Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Kristin Russo, host of THIRTEEN's First Person, sits down with four people whose stories push back against the erasure happening both inside and outside queer communities — and who are done shrinking themselves to fit the mold that society set for them.
Vivek Shraya, author of "She of the Mountains," opens up about a decade-long relationship with a woman, the biphobia he faced from gay men, and why owning the word "bisexual" became its own act of resistance. At the time of this recording, Vivek identified with he/him pronouns, but now uses she/her.
Tom Bernardin, unofficial historian of Julius Bar in Greenwich Village, takes us back to 1966 — three years before the Stonewall Riots — when a small group of gay men walked into a bar and demanded to be served, quietly igniting a civil rights movement.
Tyler Ford, writer, activist, and performer, speaks about identifying as agender within the non-binary spectrum, what it meant to come out first as a trans man before finding language that finally fit, and why existing is its own form of activism.
Finally, Kara Kratcha shares what it means to identify as "gray ace" — and why the distinction between attraction versus action is everything.
Subscribe to THIRTEEN newsletters to stay informed:thirteen.org/email-preferences/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=HonoringOurStories&utm_id=HonoringOurStories
This compilation of videos from 2015 is from "First Person," a series from THIRTEEN that explores gender identity and sexuality, covering LGBTQ issues through first-person narratives. The show aims to humanize issues that are often underrepresented in the media or presented as political or moral issues, detached from the people who are living them on a day-to-day basis.
The WNET Group presents Honoring Our Stories: LGBTQ+ Pride featuring films, documentaries and digital-first archival content from the THIRTEEN vault. Throughout the month of June, we'll highlight programs that focus on our civil rights history and milestone events and the vibrant cultural contributions to stage, screen and the arts from the LGBTQIA+ community.
#FirstPerson #LGBTQ #Bisexual #Asexual #NonBinary #Agender #QueerIdentity #BisexualVisibility #AsexualVisibility #NonBinaryVisibility #Biphobia #GrayAce #QueerStories #LGBTQIA #TransVisibility #JuliusBar #Stonewall #PrideHistory #GreenwichVillage #QueerHistory #THIRTEEN #WNET
First Person Original Production Credits:
Bisexuality:
Executive Producers: Daniel B. Greenberg & Joe Harrell
Producer, DP, Editor: Meredith Heil
Host and Producer: Kristin Russo
Associate Producer, Art Director: Casey de Pont
Mix + Original Theme Music: Joanna Katcher
Mixed at Nice Manners
Gay:
Executive Producers: Daniel B. Greenberg & Joe Harrell
Host and Producer: Kristin Russo
Producer, Director: Meredith Heil
DP, Editor: Steve W. Thompson
2nd Camera: Eric Olson
Sound, PA: Chie Miyajima
Intern: Marc Baill
Mixed at Nice Manners by Joanna Katcher
Additional Music: "Main Stem" by U.S. Army Blues via Free Music Archive, licensed under a Public Domain Mark 1.0 License
Non-Binary and Gender Identity:
Executive Producers: Daniel B. Greenberg & Joe Harrell
Host and Producer: Kristin Russo
Producer, Director: Meredith Heil
DP, Editor: Steve W. Thompson
Sound: Chie Miyajima
Intern: Marc Baill
Mixed at Nice Manners by Joanna Katcher
Additional Music: "Something Elated" by Broke For Free via Free Music Archive, CC BY 3.0 US.
Asexuality:
Executive Producers: Daniel B. Greenberg & Joe Harrell
Host and Producer: Kristin Russo
Producer, Director: Meredith Heil
DP, Editor: Steve W. Thompson
2nd Camera, Intern: Marc Baill
Sound, PA: Chie Miyajima
Mixed at Nice Manners by Joanna Katcher
Additional Music: "Lovesuit" by Hilotrons via Free Music Archive, (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)
0:00 - Intro
0:30 - Biphobia, Desire, and Owning the Word
7:32 - Inside Julius Bar, the Birthplace of Gay Rights
13:43 - Non-Binary & Gender Identity: Existing as Resistance
19:26 - Asexuality: What Attraction Really Means
Please SUBSCRIBE if you enjoyed: youtube.com/@ThirteenWNET?sub_confirmation=1
For full episodes, check out thirteen.org
Facebook: facebook.com/thirteenwnet
Instagram: instagram.com/thirteenwnet
TikTok: tiktok.com/@thirteenwnet
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THIRTEEN is one of America’s most respected and innovative public media providers. Part of The WNET Group, THIRTEEN is a unique cultural and educational institution that harnesses the power of television and electronic media to inform, enlighten, entertain and inspire. The flagship public television station of the New York City tri-state area and the most-watched public television channel in the nation, THIRTEEN reaches millions of people with programming that celebrates arts and culture, offers insightful commentary on the news of the day, explores the worlds of science and nature, and invites people of all ages to have fun while learning.
