Jun 1, 2026 · 35 min · 10 segments
Brett talks with writer Natalie Adler about her debut novel, 'Waiting On A Friend'. They discuss the inspiration for the book, belief in the paranormal, the AIDS crisis, getting married, caretaking…
Natalie AdlerGuest
Brett BennerHost
But that both of these characters are queer, we don't see a lot, I don't think.
And yet we, the straight woman is often like the stand in for the audience for acceptance, you know, not that those gay straight alliances are not important and true as well, but they're more common for, you know, more cynical reasons, I think in entertainment, but it's true.
I mean, I have deeply important friendships with gay men and a lot of lesbians I know do too.
So I, I'm glad to see people responding to that as something we need to see more of.
It's also interesting because the whole this whole thing about which I don't think a lot of people know.
I mean, say some younger people know about the way that lesbians in particular were advocating and taking care of gay men the way that they were.
I was looking yesterday and I didn't know that there was a group called Blood Sisters.
But they also gave passionate care to so many of these men who like you had talked about your your aunt's friend earlier, whose family basically gave them up and everything that went along with it.
Yeah, I mean, I think that they're, again, like kind of like a. material reason there, which is that, you know, lesbians at this time by the early 80s, especially more politically oriented lesbians, had had a lot of experience organizing.
They had been kind of booted out of the feminist movement and also sidelined in the gay rights movement.
And this could all created bitterness but it also creates a very normalized kind of sense of mutual aid and you know we are the only ones who are going to take care of each other and look after each other and also again amongst the more political lesbians a abiding sense of like I'm not going to stand by while a huge injustice comes to pass and I think that sometimes every now and then, because it's rare to even hear enough about the lesbians taking care of gay men during the AIDS crisis.
But I think it's important to know it's not because women are more caring or something like that.
But that both of these characters are queer, we don't see a lot, I don't think.
And yet we, the straight woman is often like the stand in for the audience for acceptance, you know, not that those gay straight alliances are not important and true as well, but they're more common for, you know, more cynical reasons, I think in entertainment, but it's true.
I mean, I have deeply important friendships with gay men and a lot of lesbians I know do too.
So I, I'm glad to see people responding to that as something we need to see more of.
It's also interesting because the whole this whole thing about which I don't think a lot of people know.
I mean, say some younger people know about the way that lesbians in particular were advocating and taking care of gay men the way that they were.
I was looking yesterday and I didn't know that there was a group called Blood Sisters.
But they also gave passionate care to so many of these men who like you had talked about your your aunt's friend earlier, whose family basically gave them up and everything that went along with it.
Yeah, I mean, I think that they're, again, like kind of like a. material reason there, which is that, you know, lesbians at this time by the early 80s, especially more politically oriented lesbians, had had a lot of experience organizing.
They had been kind of booted out of the feminist movement and also sidelined in the gay rights movement.
And this could all created bitterness but it also creates a very normalized kind of sense of mutual aid and you know we are the only ones who are going to take care of each other and look after each other and also again amongst the more political lesbians a abiding sense of like I'm not going to stand by while a huge injustice comes to pass and I think that sometimes every now and then, because it's rare to even hear enough about the lesbians taking care of gay men during the AIDS crisis.
But I think it's important to know it's not because women are more caring or something like that.
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