Surface Level

Jordan, Damon & Tony are curious – how is consent defined and exercised in our sex lives? This week, the idea of consent is reflected upon both personally and for its larger implications on society specific, to Black Queer men. We delve into the idea of blurred consent and the need for an explicit “yes” at all stages of sexual intercourse. We then turn the lens on the broader community to discuss...

Jordan, Damon & Tony are curious – how can Black parents better support their Queer children? This week we reflect on our experiences growing up in Black households - the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. We kick off with a game deciding if we need to “get the belt” to deal with rebellious children. Then launch into a discussion that focuses on past experiences but also forward-looking advice...

Jordan, Damon & Tony are curious – do storylines in porn perpetuate harmful stereotypes of Black Queer men? This episode starts with a fun game where each host discovers the type of “deviant” they are through a series of questions regarding our kinks or lack thereof. We then delve into a conversation regarding our introduction to and relationship with pornography, and debate both the harmful and h...

Jordan, Damon & Tony are curious – how does media visibility affect how we see ourselves? This week’s episode is an absolute treat. We dissect the value of visibility within media and how it affects the way we view ourselves in real life. This week we are all living in Nicco’s world and the host of Surface Level are along for the ride. We welcome actor, Nicco Annan to our Surface Level Family. Nic...

Jordan, Damon & Tony are curious – is a preference for masculinity inherently femmephobic? We kick off with a game imagining a world if we were girls, then launch into a discussion that centers around various facets of femininity as it relates to Queer cis men. We discuss our relationship with femininity, our opinions on “femme tops”, and what we are doing to make the world more accepting towards...

Jordan, Damon & Tony are curious – what can the current political system do to better protect Black Queer people? We are excited to welcome you back with a brief update on our time off between seasons. We then launch into a fun gay reimagining of the government for and by Black people. Our discussion is then centered around how the current political landscape is causing physical, mental, and emoti...

Jordan, Damon & Tony are curious – are you ready to go beyond the surface level with us? The finale to our fourth season features the theme of community. We kick off by welcoming LaQuann Dawson, Creative Director of MOBI, to our Surface Level family. We discuss his experience with the organization and the parallel missions of creative space and a platform for Black Queer folx. We then move into a...

Jordan, Damon & Tony are curious – is the art of shade helpful or harmful in our communities? We play a game deciding which common statements are shade vs “no shade”, discuss the history of “the dozens” and shade in Black communities, litigate if throwing shade for sport is based in insecurities, and discuss ways in which positive defense mechanisms we’ve developed help combat a world that views u...

Jordan, Damon & Tony are curious – what do Black Queer stories look like when we write them ourselves? We play a literature-themed game, discuss our favorite Black Queer reads, discuss stories that we would write ourselves, then delve into a conversation around how Black Queer culture has informed the writing of our guest. This week we welcome New York Times bestselling author Michael Arceneaux to...

Jordan, Damon & Tony are curious – how have HBCUs evolved to fit the needs of Queer students? We play a game that reminds us of our time at Howard, discuss the history and evolution of Queer communities at HBCUs with two educators, then end with speaking to current students and recent graduates about the hope they wish to see for future generations and the work that is still to come. This week we...

Jordan, Damon & Tony are curious – how have you worked to heal from failed romantic relationships? We play a game titled, “Are You That Somebody”, detailing our own red flags when romantically involved. We then enter a convo with many highs and lows around how we have dealt with the ending of relationships. We further discuss the lingering feelings and how we worked through those, then laugh a lot...

Jordan, Damon & Tony are curious – how can we strengthen the alliance between Black and Asian communities? We play a game of trivia highlighting Blasian artists, then launch into a discussion centered on the Asian American experience, and highlight ways in which we can create empathy between our communities. This week we welcome content creator and storyteller Johnathan Gibbs, artist and community...

Jordan, Damon & Tony are curious – why is same gender affection viewed differently between men and women? We play a game of would you rather in relation to some Queer notable figures, discuss the societal acceptance of affection between women compared to men, and sound off on the divisive trend of heterosexual men playing into Queerness for engagement on social media. Over time the line between ge...

Jordan, Damon & Tony are curious – have you explored self-care through plant care? We play a game centered around what changes we will and will not be making in the new year, we the delve into a discussion around better ways we can care for ourselves this year, and the success or lack thereof we’ve had at being “plant dads”. This week we welcome gardener, educator, LGBTQ+ activist Christopher Grif...

Jordan, Damon & Tony are curious – what bad dating habits do you hope to leave in 2021? We play a game centered on common Jack’d scenarios, tell stories about our first time kissing another man, how our selectivity regarding partners has evolved over time, and bad dating habits we would like to leave in 2021. This week we welcome gay dating coach and couple’s counselor Lamont White to our Surface...

Jordan, Damon & Tony are curious – how do socio-economic factors effect the relationships we have with other Black Queer folx? We play a game of high/low discussing the “luxuries” we can’t live without, give our take on the W.E.B. Dubois vs Booker T. Washington debate, rant about unwanted expectations individuals have when you begin to make more money, and litigate how economic status impacts our...

Jordan, Damon & Tony are curious – did anyone really learn to be an anti-racist? We play a ridiculously titled “You Ain’t Black”, discuss our thoughts on last years social “reckoning” one year later, and look internally at confidence we gained in speaking truth about injustice in any situation. This week we welcome author and political commentator Keith Boykin to our Surface Level Family. He discu...

Jordan, Damon & Tony are curious – is freedom of speech a right or responsibility? We play a game that exposes our own unpopular opinions, discuss how our thoughts of being cancelled have informed what we say on the podcast, talk about the polarizing nature of the court of public opinion, and how we manage relationships with people whose beliefs differ from our own. With the continuous outrage reg...

Jordan, Damon & Tony are curious - how can fashion tell Black, Queer stories? This week Tony & Jordan fail miserably at a game of Black fashion trivia, we discuss our opinions on fashion vs style, our acceptance or lack of towards overtly fem clothing, and the personal and professional benefits of embracing fashion. This week we welcome Kinglsey Gbadedesin, CEO & Founder of K.ngsley to our Surface...

Jordan, Damon & Tony are curious - how do anti gay laws affect your travel? We poke fun at the joy and pain of being podcasters, discuss our experiences traveling the world as Queer people, and have an in depth conversation with our guest regarding the Queer experience in Nigeria. This week we welcome OKTimileyin, activist, cast member of HBO Max’ Legend of the Underground and Host of Nigeria’s Qu...

Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious, do the best relationships start from platonic friendships? We play a game of never have I ever, assess the environments where Queer people meet, discuss the benefits of or lack there of in prioritizing platonic friendship over romantic attraction, and share our thoughts on casual sex between friends. We are excited to welcome you back with a fun topic on which we...

Damon, Jordan & Tony are Black, Queer, and Curious. What a ride season 3 of Surface Level has been! We’ve covered everything from sexual health, to hip hop, to gender roles in Queer relationships. We laughed, we debated, and now we are taking a look back. This week we answer questions asked directly from our Surface Level Insiders and discuss current events related to some of the topics. And like...

Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about the impact the “DL” narrative has had on both Queer and heterosexual communities. The idea of DL culture is one born out of a false narrative about Black Queer men during the AIDS crisis. Is there a difference between being “DL” and simply not being out? We discuss the problematic history of the term DL, if men are responsible for disclosing that they are inv...

Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about the historic role Black & Brown trans women have played in ballroom culture. For our final Pride Month episode, we are shining a light on the experiences of trans women of color. How has ballroom served as a safe space for Black & Brown trans women? We decide which outside activities we are excited about and which ones need to be chopped, our impression of th...

Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious how age impacts our perception of the world as Black, Queer men. In addition to this week’s regular episode we are releasing a bonus with messages from the host and our guests to our ten year old selves. We hope you enjoy, and please share with any younger person searching for a bit of guidance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices