Premium: Before The Brick (Part 1)

Summary

Blocked and Reported – Premium: Before The Brick (Part 1)

June 24, 2026
Hosts: Katie Herzog & Jesse Singal

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Overview

In this premium episode, Katie and Jesse kick off a two-part deep dive into LGBTQ history and culture, with a strong focus on the Stonewall riots and the much-debated legacy of Marsha P. Johnson. They begin by covering contemporary culture clashes within the community, revisiting pride-related controversies, and dissecting social media dramas, before launching into myth-busting and historical analysis. The episode is marked by the hosts’ trademark blend of irreverence, deadpan humor, and pointed media critique.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Episode Theme, Structure, and Preview ([00:00]–[00:47])

• The episode is introduced as a preview for premium subscribers, with a focus on:
  • A critical look at activist Erin Reed’s statistics regarding trans migration
  • Katie sharing context on pre-Stonewall gay rights history
  • Initial exploration of Marsha P. Johnson’s role at Stonewall ("Did she throw the first brick?")

2. Theme Song Poll and Listener Engagement ([00:47]–[03:44])

• Discussion of a fan-made remix of the Blocked and Reported theme song, with a tongue-in-cheek debate about making it permanent for premium episodes.
  • Notable Quote:
    • Jesse: "This song was by Jeff Truly. People really liked it and I'm wondering — they truly liked it — should we make this permanent?" [01:58]
  • The hosts brainstorm a Substack poll for listener input.

3. Pride Month Vibes and Gay Bar Corrections ([03:44]–[06:45])

• Katie issues a "non-correction correction" regarding a Seattle gay bar (Pony), updating details about its decor from listener input:
  • Correction that Pony now has both paper mache penises and a hanging vulva (not just penises).
  • Memorable Moment:
    • Jesse: "It's sort of a Where's Waldo of dicks picture." [05:05]
  • Katie and Jesse riff on the importance of journalistic accountability, even in the context of bar decorations.

4. Reflections on Celebrating Pride ([05:44]–[06:45])

• Jesse admits to spending Pride working on his book.
• Katie jokes about burning all her rainbow gear, then pivots: "I'm not proud. I'm ashamed." [06:12]
• Run-down of recent show content: lesbian bar drama ("Dyke Drama"), the Patagonia & HelloFresh story, a debate with Phoebe Maltz Bovy, and today's Stonewall/myth-making focus.

5. The Myths and Realities of Marsha P. Johnson ([06:45]–[07:01])

• Katie frames the Marsha P. Johnson story as “mythology,” hinting at a revisionist history approach.
  • Notable Quote:
    • Katie: "Did she throw the first brick?" [00:25]
  • Jesse playfully challenges: "My understanding is that she was a trans black woman who threw the first brick at Stonewall, and that these were all established historical facts. Are you suggesting that’s not the case?" [06:49]

6. Lesbian Herstory Instagram Drama ([07:06]–[09:28])

• Amuse-bouche section: Katie narrates a feud between two similarly-named Instagram accounts — one aligned with a “penis-inclusive” definition of lesbian (Lesbian Herstory Archives), and a “TERF”-labeled exclusionary rival.
  • Notable Explanation:
    • Katie: "Their lesbianism includes girl dick." [07:44]
    • The “organic strap” term is introduced, meaning a penis as a “strap-on.”
• Jessie requests context, and Katie explains the underlying schism — social media infighting over trans inclusion and lesbian identity.

