Coming Out Pod

Latest Episodes:

Episode 282: Julie Delporte Jan 17, 2024

Show notes

Multidisciplinary author and artist Julie Delporte (they/she) was born in a village in the French countryside, and describes herself as "someone who is late in life." One of the ways in which this manifested was that Julie did not realize she was a lesbian until the age of thirty-five, which, as she says, "is not so old, but it felt so old." In her newly released graphic novel, "Portrait of a Body," Julie traces the arc of her coming out story through both text and illustrations, and the result is beautiful and moving. Julie speaks candidly about the conflict she felt between her need to explore her sexuality and her fear of potentially hurting someone in the process, and we have a vulnerable conversation about why we sometimes feel like we're "not sexual enough" as lesbians. Also, Julie tells an incredibly relatable story about how sometimes the slightest glimpse of a friend's shoulder can clarify everything...
Follow Julie on Instagram at @juliedelporte_, and buy her GORGEOUS book "Portrait of a Body" at https://drawnandquarterly.com/books/portrait-of-a-body/, or wherever gorgeous books are sold!

Episode 281: Sara Mossman Jan 10, 2024

Show notes

Writer and filmmaker Sara Mossman grew up in Baltimore in the midst of a family dynamic that consisted of "a lot of dysfunction, a lot of chaos, a lot of people in the mix" (Sara is one of SIX children!). All of this led to her becoming emancipated from her family just before she turned fourteen...riiiiiight on the heels of also figuring out that she was gay. Suffice to say that Sara did not have an easy adolescence, but the saving grace came when she was accepted into a predominantly-female, VERY queer arts school for her high school years! Sara shares how generational trauma has shaped her journey, but hasn't prevented her from having a great deal of empathy for her mother (whose own mother was a child bride from the Philippines). Also, the wild tale of how Sara was assisted in her hardest coming out by none other than Mister Rogers! Talk about "It's a beautiful day in the GAYborhood!!!" (Sorry; I had to.)
Check out Sara's website (saramossman.com) and YouTube channel (youtube.com/c/underaneonsky), and follow her on Twitter at @SMossman. You can also purchase her novel, "The Tree of Life," at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BGX5HGPL, and check out her BFF's charity that she mentioned at unmatchedathlete.org!

Episode 280: Adario Mercadante Jan 03, 2024

Show notes

HAPPY NEW YEAR! The pod is kicking off 2024 in a big way with its first ever furry-identified guest! Comedian Adario Mercadante has been doing standup since the age of eighteen, and is truly one of the sweetest men alive. Like many '90s kids, Adario first discovered furry content on sites like LimeWire and Kazaa, and his fascination/titillation led him to further resources like Furcadia and Yiffstar. Adario not only details his full journey from pre-puberty to adulthood, but also answers several FAQs, such as "Is being a furry just a sexual kink, or is there more to it?" Plus, Adario discusses his decision to come out to the *entire world* via his appearance on ABC's The Prank Panel, and shares the incredibly moving story of how doing so literally changed his life. Forget everything you think you know about furries, and learn about the community from one of its proudest (and, since his appearance on TV, most prominent) members!
First and foremost, watch Adario's episode of The Prank Panel for free at https://abc.com/shows/the-prank-panel/episode-guide/season-01/09-bride-swap-furry-double-cross (his segment starts just before the twenty-five minute mark)! Then give him a follow on TikTok at @adariomercadante, on Instagram at @adario1, and on Twitter at @YammoYeen. Lastly, if you want to check out the furry YouTuber who Adario shouted out, go to https://www.youtube.com/@BetaEtaDelota. Awoo!

Lez Hang Out Episode 613: Missed Queer-nections with Elle Mills Dec 20, 2023

Show notes

It's POD SWAP day! Leigh and Ellie of Lez Hang Out thought Coming Out Pod's listeners might especially enjoy this episode of theirs from February 2023.
Lez Hang Out Episode 613: Missed Queer-nections with Elle Mills
Your eyes meet across the aisle in Trader Joe’s. Then, your fingers brush as you reach for the same container of oat milk. The moment passes, but you can’t help wondering, could she have been the one? This week Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida) hang out with writer and director Elle Mills (@elle.mills) to talk about her journey from longtime Youtube creator to filmmaker with her directorial debut of short film Reply available to rent now on CreatorPlus.

