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A nightclub saved lives. We revisit the story of Jewel Thais-Williams and Catch One, the Black lesbian-owned Los Angeles institution that transformed a dance floor into a command center for HIV/AIDS activism, mutual aid, and cross‑community solidarity. With guest Terry Garay—television producer turned organizer—we map the shift from public panic and Prop 64’s quarantine push to coalition-building that united Black, Latino, and queer communities under one roof.

Terry takes us behind the scenes of the first AIDS public service announcements she helped put on TV, and how media strategy amplified on-the-ground efforts when silence ruled the airwaves. We unpack why Catch One mattered: not just as a celebrity magnet, but as a place where Gay and Lesbian Latinos Unidos raised funds, where leaders met after hours, and where messages spread faster than rumors. The conversation spotlights “Coming Home to Friends,” a gospel-driven fundraiser for the Minority AIDS Project led with the star power of Dionne Warwick and Natalie Cole—proof that faith, culture, and public health can pull in the same direction when trusted voices lead.

We also examine the limits of visibility without grassroots ties, contrasting high-profile Latino galas with the need for neighborhood organizers and culturally fluent outreach. Jewel’s legacy stretches beyond nightlife: wellness clinics, shelters for women, and a relentless focus on health equity. Terry closes with a timeless charge—choose your fights, stand up when it counts, and refuse to shrink to fit other people’s comfort. Press play for a living archive of Los Angeles LGBTQ history, movement strategy, and the blueprint for turning community spaces into engines of care.

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Welcome to the RADIO QGLLU podcast, the show that TAKES A DEEP DIVE INTO WHAT THE QUEER, GAY, AND LESBIAN LATINE COMMUNITY IS TALKING ABOUT. Radio GLLU began in 1986, and now in its continued iteration, features dynamic stories from California and beyond.
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