7. The NYT Father's Day Trans Dad Cartoon Uproar ([09:28]–[14:13])

• Katie recaps a recent Father's Day NYT cartoon by trans man Zach Ellums, describing it as “non-objectionable” and universal in its depiction of parental self-consciousness.
  • Jesse summarizes panels where a daughter innocently “outs” her trans dad to others, showcasing the everyday realities of parenting.
  • Hosts are baffled by the vitriolic backlash from right-wing commentators.
    • Notable Quotes:
      • Jesse: "I don't see how you could read this and then get there." (in response to right-wing outrage) [12:36]
      • Katie: "People should read the cartoon... It is a cute cartoon about kids being sociopaths. That's what it is." [14:37]
  • Discuss the phenomenon of “highbrow misinformation,” and compare right-wing outrage cycles to woke Twitter pile-ons.
    • Katie: "The hysteria is very woke." [14:13]
    • Jesse: "It's just sort of right wing. It's the same thing." [14:18]

8. Seattle’s Declared Emergency for Incoming Trans Refugees ([14:13]–[17:19])

• Katie dissects a letter from the Seattle LGBTQ Commission, which requests the city declare a “civil emergency” due to a purported spike in “internally displaced” LGBTQ people.
  • Jesse reads an excerpt from the letter, expressing confusion at why gay and bi people are included if the concern is trans migration.
  • Katie breaks down the policy ramifications: such a declaration would unlock emergency funds and city resources, as previously used for COVID and BLM protests.
  • They scrutinize the cited statistic — that 400,000 trans/gender-nonconforming people have moved for political reasons — and trace it back to Erin Reed’s Substack, foreshadowing a critical take on Reed’s research in the full episode.

9. Setting Up the Main Investigation ([17:19]–End)

• Jesse introduces the concept of “highbrow misinformation” and flags the upcoming critique of Erin Reed’s widely cited migration numbers, hinting at a debunking to come in the full (premium) episode.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jesse, on theme song remix: "People really liked it and I'm wondering, should we make this permanent?" [01:58]
• Katie, regarding Instagram drama: "Their lesbianism includes girl dick." [07:44]
• Katie, on the NYT cartoon uproar: "People should read the cartoon... It is a cute cartoon about kids being sociopaths." [14:37]
• Jesse, paraphrasing the backlash: "I don't see how you could read this and then get there." [12:36]
• Katie, satirically summarizing the culture war: "The hysteria is very woke." [14:13]

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Important Timestamps

• [00:00–00:47] — Introduction and outline of main themes
• [01:58] — Listener feedback on the theme song remix
• [05:05] — "Where’s Waldo" of gay bar decor
• [06:45] — Introduction of the Stonewall & Marsha P. Johnson mythology segment
• [07:44] — Lesbian Herstory Instagram feud and "penis-inclusivity"
• [09:28–14:13] — Analysis and fallout of the NYT trans dad cartoon
• [14:13–17:19] — Seattle’s alleged “trans emergency” and critical take on trans migration stats
• [17:19] — Setup for next episode’s Erin Reed analysis

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Tone & Style

Katie and Jesse maintain their signature irreverent, bantering style, veering between earnest historical inquiry and biting media satire. They poke fun at both left and right cultural panics, offer clarifying context amid online hysteria, and continually remind listeners that even arcane internet feuds and social media controversies reveal deeper cracks in LGBTQ politics and community history.

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For the rest of the investigation—into Erin Reed’s data and the real versus mythic roles played at Stonewall—subscribe to the premium feed at blockedandreported.org.

Transcript

[A]

Hello, you're listening to a preview of a premium episode of Blocked and reported. This one is about the gays, right?

[B]

We got some gays in there, we got some lesbians in there, we got some trans in there. Not so much on the bi's.

[A]

We're going to talk about Erin Reid and whether her statistics are accurate. And then Katie's going to tell me a bit about the gay rights history that led up to Stonewall.

[B]

Yes, this is actually part one of a two part series exploring the Stonewall riots and Marsha P. Johnson, friend of the pot. We are going to ask and answer the question, did she throw the first brick?

[A]

Can't wait to find out about that. If you want to hear the whole thing, go to blocktrenportal.org and become a premium subscriber.

[B]

Jesse, I am extremely surprised to report to you that our listeners really, really liked the new theme song. Yeah, which is not a new theme song.

