Being Lgbtq

We look back at the 2020 Presidential Election in the United States and the unprecedented fall out. We celebrate the Biden/Harris victory along with the 'rainbow wave' which saw many LGBTQ people elected to public office. We also consider what it may mean for LGBTQ rights. Sam is joined by a black voter Andrea Marius from New York who voted for Biden - Andrea shares her perspective on what's next for the United States and the role of black voters in the election process, especially gains in Georgia.

Featuring...LGBTQ music artist Clinton John talks about his new song 'Fresh' and shares his thoughts on the U.S. Election.And Sam is also joined by certified Life Mastery Consultant, author and motivational speaker Dr Laura Cole to discuss her work including creating safe spaces for LGBTQ people.

Featuring...LGBTQ music artist Anthony Hale talking about his music, authenticity and the upcoming U.S. Presidential election and how the political landscape has changed in recent years. Author Mike Curato discusses his new graphic novel 'Flamer' which is set in 1995 and focuses on character Aiden Navarro and explores the struggles of bullying and the dark path it can lead to. 'Flamer' has received excellent reviews, including one reviewer who said the book would 'save lives'.

David Auten and John Schneider talk about finances and getting debt free. Known as ‘The Debt Free Guys’, husbands David and John have 35 years combined experience and host the ‘Queer Money’ podcast. They’ve developed various debt help tools including a programme which has helped people pay off mounting credit card debts. David and John also chat to Sam about LGBTQ specific financial struggles.Also – One week out from the U.S. Presidential Election Sam shares his thoughts and predictions from a U.K. perspective.

Kayla Kaszyca & Sarah Costello - Hosts of the 'Sounds Fake But Okay' podcast 'a podcast where an aromantic asexual girl and a demisexual-straight girl talk about all things to do with love, relationships, sexuality, and pretty much anything else that they just don't understand'.With October 25th marking the start of 'Asexual Awareness Week' Sarah and Kayla join Sam to talk about underrepresentation of asexuality within the LGBTQ community, educating others about it, common misconceptions and lots more.

Featuring...​Brandyn Killz - LGBTQ music artist who describes his music as 'dance music for the new romantics'. Brandyn sees music as a multitude of different things from an escape, to joy, therapy, passion and purpose.Brandyn chats to Sam about his music, growing up, election 2020 and the BLM movement.David Ledain - British author talks about his latest book 'Having Gay Sex: A Guide To Male Homosexual Sex'. Part of the books synopsis explains an often asked question by some gay and bi men - "how do I have sex with a man?", the book explores the mystery around these questions in the hope of allowing more men to live as their true selves.David's previous books include 'This Forbidden Fruit: Male Homosexuality: A Culture & History Guide' and 'Gay Dad: Ten True Stories of Divorced Gay Men With Kids, Living in the U.K. Today'. David also contributed to the 'Rainbow Dads' podcast.

Featuring...​Gia Woods - LGBTQ Persian music artist Gia Woods just dropped her brand new album 'Cut Season'. An album which at its core is grounded in personal, raw experience. Gia talks about her music, coming out to the world with her first release in 2015, the impact of the pandemic and her Persian background.Tom Hendry - British actor and LGBTQ ally talks about the production of 'The Starving Swans', a feature film currently being developed by 'Baby Dog Films' in the United Kingdom. The film focusses on two gay soldiers returning from the battlegrounds of World War I. Sam chats to Tom about the erasure of LGBTQ people from history and how that can be addressed and Tom shares stories of homophobia in the heterosexual community.

Featuring...​David Lester - Money strategist with over two decades of experience. We chat to David about struggling with finances due to the coronavirus pandemic and the impact on vital LGBTQ community services. David has written two books 'I Heart Money' and 'From Middle Class To Millionaire' and is a contributor on CNBC, HuffPost and more.Tommy Atkins - LGBTQ country music artist Tommy joins us for a second time to talk about his newest release 'Kiss Me Cowboy'. Despite lockdown Tommy was determined to carry on releasing new material but yearns to get out performing again! Tommy talks about what he's been up to over the past few months and making explicitly gay country music.

Featuring...​Amazin LeThi - Asian Bodybuilder, LGBTQ advocate and fitness author Amazin joins Sam to talk about her career, the discrimination she has faced both in the sporting world and growing up, representation and equality in sports and much more. In 2018 Amazin became the first LGBTQ Asian athlete to appear in Stonewall's Rainbow Laces campaign and in 2019 was featured in the Australian Pride Power List. Amazin is nothing short of an inspiration within the LGBTQ community and beyond and has long advocated for the rights of minority communities around the World. 

Featuring...​Rodney Wilson - Gay history teacher who came out to his students in 1994 and founded October's LGBTQ History Month in the U.S. talks about what it was like to come out at a time when gay people had barely any rights, and the backlash he received as a result. Rodney was teaching in Missouri at the time and is the subject of a documentary short 'Taboo Teaching: A Profile of Missouri Teacher Rodney Wilson' (available on YouTube). 

