Being Lgbtq

Nicholas joins Sam to talk about season 2 of the award winning podcast series 'Rainbow Dads' which was released back in June. The series features stories of LGBTQ Dads and how they have navigated life including coming out in the army and struggling with sex addiction. Nicholas is an award winning script writer and lives in South London with his husband and two daughters, he also volunteers for the LGBT helpline 'Switchboard'.Listen to Rainbow Dads - https://rbd2019.podbean.com/ 

Miami born bisexual author Davida Breier joins Sam to discuss her new book 'Sinkhole' which was released in May 2022. Davida currently works for Johns Hopkins University Press and has received high praise for her debut novel. Sam also chats to Davida about 80's nostalgia and how it can often cover up the truth. Learn more about Davida - http://davidabreier.com 

On this episode Sam is joined by queer electro-pop artist ZAVA who released his new anthem H.O.E (Heaven On Earth) to celebrate Pride Month in June. ZAVA talks about his music, growing up gay and gender fluidity. Also - Sam gives an update on the future of Being LGBTQ and shares the story of a blind, bisexual, polyamorous goose.Find ZAVA on social media - @thisiszava on Twitter and Instagram. 

Loren Ostrow is an LGBTQ activist who has served on the board of directors/trustees of the Los Angeles LGBT Centre for 22 years, he is also a past recipient of the Harvey Milk Award. Most recently Loren became the Lead Developer of 'Living Out Palm Springs', a luxury community for LGBTQ adults aged 55 and over. The ground breaking ceremony came at the end of last year and Loren chats to Sam about the importance of inclusive living for LGBTQ seniors as well as remembering their contributions to the fight for LGBTQ rights over the decades, including his own contributions! Find out more - http://www.livingout.com 

Georgia Clark is a novelist and performer currently living in Brooklyn, New York with her wife and new-born baby, she also founded and hosts the popular storytelling series 'Generation Women'. Georgia's new LGBTQ rom-com 'Island Time' is a book she describes as being written during lockdown "in order to whisk myself away to the place I couldn't go to - my home country of Australia". In this interview Georgia talks about the new book, the definition of home, how publishing has changed for LGBTQ authors and becoming a parent.More about Georgia - http://www.georgiaclark.com 

'Mark and the Tiger' is the musical name of singer Mark Haberland whose brand new single 'The La La Song' is one in a line of upcoming releases from Mark's next album 'The Hero's Journey' which was recorded with Grammy Award nominated producer Mikal Blue. In this interview Sam chats to mark about his upcoming release, where his musical identity came from and his connection to the North East of England where Being LGBTQ is based. More about mark - https://www.markandthetiger.com

Rosana Cade & Ivor MacAskill are renowned queer live artists based in Glasgow, creating and performing their unique works nationally and internationally in a wide range of contexts. In this interview they chat to Sam about their latest project which takes inspiration from the story of Pinocchio from a queer trans perspective. It shifts between fantasy and authenticity in response to Ivor's gender transition. The performance is part of LIFT (London International Festival of Theatre) 2022 and premieres on June 29th at the Battersea Arts Centre. Find out more about LIFT - http://www.liftfestival.com 

Lil Miss Hot Mess is a founding member of the Drag Queen Story Hour in the United States and has hosted book readings across the country including RuPaul's Drag Con, libraries and schools. She's also a children's book author releasing her first ''The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish' in 2020 and her second 'If You're a Drag Queen and You Know It' in May 2022. Additionally Lil Miss Hot Mess organised the #MyNameIs campaign on Facebook which challenged the platforms 'real name' policy which discriminated against trans and non-binary people as well as drag queens.More info - http://www.lilmisshotmess.com 

Ry Levey has been a professional in the film industry for over 20 years and joins Sam to talk about his feature directorial debut 'Out In The Ring'. The documentary looks at the history of queer identity in professional wrestling using a historical timeline starting in the 1940's and 50's. The film features interviews with performers, fans and writers exploring how identity has been portrayed through the years including representations of masculinity, femininity and homophobia. Follow 'Out In The Ring' on social media including on Twitter @outinthering and Instagram @outintheringdoc 

LGBTQ ally and Formula 1 racing driver Seb Vettel joins Sam to talk about standing up for human rights specifically the rights of LGBTQ people. Seb is a four time F1 world champion, winning consecutively between 2010 and 2013, he currently drives for Aston Martin and has used his platform to speak out including when visiting countries with anti-gay laws. In 2021 at the Hungarian Grand Prix he wore a t shirt with the words 'same love' on it making a statement against so called 'gay propaganda' law proposals in the country.