[A]

Well, it's a. It's a original take on the unlicensed music we use for our theme song.

[B]

It's licensed. We. We licensed it.

[A]

We like. How much did it cost?

[B]

I think $20 for a lifetime. That's. This is why we have pretty good song I believe is called Lobo Loco. Probably written by a computer even before the time of AI People really like this remix. The remix that we played on our last. I think guess it was our last primo episode which was made by a listener of ours named. Do you remember his name? Was it Steve John?

[A]

No, but we should probably provide his name here. We can check.

[B]

Okay, I'm searching for Steve.

[A]

Techno remix.

[B]

Search remix.

[A]

Nope, that's from 2024.

[B]

Okay, I don't.

[A]

I can query my inbox. A listener sent.

[B]

Wait, are you. Do you have an AI in your inbox?

[A]

I thought you took that out Google Mail. No, Google Mail has that. Wait, try to ask a question.

[B]

Where do you ask it?

[A]

In your search box.

[B]

Really?

[A]

Yeah. Okay. A user named stage named Jeff Truly.

[B]

Jeff. Wow. I didn't realize that technology existed. I might not have that turned on. Okay, so yes, this song was by Jeff Truly. People really liked it and I'm wondering. They truly liked it and I'm wondering, should we make this permanent? Should this be the theme song for just the primo episodes?

[A]

Should we make it permanent? I think the listeners should decide.

[B]

I agree with you. So I think we should do a poll. Okay, there will be. Can we do a poll within like a regular substack post or does it have to be a separate post?

[A]

I Think you can insert. Let's say this.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

And we're tr. We're. You know, this is really exciting. We don't know how it's going to go down. I think when you build this post, and Katie's the one who builds a post, so complaints go to her. I think there's like an insert poll option. Okay, but. But if there's not, we'll send it out as a separate.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

And we should. What would. The third possibility should be the comics. We'll sometimes do one, sometimes do the other for.

[B]

Wait, you think that.

[A]

Or we just picking one?

[B]

No, let's just. Let's not. I'm saying for the. I don't think. I think that for the primo episodes, go with the remix and for. Keep the original. For the original episodes.

[A]

I think that. Yes, yes, that's a good idea.

[B]

You know, we should probably play a clip of it here just so people get another taste. All right, so check the show notes. There might be a poll. There might not be a poll.

[A]

If not, stand by.

[B]

Stand by.

[A]

And wait for a poll to hit your inbox.

[B]

Right. Okay, so we've got it. It's working.

[A]

If that doesn't work, we'll send out paper, paperback mail.

[B]

Or do they need to show IDs, facts. Okay. With that important business out of the way, Jesse, I have a slight correction on a prior episode.

[A]

What's that?

[B]

Okay, it's not actually a correction. This is one of these non correction corrections. So when talking about. I don't remember what episode this was on. Maybe this was our last primo, maybe not. When discussing a bar in Seattle called Pony, a gay bar, I said that Pony had paper mache dicks on the hanging from the ceiling. And I said a lesbian bar would never do that. You're never going to walk into a lesbian bar and see like Georgia o' Keeffe vags hanging from the ceiling. Not gonna happen. I think that part is true. Not correcting that. A couple listeners sent me photos of Pony recently, which I have not been to recently. As I said, I stopped going there around the time that someone put my picture in a urinal. I don't know why. Do you think I should have kept going? Yeah, I probably should have peed on it myself. There are now, actually. I'll just forward this to you. Jesse, describe this.

[A]

There's at least one paper. So the zoomed out version, you do see two. At least two paper machine dicks. It's sort of a fine. See how many dicks you can find.

[B]

Yeah, it's like a Where's Waldo of dicks picture.

[A]

Like for. For a little kid.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. But above the. Hovering above them and larger than them is what appears to be, based on photos I've seen on the Internet elsewhere, this appears to be a vagina, actually, not a penis.

