banned content going. I thank youThe Cary Harrison Files: Coming up—across America, the silent are getting noisy. From dusty diners to city streets, people are waking up, smelling what they feel is injustice, and deciding they’re not gonna take it lying down. Turns out, when you poke enough sleeping giants, they don’t hit snooze—they hit back. Well now—across this battered republic, something curious is happening. Americans—you, me, the neighbors who still think fluoride is mind control—are waking up. Not from the American Dream, mind you, but from the hangover it's left behind. And instead of reaching for aspirin, they're grabbing protest signs.In Lowndes County, Alabama, where raw sewage runs freer than campaign donations, a civil rights settlement meant to stop decades of neglect got flushed by the Trump administration—because, apparently, fixing sewage is now a woke plot. You’d think the EPA stood for “Eradicate People Altogether.”But here's the kicker—people didn’t just grumble and go back to their Netflix queue. No, they hit the streets. From Manhattan to Mobile, over 700 protests just this past week. Something called the 50501 movement—it sounds like a zip code but moves like a freight train. Thousands of you stood up, marched out, and said, “Hands off!” to whoever's currently pawing at what's left of democracy.Meanwhile, David Hogg, the Parkland survivor turned political firebrand, is taking on the old guard—his own Democratic party's old guard. He’s rolling out a $20 million campaign to back progressive challengers in safe Democratic districts—basically saying, "Thanks for your service, now make way for someone under 70."But not everyone's clapping. DNC Vice Chair Ken Martin isn’t amused. He’s pushing a rule to keep party brass neutral during primaries. Translation: either Hogg shuts down his crusade, or he walks away from being vice chair of the DNC. No double-dipping in revolution and regulation.What do you think—reform or rebellion? It’s your democracy and this show is your stage. I want to hear your thoughts, so pick up your Harrison Hotlines at 818-985-5735, 818-985-KPFK.Here's an email, just-in from listner Luis Salazar that says:I think we do need a reset and have for a while. It could have been executed better on Hoggs behalf, and he should’ve known the old guard would try to shut him down. Congress looks like a nursing home and has for a while. We need young people to step up, and we need for some of these old farts that are just rusted in like Supreme Court justices waiting for Jesus to take them home to move on to retirement. They should have been mentoring a replacement and put them in place years ago, that’s usually how it works, but greed is a powerful thing and they just stay growing their stock portfolios they put in relatives names, amassing wealth. After the first year of being in congress the AOC the Maxwell Frost write their first book and get their first million, start charging huge fees for appearances, that’s when you know they learned how to play the game and no longer have constituents needs as a priority. Now they play a game to see how long they can keep it going and stay there to compete to be the star of the show. I get Hoggs frustration, who would not be when the senate sits on a stacks of bills that could fundamentally change peoples lives instantly like gun control, social security, equality act, and child care. The art of compromise and working to make the lives of average people somewhat bearable is stagnant. Now the geriatrics that run the show see the wolves coming so they have retreated into there dooms day bomb shelters that they have been preparing for years to ride out the fallout in, while the people go at each others throats for scraps like gladiators in an arena while they watch as entertainment on their tv from the comfort of safety.Demolition or Renovation: what’s the future of the Democratic party?Announcing a new show called "Desperate and Dateless," a chance for people to actually meet each other and interview each other, real time, over the radio and YouTube. Yes, it's wildly entertaining but it actually puts people together. Watch all of us attempt analog discussion once again after all these years of virtual microtexting. More on this soon! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit caryharrison.substack.com/subscribe

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  14:04
• Conversion Therapy: Administration's 'medical procedure' to turn Trans to Cis

  Friends, I hope you will join Velinda on both Public Radio Stations & YouTube and consider becoming a paid subscriber to keep this Red-State-banned content going. I thank you!The Cary Harrison Files: You ever hear of a therapy so helpful it ruins your life? Well, you’re about to. Today, we're peeling back the velvet curtain on one of the great misnomers of modern psychiatry: conversion therapy. A practice so medieval, Torquemada might blush—yet polished enough to have once passed for medicine.Conversion therapy, in all its snake-oil glory, is the misguided crusade to rewire the uncooperative soul—to pray the gay away, baptize the trans back to cis, and somehow replace someone's identity with a church newsletter and a six-week course on heteronormativity. It's been rightly dismissed by every major mental health association worth their DSM, yet it slithers on, banned in some states and not others. In fact, the Supreme Court said it’ll take on a case from Colorado that could decide whether any cities or states can legally ban conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ kids.Yet, the statistics are a horror show. Survivors of this so-called "therapy" face depression, addiction, HIV risk, and suicide at rates that make war zones look like wellness retreats. And let's not forget—many are minors, shipped off by frightened families hoping to fix what was never broken.But in this carnival of cruelty, some voices rise above the din. Curtis Lopez-Galloway, forged in the fire of this twisted practice, turned trauma into activism and is now uniting survivors through the Conversion Therapy Survivor Network. And joining him, Samuel Nieves—a voice as sharp as his mind, wielding personal experience and psychological training like a scalpel.So, brace yourself. This is a Grimm fairy tale and a reckoning.Curtis Lopez-Galloway, Founder & President of Conversion Therapy Survivor Network and Samuel Nieves, Board Director… welcome to the show!Curtis Lopez-Galloway, and Samuel Nieves, When you hear the phrase "conversion therapy," what's the first image that comes to your mind—and how close is it to the reality you lived?Curtis Lopez-Galloway, and Samuel Nieves, What was the moment when you realized, "This isn’t therapy—it’s a slow erasure"?Curtis Lopez-Galloway, and Samuel Nieves, What tactics did they use that masqueraded as compassion but were, in truth, coercion?Curtis Lopez-Galloway, and Samuel Nieves, How did your family’s role complicate the experience—were they captives of the same lie, or accomplices to it?Curtis Lopez-Galloway, and Samuel Nieves, What does healing even look like after something that teaches you your existence is a mistake?Also, We’re live streaming right now on Substack & Youtube – you can simply Google Cary Harrison Substack or YouTube so we can stay connected when you arrive at your destination … You can also easily find us live at kpfk.net., just go to KPFK.netAlso, Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter at caryharrison.com, caryharrison.com. There you’ll get a transcript of the entire show, plus access to clips and stuff we simply… will not do on the radio. That’s our newsletter at caryharrison.com.Curtis Lopez-Galloway, and Samuel Nieves, Curtis, how did you go from survivor to policy shaker? What flipped the switch?Curtis Lopez-Galloway, and Samuel Nieves, Samuel, as someone trained in psychology, how do you reconcile the therapeutic principles you learned with what you endured?Curtis Lopez-Galloway, and Samuel Nieves, How does your cultural background intersect with the expectations placed on your identity—and how did that affect your path?Curtis Lopez-Galloway, and Samuel Nieves, What is one myth about conversion therapy that you’re sick to death of hearing?Curtis Lopez-Galloway, and Samuel Nieves, and finally—what gives you hope? Not in the fluffy, bumper-sticker way, but in the blood-and-bone, “we keep showing up” kind of way?Announcing a new show called "Desperate and Dateless," a chance for people to actually meet each other and interview each other, real time, over the radio and YouTube. Yes, it's wildly entertaining but it actually puts people together. Watch all of us attempt analog discussion once again after all these years of virtual microtexting. More on this soon! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit caryharrison.substack.com/subscribe

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