Being Lgbtq

Featuring...​Neil Blackmore - Author of the new book 'The Intoxicating Mr Lavelle' (released in physical form August 13th 2020. Blackmore has created an intriguing character, a fictional story which accurately portrays the attitudes towards gay men in Europe in the 19th century. The book follows brothers Benjamin and Edgar Bowen as they embark on a tour of Europe. Things take a turn when they encounter Horace Lavelle, a fabulous LGBT character who gives Benjamin quite the education, a character you will come to love and hate. Neil chats to Sam about the book and gives us an insight in the mind of Mr Lavelle.

Featuring...​Jonathan Welford - One half of the 'Antique Dust' podcast joins Sam to talk about old TV shows and how the face of TV has changed over the years. Debates around offensive representations of LGBTQ people and the BAME communities have gained traction lately, with many calling for harmful and offensive representations to be censored from TV. Should past shows be censored or kept as a reminder of the difficulties of the past? Also - Sam reflects on recent events in Poland, which have resulted in LGBTQ activists being arrested for protesting anti-LGBTQ sentiment and the homophobic administration of newly elected President Duda.

Featuring...​Isabel Muller - Queer entrepreneur and founder of Swtch, the first-ever Womxn's Athletic tear-away underwear, which aims to be inclusive of LGBTQ women. Isabel speaks to Sam about the product, the need for more inclusive underwear and other clothing, representation in product advertising and the impact of eating disorders and body dysmorphia on society and the disproportionate number of LGBTQ people who are living with such conditions. 

Featuring...​Fab The Duo - LGBTQ band and real life gay couple made up of Greg Driscoll and Brendan Eprile who want to help people embrace their personalities and true identities. Their song 'Our Love Is Resistance' was filmed at Stonewall and they want 'Fab' not just to be about music, but about creating a movement. Brendan and Greg join Sam to talk about their music, how they met, racism on dating apps and more! 

Featuring...​Ori - Up and coming LGBTQ music artist originally from New England, now living in Nashville, USA. Ori launched his solo career in 2019 with his heartfelt track 'Fire In The Water', he wants to use his platform to spread love and equality and sees that as his responsibility as an openly gay artist. Ori chats to Sam about his coming out experience, keeping mentally well and more!

Featuring...​Mike Power - Program Director and LGBTQ Affirming Counsellor at 'The Cabin Group' a leading behavioural health and addiction treatment centre in Thailand which offers the first LGBTQ specialist addiction treatment outside the United States. Mike discusses what 'The Cabin' does, his passion for helping those who are struggling and the need for more services tailored specifically to LGBTQ people.​Mark Hamillton - Bisexual music artist based in London, Ontario, Canada who's debut 'Haters' in 2010 racked up hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube. Mark talks about now being the right time to release new music, the path to living a healthier life, his approach to facing down the bullies, being bisexual and more.

Featuring...​Liam T Papworth - The first openly transgender recruit to enlist in the U.S. military in 2018, Liam was discharged due to an injury and was then impacted by the trans military ban. Liam talks about his transition journey, and says he has faced discrimination from a hospital in Chicago when trying to arrange his phalloplasty treatment.​Sev7en Taylor - Black LGBTQ music artists joins us for the 2nd time to talk about his latest projects, calls for a reboot of gay TV show Noah Arc, the 'Black Lives Matter' movement and more.

Featuring...​Frederick Keeve - Director and star of LGBTQ feature film 'The Accompanist' which is a gay love story with supernatural elements exploring the healing power of music, gay love, grief, domestic violence and other themes. The film is available to stream now on Amazon and other streaming services and has received high critical acclaim. Frederick is also an accomplished pianist and has over 90 other acting credits. Sam chats to Frederick about the films themes and the sequel 'The Accompanist Awakening' which he hopes to release in 2021. 

Featuring...​Teraj Allen - Miami-born singer songwriter, model, social media influencer, LGBTQ+ advocate and host of Amazon Alexa's 'Gay Travel Today'. Sam speaks to Teraj about a range of issues including the future of LGBTQ travel in the world after COVID19 lockdown, the unique 2020 Pride season with events moving online, his music career and much more.