[B]

I think that's actually a vulva.

[A]

Well, you know what I mean.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay, so that whole situation down there.

[B]

So Pony has, in addition to the paper, misshaped dicks. They do have a vulva hanging from the ceiling. I just. I want. I don't want to get that wrong. There is a vulva from hanging from the ceiling at Pony.

[A]

I. It's. I. Journalistic accountability is important, and I'm glad we've made this correction.

[B]

Yes. All right, Jesse, it is detail into Pride Month. How did you celebrate this year?

[A]

Honestly? I worked on my book.

[B]

I'd say that counts.

[A]

Yeah. During Pride. I worked on it. How do you celebrate? You seem like a huge Pride goer these days.

[B]

Oh, huge. Yeah. I did the same thing I do every year. I take all my rainbow headbands, the big progress Pride flag that I hang outside my house. I take every harness, all my saw gloves, the dog. I take a big. I put in a big pile and I burn it.

[A]

You burn it?

[B]

The dogs, I burn out a little bit. Yeah, no, I. I don't celebrate Pride. I'm not proud. I'm ashamed. We did have a fair amount of LGBT content on this show, though. We did Dyke Drama. That was our Ls. We did the Patagonia and hello Fresh Story. That was the G's. We debated the Beast with Phoebe Maltovobi. And today we're going to be focusing mostly on the TE's, although there are a few L's and G's in here as well. This is actually going to be a two parter. This one is going to be looking at the Stonewall riots and the mythology of Marsha P. Johnson. We're going to start that episode today and finish it on next Primo.

[A]

You say the mythology of Marsha P. Johnson?

[B]

I do. Is that a spoiler?

[A]

I'm just confused. My understanding is that she was a trans black woman who was the first through the first brick at Stonewall, and that these were all established historical facts. Are you suggesting that that's not the case?

[B]

You know, I don't. I just don't want to spoil it for you.

[A]

Okay, no spoilers.

[B]

No spoilers. Okay. Before we get to any of this, I have a couple of amuse douches for you.

[A]

Nice.

[B]

So, Jesse, there's not much of a story arc here, but I wanted to mention that there's been this ongoing drama between two dueling lesbian history accounts on Instagram that's been very fun to watch, at least for me. So if you search Lesbian herstory on Instagram, not History Herstory, you'll find two accounts that sound almost identical but are at war with each other. So first there's at Lesbian Herstory Archives. That's the Instagram account for the actual lesbian herstory archives, which is a real physical archive located in Brooklyn. You should go there. Or you. You do go there, don't you?

[A]

Yeah, frequently.

[B]

Their bio on Instagram describes it as the original archive and says they quote, welcome all lesbian identities. Which our listeners probably don't need a decoder for. But that means that these lesbians are penis inclusive. Their lesbianism includes girl dick. And as you might imagine, this pivot to penis hasn't been welcomed by all lesbians. So I talked to a woman last week named Liza Cowan. This is for our Marsha P. Johnson episode. It was unrelated to the lesbian Herstory archives, but. But Liza started a magazine in the 70s called Dyke a Quarterly of Lesbian Culture and Analysis. I actually have a copy that she sent me a few years ago. And Liza mentioned that she took her own archives out of the lesbian herstory archive a while back. And I think that partly has to do with the whole lesbians are inclusive of penis thing. So not a universally appreciated stance. And the other lesbian herstory account that's at Lesbian Underscore Herstory, they have a more rigid definition of lesbian, one that only includes females. And you can probably see where this is going. But over the last few weeks I. There have been a flood of posts on my timeline warning people that the second lesbian herstory account is terfs. And to unfollow, I have so far

[A]

declined if this is a long standing policy difference, what suddenly got people mad at them?

[B]

So a few things they start. Basically what happened is that the lesbian the second the newer lesbian herstory account started posting things along the lines of like lesbians don't like dick and telling lesbians to like dick is abusive. At one point they posted a DM they got from a follower that was complaining about trans activists and allies telling women they should, quote, be happy with organic strap because it's the same as a toy. This was a new term for me. Organic strap. Have you heard that one?

