Keep It Queer Media Mission

Keep It Queer Media’s mission is right in the title: create media that uplifts and supports the queer community. We primarily do this through podcast and radio, but also digital projects like the Queer Armenian Library.

In addition, we provide culturally responsive presentations, speaking opportunities, coaching, and trainings which augment our podcasts and shows to advance the skills and practices of organizations and public agencies to work effectively across cultural differences.

History

John Parker originally founded Keep it Queer Media as This Queer Book Productions, LLC in 2022. It’s inaugural podcast was This Queer Book Saved My Life. The show quickly attracted top-tier LGBTQ authors and a dedicated literary audience in over 1,600 cities across the world.

In addition to being featured in major media outlets across the United States, Apple Podcasts twice named This Queer Book Saved My Life “New and Noteworthy” in 2023.

In 2024, This Queer Book Saved My Life was nominated for the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Podcast.

Five months after launching This Queer Book Saved My Life, we began production on 7 Minutes in Book Heaven. This mini-podcast is a fresh-take on the author interview. Seven questions in seven minutes, including “What’s the best sentence you’ve ever read?” and “What’s your favorite smell to write about?”

In November 2022, we began our original partnership with AM950 Radio (Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN) in Minneapolis to re-air episodes of This Queer Book Saved My Life and 7 Minutes in Book Heaven on their station.

One year later, this partnership led to a brand new show: The Gaily Show. The program celebrated LGBTQ culture and entertainment in Minnesota and beyond. On it, John interviewed LGBTQ authors, singer/songwriters, theater makers, and artistic leaders as well as previews of soon to be released queer books, TV, and films.

In the fall of 2023, John spoke at the Unstoppable Stories Literary Festival. Also at that time, our company worked with the Digital Public Library of America on a two-part series on The Banned Book Club which is an initiative to respond to anti-LGBTQ book bans.

In December 2023, we entered into a new partnership with AM950 Radio (Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN) to transform The Gaily Show into the country’s only daily LBGTQ news and talk show on the radio.

On January 6, 2025, The Gaily Show debuted. The show has covered a lot of issues including trans healthcare, conversion therapy, lawsuits against the Trump administration, and Operation Metro Surge.

It was picked up by WCPT 820 (Chicago) in April 2025. In March 2026, NewsTalk WHMP (Amherst/Northampton, MA) picked up The Gaily Show as a weekly program on Saturdays. In June 2026, Alternative Talk 1150 KKNW (Seattle) also picked us up as a weekly program on Saturdays.

In May 2026, to better reflect the scope of work that we do, we re-branded the company to Keep It Queer Media.

Keep It Queer Media also maintains the Queer Armenian Library. The Queer Armenian Library is the world’s first digital library dedicated exclusively to literature by, about, and for Queer Armenians. The library showcases essays, memoirs, novels, short stories, poetry, television, music, comedy, art, and films. As an Armenian-American, this was a passion project for John that he worked on for over four years. Ownership was transferred to Keep It Queer Media in 2026.

Keep It Queer Media also supports communities and organizations through John’s extensive history with presentations, coaching, speaking, and programming to augment its podcast and radio shows. Our goal is to leverage our programming and skill-sets to help organizations advance cultural competency skills to effectively work across cultural differences.

We also consult with organizations on creating limited-series podcasts to advance their business goals.

Use our contact form to learn more and partner with us!

Founder: John Parker

I’m thrilled to return to my broadcasting roots with this podcast. I worked for nearly a decade in broadcast television at WXMI TV and WPBN-WTOM TV. I left television to teach journalism and then transitioned into a career focused on equity and inclusion in higher education and healthcare. Learn more about my name change here.

I was a 2022 Lambda Literary Fellow. I founded the Queer Armenian Library which is the world’s first library devoted to work by, about, and for Queer Armenians. My essays have been featured in The Sun Isn’t Out Long Enough (Anamot Press) and We Are All Armenian: Voices From the Armenian Diaspora (University Texas Press), as well as the 2023 Lambda Literary anthology Emerge. I edited the Minnesota LGBTQ Stands of Inclusion for Health and Human Services, and then also published an academic chapter, on it.

I proudly serve on the Board of the International Armenian Literary Alliance – the first organization of its kind to support Armenian writers.

Previous job titles of mine include: Chief Diversity Officer, Director of Student Life and Diversity, as well as Equity and Inclusion Manager. This means that you could hire me for DEI talks or consulting (use the contact form!).

I live, write, bake, and podcast in Minneapolis, MN and the north woods of Wisconsin.

Executive Producer: Jim Pounds

A 27 year career in advertising agencies (both in LA and the Twin Cities) was followed by a 12 year career in marketing for higher education. Overlay that with a 15 year stint teaching a capstone marketing class at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and you have a solid skill set of reaching and motivating consumers. Jim was the Media Director for the campaign which introduced the Mall of America to the world in 1992.

Jim served on the Board of the Advertising Federation of MN for four years and was part of the team that won a Grand Effie Award from the American Marketing Association for the first campaign to elect Paul Wellstone to the US Senate in 1990.

Jim is also an actor and has performed professionally since 2004.