Featuring...​Steven Smith - Columnist for 'Out News Global' where he writes about his experiences as a single, middle aged gay man living in the U.K. Steven also interviews celebrities including his friend Denise Welsh and Matt Evers from 'Dancing On Ice'. Sam Wise chats to Steven about body image, mental health in the LGBTQ community, dating apps and much more.

Featuring...Skylar Cote - Transgender teenager living on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada. At 13, Skylar was featured in the documentary 'I Am Skylar' which looked at her coming out and the start of her transition journey. Skylar is a trans activist and has aspirations of being an actor in the future.Rachel Bower - Documentary filmmaker behind 'I Am Skylar'. Rachel talks about the project, how it came about, how inspiring Skylar's story is for other transgender youth, and her hopes for the documentary to educate others.

Featuring...​Reviewing and discussing the Apple TV+ series 'Visible: Out on Television' which explores the history of LGBTQ representation on TV. Ryan White - Director of the series which features well known LGBTQ faces including Wilson Cruz, Wanda Sykes and Anderson Cooper. Ryan's other directing and producing credits include the hit Netflix series 'The Keepers', HBO movie 'The Case Against 8' and the EPIX documentary 'Serena' which followed tennis star Serena Williams.Blake Neely - Composer of the documentary soundtrack, the soundtrack is out now and Blake will be donating all proceeds to the non-profit 'It Gets Better Project', an LGBTQ anti-bullying charity. Blake's past credits include composing for TV series' including 'Riverdale', 'You' and 'Arrow'.

Featuring...Dale Geist - Publisher of 'Country Queer' an online magazine and website dedicated to amplifying the voices of LGBTQ country music artists around the world. 'Country Queer' also promotes the visibility of LGBTQ fans of country and want the genre to be more accepting of the community.

Featuring...Dan Glass - Prominent U.K. LGBTQ activist and author of the new book 'United Queerdom', an in depth look at LGBTQ history starting with the Gay Liberation Front, formed in 1970, a campaign which changed the face of Britain and was inspired by the Stonewall uprising in the United States. Dan chats with Sam about the book, how far we've come, what still needs to be done and discuss whether Pride has lost its roots.

Featuring..Nick Stonestreet - LGBTQ music artist from Georgia talks about his latest track 'Hate to Love', the issues faced by the LGBTQ community and wanting to normalise gay culture.​Kieron Moore - Producer of the new LGBTQ anthology film 'Spectrum' which follows the lives of an array of people on a night out in Manchester's Gay Village. The village is one of the most iconic gay scenes in the U.K. if not the world and forms a central part of the community.

Featuring...Leona Storey - Bisexual author from the U.K. talks about her new book 'Pride' which is about a lesbian who comes out to her friends and family, attends a Pride event, but becomes a survivor of a hate fuelled terror attack and must navigate her coming out experience as well as PTSD as a result.

Featuring..Daniel Jacob - Also known as Vinegar Strokes from Drag Race U.K. talks about being black and gay and the experience of black people in the UK and worldwide. Daniel recently launched a campaign 'It Could Be' in the wake of anti-racism protests which have taken place around the world since the death of unarmed black man George Floyd in the United States.

Featuring..Gretchen Wylder - Creator of the LGBTQ web series 'These Thems'. The series has had rave reviews and has received a number of awards at recent LGBTQ film festivals. 'These Thems' tells the story of four friends and aims to combine comedy with education. The series is authentically cast with LGBTQ talent and representation featuring a diverse range of identities. The series has been compared to Netflix show 'Sex Education'.

Featuring..James Mayhew - Gay writer and illustrator talks about his work which dates back to the late 1980's. James has a body of work which includes illustrating 'Gaspard The Fox' and writing and illustrating 'Katie'. James speaks with Sam about the need for more LGBTQ representation in children's books, working with the BBC and more!

Featuring..Alex Sanchez - Writer of the new DC Comics graphic novel 'You Brought Me The Ocean' talks about the new novel which is a gay love story as well as a superhero story. The novel is a new take on the 'Aqualad' origin story. It's out on June 9th. Sam also chats with Alex about his 2001 book 'Rainbow Boys' and the changes that have occurred since.