[A]

I mean, so it's like a strap on, except the person just has a

[B]

penis It's a penis. Okay, so that's what's going on with the she, hers fighting over penises. Now let's move to the tease. So, Jesse, did you see this New York Times Father's Day column? This was published on Sunday by a trans man named Zach Ellums. It was called to my daughter. My gender was never complicated.

[A]

I think I saw a lot of people were mad about it and that instantly made me not interested in reading it. That's not a knock on. I mean, maybe it's incredible, but I just got. I just. I don't know, I feel bad. I had like a profound wave of not caring.

[B]

Huh. Well, I'm forcing you to care.

[A]

No, I know. I mean, it's force me to care. Katie, go for it.

[B]

Okay, let's read. So it's a cartoon. Let's read a few of the panels. Or I'm gonna ask you to read a few of the panels.

[A]

This is to my daughter. My gender was never complicated. Text by Zach Ellums. Illustrations by Hannah Jacobs. You need a thick skin to be a parent. It's a kid yelling at her dad. You're slow because you're old. I've been living as trans men since I was 18 years old. But when my wife and I had Elliot, I had to learn how to be a trans dad. The kid's in the pool with the dad and yells, hey, dad. Hey, dad. How did you grow a mustache if you were a lady? I wasn't out to everyone as trans, but with Elliot, I had to learn how to talk about it. And he's showing her photos in a photo book. Oh, you look really different. Yeah. Yeah, you look cool. Then or now then.

[B]

Okay, I'm gonna skip forward a little bit. There's a bunch of panels where Zach is having conversations with his daughter. So, like in one panel, the girl is hanging from. Hanging from the monkey bars and she says to grow a beard when I grow up. And someone says, you can't grow a beard. You're a girl. And the girl says, my dad did, and he was a girl. So it's this, it's. The story is of the daughter basically continually outing the father as trans to other people. And like in one part, she's at a bakery and she says, she points to a sign that says eclair and says, that's what my dad used to be called. I guess his name was Claire. And it was just what I found completely non objectional recounting of what it's like to have a child who has this sort of very typical child childlike inability to lie and keep shit private. Like it's a. It's a very specific experience of. Because Zach Ellums is a trans dad, but he's relating a very universal experience.

[A]

Yeah, but that's also not even. I mean the, the like quote unquote outing thing is only a small part of it. It sort of has a totally smaller, sweeter point about this. K the dad feel confident in himself.

[B]

Yes, I found it very cute. I was not offended by this whatsoever. But you would have thought on Twitter from the response on X that the New York Times had had published a cartoon about a father like force feeding his child puberty blockers or trying to convince the world that he literally fathered a child out of his girl balls. Like it was just a completely hysterical reaction. So here was Katie Miller, wife of Stephen Miller. Jesse Click this one.

[A]

The New York Times published cartoons about being a trans dad for Father's Day. This is how they envision corrupting our children. I don't see how you could read this and then get there.

[B]

Right here was Alex Berenson, former New York Times writer Covid radical. I want to congratulate New York Times for perfectly capturing how the cultural elite view men in fatherhood this Father's Day. Yes to the Times. Being a dad is something you do to feel better about having your tits cut off. Cannot make this up. What? There is nothing in this cartoon that indicates that the. That the author wanted a kid to feel better about having his tits cut off. It is like it is. Is it possible that he just wanted to be a parent? Is that possible?

