Writer Lauren Hough grew up in the infamous Christian free-love and -sex cult The Children of God, later called The Family. Her father had joined the cult around 1970 to evade the Vietnam War. At 18, Hough enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, where she got death threats and her car was set ablaze because she’s a lesbian.

The Air Force court-martialed Hough, accusing her of setting her own car on fire. The military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in place at the time kept her from citing the homophobic death threats in her defense. Her book of essays, “Leaving Isn’t The Hardest Thing,” details this and other horrors, with scathing critiques on U.S. society tempered with sardonic humor.

On this edition of Out in the Bay, Hough reads from her essays and talks about “life in the margins,” where so many people in the US dwell. After her USAF service, Hough was homeless for a while; was incarcerated briefly; and worked as a bouncer, a barista, a bartender and a “cable guy” before becoming a professional writer. Learn more about Lauren Hough and her work on her website, https://laurenhoughauthor.com/.

A special Pride Month request: We’re participating in Give OUT Day, a national fundraiser for LGBTQ non-profits that runs all June! Please help us keep bringing queer content to your ears and the world’s. When you give any amount to Out in the Bay via Give OUT Day, you’ll help us qualify for bonuses on top of your $$s. Bonuses are based on the number of donors, not the dollar amount. So even $10 can make a big impact. Please donate today and spread the word to help us keep sharing LGBTQ voices with the world. THANK YOU!!

This episode of Out in the Bay was produced by Kendra Klang and edited by Lusen Mendel.

Photo of essayist Lauren Hough by Karl Poss IV, courtesty of Vintage Books.