Embodied

The Life of Trans And Queer Long-Haul Truckers

By Kaia Findlay,

Eli Chen, Anita Rao, Amanda Magnus, Wilson Sayre

Published September 5, 2025 at 1:01 PM EDT

An illustration of a femme-presenting person sitting in the driver’s seat of a large truck cab, holding the steering wheel. She's wearing a pink shirt, gray shorts and purple sneakers, with a pink hair tie holding up her ponytail of dark blonde, shoulder-length hair. The truck door is open, giving a clear side view of the cab interior. Above, the word “Embodied” appears in bold purple letters.

The face of the long-haul trucking industry has long been white and male ... but that’s slowly shifting. Among the changing demographics, there’s one cohort that’s gaining visibility: LGBTQ truckers.

Long-haul trucking is not an easy job. The schedule is grueling, and the burnout rate is high. But the profession does offer a certain sense of freedom — particularly for queer drivers looking for work where they can present authentically and face less scrutiny or harassment.

Host Anita Rao talks with former trucker and writer Anne Balay about why LGBTQ folks are drawn to trucking. Anne is the author of “Semi Queer: Inside the World of Gay, Trans, and Black Truck Drivers.”

She also meets 24-year-old Ashleigh Lewis, a third-generation truck driver who is committed to the profession despite its challenges. Ashleigh will also be featured in the upcoming documentary "The Trans Trucker Project" from filmmaker Hansen Bursic.

Special thanks to Hansen Bursic and his team for connecting us with Ashleigh!

Read the transcript

Embodied

Kaia Findlay

Kaia Findlay is the lead producer of Embodied, WUNC's weekly podcast and radio show about sex, relationships and health. Kaia first joined the WUNC team in 2020 as a producer for The State of Things.

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Eli Chen

Eli Chen is WUNC’s afternoon digital news producer.

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Anita Rao

Anita Rao is an award-winning journalist, host, creator, and executive editor of "Embodied," a weekly radio show and podcast about sex, relationships & health.

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Amanda Magnus

Amanda Magnus is the executive producer of Embodied, a weekly radio show and podcast about sex, relationships and health. She has also worked on other WUNC shows including Tested and CREEP.

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Wilson Sayre

Wilson Sayre is WUNC's Director of Digital Content leading our podcasting strategy and initiatives. She has worn many hats in the audio world as an editor, producer, consultant and team lead. Wilson was Managing Producer at Pushkin (previously Transmitter Media) where she helped launch shows like Am I Normal, the TED Interview and The Heist. Before that, she served as Executive Producer at Capitol Broadcasting Company and lead reporter for The City podcast from USA Today. Prior to that, she covered social safety net programs at WLRN, Miami's NPR member station. There, she founded the station's youth radio program. Wilson's work has been recognized by the Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize and national Edward R. Murrow Awards. Wilson grew up in North Carolina and enjoys playing banjo and eating chocolate, usually not at the same time.

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