Best Gay Lesbian Podcasts (2024)

1
'The First Gay Place That I Went Inside...' - with Alex Iantaffi from Gender Stories Podcast 56:58

30m ago56:58

56:58

The lyric to that very famous 80s TV theme song is 'sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name'. Whilst I think that's true I also think there are times where you want to go where nobody knows your name and where there's absolutely no risk of running in to anybody that you even vaguely know. It's that type of space that gave this week…

1
'Seeing These Beautiful Queer Faces' - with Terrence O'Brian Henderson 36:14

38m ago36:14

36:14

Are you one of those people that has a crystal clear memory of where they were and how they reacted when they found out about momentous moments in history? For instance, do you remember where you were on September 11? When you first heard of the Covid-19 outbreak? Most importantly, do you remember the first time you heard Beyonce’s ‘Single Ladies’ …

1
'My Queerness Is My Strength' - with John Sizzle 44:31

6d ago44:31

44:31

I was gutted, understandably, when I found out earlier this year that my favourite queer bar, The Glory, was going to close. But I also had a bunch of questions, as it wasn't closing for the same reason that so many others do (£££). In fact, the owners opened a brand new venue, The Divine, within days of The Glory closing its door. So I needed to f…

1
'The Seediness of New York' - with Richard Skipper 58:35

13d ago58:35

58:35

If you were trying to seduce someone in the audience when you were performing at a piano bar or at karaoke... what song would you sing? I imagine you'd go for something slinky and sexy, right? Or maybe something bombastic and exuding confidence? Well, not, it turns out, if you are this week's guest, the singer and story teller Richard Skipper, who …

1
'There Is No Word for Gay in the Samoan Context' - with Edward Cowley (aka Buckwheat) 49:53

20d ago49:53

49:53

One of the things that I get asked a lot when people find out that I do this show is 'well, why are queer spaces important? bars and clubs close all the time, why should we care about them just because they're queer?'. And there are lots of answers to that, but the one that I keep coming back to is that they aren't just businesses - they're communi…

1
'Maybe We Should Explore Polyamory...' - with Mehgan Sapphire from Sapphire's Earplay Podcast 49:28

27d ago49:28

49:28

It's time to talk all about the fine art of ho-ing. And who is going to guide us through this very important lesson? Why, it's Mehgan Sapphire, host of the Sapphire's Earplay podcast. Mehgan joined me to talk about her lost space, The Lexington, a San Franciscan lesbian bar that she went to when she was just a little baby gay in her college days. A…

1
'I'm In San Francisco And Everyone's Dying From Sex' - with Daniel Nardicio 55:56

1M ago55:56

55:56

San Francisco in the 80s. If you know anything about queer history then you may already know that that wasn't the most joyous of times. And, yet, despite that... despite all that was happening in the world - heightened homophobia, and the really real fear of contracting HIV - people got on with their lives and they found and made joy. And that is e…

1
Making Impactful Films with Oscar & Emmy-winning Director SHARMEEN OBAID-CHINOY - Highlights 10:29

2M ago10:29

10:29

“As a filmmaker, I've always made films about extraordinary women whose lives are faced with extenuating circumstances who've had adversity thrown at them and who've risen to the occasion. And when I began to look at Diane's story, for me, Diane is a fashion designer, but she's so much more. Her central ethos is woman before fashion, and we felt it…

1
DIANE VON FURSTENBERG: Woman in Charge w/ Oscar-winning Director SHARMEEN OBAID-CHINOY 37:47

2M ago37:47

37:47

How can we free ourselves from fear and social barriers to live more fulfilling and meaningful lives? What does it take to overcome trauma and turn it into triumph, and failure into reinvention? How can we shine a light on the marginalized and misunderstood to create social change that transforms the lives of women? Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is an Osca…

1
'Looking Back Through This Queer, Non-Binary Lens' - with Holly Revell 49:30

2M ago49:30

49:30

One of the constant gifts of doing this show is the reminder of how privileged those of us who get to grow old are. It’s easy to forget this in a world saturated with messages glorifying youth, but youth isn't always that great (sure, I still have crippling social anxiety, but I'm MUCH better at masking it now!). So, getting the chance to talk to p…

