Gabi and Shanna are two travel bloggers from New York City. I’ve been following them for some time now on Instagram and living vicariously through them as they traverse the globe on their far-flung travels. I interviewed them remotely of course a few weeks back and we chatted about; Shana’s Catholic upbringing, experiencing homophobia at home in New York City, their plans to open a cafe and to have a beach-house in the Caribbean one day, our shared admiration of Hilary Duff and lots of other things. This is the first podcast I recorded over Zoom and I wish I had done more trial runs on the app first. I would’ve preferred if the audio was better. It’s not perfect but it’s pretty decent. You can contact me by emailing me at jonny@imcomingoutpod.com and follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook @imcomingoutpod If you enjoyed this episode (which I really hope you did) please leave a rating, review and subscribe as it really helps me and other people to discover the podcast. Thanks :)

I'm Coming Out The Podcast

#26 Gabi & Shanna from 27 Travels on why gay representation is so important & experiencing homophobia in NYC

Dan & Nick from the 802 podcast met a few years back at a house party and instantly became firm friends. Dan is from Norfolk but now lives in London & Nick grew up in the warmer climes of Trinidad but now lives in Manchester. Their 802 podcast was born out of their friendship and the fun they have together but now has grown to include guests. It’s so important that there is much more representation for people of colour in the gay media so I’m especially happy to have them both on my podcast. The interview was recorded remotely of course, I’m still working from my very small makeshift studio in my wardrobe at home. I chatted with Dan about; why race was more of an issue for him than his sexuality growing up in Norfolk, why homophobic abuse went over his head, how he became a fundamentalist Christian in his early teens (yep that is what I just said), why his church’s lack of acceptance ultimately forced him to leave and lots of other things. And I chatted with Nick about; what it was like growing up in Trinidad where homosexuality was illegal until recently, going to secret underground gay parties there when he was a teenager, what happened when his Dad discovered he had rented a gay movie from Blockbuster, the traumatic experience of his first boyfriend outing him to his parents as a teenager, his crush on Dua Lipa’s Dad and lots of other things. You can contact me by emailing me at jonny@imcomingoutpod.com and follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook @imcomingoutpod. If you enjoyed this episode (which I really hope you did) please leave a rating and review as it really helps me. Thanks :) Twitter @the802podcast

#25 Dan on being gay & a fundamentalist Christian & Nick on being outed to his parents by his boyfriend

Brock Yurich is an American actor who has starred in Succession, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt & Tyler Perry’s the Have and the Have Nots. He was born and raised in Ohio and completed a degree in musical theatre in Orlando Florida before making his way to the bright lights of the Big Apple to become a professional actor.  He is currently in the midst of pre-production for his first feature film TEST which he has written the screenplay for. He is also producing the movie and will take the lead role in it. We did the podcast remotely of course and we chatted about; why his parents thought he might be gay from a young age, hanging out & working at Pulse nightclub whilst he was at college in Florida, what it’s like to be an openly gay actor in New York and lots of other things. And I do a whole lot of gay ‘gasping’ as per usual throughout!!!! ? If you have any feedback for me email me at jonny@imcomingoutpod.com. Also if you enjoyed this episode (which I really hope you did) please leave a rating, review and subscribe cause it’s a big help - thanks! Facebook, Twitter, Instagram @imcomingoutpod Instagram & Twitter @brockyurich

#24 Brock Yurich on dancing at Pulse nightclub & why it's so important gay roles are played by gay actors

Robin was a dancer on Strictly Come Dancing, one of the biggest shows in the UK for the best part of a decade. Dancing since the age of three he became England’s number one ballroom dancer as a teenager. He then spent ten years touring the globe as part of ‘Burn the Floor’, one of the leading touring dance shows ever. This interview was recorded remotely of course (last September, I’m only getting around to editing them now- sorry!!!) and we chatted about; why he felt like ‘the real-life Billy Elliot’ growing up, how all his school-friends were really supportive of his dancing, having Keanu Reeves posters on his wall as a teenager, the moment he came out to his friends on a dance trip abroad, why he didn’t come out to his mother until he was 35  and lots of other things. If you have any feedback for email me at jonny@imcomingoutpod.com. Also if you enjoyed this episode (which I really hope you did) please leave a rating, review and subscribe cause it’s a big help - thanks! (There was some crackling on Robin's mic-apologies) Facebook, Twitter, Instagram @imcomingoutpod officialrobinwindsor.com Instagram & Twitter @robinwindsor

