Teaching Angie about Carbondale as a queer hotspot and what I learned on my energy policy research trip to Valencia, Spain

Angie and I discuss why Illinois is the best place to be a queer in 2026 and why Carbondale is an unassuming, under-invested sort of place that is also an unexpected hotspot of Illinois queerdom thanks in no small part to Clare Killman, a progressive and beloved City Councilperson who has enacted policy aimed at specifically cementing Carbondale as a sort of place where queers fleeing other states can find refuge. I also preview the energy policy research trip I took myself on last winter to Valencia Spain, where I saw energy policy implemented at the municipal level in a way that was shocking to see.