1
'I'm Really Lucky That I'm Gay' - with Eric Marcus from Making Gay History Podcast 54:23

2M ago54:23

54:23

I don't know about you, but I really like the idea of being referred to as a gay elder at some point in the future. The only part about it that worries me is that I hope I'm not expected to suddenly be wise or level-headed or clever or anything... And though this week's guest, Eric Marcus from the Making Gay History podcast, might not like being re…

1
'Gays Aren't The Best At Catching' - with Recognition 57:28

2M ago57:28

57:28

I think what's so magical about a place like London is the promise of what the city represents rather than what it can actually meaningfully offer people... And, that might sound like a strange distinction, but for me London was always the place that I was going to run away to in order to become the person that I was meant to be. And it was here th…

1
'All These Gay Men With No Shirts On...' - with Van Hechter 42:12

2M ago42:12

42:12

I love the kind of people that can go through a whole bunch of bullying, a whole bunch of othering, a whole bunch of shit in their life and still come out the other end and be like 'this is who I am, take it or leave it, I'm not changing for anyone'... And those are exactly the vibes that this week's guest, singer/songwriter Van Hechter, was puttin…

1
'A Gay Man in New York' - with Colin Drucker from Alright Mary Podcast 1:01:57

2M ago1:01:57

1:01:57

One of my favourite things about queer people is that they make shit happen. Ok, ok, so that's a massive generalisation. And here's another one... Straight people (apologies to any that are reading this) are not forced to put themselves out there and meet people and make new connections in the same way that queer people are. So they don't have to g…

1
How Can Music Heal Trauma & Foster Identity? - Highlights - MATTIA MAURÉE 11:24

3M ago11:24

11:24

“So for me, it just kind of removing a lot of the shame and then a lot of the energy that I was wasting trying to fit myself into a neurotypical process or framework or way of thinking or being. So, you know, some people call that unmasking, just kind of removing. I was wasting a lot of energy, basically trying to be someone else and function in a …

1
Exploring the Sensory World of Autism, ADHD & Non-Binary Artists with MATTIA MAURÉE 58:14

3M ago58:14

58:14

How can we learn to flourish because of who we are, not in spite of it? What is the sensory experience of the world for people with autism and ADHD? How can music help heal trauma and foster identity? Mattia Maurée is an interdisciplinary composer whose work centers around themes of perception, body, sensation, trauma, and resilience. Their scores …

1
'That's Where Cruising Tends To Happen...' - with Marcus McCann 43:56

3M ago43:56

43:56

So, this week we’re doing something a little different. Rather than visit a lost space we’re setting out to answer the question ‘is the ancient art of cruising about to be lost?’. I know that's a fairly dramatic question, but there are a number of factors - like hook up apps and the over-gentrification of our cities - that seem to threaten these li…

1
'Every Letter Of The Alphabet Mafia...' - with Karl Dunn 49:08

3M ago49:08

49:08

LA. Los Angeles. City of Angels. It's not really known to be the easiest of towns to live in. But, i think that's part of what makes it so exciting, right? Not to completely plagiarise a popular song, but if you can make it there then... you know the rest... And this is what brought Karl Dunn, who has just released his first book How To Burn A Rain…

1
'I Felt That Way About Pulse' - with JJ Ivey 44:44

3M ago44:44

44:44

So, if you're reading these show notes I'm going to go ahead and make the assumption that you know about the Pulse nightclub shooting that happened in Orlando in 2016. And I'm also going to assume that you've heard some of the stories from survivors and families of victims about the impact of that night. But, now that we're a few years on and peopl…

1
'I Didn't Have Any Gay Friends' - with Rudy Jeevanjee 43:00

3M ago43:00

43:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about how your life can just happen to you. And, if you're not careful you can wake up one day wondering how you ended up there. But then, there are times when we take the bull by the horns and throw caution to the wind (and all the other cliches that you can think of), even if we know we might fail. Anyway, I had a …

1
'Where Do Lesbians Go For Fun?' - with Layne the Auctionista 47:32

4M ago47:32

47:32

I love hearing people's stories of places that are close to their hearts - places where they spent tonnes of time, met lots of wonderful people, and figured out things about themselves. But, you know what else I love? When people want to talk about places that they HATED! And hate is maybe too strong a word for this week's guest's experience, but I…

1
'Disco 2000 Was The Hub Of The Club Kids Scene' - with Abdi Nazemian 1:05:46

4M ago1:05:46

1:05:46

So, if you were to ask me to overly generalise and boil down the types of experiences that guests on this show have had when first accessing a queer space I'd say they neatly fit in to two categories: 1) there are those who feel instantly at home and like they've arrived. 2) there are those who feel like an outsider, or a 'tourist' in the space. So…

1
'I Can't Be Gay Because I'm Christian...' - with Dr Luke Wilson 1:10:50

4M ago1:10:50

1:10:50

We seem to have, in the last few months, had a lot of religious guests, and through that we've had a lot of conversations about how religiosity can be in direct conflict with queerness, and all the issues that that can create. But what we haven't really talked about are the similarities between religion and queerness. And, to be fair, there probabl…

1
'This Kid's Probably Gay...' - with Matt Fishel 45:58

4M ago45:58

45:58

Can you really call yourself queer if you don't have a weird love/hate relationship with your home town? Because even if you love the place that you're from and you had an idyllic childhood there's still that reckoning that you need to have with all of those feelings of isolation and anticipation judgement and scorn when you came to terms with your…

1
"I Needed To See Masculine-Of-Centre Black Lesbians" - with Anna DeShawn 42:15

5M ago42:15

42:15

How much of yourself do you bring to the spaces that you spend time in? How much of the different sides of yourself do you bring out when you are at work? At dinner with friends? Spending time with your family? Hanging out at the club? Do you dial back your queerness, do you push down your beliefs or censor your thoughts? Or, are you one of those p…

1
"It Took Almost 30 Years Before I Actually Transitioned" - with Amethysta Herrick from Gender Identity Weekly Podcast 59:25

5M ago59:25

59:25

There's one question that gets asked in this week's episode that’s really stuck with me and that I continued to ponder even after we'd said our goodbyes and turned our microphones off... And that question is: how do you know when you have become the person that you’re supposed to be? By that I mean - at what point do you say 'yes this is the person…

1
Creating Safe Spaces: ITA O’BRIEN & the Art of Intimacy Coordination - Highlights 12:52

5M ago12:52

12:52

"That production was really close to my heart because I was a musical theater dancer in the eighties and so that whole storytelling was something that I personally had lived through and really understood. You know, I was that kid at the Pineapple Dance Studios. And gradually, as friends around me sort of began to become unwell, and actually, one of…

1
Intimacy Coordinator ITA O’BRIEN on It's a Sin, Sex Education & Creating Safe Spaces 52:46

5M ago52:46

52:46

How can intimate scenes be brought to the screen in ways that respect the emotional well-being and privacy of the artists themselves? How do we make sure that we can create a story about abuse without anyone being abused in the process? Ita O’Brien is the UK’s leading Intimacy Coordinator, founder of Intimacy on Set (and author of the Intimacy On S…

1
"Oh, But I AM Queer..." - with Eric Kostiuk Williams 53:31

5M ago53:31

53:31

Have you ever shown up at the tail-end of a really exciting party just as everything was ending, and you get that overwhelming feeling of having had missed out on something big? Well, that's kinda what happened to illustrator and cartoonist Eric Kostiuk Williams. He had moved to Toronto in 2008, and took a few years to discover the corner of the sc…

1
"This Hotbed Of Trans Activism..." - with Dr Syrus Marcus Ware 42:43

5M ago42:43

42:43

So, it's well documented on this show that queer spaces are good for many things - they're for dancing, socialising, drinking, falling down, getting back up, losing yourself, finding yourself in the arms of some strange men at 2am in the morning... BUT, they are also for organising and activism, and I think that's something we don't talk about enou…

1
"'Love Is Love' - Until You're Black, Trans, Disabled, Non-Binary..." - with Andrew Gurza from Disability After Dark 49:26

5M ago49:26

49:26

I know there's always the risk with this show of completely romanticising queer spaces as these glistening oasis' of tolerance and acceptance. But, that's really not the case - despite how wonderful and freeing they can be, they can also be a bit shitty and exclusionary. And I was reminded of that this week when I sat down to talk to talk to Andrew…

1
Championing LGBTQ Stories Amidst the AIDS Crisis and Breaking TV Barriers - Highlights - LISA EDELSTEIN 14:22

6M ago14:22

14:22

"I had the first ever lesbian makeout scene on network television on a short-lived show called Relativity. That was another role where I felt really honored to be asked to do that, having been in and around the gay community my whole adult life. In the club scene, it was like all my friends were gay. So I was really happy to represent doing that. W…

1
LISA EDELSTEIN - From Acting to Directing, Writing & Visual Art 49:36

6M ago49:36

49:36

How can the arts help us examine and engage with social issues? How do our families shape our views, memories, and experience of the world? From her role as Dr. Lisa Cuddy on the hit Fox series House, to her starring role as Abby McCarthy in Bravo's first scripted series Girlfriend's Guide to Divorce, Lisa Edelstein's range of roles are as diverse …

1
"My Faith Side And My Queer Side" - with Crystal Cheatham 50:51

6M ago50:51

50:51

I have a fairly straightforward relationship with religion in that... well, I don't have one. I wasn't brought up religious, I've never dabbled in religiousity, and it's never seemed to be something that particularly drew me in. Where it's a bit more fuzzy for me is when talking about the intersection between queerness and religiousness. It'll come…

1
Spirituality & Selfhood: TARA ISABELLA BURTON - Author of The World Cannot Give, Here in Avalon, & Strange Rites 46:18

6M ago46:18

46:18

What are we willing to give up to find meaning, connection, and a sense of belonging? What happens if we don't self-promote, self-create, and self-brand on social media? Will we find the right partner? Will we get into the right college? Or find the best job? Tara Isabella Burton is the author of the novels Social Creature, The World Cannot Give, a…

1
"I've Never Really Liked This Concept Of 'Coming Out'"- with Lamya H 50:28

6M ago50:28

50:28

We talk in this episode a little about Lamya's new memoir, Hijab Butch Blues. If you're interested in snagging yourself a copy why not take a look at my Bookshop store? https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13642/9781785788499 Books! Is there anything more inviting and accepting than a good book - one that seems to know you better than you know yourself? Books…

1
Forty years of Bringing LGBTQ+ Stories to the Screen - Highlights - ALAN POUL 12:55

6M ago12:55

12:55

“I was fortunate to be able to be out in Hollywood in the 90s and to be able to work early on seminal LGBT-presenting shows like Tales of the City series, and Six Feet Under with Alan Ball. When it comes to Tokyo Vice, I did push hard for there to be a queer storyline because in the late 90s, in Japan, there was a huge thriving gay subculture. But …

1
ALAN POUL - Emmy & Golden Globe-winning Producer/Director - Tokyo Vice - Six Feet Under - Tales of the City - My So-Called Life 1:09:55

6M ago1:09:55

1:09:55

What does learning another language and living in another culture do for your humanity and creative process? Alan Poul is an Emmy, Golden Globe, DGA, and Peabody Award-winning producer and director of film and television. He is Executive Producer and Director on the Max Original drama series Tokyo Vice, written by Tony Award-winning playwright J.T.…

1
"Gay and Emo?" - with Matt Hey 39:41

6M ago39:41

39:41

It's time to put on your skinny jeans, dig out your studded belt, and apply about a week's worth of black eyeliner, because this week.... we're going emo! Now, if you’re listening to this episode 300 years from now and you’re like ‘what the heck is emo’ let me break it down for you... According to dictionary.com emo is 'a style of rock music resemb…

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