#23 Robin Windsor on why he didn't come out to his mum until he was 35

It’s series 4 time!!!!! And I’m thrilled that my first guest is top criminal barrister and author Mohsin Zaidi. He released his memoirs ‘A Dutiful Boy’ last October and it was one of my favourite books of 2020 - I absolutely loved it!!!! Mohsin was born the eldest son of devout Shia Muslim parents in a deprived area of East London. Growing up in a religiously conservative household, Mohsin harboured a secret for much of his development years; he was gay. In a community where homosexuality was almost unimaginable, Mohsin  strugged with his sexuality alone for years. Despite all these challenges, Mohsin flourished academically and later professionally. He became the first person from his comprehensive school to attend Oxford University and is today one of Britain’s top criminal barristers. His memoirs A Dutiful Boy, was released at the end of last year and has been met with unanimous praise in the media. It was named by GQ, the Guardian and the New Statesman as one of the best books of 2020. This interview was recorded back in October, over Zoom of course and I chatted with Mohsin about……. why his entire year were stopped and searched on their last day of school how his home was petrol bombed in a racist attack after 9/11. the spiritual pilgrimages he took abroad in the hope of changing his sexuality why his father at first reacted by bringing a witch doctor to the family home to ‘change’ his son’s sexuality and Mohsin’s family’s journey to acceptance of his sexuality and how they are now even helping him plan his wedding to his fiancee. If you have any feedback for me I would love to hear from you at jonny@imcomingoutpod.com. I loved chatting to Mohsin and I hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did enjoyed it, please free to leave a review. :) Social Media I’m Coming Out Podcast @imcomingoutpod Mohsin Zaidi @mohsinzaidi_ldn

#22 Mohsin Zaidi on growing up gay & Muslim in East London

Chris McNaughten (also known by his moniker Bear Strong) is a two-time Junior Ireland Strongman champion. He also owns his own gym near Belfast. Whilst the sporting world unfortunately continues to be a deeply homophobic place for most athletes, Chris is somebody who is helping to change that, by becoming the first openly gay strongman in the UK and Ireland. Inspired by his own struggles with depression & his sexuality, he has become a mental health & LGBTQ campaigner. He was featured on the BBC series ‘This is Pride’ and on the MTV show 'True Love or True Lies'. Our interview was of course recorded remotely; the first ten minutes of audio has some clipping and popping.; apologies it was one of my first interviews I recorded remotely. We chatted about, why his nickname didn’t start out as a gay reference, why he went through a long questioning period with his sexuality, what ultimately helped him to clarify that he was gay, why he considered leaving his home town when he first came out, why being in an inter-racial gay relationship inspired him to partake in a MTV show,  how struggling with his sexuality contributed to his poor mental health over the years, why he has no time for femme-shaming and lots of other things also. You can contact me by emailing me at jonny@imcomingoutpod.com or tweet me at @imcomingoutpod. Hope you enjoy the episode; let me know what you think :) Follow me on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter @imcomingoutpod www.bearstrong.co.uk

#21 Chris McNaughten/Bear Strong on what it was like to come out in the hyper-masculine world of Strongman

Isaac is an author, playwright and stage comic. His debut book ‘Intimacy Idiot’ was released in 2015 to widespread acclaim. The book details all the hilarious encounters Isaac has had with men, whilst dating in the Big Apple. New York magazine have described him as a ‘monstrous new talent’ and the book featured on a number of ‘best of’ lists that year. I read it during the earlier stages of lockdown & it provided me with some much needed light relief in these very strange & bleak times. He has also written for HBO’s ‘High Maintenance’ and ‘Glow’, which is currently on Netflix so make sure to check it out. Our transatlantic call took place a few weeks ago and we chatted about; what inspired him to write a book on dating, why his religious parents were so accepting & open-minded, his production of ‘Batman v Catwoman on Skates’ as a child, how his parents accidentally discovered he was gay, his perrenial crush on Ryan Phillippe, the gay scene in New York, writing erotic poetry as a teenager about Brad Renfro, why he doesn’t believe there’s an endless supply of 'fish in the sea' and lots of other things. Please follow me on social media if you want to leave feedback on this or any of the other interviews and for updates on future episodes. I can be found @imcomingoutpod on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. Hope you enjoy the episode :)

#20 Isaac Oliver on growing up with gay-friendly parents & dating in New York City