Featuring...​Bri Castellini - Award winning bisexual/Ace filmmaker based in New York. Bri worked on the web series 'Sam and Pat Are Depressed' and produced a short film 'Ace and Anxious', just some of her many credits. Bri is also a podcast and is co-host of the 'Burn, Noticed' podcast alongside her co-host Christine.Christine Cherry - Trans, lesbian writer, actor and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. Christine's credits include co-hosting 'Burned, Notice', 'Bri and Chris Are Depressed' and has appeared on a number of other podcasts as a guest.Bri and Christine chat to Sam about their projects, how they identify, how to improve how society is represented on screen and if the capitalist system needs to finally change for the good of society. 

Featuring...​Britt East - Gay author chats about his new book 'A Gay Man's Guide To Life' which Britt says is a book he wishes he had been able to read growing up gay. The book focuses on personal growth and development, acting as a manual which combines memoir with practical and pragmatic advice to challenge and inspire gay and bisexual men. Britt is an inspirational writer and public speaker based in Seattle, United States.

It's the 100th episode of Being LGBTQ!Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil - The first gay member of a Royal Family to come out publicly. Prince Manvendra came out in 2006 and has since become an advocate for LGBTQ people. Manvendra talks about his coming out, changes to the law in India, conversion therapy and supporting LGBTQ youth worldwide.Daniel Molyneaux - U.K. based LGBTQ music artist, Daniel recently released his second album 'Free', his first as an openly gay man. 'Free' traces Daniel's coming out journey and what it has been like since. Daniel also speaks to Sam about improving representation of LGBTQ people on British television and the importance of normalising LGBTQ people. 

Featuring...​Sarah Kellysen - Queer music artist from Calgary in Canada, Kellysen who was once part of a long running web series has just released her latest album 'Rainbow Rhythm'. Sarah talks about the album, wanting to raise people's spirits after what has been a difficult year so far and educating others in the community about trans identities.T.F. Wright - Creator of the new Queer witch digital novel 'Wicked Willow', T.F. tells us about storytelling, the inclusion of LGBTQ characters, the uniqueness of digital novel storytelling and their time campaigning for LGBTQ rights which included calling for the overturning of proposition 8 and working on Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign.

Featuring...​Natasha Hawthornwaite - Lesbian filmmaker from Wigan in the United Kingdom at Northern Heart Films. Natasha talks about coming out in her mid-20's and her journey discovering her identity, including her school life and the impact on her relationships, she hopes that her story will inspire others. Northern Heart are currently working on a number of LGBTQ projects including the story of an Egyptian man who has fled persecution due to his sexuality and sought refuge in Spain. 

Featuring...​Angela Chen - Asexual author and journalist talks about her new book 'Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society and the Meaning of Sex' which has been described as an engaging exploration of what it means to be asexual in a world that's obsessed with sexual attraction, and what an ace perspective can teach all of us about desire and identity. Sam chats to Angela about the many myths surrounding what it means to be asexual including Angela's personal journey of discovery.

Featuring...​Michael Kaye - Michael helms global communications and public relations for dating platform 'Ok Cupid'. The app has become increasingly popular among the LGBTQ community in recent years. Michael shares his top tips on setting up the perfect dating profile, how the pandemic has changed the way people date and if this could be a 'new normal' in a post-COVID world and how the app is galvanising more support for 'Black Lives Matter', including donating to black civil rights organisations. 

Featuring...​Michelle Partington - Founder of Mentis Training and Consultancy which offers mental health training, workshops, coaching and more with the aim of promoting mental fitness and resilience. Michelle served 23 years in the Royal Air Force as a medic and retired after being diagnosed with PTSD after witnessing traumatic scenes while deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Michelle chats to Sam about her mental health journey, the changing attitude of the armed forces towards LGBTQ service people and founding Mentis.

Featuring...​Nena Erb - Emmy's 2020 nominated editor. Nena has been working on HBO's comedy drama series 'Insecure' since the shows third season and has been nominated in the editing category at this year Emmy's. Nena has edited a range of TV shows over the course of her 18 year career from drama to documentary and reality TV. She says her goal is to 'advance the stories of others' and for an episode of Apple TV's docu-series 'Little America' she edited an episode which focussed on a gay man fleeing persecution in Sudan. Nena immigrated to the United States from Taipei, Taiwan in the 70's.

Featuring...​Bryce Quartz - LGBTQ rapper based in Greensboro, North Carolina talks about his music which up until now has been mostly controversial delving into politics with 'Make America Gay Again' and taking aim at a homophobic religious University. Sam speaks to Bryce about what's coming next, the challenge of homophobia in the United States, his new track 'Game Over!' and more. Also - news about a mural dedicated to George Michael which is due to be unveiled in London next month and we say a big happy Birthday to UK Black Pride on the organisations 15th birthday.