Being Lgbtq

Candas Jane Dorsey is the author of the new book ‘The Adventures Of Isabel’, part of a new detective series called ‘Epitome Apartments Mysteries’. The book features a diverse range of characters and follows a bisexual social worker recently fired from her job who becomes an amateur detective when the granddaughter of one of her neighbours is murdered. Candas is a former social worker herself as well as a renowned author and community advocate based in Edmonton, Alberta Canada. Candas’ past work has included science fiction novels including ‘Black Wine’ and ‘A Paradigm Of Earth’ and she was awarded the Aurora Award for sci-fi/fantasy in 1988.

The founder of the Miracle Foundation Caroline Boudreaux joins us to talk about her humanitarian work over the past 20 years helping empower orphans and vulnerable children, reuniting them with family and giving them a home instead of placing them in institutions. Caroline is a past winner of the U.N Humanitarian Award. We also chat to Caroline about the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan which many fear will have untold consequences mainly on women, girls and vulnerable groups including LGBTQ Afghans. 

Marcus Tallberg is a Swedish LGBTQ entrepreneur who is an established lecturer and author. He suffered traumatic teenage years which included sexual abuse and violence. Marcus chats to Sam about how he survived abuse and sought help to deal with the mental impact of his early years as well as his journey since then and the importance of inspiring LGBTQ young people.

Robert Ball is a gay singer songwriter based in Toronto Canada whose career has spanned over 18 years and included performing on Royal Caribbean cruises, Pride circuits and more. Robert talks about his latest single ‘I Need A Man’, life performing on a cruise ship and Jamaica Pride. Robert’s family are from Jamaica a country which currently has no protections for LGBTQ people and still has colonial era anti-LGBTQ laws in place, but the country has seen an acceleration in campaigns for equality in recent years. This episode also features discussions on the legacy of the civil rights movement and the black LGBTQ heroes of history.

Alice Mary is an LGBTQ music artist living in East London. Recently discovered by ‘BBC Introducing’ as an artist to watch, Alice has released a batch of 4 tracks this year, her latest single ‘Mystery’ explores trying to move on after a breakup but not really succeeding. Alice’s sound has been described as having an 80’s retro, feel inspired by Blondie and Kate Bush. Sam chats to Alice about her music and mental health, including how issues such as suicide and self-harm disproportionately impact LGBTQ young people.

Gay music artist Rohas based in Bakersfield, California shares his coming out story which involved being outed by a police officer in his teens and his music journey so far which only started in 2018. His new EP ‘Sad Times of Sunshine’ is inspired by Rohas’ fascination with human emotions which he hopes will tell stories that connect people.

Founder and Chairperson of LGBTQ cycling group ‘Pride Out’ Richard Hearne joins Sam to talk about why the group was formed and getting more LGBTQ people out cycling. Rich is calling for a more even distribution of funding from the government and Cycling UK with LGBTQ people feeling at a disadvantage when it comes to getting involved in the sport. Are we missing out on some potential Olympic champions? 

Lesbian couple’s relationship therapist Dr Lynda Spann has over 20 years’ experience helping lesbian couples, in fact she has helped over 600. Dr Spann joins us to discuss her career, the unique challenges and struggles lesbian couples face, the stigma around seeking help and more. Dr Spann is based in Denver, Colorado and founded the Lesbian Couples Institute in 2018.

Breagh Isabel is a Canadian singer songwriter and producer, born and raised on the Eastern Canadian Island of ‘Cape Brenton’. Breagh joins Sam to talk about her debut single ‘Girlfriends’ which chronicles a complex friendship-turned-romance between two teenage girls. Breagh was a member of the band ‘Port Cities’ until 2019 and toured around Canada and Europe, she recently signed a recording contract with Warner Music Canada.

Jack Guinness is a contributing editor at British GQ and founder of the ‘Queer Bible’ website which has now been turned into a book. ‘We stand on the shoulders of giants, it’s time to learn their names’ perfectly describes the purpose of QB which features biographical accounts of LGBTQ people throughout history, in some cases going back centuries. Jack joins Sam to talk about the book which features a collection of essays on queer trailblazers throughout history including words from Elton John, Paris Lees, Munroe Bergdorf, and others.