Spencer is a twenty-two year old podcaster & blogger from Wales. I came across him when I started listening to his podcast Queer Talk, which he hosts with his two friends James & Mufseen. It focuses on the positive news happening within the LGBTQ+ community which definitely makes for a refreshing listen. His blog For the Love of Queers is a brilliant resource for LGBTQ+ history & activism & I’ve certainly learnt a whole lot myself since I started following it. The interview was of course recorded remotely; me in Dublin, Spencer in Manchester. We chatted about; why Spencer is driven through his work to shine a spotlight on the more positive aspects of our community the events from his childhood which made him think he might be gay why he didn’t want to be the first person to come out at school how he avoided a planned homophobic attack on him at school why he wasn’t happy with his friends reactions when he came out how he coped with those dreaded P.E. lessons and lots of other things (you’ll also hear my gay gasp once or twice)!!! You can email me at jonny@imcomingoutpod.com or tweet me at @imcomingoutpod. If you have any feedback for me please do get in touch. Hope you enjoy the episode :) Facebook, Instagram, Twitter @imcomingoutpod www.instagram.com/fortheloveofqueers www.twitter.com/lovequeers Queertalk Podcast - https://linktr.ee/queer_talk

#19 Spencer Cooper on his love for our community & why he wants to uplift his LGBTQ+ siblings

Stuart is one of the three presenters on the podcast Unflopped (his friends Sean Vickers & Joe Heaney being the other two). It also just so happens to be one of my favourite podcasts. It has gone from strength to strength since it launched three years ago & is fast approaching it’s 70th episode. For a chart pop fanatic like myself, it is a real treat so it it was great to interview Stuart. This interview was of course recorded during lockdown. I’m working from a self-assembled recording studio in my very, very small walk-in wardrobe. I’m still getting to grips with recording remotely, so hopefully there isn’t too much of a dip in sound quality. During our interview we chatted about; the homophobic bullying Stuart was subjected to in school from his fellow classmates and teachers alike, one of his best female friends declaring her love for him during their adolesence, coming out to his brother by accident in the heat of an argument, finding your place within the gay community, the intense relationship many gay men have with pop divas, checking yourself in public, and lots of other things also. Hope you enjoy it- let me know what you think :) Email jonny@imcomingoutpod.com Facebook, Instagram, Twitter @imcomingoutpod unflopped.com Twitter & Instagram @upfloppedpop Unflopped is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & Google Podcasts.

#18 Stuart Edmonds on how he came out to his brother & the special relationship between gay men & pop music

Lev is an American writer who already has a number of novels & YA fiction books under his belt. His work has been translated into many different languages and are regularly featured on 'best of' lists. His latest is ‘Camp’ which I recently read & I loved it. The story explores the different gender presentations through the different queer characters and I think it will resonate deeply with a lot of our community. The interview was of course recorded remotely, Lev was in New York, I was in my makeshift studio at home in Ireland. This was my first transatlantic interview, so the line wasn’t always great, the sound is muffled slightly in parts when our voices mix together but it the audio is still decent (I think!!!) We chatted about; his honest thoughts on femme shaming & why he wanted to explore it in the book, growing up gay in Manhattan, his uneventful but funny coming out to his mother, his teenage crush on Ryan Philippe, the subtle forms of homophobia he’s experienced from liberal people, being ‘culturally Jewish’ and converting to Paganism and lots of other things. You can get in touch with me by emailing me at jonny@imcomingoutpod.com and tweet me at @imcomingoutpod. Hope you like this episode. Let me know what you think :)

#17 Lev AC Rosen on why being gay is a gift

Alex is an Australian writer & campaigner and it was one of his tweets earlier this year on growing up gay which initially piqued my interest in him (it’s featured on the podcast). A whole lot of people clearly connected with said tweet as it went viral, garnering over 200,000 likes & 50,000 retweets. Alex is a prominent queer activist in London and works for an LGBTQ+ charity. He’s also a really talented writer & has written for the Guardian and the BBC. I think his writing is incredible so if you have time, do check it out. The interview was recorded during lockdown so it was recorded remotely of course. Alex was in London and I was in my makeshift studio at home outside Dublin. There is a bit of delay on the recording but it should still be pretty decent audio. We chatted about; how he struggled to accept his sexuality, being bullied by boys at school who he fancied, his early crushes on male school teachers, coming out to his parents & why it took some time for his father to be accepting, finding his place within the community, his honest thoughts on racism within the gay community, why Drag Race does a great job of representing gay people of colour, we also bonded over our many crushes on Australian soapstars and lots of other things. You can get in touch with me by emailing me at jonny@imcomingoutpod.com and tweet me at @imcomingoutpod. I would love to hear your feedback on the podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a rating, review and subscribe as it really helps me and other people to discover the podcast. Don't forget to follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook @imcomingoutpod. Hope you enjoy this episode :)

Alex Leon on racism within the gay community & the urgent need for specialised LGBTQ+ mental health services