Gabe Montesanti is a queer U.S. roller derby player from the midwestern United States and her debut memoir 'Brace For Impact' has been praised as 'heartfelt' and 'powerful' as Gabe navigates life in a conservative setting. Gabe currently lives in Denton, Texas where she teaches creative writing at the University of North Texas and in this interview chats to Sam about the memoir, current threats to LGBTQ rights and more. Further information about Gabe - https://www.gabemontesanti.com/

Lucy Dunne is CEO of the 'Dunnebells' personal training company and has helped thousands of women with health and fitness. Lucy became an online personal trainer in 2016 and chats to Sam about the origins of the company, dealing with an eating disorder, accepting her sexuality and shutting down online trolls. Find out more about Dunnebells - http://www.dunebells.com 

For our first episode of Pride Month Sam is joined by writer Brian Watson who is currently working on a memoir about his life, including his long journey to being able to marry his partner of 28 years. Brian met his husband Hiro while he was in Japan in the 90's and their relationship blossomed. Also in this episode Brian shares his views on the political situation in the U.S. from mass shootings to anti-LGBTQ legislation. More about Brian - http://www.iambrianwatson.com 

Transgender Indie Rocker Lenny Zenith joins us to talk about his new single 'Where Is Safe?', an autobiographical track which aims to raise money for organisations fighting anti-trans legislation in the United States. Lenny transitioned as a teenager in the late 1970's and in this interview discusses becoming his true self, what we can do to fight against transphobia and the ongoing problem of gun violence in America.More about Lenny - http://www.lennyzenith.com

Dr Jack Bartel is a transgender behavioural health specialist currently practising in Florida. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Central Florida and a doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the Florida Institute of Technology. He also completed an APA accredited internship at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida. In this interview Dr Bartel talks about the challenges facing the trans community in healthcare ad how to address them, being a trans doctor, the rise in transphobic rhetoric in the U.S. and much more! 

Anna and Jen are co-founders of a brand new app for the LGBTQ community centred on friendship rather than dating. Anna is a visionary business leader with a background in mental health advocacy while Jen is experienced in launching and building companies and won the U.S. Fintech Award for Director of the Year. The aim of the app is to be a place 'where people can meet their next best friend in a new city'.Also on this episode - Sam reacts to Blackpool's Jake Daniels becoming the U.K's first openly gay male professional footballer for over 30 years.Find out more about 'Out App' - http://www.outqueerapp.com Other links from this episode - http://www.basedonatruestorypodcast.com / http://www.shamepinata.com 

TJ Alexander is an amateur baker and author originally from Florida with an MA in writing and publishing from Emerson College in Boston. TJ's new book 'Chefs Kiss' was released at the start of May and has been described as a 'fresh and witty queer romcom'. TJ identifies as non-binary and bisexual and in this interview chats to Sam about the book, coming out as non-binary, the challenges faced by LGBTQ people in 2022 and much more!TJ's website - http://tjalexander.comSupport Being LGBTQ - http://www.patreon.com/beinglgbtq / http://ko-fi.com/beinglgbtq

Jonathan Alexander is originally from New Orleans and is a widely published cultural journalist and author, he is the Chancellor's Professor of English at the University of California, Irvine and in 2012 a book he co-edited 'Bisexuality and Queer Theory' was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual literature. Jonathan joins Sam to discuss his latest memoir 'Dear Queer Self' which revisits the years 1989, 1993 and 1996 in Jonathan's life at moments of significant political and cultural change. Find out more about Jonathan - The Blank Page Support Being LGBTQ - Patreon / Ko-fi

Betsy Cerulo is a gay business leader and co-founded the Maryland Chamber of Commerce as well as the Maryland LGBT Foundation. Her new book 'Shake It Off Leadership - Achieving Success Through The Eyes Of Our Labels' provides guidance on how she got to where she is today. Betsy's own management consulting firm has been recognised by the Baltimore Business Journal three time as one of the Top 50 woman owned businesses. In this interview Betsy talks about being gay in the 80's, women's rights and the continuing campaign for equal pay.More about Betsy - Visit her websiteSupport Being LGBTQ - Patreon

Gay music artist Harrison Barnes released his first music in 2020. He was born and raised in South Carolina and currently performs as a professional dancer on the Las Vegas strip. In this interview Harrison chats to Sam about releasing music, being bullied for being gay when he was younger and how Britney Spears has inspired him.Website - http://www.harrisonbarnesmusic.comSocials - Instagram / FacebookSupport Being LGBTQ - Become a Patron