LGBTQ British tennis player Tara Moore who competed at Wimbledon this year joins us to talk about ‘Set Your Worth’ a new anonymous job-hunting platform which aims to eradicate discrimination. Tara chats about why she chose to endorse the new platform and her efforts to make the game of Tennis more equal in terms of pay and access for female players. ‘Set Your Worth’ is a platform designed to protect potential job candidates from discrimination including unconscious bias.

Germany’s entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 Jendrik Sigwart joins Sam to talk about the contest, growing up gay and raising awareness of LGBTQ issues including educating the younger generation. Unfortunately, Jendrik came second last with just 3 points with ‘I Don’t Feel Hate’ but he hasn’t let that get him down! He’s already recording new stuff which is due out soon.

Steve Taylor from the ‘European Pride Organisers Association’ joins us to talk about rising anti-LGBTQ sentiment in Europe including in Hungary where a new law which bans the so called ‘promotion’ of LGBTQ people reminiscent of Section 28 has recently been passed. Sam chats to Steve about the continuing rise of hate crimes, including physical attacks in the U.K. and the tragic murder of a gay man in Spain. Also – World and Euro Pride in a post pandemic world, solidarity with the trans community and how human rights in the U.K. may be in danger following the country’s exit from the European Union.

Joe White, co-founder of '3 Lions Pride', the LGBTQ fan group of the England national football team joins us to talk about Euro 2020. England competed in the final against Italy in what was the first major final for the men's side since 1966. Joe talks about the group, his response to the England defeat, the racism suffered by players on social media and getting more LGBTQ fans to games when many feel football stadiums aren't safe spaces for them.

Queer music artist TKOH (John McClean) joins Sam to discuss his latest EP ‘Fire Island Pining (Season 1)’. The Salt Lake City artist released his debut EP ‘Hollyweird’ in May 2020. His latest tracks were recorded in lockdown and consider the summer we all lost in 2020. TKOH talks about his music, being authentic, how gays going blonde may indicate a mental breakdown, the importance of Pride and more!

Trystan Reese is a transgender man, educator and speaker who has travelled across America educating people both LGBTQ and beyond about the importance of equality and inclusion. Trystan has shared his experiences in the new memoir ‘How We Do Family’ which includes his pregnancy which gained worldwide attention in 2017. In this interview Trystan talks about the book, the negatives of media attention and life as a trans man. Trystan currently lives in Portland, Oregon with his husband Biff and three kids, Hailey, Lucas, and Leo.

Benji Carr joins Sam to discuss Benji’s debut novel ‘Impacted’, an accidental dark comedy which Benji hopes provides ‘true representation’. Benji is a 44-year-old gay man living in Atlanta, Georgia, and shares details about his creative process as well as his experiences growing up and living with cerebral palsy. Disclaimer: if you’ve ever murdered a dentist this one might feel a bit too close to home…

Precious Brady-Davis who is an award-winning activist and speaker joins Sam to talk about her new memoir ‘I Have Always Been Me’. The book has been described as an outreach to the marginalised and in this episode Precious opens up about growing up trans, her inspiring activism and becoming a mother with her husband Myles by her side. Precious also details the challenges her and Myles faced becoming parents as a trans couple which was the subject of a TLC documentary.

Doug Probst (Aka – Shawn Mayotte), known in the 80’s for his modelling and gay porn movies joins us to discuss his life and his new memoir ‘Mayotte: The Musings of a Narcissist: A Survivors Story’. His story is one of trauma as a child, navigating the horrendous AIDS crisis, but also one of finding your way through life, the joy and in Doug’s case becoming a parent.

David and Kevin from LGBTQ clothing brand ‘Bear Wolf Panda’ talk about why they launched the brand and how the pandemic pushed them to make their dream of 8 years a reality. Based in the UK, the brand hopes to cater to all shapes and sizes and make “everyone feel fantastic”.