Kristin Russo, host of THIRTEEN's First Person, sits down with four people whose stories push back against the erasure happening both inside and outside queer communities — and who are done shrinking themselves to fit the mold that society set for them.
Vivek Shraya, author of "She of the Mountains," opens up about a decade-long relationship with a woman, the biphobia he faced from gay men, and why owning the word "bisexual" became its own act of resistance. At the time of this recording, Vivek identified with he/him pronouns, but now uses she/her.
Tom Bernardin, unofficial historian of Julius Bar in Greenwich Village, takes us back to 1966 — three years before the Stonewall Riots — when a small group of gay men walked into a bar and demanded to be served, quietly igniting a civil rights movement.
Tyler Ford, writer, activist, and performer, speaks about identifying as agender within the non-binary spectrum, what it meant to come out first as a trans man before finding language that finally fit, and why existing is its own form of activism.
Finally, Kara Kratcha shares what it means to identify as "gray ace" — and why the distinction between attraction versus action is everything.
Subscribe to THIRTEEN newsletters to stay informed:thirteen.org/email-preferences/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=HonoringOurStories&utm_id=HonoringOurStories
This compilation of videos from 2015 is from "First Person," a series from THIRTEEN that explores gender identity and sexuality, covering LGBTQ issues through first-person narratives. The show aims to humanize issues that are often underrepresented in the media or presented as political or moral issues, detached from the people who are living them on a day-to-day basis.
The WNET Group presents Honoring Our Stories: LGBTQ+ Pride featuring films, documentaries and digital-first archival content from the THIRTEEN vault. Throughout the month of June, we'll highlight programs that focus on our civil rights history and milestone events and the vibrant cultural contributions to stage, screen and the arts from the LGBTQIA+ community.
#FirstPerson #LGBTQ #Bisexual #Asexual #NonBinary #Agender #QueerIdentity #BisexualVisibility #AsexualVisibility #NonBinaryVisibility #Biphobia #GrayAce #QueerStories #LGBTQIA #TransVisibility #JuliusBar #Stonewall #PrideHistory #GreenwichVillage #QueerHistory #THIRTEEN #WNET
First Person Original Production Credits:
Bisexuality:
Executive Producers: Daniel B. Greenberg & Joe Harrell
Producer, DP, Editor: Meredith Heil
Host and Producer: Kristin Russo
Associate Producer, Art Director: Casey de Pont
Mix + Original Theme Music: Joanna Katcher
Mixed at Nice Manners
Gay:
Executive Producers: Daniel B. Greenberg & Joe Harrell
Host and Producer: Kristin Russo
Producer, Director: Meredith Heil
DP, Editor: Steve W. Thompson
2nd Camera: Eric Olson
Sound, PA: Chie Miyajima
Intern: Marc Baill
Mixed at Nice Manners by Joanna Katcher
Additional Music: "Main Stem" by U.S. Army Blues via Free Music Archive, licensed under a Public Domain Mark 1.0 License
Non-Binary and Gender Identity:
Executive Producers: Daniel B. Greenberg & Joe Harrell
Host and Producer: Kristin Russo
Producer, Director: Meredith Heil
DP, Editor: Steve W. Thompson
Sound: Chie Miyajima
Intern: Marc Baill
Mixed at Nice Manners by Joanna Katcher
Additional Music: "Something Elated" by Broke For Free via Free Music Archive, CC BY 3.0 US.
Asexuality:
Executive Producers: Daniel B. Greenberg & Joe Harrell
Host and Producer: Kristin Russo
Producer, Director: Meredith Heil
DP, Editor: Steve W. Thompson
2nd Camera, Intern: Marc Baill
Sound, PA: Chie Miyajima
Mixed at Nice Manners by Joanna Katcher
Additional Music: "Lovesuit" by Hilotrons via Free Music Archive, (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)
0:00 - Intro
0:30 - Biphobia, Desire, and Owning the Word
7:32 - Inside Julius Bar, the Birthplace of Gay Rights
13:43 - Non-Binary & Gender Identity: Existing as Resistance
19:26 - Asexuality: What Attraction Really Means
Please SUBSCRIBE if you enjoyed: youtube.com/@ThirteenWNET?sub_confirmation=1
For full episodes, check out thirteen.org
Facebook: facebook.com/thirteenwnet
Instagram: instagram.com/thirteenwnet
TikTok: tiktok.com/@thirteenwnet
-----------------
THIRTEEN is one of America’s most respected and innovative public media providers. Part of The WNET Group, THIRTEEN is a unique cultural and educational institution that harnesses the power of television and electronic media to inform, enlighten, entertain and inspire. The flagship public television station of the New York City tri-state area and the most-watched public television channel in the nation, THIRTEEN reaches millions of people with programming that celebrates arts and culture, offers insightful commentary on the news of the day, explores the worlds of science and nature, and invites people of all ages to have fun while learning.
