Our opening clip featured the poet June Jordan reciting her powerful piece A Menace to My Enemies. Jordan is a sheroe of this week’s guest, the unstoppable Mona Eltahawy: journalist, feminist firebrand, and global truth-teller whose voice cuts through the noise like no one else.

Mona is the author of Headscarves and Hymens, The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls, and her latest, Bloody Hell!: Adventures in Menopause From Around the World. Her work spans continents and revolutions, from the frontlines of Egypt’s Arab Spring to the ongoing fight against patriarchy, white supremacy, and fascism everywhere. She’s here to inspire rebellion, liberation, and the refusal to be silenced.

Want to be part of conversations like this? Join the Gaslit Nation Salon, live every Monday at 4pm ET on Zoom. Meet fellow listeners, trade insights, vent your rage, and help build a living archive of resistance.

Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit. Annual memberships are discounted, and to everyone who already supports the show—thank you. You make this space possible.

Looking for a summer read that pairs well with revolution? Pick up the Gaslit Nation graphic novel, Dictatorship: It’s Easier Than You Think! Follow our shady narrator, Judge Lackey, as he bumbles through the dark comedy of authoritarianism, dodging accountability and panicking over activists and journalists. Find it at your local library or at Bookshop.org.

EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION:

• August 25 4pm ET – Join the Gaslit Nation Book Club for a powerful discussion on The Lives of Others and I’m Still Here, two films that explore how art and love endure and resist in the face of dictatorship.

• Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other, available on Patreon.

• Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other, available on Patreon.

• Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect, available on Patreon.

• Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join, available on Patreon.

• Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group, available on Patreon.

• Have you taken Gaslit Nation’s HyperNormalization Survey Yet?

• Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and the first ~40 minutes are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit for our community

Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit!

Show Notes:

June Jordan reciting her poem “A Menace to My Enemies” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L898_qsfv7M

If you're still waiting for someone to save democracy, Mona Eltahawy has news for you: you are the one you’ve been waiting for.

A fearless Egyptian-American journalist and author of The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls and her latest book Bloody Hell!: Adventures in Menopause From Around the World, Eltahawy is no stranger to authoritarianism. While covering Arab Spring protests in Cairo, she was seized by Egyptian security forces and sexually assaulted and beaten, her arm and hand broken. Now, she warns, America is slipping toward the same strongman rule in Egypt. And too many are sleepwalking through it.

Eltahawy's prescription is feminism that terrifies, carried out by both women and men. Because anyone can be a feminist. This is feminism as revolution. As she puts it, “There is no revolution without rage, and there is no revolution without risk.”

Her work urges women to embrace power, ambition, anger, and militant self-defense, not to provoke, but to defend. And for their allies to support them. Learn to protect yourself. Teach your daughters common-sense self-defense and how to take up space.

Her hope is that more of us, especially white women in the U.S., will stop cosplaying resistance and start embodying it. “The Handmaid’s Tale is not a documentary,” she says. “Get out of the TV and into the streets.”

EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION:

• August 25 4pm ET – Join the Gaslit Nation Book Club for a powerful discussion on The Lives of Others and I’m Still Here, two films that explore how art and love endure and resist in the face of dictatorship.

• Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other, available on Patreon.

• Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other, available on Patreon.

• Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect, available on Patreon.

• Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join, available on Patreon.

• Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group, available on Patreon.

• Have you taken Gaslit Nation’s HyperNormalization Survey Yet?

• Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and the first ~40 minutes are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit for our community

Show Notes:

Journalist On Being Sexual 'Prey' In Egypt https://www.npr.org/2011/11/29/142895349/journalist-on-being-sexual-prey-in-egypt

Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit!

Our show opens with Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, a favorite of philosopher Kate Manne, one of the sharpest minds dissecting power, privilege, and the politics of gender.

Kate is a professor at Cornell University and the author of groundbreaking books like Down Girl, Entitled, and her latest, Unshrinking, which takes on fatphobia with the same fearless clarity she brings to misogyny and moral philosophy. Her work is a lifeline for understanding how injustice is baked into our culture, and how we can start dismantling it. If you’ve ever felt the weight of double standards, moral policing, or body shame, Kate Manne has words that will crack open your world and help put it back together stronger.

Want to keep the conversation going? Join the Gaslit Nation Salon, live every Monday at 4pm ET. It’s our weekly Zoom gathering where we break down the headlines, swap strategies, share survival tips, and connect with other listeners who get it.

Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit. Discounted annual memberships are available, and we’re so grateful to everyone who keeps the show going.

Need a summer read to match the moment? Check out the Gaslit Nation graphic novel, Dictatorship: It’s Easier Than You Think! Follow our cunning narrator, Judge Lackey, as he bumbles through the dark art of authoritarianism, clinging to power and dodging those meddling activists and journalists. Find it at your local library or at BookShop.org.

EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION:

• August 25 4pm ET – Join the Gaslit Nation Book Club for a powerful discussion on The Lives of Others and I’m Still Here, two films that explore how art and love endure and resist in the face of dictatorship.

• Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other, available on Patreon.

• Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other, available on Patreon.

• Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect, available on Patreon.

• Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join, available on Patreon.

• Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group, available on Patreon.

• Have you taken Gaslit Nation’s HyperNormalization Survey Yet?

• Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and the first ~40 minutes are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit for our community

Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit!

Courage often starts with saying the obvious out loud, unapologetically. Philosopher and author Kate Manne brings that rare, dangerous clarity, taking on the everyday cruelties of structural misogyny and the moral contortions America performs to pretend everything’s fine.

Manne, author of Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny, Entitled: How Male Privilege Hurts Women, and Unshrinking: How to Face Fat Phobia, challenges how we understand injustice. It’s not just “out there.” It’s built into our systems, our norms, even our language.

We don’t need to wait for sweeping reforms to act with integrity. Real change begins with small, daily acts of moral attention. What do we excuse? Whose pain do we ignore? What stories do we let slide by unchallenged?

Misogyny, Manne argues, isn’t just about hatred; it’s a control system. A mechanism of the patriarchy designed to punish women who won’t conform.

In Manne’s hands, philosophy isn’t abstract; it’s a wrecking ball. A tool for exposing rot and naming the machinery of oppression. Her message is clear: transformation begins with how we think, how we speak, and how we show up, for ourselves and for each other.

That’s the real work of justice. And it belongs to all of us.

Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit!

EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION:

• August 25 4pm ET – Join the Gaslit Nation Book Club for a powerful discussion on The Lives of Others and I’m Still Here, two films that explore how art and love endure and resist in the face of dictatorship.

• Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other, available on Patreon.

• Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other, available on Patreon.

• Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect, available on Patreon.

• Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join, available on Patreon.

• Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group, available on Patreon.

• Have you taken Gaslit Nation’s HyperNormalization Survey Yet?

• Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and the first ~40 minutes are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit for our community

Welcome to the opening discussion of this past week’s thought-provoking salon on The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Though often labeled a children’s book, The Little Prince, translated into over 500 languages and dialects, second only to the Bible, sparked a wide-ranging discussion that revealed its deeper, more political dimensions.

In our discussion, Gaslit Nation listeners drew connections between the book’s themes and the current tragedy and disinformation war on Gaza, while others reflected on the absurdity of adulthood depicted in the story. Our conversation touched on the divine feminine, the corrupting influence of institutional power, especially within the Catholic Church, and the existential weight behind Saint-Exupéry’s deceptively simple prose.

We began by exploring the historical context in which the book was written: a time of fractured resistance to fascism, eerily reminiscent of our own era. Just as the French Resistance struggled with internal divisions and the desperate need for leadership, so too does America today, caught between rising authoritarianism and a detached political establishment.

Most amazingly, this conversation took place on July 31st: the 81st anniversary of Saint-Exupéry’s death during a reconnaissance mission off the coast of Marseille. His little plane crashed into the sea, just two months before the liberation of Paris.

UPCOMING BOOK CLUB EVENTS:

• August – The Lives of Others and I’m Still Here
  Two films where art challenges dictatorship—from East Germany to Brazil. Book club: August 25 4pm ET

• September – Harriet, the Moses of Her People by Sarah Hopkins Bradford
  Harriet Tubman’s story, in her own words based on interviews with The General herself. Book club: September 29 4pm ET

• October – Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky + Total Resistance by H. Von Dach
  Poetry and guerrilla strategy: tools for survival and defiance. Book club: October 27 4pm ET

• November – Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
  Indigenous wisdom and science for reconnection and gratitude. Book club: November 24 4pm ET

• December – The Forest Song by Lesya Ukrainka
  An eco-feminist Ukrainian play that sings of love, rebellion, and resilience. Book club: January 29

Get the full story and support independent journalism!
Join our community at Patreon.com/Gaslit to hear the complete discussion and unlock exclusive benefits. As a member, you’ll enjoy ad-free episodes of Gaslit Nation, bonus shows, behind-the-scenes content, Q&A sessions, access to our private group chats, invites to live events like our weekly political salons every Monday at 4 PM ET on Zoom, and so much more.

Become a patron today at Patreon.com/Gaslit!

We opened with the trailer from Andor, a series that’s earned a top spot on the watch list of this week’s guest: the fearless Erin Reed, a real-life member of the Rebel Alliance and one of the most essential journalists working today.

Erin is the creator of Erin In The Morning, the go-to source for breaking news on LGBTQ+ rights, trans healthcare, and the rising tide of attacks on civil liberties across the country. Her reporting has exposed the truth behind anti-trans legislation, tracked authoritarian policies in real time, and armed millions with the facts they need to fight back. Her courage, clarity, and compassion make Erin one of the most vital voices in the resistance, and we’re honored to have her on the show.

Want to join the conversation? Come to the Gaslit Nation Salon, live every Monday at 4pm ET. It’s a community of listeners, activists, and fellow travelers where we unpack the headlines, share strategies, vent our frustrations, and build a living archive of this moment in history.

Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit. Annual memberships are discounted, and your support keeps our show alive. Thank you to everyone who helps make Gaslit Nation possible.

