LGBTQ&A

Abdi Nazemian talks about what it was like to come out in a Middle Eastern family and how it differs from the typical Western LGBTQ experience that people know. He talks about the Iranian president’s comments that they “don’t have any gays in Iran” and...

Cameron Esposito talks about making comedy in the Trump era, saying that to be apolitical and an artist right now is a waste of time. She also describes life without her iconic asymmetrical haircut, the ways we police different people’s gender,

Tommy Pico talks about growing up on a Native American reservation, trying to tame the English language with his poetry, and why labeling himself as an “NDN” is a powerful act of reclamation. He also talks about how people often don’t know enough about...

Shadi Petosky talks about wanting to create a diverse and inclusive world in her animated series, Danger and Eggs. She also talks about still being confused and challenged by gender, switching up pronouns amongst friends,

Michael Varrati talks about the queer undertones (both hidden and overt) in horror movies and why the recurring theme of the underdog who has to persevere in the face of adversity is so relatable. He talks about how there are many horror stories,

Cheryl Dunye is a pioneering queer filmmaker. She talks about the enduring legacy of her film, The Watermelon Woman (celebrating its 20th anniversary), and directing sex scenes with brown bodies, why she’s no longer interested in making the compromises...

Our Lady J talks about being a writer for Transparent, the power and responsibility that storytellers have, and shares the “beautiful and excruciating” moments from growing up in a predominantly Amish community.

Kristin Russo (author of This is Book for Parents of Gay Kids) talks about Autostraddle’s A-Camp (where she is the co-director), the special importance of sex ed in LGBTQ communities, and social pressures she faced to identify as a lesbian instead of b...

Laith Ashley talks about why transgender men are less visible than transgender women in society, says people police his gender as much now as they did before his transition, and why living openly as a transgender person is a privilege that not everyone...

Shane Ortega is the first transgender person to serve openly in the military. He talks about how to interpret President Trump’s tweets banning trans people from serving in the military, explains why it’s so detrimental that Trump didn’t seek guidance f...

Erin Judge (comedian and author of Vow of Celibacy) talks about how overweight people are able to have active, healthy sex lives, despite how the media often represents them. She also talks about why it’s healthy to experiment sexually when you’re youn...

Eliel Cruz talks about why, despite the violence it’s caused, religion has remained such a large part of so many LGBTQ people’s lives. He talks about what his prayers look like, coming out in a Christian school,

Mariana Marroquin works as an Anti-Violence Project Manager at the Los Angeles LGBT Center. We talk about her work and the discrimination that her clients face, as well as the fear that’s been stemming from the Trump administration.

Alexei Romanoff and David Farah talk about the Black Cat protests that happened in 1967 (two years before Stonewall). Alexei Romanoff helped to organize and lead it, and is the last known person still alive who was there.

Nico Tortorella talks about why people are freaked out and fascinated by his bisexuality, saying people equate it with promiscuity. He also talks about why love is the driving force for everything in his life,

Chani Nicholas talks about astrology as a way to guide and invoke a sense of awe in our lives. She discusses activism as a way of healing, looking at Donald Trump’s astrology charts, and the toxic mixture that privilege and comfort can create.

Alexandra Billings talks about meeting her wife while in high school, the women who mentored her, and why Larry Kramer asked her not to march in the AIDS marches. She also talks about her connection to her great-great-grandmother who was assigned male ...

Jennifer Finney Boylan talks with Jeffrey Masters about working with GLAAD to accelerate acceptance for LGBTQ people. She says that the marriage equality movement was successful because it changed the discourse from being about “sex” to “love”,

Shane Ortega (the first transgender person to serve openly in the military) talks about why his mom was the motivation behind him joining the military, specifically to fight the bans that kept LGBTQ people from serving openly.

Matt Baume talks about the torture of queer men that’s occurring in Chechnya and what you can do if you feel helpless. He also discusses the coding of LGBTQ content in the media, the evolution of queer language,

Cleve Jones talks about his life in the LGBTQ movement: working with Harvey Milk, starting the AIDS Memorial Quilt, and marching on Washington. He says marriage equality was never part of their mission, only stemming out the AIDS pandemic when they saw...

Amin El Gamal talks about working with so many out gay actors on Prison Break, emailing Aaron Sorkin while working on The Newsroom, and why he doesn’t want to play any more terrorists in TV or film. He also talks about running a support group for LGBTQ...

Asia Kate Dillon talks about the Emmy Award’s message of inclusion towards them as a non-binary actor. They also say that while they’ve always felt a degree of ambiguity towards their gender, they didn’t discover the word “non-binary” until they read t...

Dr. Michelle Stevens talks about surviving a childhood of sexual abuse, the mental illness that resulted, and how common abuse is (up to 40% of women and 14% of men have been sexually abused during their childhood).

Angelica Ross talks about creating TransTech Social Enterprises, why she didn’t take a salary for the first two years that she was working there, and how her life has changed since becoming a Buddhist. Angelica also discusses recent acting work on Tran...

Melissa Febos talks about how the conditions of our childhoods inform our adult relationships, dealing with daddy issues (yay!!!), and her new book, Abandon Me. Melissa also discusses the freedom in the lack of societal scripts around queer sex,

NiK Kacy talks about feeling ignored by the fashion industry and why they created their gender equal footwear company. Nik Kacy discusses the difference between “gender equal” and “gender neutral”, immigrating from Hong Kong,

Ira Madison III talks about his writing and the work of placing pop culture into a historical context. Ira also discusses why he was so affected by the film, Moonlight, growing up in Milwaukee near Jeffrey Dahmer,

Jen Richards talks about the creation of Her Story, why she credits Janet Mock with creating a sisterhood of trans women, and adjusting to life without male privilege. She also talks about going days without thinking about being trans, life in aporia,

Trixie Mattel talks about getting into drag in the back of an uber, not wanting to look like a woman or a man, and throwing up because his wig was too heavy. He also talks about dating apps, lying about his career while on dates,

Alexandra Grey talks about her role on Transparent, acting with Phylicia Rashad on When We Rise, and does celebrity impressions of Viola Davis and Wendy Williams. She also discusses spending her last $87 on a bus ride to Los Angeles,

Perez Hilton talks to Jeffrey Masters about learning to separate himself from the character he created, why he has to spend so much time on social media, and how he built his business into an empire. Perez Hilton also talks about dating as a single par...

Buck Angel talks about how sex taught him to love himself, and why he wants the trans community to be more comfortable talking about it. He also discusses how conservative the porn industry is, getting his sex toy for trans men into stores,

Ashby Dodge is the Clinical Director at The Trevor Project and talks about the increase in calls since the 2016 presidential election, why LGBTQ youth are at a greater risk, and says that one supportive person reaching out can reduce a young person’s r...

D’Lo talks about his Sri Lankan heritage, being raised Hindu while attending Baptist and Catholic schools, and offers evidence to support the claim that he’s a demigod. D’Lo also talks about wanting to kiss girls as a 3-year-old and how his partner has...

Laura Jane Grace talks about naming her memoir the “t” word, when it’s a word she despises. She also talks about what it’s like to be on the road with the punk rock band, Against Me! (she’s been the lead singer, songwriter,

Cheryl Dunye talks about why she’s not interested in being a commercial filmmaker and the enduring legacy of her film, The Watermelon Woman (celebrating its 20th anniversary). She also talks about supporting more films by and about queer people of colo...

Peter Paige talks about the legacy of Queer As Folk, representing all LGBTQ identities in The Fosters, and the power of television to shape our identities. Peter Paige also talks to Jeffrey Masters about how being gay has affected his career and the so...

Bamby Salcedo talks about her work as an activist and the struggles that trans people face, especially those in immigrant and latin communities. Bamby created the TransLatin@ Coalition and shares about being invited to speak with Joe Biden at the White...

Conner Habib talks about why he got into porn and the detachment he’s experienced in terms of his own sexuality. He describes how our sexual preferences are unproductive, and talks about monogamy, Prop60, and the link between Christianity and the Occul...

Shane Ortega talks about joining the military to fight the bans on LGBTQ people after seeing how hard it was for his mom (who is a lesbian) to serve during Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. He talks about building a queer and trans community in the military,

iO Tillett Wight talks about what it was like growing up with parents and a community who never questioned his gender. iO Tillett Wright talks about his memoir (Darling Days) and celebrating the diversity of our community with Self Evident Truths,

Jacob Tobia talks about not having to prove their gender to anyone and why describing themself as an activist is redundant. Jacob also discusses their evolving views on their own sexuality, how the bible supports queer identities,

Michelle Tea talks about her new hybrid-memoir (Black Wave), early literary tours with Sister Spit, and romanticizing suffering for her art. She also talks about “living outside the margins” and the role of witchcraft in her life.

Arisce Wanzer talks about both the stigmas and opportunities of being transgender and a supermodel. Arisce discusses getting paid more than male models, why she loves her “big” nose, and dating as a trans woman.

Ross Mathews talks about “the gay voice”, getting hate mail while working on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and why he will always love football. ABOUT LGBTQ&A: LGBTQ&A is an interview podcast highlighting the different members of the LGBTQ community ...

Josh Allen talks about the LGBTQ characters on Empire (on Fox), gun violence while growing up in the South Side of Chicago, and having to explain to people what Julliard is. Jeffrey Masters interviews. ABOUT LGBTQ&A: LGBTQ&A is an interview podcast hig...

  Ali Liebegott talks about writing for Transparent, inhabiting a butch identity, knowing where the gender neutral bathrooms are at Disneyland, and confesses to never having seen The Avengers movie. Jeffrey Masters interviews Ali Liebegott.

Welcome to LGBTQ&A! This is a collection of interviews with different members of the LGBTQ community — all races, genders, sexualities, and everyone in between. The show is hosted by Jeffrey Masters. LGBTQ&A was created to document the stories of the L...