Coming Out Pod

Over the years, host/moderator Yael Tygiel has identified as bisexual, pansexual, fluid, "whatever-sexual," and (currently) queer. Yael tells the story of being outed during a school assembly her freshman year of high school, and how the ensuing rumors meant she couldn't really come into her sexuality until she went away to college. She also discusses the differing reactions of her Israeli parents...

In a departure from our usual format, fellow LGBT Center facilitator Ryan Wooten tells his story about coming out as HIV+. Ryan was in a monogamous relationship when he was diagnosed in his early twenties, and talks about moving from despair, to acceptance, to confidence. He explains how learning to live "proud and positive" made him the strongest version of himself, and we discuss how honestly di...

Celeste Pechous (Work in Progress; One Day at a Time) struggled so much with her sexuality that, at age sixteen, she told God she was "ready if you're ready for me." Cut to today, where she proudly plays a lesbian on a TV show that literally airs back-to-back with The L Word! Celeste fills in the 20+ years in between: her first closeted relationship, finding her girl posse in Chicago's queer commu...

We sit down with Avon Rogan, one half of the FABULOUS queer clothing-and-accessories company, Beyond Clexa! A Filipino-Irish background and internalized biphobia led Avon to feel like "a pervert" for being bisexual; so much so that she didn't come out until she was 34. Avon shares how she put in the necessary work to blend her family for the sake of her son, and what it's been like finding herself...

HAPPY NEW YEAR! We're ringing in 2020 (not too loudly, in case you're hungover) with our first ever listener mailbag episode! Some of the many topics we cover include dating someone who isn’t out yet, coming out later in life, getting over a brutal breakup, what to do when you think your friend might be queer, and what if anything we would have changed about our *own* coming out journeys. Also, by...

Comedian Mav Viola (Butch Pal for the Straight Gal) had an extremely sheltered Christian upbringing, to the point where she didn't know what her period was when she got it. Her coming out story includes such highlights as a game-changing Women's Studies class and a fateful trip to New York with her stepsister, and she keeps us in hysterics even through the difficult parts. Also, we learn about one...

Stage Manager Pita Taing joins us just one year after coming out! Pita talks about how, for her, gender "definitely doesn't" play a role when it comes to attraction, and how she has recently found herself predominantly attracted to trans and non-binary folks. We also discuss how, even as queer people, we often make assumptions about gender and sexuality based on presentation (DAMN YOU, PATRIARCHAL...

Actor/queer content creator Spencer (they/them) joins us while in L.A. for the Season of Love premiere! Spencer grew up with two moms on a "queer lady commune" (THE DREAM!), but that didn't make getting outed before they were ready any easier. Spencer talks to us about the formative effect of South of Nowhere, and their recent second-coming-out as non-binary! Also, a cautionary tale about why you...

As a kid, actor Lauren Neal (Westworld) used to dress in her brother's clothing, and was constantly asked if she was a boy. She talks to us about doing drag for the first time (as Prince!), the insane amount of Dyke Drama (TM) she went through in college, and the "if you ever cheat on me, I'll murder you" pact that she has with her wife (it's much cuter than it sounds). Also, how she learned to be...

We have THE MOST HILARIOUS TIME with Erin Foley, professional comedian and writer for ONE DAY AT A TIME! Erin comes from a family that is so Catholic, it contains *multiple* nuns, so it's not surprising that it took her until her early 20s to even have an inkling that she was gay. She reveals the moment in a bathroom stall that sealed the deal, and the challenges she's faced since then with her go...

19-year-old Gerson Macias was always affectionate with male friends growing up, and by the time he hit middle school, his community had singled him out for this "less-than-masculine" behavior. Gerson talks about the negative impacts of machismo on Mexican men, the essay that changed everything for him, and his journey debunking the ol' "Bi now, gay later" myth... Plus, Dobby is back in the studio!...

Our guest this week comes to us during her campaign for CONGRESS! Frances Yasmeen Motiwalla's Peruvian mother and Pakistani father raised her as an Evangelical, but little did they know that a Mission trip to Ireland would prove pivotal to their daughter realizing she was a lesbian... Frances discusses how she went from feeling powerless to being politically engaged, the tragedy in her past that i...

Artist and docent Quinn Mays (they/them) really says it best with the statement, "My identity is TBD." Quinn was raised Catholic by a single mother, and always viewed themself as very disconnected from their own body; it's only been within the past several years that they realized they were agender. Quinn shares what it's been like watching their body change, and the impact of starting to present...

We talk to choreographer/educator/activist Kai Hazelwood LIVE at Models of Pride, the world's largest free conference for LGBTQ+ youth and allies! As someone who had to repeatedly come out to her own mother, Kai provides words of wisdom for dealing with people in your life who are still "hanging out in the 20th Century." She also discusses her work with AmBi and Good Trouble Makers, and how she ta...

QUEER HILARITY ensues when we sit down with fellow podcaster Sarah York, co-host of Dyking Out! Sarah realized she was gay in college, but it's only within the past year that she's fully come into her queer confidence and aesthetic. She talks LDRs, the impact of cutting her hair off, and the very different reactions her two sets of parents/stepparents had to her coming out. Also, how watching Grey...

In honor of National Coming Out Day, we've got a special guest: actor/writer/foundational human from your childhood, Mara Wilson (Matilda; Mrs. Doubtfire)! As a child star who was all-too-often accused of wanting attention, Mara suppressed her bisexuality for a long time. She discusses imposter syndrome, the need for "boring bisexual visibility," and the ways in which she gauges attraction via Mar...

Digital Producer Eden Treviño is just now coming off the roughest year of her life, but you'd never know it to talk to her. She discusses the strength and perspective she's gained from everything she's been through, and how happy she is with where she landed. Eden tells us the most cinematic coming out story we've EVER heard, which spans from Las Vegas to Mexico, and includes a literal hip injury!...

If you saw last week's announcement, then you finally know what Nicole and Mandahla were doing in New Orleans over Pride: planning for the upcoming series Delta & Daisy! While in the Big Easy, they recorded this special NOLA edition of the pod with D&D writer/producers Nancylee Myatt and Paige Bernhardt (South of Nowhere; Nikki & Nora). Wives Nancylee and Paige share their (very different!) coming...

TV Writer/Producer Kim Kressal (Lesbian Love Octagon) spent her adolescence unaware that lesbians even existed, but later dove headfirst into the lesbian culture of late '90s NYC. She talks to us about getting both "gay married and gay divorced," her experience "passing" as straight while in a relationship with a trans man, and the time she accidentally left a strap-on at her mom's place(!!!). Als...

We're celebrating Bi Visibility Month with HILARIOUS comedian Teresa Lee! Teresa grew up identifying with straight femme culture (sororities, pageants, etc), and pre-coming out, referred to herself as "a straight girl who liked girls." She discusses the struggle to be visible as a bisexual person in a straight-presenting relationship, and shares how her father's acceptance has evolved over time. A...

We get our minds blown by our first ever AROMANTIC guest! John Arrow (a second grade teacher and founder of TGI Femslash) has come out as *five* different things over the years (including bi and trans), but his aromantic identity is by the far the most recent. John discusses the societal pressures to be coupled, and opens our eyes to the term "amatonormativity," the idea of queerplatonic relations...

24-year-old Em Westheimer (YouTube's AndroGenetics) identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, but also waffles with use of the word "girl." Their story is difficult, but Em tells it with such grace, self-awareness, and humor, that they manage to keep us laughing throughout. We also discuss the LaRouche movement (the stifling political cult that Em was raised in), and why queer people o...

We're changing things up today with a fantastic coming out essay that was sent in to us by a listener! Breeann Campbell grew up with cerebral palsy, so she already felt like an outsider around her peers. When she started to develop feelings for girls in addition to boys...things got even more complicated. Nicole and Lauren read and discuss Breeann's beautiful coming out story, which includes a *he...

We go deeper into all things poly than we ever have before with filmmaker Lise Angelica (Other Loving)! Lise was part of a long-term poly triad 13 years ago, well before polyamory was widely talked about. She discusses the struggle of feeling like a stereotype when you're both bisexual and poly, and what it's like to come out as gay, then bi a decade later, and first start dating men in your mid-3...

Journalist Trish Bendix (The New York Times, etc.) is such a fixture in queer media, you would never guess she had no idea she was a lesbian until she was twenty years old! She's got a good theory as to why that is, though... Trish shares about her first relationship in college, and the benefits of continuing to play truth or dare into adulthood. We also discuss the merits of experimentation, the...