Coming Out Pod

Latest Episodes:

Episode 146: Amazin LeThi May 05, 2021

Show notes

Amazin LeThi was left in an orphanage in Saigon and raised by a white family in Sydney, only to suffer abhorrent racism and bullying. On top of this, she genuinely believed she was "the only Asian LGBTQ kid in the world," because she had literally never met anybody who looked and felt like she did. But things unexpectedly began to change for her at six years old when she discovered bodybuilding! Amazin discusses her unique journey, her incredible advocacy work, and her affinity for Arnold Schwarzenegger!

Episode 145: Diana Souhami Apr 28, 2021

Show notes

English author Diana Souhami was born in 1940, and began her career at a time when she couldn't even put the word "lesbian" in a book title. Today, she's written multiple biographies about queer women, and her latest one is, in fact, called "No Modernism Without Lesbians." Diana discusses how the four women in her book shaped history between the World Wars, shares her journey of going from apologetic to pleased about her identity, and gives us the *best* response to the "Are you a lesbian?" question...

Episode 144: Jessica Ellis Apr 21, 2021

Show notes

We talk to filmmaker Jessica Ellis, whose female-led coming of age movie "What Lies West" premieres May 11th! Jessica describes "continually interrogating" herself about her own bisexuality, and talks about queer people shading her on Twitter with comments like "ugh; STRAIGHT women!" when she is very much not in that category. Also, the difficulties of hitting on women ("I feel like I'd be hitting on someone in Swedish"), and the extreme importance of theatre make-out parties!
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Episode 143: Chloe Davis Apr 14, 2021

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We GEEK OUT about language with Chloe Davis, who literally wrote the queer dictionary! "The Queens' English, The LGBTQIA+ Dictionary of Lingo and Colloquial Phrases" was compiled by Chloe over the course of fifteen years(!), and helped her to crystalize her own identity for herself. Chloe discusses the pressure she felt as a bisexual woman to "pick a side," the process she went through to document the many communities *within* the queer community, her favorite queer words, and much more!
IG: @nez_davis

Episode 142: Claire Raymond Apr 07, 2021

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We get our spirits lifted by disability/mental health/body positivity advocate Claire Raymond, who is A LITERAL RAY OF SUNSHINE! Claire went through so many traumatic surgeries in high school that she already had a difficult time relating to her peers; the burgeoning realization that she was queer was just one more layer of separation. But in a surprise twist, Claire found THIS VERY PODCAST! She shares her funny, beautiful journey, and makes us feel all warm and fuzzy along the way.
@livingwithclaireity

Episode 141: Kevin Stea Mar 31, 2021

Show notes

There's "baptism by fire," and then there's "going to your first gay club ever with Madonna." But that's exactly what happened to dancer/choreographer Kevin Stea! At only twenty years old, Kevin was cast in the world-famous Blond Ambition Tour. He shares what it was like to both discover and explore his sexuality amidst the utmost extremes of gay culture; all while the specter of AIDS was looming. From being outed in the press to forming a late-in-life bond with his father, his stories are INCREDIBLE!

Episode 140: Anti-Trans Legislation Mar 24, 2021

Show notes

Only three months into 2021, we've already broken our country's record for the highest number of anti-transgender bills in history; many of which are aimed at trans youth. To discuss the specifics of the anti-trans legislation that our community is currently battling, we brought back someone with a very personal connection to this fight: Episode 45 guest Dalila Ali Rajah, whose 18-year-old son, Phoenix, is trans. From puberty blockers to inclusion in sports, we shed some light on what's at stake.

Episode 139: Gina Young Mar 17, 2021

Show notes

NICOLE IS BACK, Y'ALL!!! And to celebrate, we've brought on a guest who's near and dear to our hearts: writer, director, and queer-space-creator Gina Young, who has been referred to *multiple* times on the pod as "L.A.'s Lesbian Godfather." Gina tells the squeal-inducing story of her first girl/girl kiss, and discusses making herself more femme for the purposes of dating, despite feeling like her gender identity is closer to "paper bag/bowl of oatmeal." Also, riot grrrl, the Lesbian Archives, and MORE!

Episode 138: Tien Tran Mar 10, 2021

Show notes

Lauren is joined by Dyking Out's Carolyn Bergier for a conversation with the PAINFULLY charming and charismatic Tien Tran (Work in Progress)! Tien had a Vietnamese-American *and* Roman-Catholic upbringing, so she truly believed she was "saving herself for the perfect man." She shares the agonizingly-relatable near misses she had in college, and discusses not being out to her family during her first relationship. Also, her parents' journey with acceptance, and "the beautiful world of YouTube fan-cut videos!"

Episode 137: Carrie Brennan Mar 03, 2021

Show notes

It's a hilariously off the rails episode of the podcast when Lauren and Mav Viola talk to actor/writer Carrie Brennan, whose film BLOCK is an incredibly autobiographical retelling of her own coming out experience! Despite having gay role models within her own family, fear kept Carrie closeted for a decade. Our discussion covers finding an LGBTQ therapist on the dark web (yes, really), queer icon Rhonda Shimes (not a typo), and Gay Panic (TM). Also, we swear like sailors, so strap in!
www.blockthefilm.com

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