[A]

Well, there's a follow up tweet. Want a real defense of fathers and what they mean this Father's Day. Hint. Fatherhood is not a journey of self actualization for trans quote unquote men. Try the fatherhood manifesto. And then Alex Berenstein is selling his

[B]

which he wrote book. Yeah, right, right. So yeah, Matt Taibbi was complaining about this incessantly. I just. Look, people like Katie Miller and Alex Berenson might not like that adults are allowed in this free country to both transition and have children, but they are. They're also allowed to write about their experiences. And it doesn't take away from biological males for the New York Times to publish a column by a trans man on Father's Day. But people were so offended that this was published on the most sacred of BBQ holidays. It was very much Enduring Pride Month. Like, and on the day I text my dad HFD with no explanation point. Because that seems like enough. Like, everyone stopped being such babies about this. The cartoon hurt no one. The hysteria is very woke.

[A]

Yeah, it's just. I mean, it's just sort of right wing. It's the same thing. I don't like. It's.

[B]

It's right. It's rogue woke. Right?

[A]

Yeah. I mean, this is what I mean. That's why when I saw the wave of outrage, I just sort of got tired. There was like, there's completely important things to discuss and to debate involving sex

[B]

and gender, which we have done ad nauseam.

[A]

It's like a cartoon in the New York Times.

[B]

Yes, this is the cart. People should read the cartoon. I will link to it in the show notes. It is cute. It is a cute cartoon about kids being sociopaths. That's what it is. And not. And I'm getting about that the kid isn't a sociopath. Just like a very honest child. That is what. What it is. It's like, this is universal. Come on, people. Anyway, so that was my defense of the trans experience. Before you unsubscribe, I've got a story out of Seattle, which is of course a sanctuary city for the quilt bag community. As we all know, there's an ongoing trans genocide, literally in red states. And apparently also Chicago learned that one this week. And this transgenicide has led to teas flocking to places where they feel safe. And so this spring, a group in Seattle announced that there were so many trans people coming to town that it constituted a true emergency situation. And no, I'm not talking about Moms for Liberty outraged by Drag Queen Story Hour. And I'm not talking about TERFs outraged about organic straps as a women's spa. This emergency came via Seattle's LGBTQ Commission, which sent a letter to the mayor, the city council, and the city attorney warning that the never ending stream of trans refugees is going to cause problems. So, Jesse, please read this excerpt.

[A]

Due to the rapid influx of two SLGQIA plus persons. Why are gay and bi people included in this? They don't even. I don't even understand. Anyway, seeking refuge in Seattle for increased safety needs, civil rights protections, and access to essential services, the Seattle LGBTQ Commission formally recommends that city leaders declare a civil emergency that ensures an effective and empathetic response to protecting these internally displaced persons IDPs at a time of urgent crisis for a community. What's. What does a civil emergency mean in practice?

[B]

So, under Seattle's municipal code, if the mayor declares a civil emergency it basically means they have access to emergency funds and they can direct city personnel and resources to address it without going through the usual bureaucratic process. So it's a shortcut. Like the mayor declared a civil emergency during COVID and during the BLM protest. And the Seattle LGBTQ Commission is asking the mayor to invoke the same thing for this influx of trans refugees, who I assume will be arriving in art cars from Texas. And according to the letter, this situation is really dire. They say 43% of the trans and gender non conforming population has considered relocating to a new place. Although you know who hasn't done a little late night zillowing to cheap Midwestern towns a night or two? They also said that at least 400,000 trans and gender non conforming people have already moved states for political reasons.

[A]

Yeah, and which that number comes from where?

[B]

Erin Reed substack, which they cite in the letter. So, Jesse, why don't you give people a little background on Aaron Reed?

[A]

I mean, there's this concept I find very useful, highbrow misinformation. So, so much of like the debate over misinformation, I think, is sort of framed in this default way where misinformation is mostly a problem on the right, but highbrow misinformation is basically, you know, the sorts of misinformation that spreads in educated lefty places. And Aaron Reed, who's a trans activist and a writer, has a very successful subsect that is very successful. Maybe one of the. That's it. That's all you get for the preview, you freeloader. If you want to hear the rest, go to blockremported.org and become a premium subscriber. Thanks. Bye.