19 podcasts to listen to during Pride and all year
Tags: Podcast, LGBTQ, Pride

Pride Month, like all months, is the perfect time to load up your listening devices with queer voices and stories and discover some of the best podcasts in the game.

There are podcasts that put LGBTQ+ history centre stage, attempting to rectify its significant erasure from the history books and understanding how we got here (and what happens next). There are chatty podcasts hosted by some of the community’s sharpest commentators that dig into the headlines. There are intimate interviews and conversations that get to the heart of individual queer experiences, which are personal, hilarious, and moving.

Of course, it’s not just during Pride that you should add these to your listening list, but while it’s happening, it’s a time to celebrate, reflect, and explore what the LGBTQ podcasting community is getting excited, interested, and angry about. And while you’re at it, why not check out Mashable’s podcast History Becomes Her, and in particular, this episode with one of Britain’s leading LGBTQ campaigners, Ruth Hunt, on the straightwashing of history and Section 28.

Now, get listening!

Produced by WNYC and hosted by best friends Kathy Tu and Tobin Low, Nancy explores the fullness and beauty of what it means to be queer, in all its varied and glorious forms. Tu and Low invite special guests on to have heartfelt, sometimes hilarious, sometimes emotional stories about their experience — gems include their chat with authors Samantha Irby and Brandon Taylor, their episode on awesome kids who do drag, or their excellent miniseries called ‘Queer Money Matters’, about “the straight economy and how queer people navigate it.”

On May 22, WNYC officially cancelled Nancy, and they’ll be putting out their last show on June 29 before Tu and Low take up roles at fellow podcast Radiolab. This is, quite frankly, devastating.

IMAGE: MINDY TUCKER

Presenting portraits of LGBTQ luminaries from history, some whose names we know and others we might not, Making Gay History is hosted by Eric Marcus, New York Times best-selling writer of the book with the same name. Marcus has interviewed so many people who have lived through so much, or if he’s unable to, has procured rare archival audio footage to play on the podcast. You’ll meet activists, pioneers, and visionaries who blazed a trail for LGBTQ civil rights, who all have quite a story. If you want somewhere to start, meet activist Ernestine Eckstein.

Do you know your trans history? I did not, until I started listening to One from the Vaults. Get learned with ever-engaging writer, artist, and host Morgan M. Page in this fascinating, diligently researched podcast. Page, who describes history as “my favourite kind of gossip” delves into the lives of fascinating characters like Cuban American transgender activist and AIDS outreach worker Adela Vázquez, the early years of legendary trans activists Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P Johnson, and the world’s first openly trans mayor and MP Georgina Beyer.

Produced by writer and host Jeffrey Masters and The Advocate magazine, in partnership with GLAAD, LGBTQ&A is a weekly interview podcast inviting luminaries from the LGBTQ+ community to have a big ol’ chat about All The Things. Masters is a superb interviewer, and has talked at length with the likes of South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg, drag queen Trixie Mattel, author Roxane Gay, actor Laverne Cox, director Alice Wu, YouTuber Gigi Gorgeous, and many more.

NB is presented by BBC radio producer Caitlin Benedict, who full disclosure, is a friend of mine, and who has created a podcast so wonderful, curious, and important for anyone figuring out who they are (and for those already there). The eight-part series sees Benedict join up with their friend and mentor, drag artist, writer, and filmmaker Amrou Al-Kadhi, to go on a personal journey through many interviews and reflections on what it means to them to be and feel non-binary, starting with coming out to yourself, debunking assumptions about language and learning which pronouns you identify with, navigating gender dysphoria, and celebrating your truest, most excellent self.

This is a brand new podcast from gal-dem, a UK online and print magazine produced by women and non-binary people of colour, which is all about growing up. Each episode is presented by gal-dem founder Liv Little and head of editorial Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff, who invite a different guest to read out their old diary entries, letters, and texts from their younger selves. “There is just so much that you go through when you’re growing up as a young person,” Little told Mashable. “There are so many thoughts, feelings, emotions that you go through in terms of really knowing yourself, and maybe finding comfort in who you are, but also maybe not finding comfort in who you are.” There’s a strong interview with cultural curator and founder of BBZ Naeem Davis about rejecting heteronormativity in queer relationships. And if you want more gal-dem, check out this interview with Mashable’s Rachel Thompson on our History Becomes Her podcast.

IMAGE: GAL-DEM / ACAST

So, this podcast is not about food, however good that pun is, but each episode is a spicy feast for the ears. Food 4 Thot sees a diverse quartet of queer writers — Dennis Norris II (author, ex-figure skater, and assistant fiction editor at The Rumpus), Joseph Osmundson (scientist and writer), Tommy Pico (author, poet, and contributing editor at Literary Hub), and Fran Tirado (brand and editorial strategy lead for LGTBQ content at Netflix), get together to talk frankly about sex, race, relationships, identity, politics, the news, and everything else. Nothing is off the table.

Dedicated to amplifying the stories of trans and nonbinary folks, Gender Reveal is a superb podcast for those wanting unpack “what the heck gender is.” Created by journalist, educator, and awesome host Molly Woodstock, this wonderful weekly podcast invites trans and non-binary activists, artists, and commentators in for big chats about their work, about gender itself, as well as current events around the world. For newbies, the first ever episode unpacks Gender 101 concepts if you’re not sure what a TERF is (hint: avoid).

Seriously getting into all things pop culture, Las Culturistas is a fun, energetic, clued-in weekly podcast hosted by Saturday Night Live’s Bowen Yang and Quibi’s Gayme Show host Matt Rogers. Expect heated debates over everything, whether they’re dissecting the latest release from their go-to pop stars, or having a big chat with actor Ben Platt, Olympic medal-winning figure skater Adam Rippon, actor/comedian Aidy Bryant, Nailed It! host Nicole Byer, or many other guests over the years. Stick around for their beloved segment: “I Don’t Think So, Honey.”

“Throwing shade and spilling tea” is the motto of The Read, a truly excellent, chatty, and catty podcast presented by most excellent hosts Kid Fury and Crissle West since 2013 — they even got their own TV show version of the podcast on Fuse in 2019. In pop culture and the news, no one is exempt from being “read” (“ a term originated from queer people of color to denote a sophisticated art of insults; made popular by thedocumentary Paris Is Burning,” according to the Handbook of Sexuality Leadership) whether it’s 5G conspiracy theorists or Lady Gaga’s latest album. Wait, Beyoncé is exempt. If you’re looking for biting, articulate commentary on everything people have been talking about lately, this is for you.

IMAGE: PARAS GRIFFIN / GETTY IMAGES

In NPR’s Strange Fruit, hosts Jaison Gardner (social justice activist) and Dr. Kaila Story (associate professor of women’s and gender studies at the University of Louisville) unpack race, racism, gender, social justice, and the news each week with engaging interviews and in-depth conversations. There are episodes about forming intergenerational friendships in the queer community, the Queer Love Interest of Color trope in fiction, and the importance of telling the histories and experiences of black LGBTQ people.

Hosted by Slate associate editor J. Bryan Lowder, Slate staff writer Christina Cauterucci, and often author Rumaan Alam, Slate’s LGBTQ monthly podcast was started in 2018 and goes into all kinds of topics per episode under a broader theme, from family and parenting to travel and spirituality. It’s just a smart, engaging hour of conversation about queer culture and politics, the type of switched-on chat you’d expect from a Slate podcast.

Yes, author, trans activist, and Pose director/writer/producer Janet Mock has her own podcast, and yes it’s awesome. A collaboration with Lenny Letter and executive produced by Lena Dunham, Never Before has a simple format, with Mock interviewing famous people about life. The conversations are complex and illuminating — during Pride, you could listen to Mock chatting to Star actor Amiyah Scott about transitioning as a teen, and growing up in the ballroom scene.

IMAGE: RODIN ECKENROTH / FILMMAGIC

Talking pop culture, entertainment, politics, and crushes with “endless amounts of shade,” Keep It is your go-to for unpacking the headlines and geeking out hard over movies, TV, and music. Hosted by the truly pop culture-obsessed and Twitter-savvy Ira Madison III, Louis Virtel, and Aida Osman, Keep It sees plenty of guests, plenty of debates, and plenty of big chats about things that matter.

Hosted by New York writers and comedians Carolyn Bergier and Melody Kamali, this chatty podcast invites an awesome lineup of special guests to dig into pop culture, news, politics, and a tonne of topics relating to lesbian and queer life. Bergier and Kamali talk about everything from hobbies with writer/actor Shantira Jackson, to boundaries with Crazy Ex-Girlfriend star and stand-up Emma Willman, sexual fluidity with stand-up Mae Martin, and growing up with She-Ra and the Princesses of Power creator Noelle Stevenson.

Hosted by queer BFFs and comedians Thomas Leblanc and Tranna Wintour, Chosen Family is an excellent interview podcast that digs into everything from love and dating to social media, comedy, identity, gender, and Celine Dion. Guests over the seasons have been as wide-ranging as stand-up comedian Margaret Cho, Hedwig and the Angry Inch legend John Cameron Mitchell, filmmaker Xavier Dolan, and musician Owen Pallett.

If you haven’t yet listened to Queer Eye star Jonathan Van Ness’ podcast, it is an absolute treat. Consulting different experts for 40 minutes every week, JVN asks questions about everything in life, the headlines, and the globe that need answering, whether you thought you knew the answer or not. For Pride, why not get curious about the question posed to Matthew Riemer and Leighton Brown, co-creators of the Instagram @LGBT_History: Do we know enough about queer history? Spoiler, we do not.

IMAGE: ROBIN MARCHANT / GETTY IMAGES

Put on the kettle and settle in for an hour long-chat about everything from gender to sexuality, civil rights to personal stories of identity. Hosted by stand-up comedian Cameron Esposito, Queery is an interview podcast that sees a whole host of famous folks hailing from the LGBTQ community joining for a chat including screenwriter and actor Lena Waithe, Brooklyn Nine-Nine actor Stephanie Beatriz, and comedian Tig Notaro among others.

Hosted by major diva fans Jason Black and Nick Westrate, For the Girls is a podcast that obsesses over legendary female performers and queer icons, or as the hosts put it, “ladies who take chances.” Each episode concentrates on a different guest’s chosen diva, whether that be Patti LuPone, Joan Crawford, Celine Dion, Shirley Bassey, or Cher. Who is yours?