Episode 279: Listener Mailbag 2023 with special guest NICOLE! Dec 13, 2023

Show notes

Lauren and Nicole are reunited for the pod's *FIFTH* ANNUAL LISTENER MAILBAG!!! In this double-stuffed episode, we're taking on allllll of your burning questions with our usual #workwife candor! Hear our thoughts on if gaydar is real! Listen as we debate whether or not straight people should have to come out! Delight in our very different (BUT EQUALLY VALID) answers to "what's on your queer bucket list?" Nicole also gives her take on several poly-specific questions, including what she's learned from being the hinge partner in a V relationship! It's a warm, funny, and insightful way to say goodbye to 2023. Happy holidays, y'all, and thanks so much for listening this past year!
Follow Nicole at @nicolepacent on Instagram, and be sure to check out her upcoming episode of The Poly (Pod)Cast when it drops! You can find the info for Zig Zag Pride (and all of the L.A. LGBT Center's other community groups) at https://socialnet.lalgbtcenter.org/social-networking-groups/. Also mentioned as a resource in this episode was the Cuties mailing list, which you can subscribe to at hicuties.com. Last but not least, there's no time like the present to give the *podcast* a present by leaving a 5-star rating and/or a li'l review on either iTunes or Spotify!

Episode 278: Lindsay Hicks Dec 06, 2023

Show notes

If you listened to last week's special episode about A Holiday I Do and found yourself thinking "gee, this is great, but I sure wish I knew Lindsay's coming out story..." then you're in luck, because this week Lindsay Hicks is BACK, and she is TELLING ALL! Lindsay (who uses bi and pan interchangeably) moved around a lot as a kid, so she was far less focused on things like crushes and dating than she was on simply keeping herself safe from bullying. It wasn't until she got to college and met her first ever lesbian that she started to sense that something was "different." Lindsay describes the surprisingly emotional experience of coming out to "some, like random dude...after four Bud Lights," and discusses the tumultuous intensity of her first queer relationship (relatable!). She also talks about meeting her parents with compassion despite their initial negative reaction to her sexuality, and shares the very sweet experience she had watching the original L Word ("I was like, oh my God - they're so safe! They're so safe, and they're so comfortable to be who they are!"). All this, plus a dog named Bagel!
Follow Lindsay and Bagel on Instagram at @linzhicks and @candicebergenbagel respectively. Also, watch Lindsay in A Holiday I Do and The List on Tello (tellofilms.com), and check out Suicide Kale on Amazon!

Episode 277: "A Holiday I Do" with Lindsay Hicks and Rivkah Reyes! Nov 29, 2023

Show notes

Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, it's officially holiday movie season, and if you follow Lauren on Twitter, then you know that she is absolutely *obsessed* with made-for-TV Christmas movies. As such, she jumped at the chance to talk to former guest Rivkah Reyes (Episode 136) and upcoming guest Lindsay Hicks, who are the two leads of Tello Films' latest QUEER LADY CHRISTMAS MOVIE! In this special episode, Lindsay and Rivkah dish on what it was like filming A Holiday I Do in the coldest place on earth (aka Michigan in January), and discuss the reactions they've been getting from viewers (Rivkah's future mother-in-law is a huge fan!). They describe the process of shooting their climactic, movie-ending kiss in a 4° barn, and Lindsay reveals how she produced a copious amount of tears for her emotional tour de force with an equine scene partner ("I just trusted the horse"). Plus, Rivkah gushes about her recent real-life enGAYgement! It's the perfect episode to usher in the happiest season; pun *fully* intended.
Check out A Holiday I Do and all of Tello's other queer and lesbian content by subscribing to their platform at tellofilms.com, or buy/rent A Holiday I Do directly at https://www.tellofilms.com/products/a-holiday-i-do.You can also follow Rivkah on Instagram and TikTok at @rivkah.reyes and on Twitter at @rivkahreyes, and don't forget to follow their full moon/new moon party HOWL on Insta at @howl.party.la! Lindsay can be found on Instagram at @linzhicks, and tune in next week to hear her coming out story!

Episode 276: Andrew McCaskill Nov 22, 2023

Show notes

Lauren has an eye-opening conversation with the VELVET-VOICED Andrew McCaskill, a LinkedIn Career Expert and 2023 brand ambassador for Nike's #BeTrue campaign! When LinkedIn conducted a study of LGBTQ+ professionals for Pride Month of last year, they were surprised to learn that more than half of the respondents polled said they hide their identity in the workplace. Andrew kicks off our in-depth discussion about coming out at work with his own personal story, which begins in a rural Mississippi town that literally had more cows than people. His first big job out of college was in the financial industry, and not only was he not out to his colleagues; he found himself watching hours of SportsCenter every night before he saw clients, "because everybody wants to talk to the 6'3" Black guy about sports." We run the gamut of what it means to be queer in the workplace, including the importance of knowing your "why" if you're planning on coming out, how to find resources if you're transitioning, and the ironic downside of passing privilege. It's an invaluable conversation with somebody who's been on both sides of the out-at-work experience!
Follow Andrew on Twitter at @DrewMcCaskill and find him on LinkedIn at "Andrew McCaskill," where you can also subscribe to his newsletter, The Black Guy In Marketing!

Episode 275: Erin Hoover Nov 15, 2023

Show notes

Poet and professor Erin Hoover self-identifies as "the parent of a donor-conceived child," and if you're wondering how she came to use that specific terminology, the thread of its evolution runs all the way through her recently-released collection, "No Spare People." Erin is currently based in Tennessee, and has lived in a number of places we might not think of as particularly "queer-friendly." Add to that the fact that she's chosen to parent on her own, and...let's just say she encounters a lot of personal questions. Erin shares how being queer is "a mode of existence...that has influenced every part of my life," and reads several poems from "No Spare People" as the events that inspired them come up in her story. Plus: '90s Dyke Drama (TM) at Sarah Lawrence!
(TW: discussion of sexual assault, but nothing descriptive)
The best way to find all things Erin is to go to her Linktree at linktr.ee/erinhoover. From there, you can access her website for more of her poetry and a list of upcoming events, find out where to purchase "No Spare People," and read the Daily Beast article we discussed in this episode! You can also follow Erin on Twitter and Bluesky at @erinhoover, and on Instagram at @theerinhoover.

Episode 274: Rich and Siobhan of The Poly (Pod)Cast Nov 08, 2023

Show notes

Lauren aims to do Nicole proud as she hosts Rich and Siobhan of The Poly (Pod)Cast, a British/Australian couple who absolutely charm the PANTS off of her! (Just kidding; Lauren never wears pants when she records the pod.) Siobhan fully believed she was a straight woman when she met Rich in late 2020. Rich, on the other hand, had already had coming out journeys pertaining to both his bi/omnisexuality, as well as his gender identity ("I feel like I'm a collage of gender most of the time"). One thing they both had in common, though: they were sure as heck monogamous!! As their relationship continued, however, Rich's polyamorous orientation became harder and harder to deny, ultimately leading to what they both describe as the hardest conversation they've ever had. Siobhan details how honestly examining her feelings about non-monogamy "popped the cap off the self-discovery train," at which point "the bisexuality came CLAWING out!" Rich shares how terrified he was to "burden" Siobhan with yet another non-mainstream facet of his identity. It's a vulnerable, hilarious, and, dare I say, *enchanting* conversation you won't want to miss!
Do yourself a favor and listen to The Poly (Pod)Cast on all the usual platforms! Also follow them on Intagram, Twitter, and Threads at @poly_podcast, and drop them an email at podcastthepoly@gmail.com.

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