Series 3 is here!!!!! New music, updated artwork & most importantly eight new coming out stories. And my first guest of the series is the author Lewis Laney. Lewis had his first short story published in Gay Times, when he was just eighteen. He’s also written for various publications including the iconic magazine ‘The Face’. Lewis has just released his first book ‘The Little Book of Pride' which is a digestible, pocket-sized look at the history of Pride. I think this book is going to be a really welcome addition to lots of people's libraries and will help the message of Pride reach an even wider audience. Lewis also has another book set for release next year. It’s entitled ‘Queer Cocktails’ and it includes such recipes as a Bloody Mariah, a La Isla Bonita Iced Tea & a Cider Minelli amongst many others!!! It almost feels as if the book was especially written for me & I will definitely be getting a copy upon it's release. The podcast was recorded remotely of course with me in Ireland and Lewis in London. We chatted about what inspired Lewis to write a book on pride. our 90's crushes our love of Big & Smash-Hits magazines(!!) how being friends with certain people at school protected him from bullies how his parents discovered he was gay what it's like having a gay dad and his incredible bravery for coming out aged just 14, whilst still at school and in the mid-nineties. You can get in touch with me by emailing me at jonny@imcomingoutpod.com and tweet me at @imcomingoutpod. I would love to hear your feedback on the podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a rating, review and subscribe as it really helps me and other people to discover the podcast.  Don't forget to follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook @imcomingoutpod.  Hope you enjoy this episode :)

#15 Lewis Laney on coming out at school aged 14 & what it's like to have a gay dad

Conner Habib is a really interesting character and has had a wildly diverse career. He hosts a successful podcast called Against Everyone with Conner Habib and is a prolific writer having written for Vice, Slate the Irish Times. He’s a university lecturer and is currently studying for his PHD here in Ireland. And you may also be familiar with his name from adult performing. I met up with Conner a few weeks back and we chatted about, the cultural differences between the gay community in the States and Ireland going to school with Neo-nazis his unrequited love for a straight guy during high school coming out to his mother his other coming out as a pornstar to his family at Thanksgiving. and lots of other things. www.connerhabib.com  Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram  @imcomingoutpod

#14 Conner Habib on growing up as a gay kid in small-town America

Brian is one of Ireland’s best loved singers with a career spanning over 30 years. He grew up in Northern Ireland in the 60’s and 70’s at the very height of the troubles. He moved to London when he was 18 & quickly got work as a backing vocalist for his fellow country-man Van Morrison. He was also signed to a major recording contract with RCA and was managed by the mighty Simon Fuller, the Spice Girls and American Idol svengali. He has performed the world over with music superstars such as Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan among many others.  He has performed on Broadway with Riverdance, represented Ireland in the Eurovision, was a judge for two seasons on the Irish Voice and has written two novels. When I met up with Brian we chatted about; growing up amidst the horrors of the troubles in Northern Ireland, the homophobic abuse he suffered from his own family, what it was like living in London during the aids crisis, why he stayed celibate for a large part of the eighties, why he feels really uncomfortable with the use of the words ‘daddy’ and ‘son’ in gay culture, the homophobia he experienced within the music industry and lots of other things. Follow me on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram @imcomingoutpod www.briankennedy.co.uk

#13 Brian Kennedy on coping with homophobia from his own family and why he feels uncomfortable with the use of 'daddy' in modern gay culture.

Rory Cowan is of course one of the stars of the hit BBC sitcom Mrs Brown’s Boys. He was born in Dublin and started out working for EMI Ireland, where he eventually became their marketing manager. He subsequently went on to be a publicist for the then little-known comedian Brendan O’ Carroll. Years later, when an actor stepped down at the eleventh hour in one of Brendan’s stage shows, Rory reluctantly took on the role and the rest is history. That stage show was of course Mrs Brown’s Boys which later became the hugely successful sitcom. The TV series started in 2012 and instantly became a ratings winner. The show has won a raft of awards including a National Television Award and a BAFTA and has also become a big hit internationally. Rory even made it onto the big screen with the spin-off movie, which topped the box office in both Britain and Ireland. Rory left the show a few years back and has since become a narrator for Irish Googlebox and is currently starring in the soap opera Fair City. When I met up with Rory to do the interview we chatted about; what it was like to be a young gay man in Dublin in the 70s & 80s his hilarious coming out to his friends story. why it was so hard to make gay relationships work the discrimination gay couples faced because of their lack of legal rights. how his mother reacted when he came out and lots of other things also. Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook @imcomingoutpod Follow Rory on Twitter @1rorycowan www.rorycowanblog.com

#12 Rory Cowan on what it was like to be gay in Ireland pre-decriminalisation

Well-known people share their coming-out stories with Jonny Harvey

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