Looking for a summer read that pairs rage with laughter? Check out the Gaslit Nation graphic novel, Dictatorship: It’s Easier Than You Think! Follow our delightfully shady narrator, Judge Lackey, as he stumbles through a step-by-step guide to seizing and holding power, dodging accountability, and panicking over activists and journalists. Grab it at your local library or at BookShop.org.

EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION:

• NEW DATE! Thursday July 31 4pm ET – the Gaslit Nation Book Club discusses Antoine de Saint Exupéry’s The Little Prince written in the U.S. during America First.

• Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other, available on Patreon.

• Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other, available on Patreon.

• Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect, available on Patreon.

• Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join, available on Patreon.

• Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group, available on Patreon.

• Have you taken Gaslit Nation’s HyperNormalization Survey Yet?

• Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and the first ~40 minutes are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit for our community

Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit!

In a world awash with disinformation and fear-based politics, what cuts through the noise isn’t perfection; it’s authenticity. As Erin Reed, a trailblazing journalist and trans rights advocate, puts it: the most effective leaders and allies are the ones who show up with sincerity, values, and courage.

Reed knows this from experience. Alongside her wife, Montana state legislator Zooey Zephyr, they’ve faced the harshest forms of political repression, from being silenced in state chambers to watching harmful laws passed in the name of "protecting" sports or children. And yet, their fight continues, fueled by love, clarity, and hope.

So how can you support the trans community in meaningful ways?

1. Stand Firm in Your Values – Democratic Party leaders especially shouldn't be “Republican-lite” or speak through the filter of 12 consultants. Speak from the heart, like Kentucky’s Andy Beshear, who stood up for trans rights and still won big in a deep red state.
   
   

2. Educate Yourself and Others – Learn the real facts. Trans athletes aren’t “cheating.” They’re barely even represented in elite sports. Medical care for trans youth isn’t a free-for-all; it’s cautious, professional, and consent-driven. And no, no one is performing surgeries in school cafeterias.
   
   

3. Be Visible. Be Vocal. – When institutions cave to pressure and erase diversity programs, allies must speak up. Trans people aren’t always in the room, but you might be.
   
   

4. Build Solidarity – Globally and locally. Anti-trans disinformation spreads across borders. So should our support. Reach out to advocate groups abroad and build an international coalition of support and solidarity.

History is watching. As Reed reminds us, this is our civil rights moment. Whether you’re an activist, a parent, a lawmaker, or a friend, your genuineness, your voice, and your love can help shape a more just future.

All it takes is a spark.

The song you heard in this week’s Gaslit Nation is “Tear the Fascists Down” by Deena Marie. Check out her music here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2CuUJiaLhVF4x8WlZGLjRJ

If you have a song to share on our show, submit your music to us at Gaslit Nation – we love hearing from you! More info: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1-d_DWNnDQFYUMXueYcX5ZVsA5t2RN09N8PYUQQ8koq0/edit?ts=5fee07f6&gxids=7628

Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit!

EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION:

• NEW DATE! Thursday July 31 4pm ET – the Gaslit Nation Book Club discusses Antoine de Saint Exupéry’s The Little Prince written in the U.S. during America First.

• Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other, available on Patreon.

• Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other, available on Patreon.

• Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect, available on Patreon.

• Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join, available on Patreon.

• Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group, available on Patreon.

• Have you taken Gaslit Nation’s HyperNormalization Survey Yet?

• Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and the first ~40 minutes are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit for our community

We opened with “Papaoutai” by Belgian artist Stromae, a powerful performer who inspires this week’s guest, Jamila Raqib. She once saw him live in an unforgettable setting: the ancient Roman ruins of Carthage, Tunisia.

Jamila Raqib is a powerhouse for peace and democracy. As Executive Director of the Albert Einstein Institution, she has spent years training people across the globe in militant nonviolent resistance. Her work fuels the kind of courage that topples dictators and changes the course of history. She trained under legendary activist Gene Sharp whose book From Dictatorship to Democracy the Gaslit Nation Book Club read back in March, brought the fight for freedom to the frontlines, and she’s just getting started.

Want more bold conversations like this? Join the Gaslit Nation Salon, live every Monday at 4pm ET. Meet fellow listeners, unpack the news, share strategies, vent, and build a real-time record of this moment in history. Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit. Annual memberships are discounted, and you can even give the gift of membership.

If you’re packing for the beach or hiding from the heat, take along a little inspiration. Dictatorship: It’s Easier Than You Think! is our graphic novel starring the delightfully dodgy Judge Lackey. He’ll walk you through the do’s and don’ts of becoming a dictator and staying one, all while trying to outwit the pesky activists and journalists out to ruin his grip on power.Grab your copy at your local library or at Bookshop.org.

EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION:

• NEW DATE! Thursday July 31 4pm ET – the Gaslit Nation Book Club discusses Antoine de Saint Exupéry’s The Little Prince written in the U.S. during America First.

• Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other, available on Patreon.

• Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other, available on Patreon.

• Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect, available on Patreon.

• Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join, available on Patreon.

• Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group, available on Patreon.

• Have you taken Gaslit Nation’s HyperNormalization Survey Yet?

• Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and the first ~40 minutes are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit for our community

Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit!