The LGBT Sport Podcast

Olympic boxing legend Nicola Adams is the one answering the questions, guests include Sarah Bern, Lauren Rowles and Dame Kelly Holmes. They chat about dancing with a same-sex partner on Strictly, managing ADHD as an elite athlete and the pressure of defending Olympic gold. Nicola opens up about injury setbacks, growing up in Leeds and how she found new purpose in acting after retiring from boxing....

England's Red Roses Prop Sarah Bern talks to Nicola Adams about body image, coming out and inclusion. Funny, fierce and full or heart, Sarah reflects on growing up in boys’ teams and what it's like to scrum against her girlfriend in a rugby final. Presenter: Nicola Adams. Producer: Jennifer Nelson. Sounds Producer: Tom Ryan. Executive Producer: Emma Clements.

Trailblazing trans racing driver and LGBTQ+ activist Charlie Martin talks to Nicola Adams about her journey, from childhood to Le Mans. They dive into identity, mental health, motorsport culture and the power of visibility. Presenter: Nicola Adams. Producer: Jennifer Nelson. Sounds Producer: Tom Ryan. Executive Producer: Emma Clements.

Ryan Atkin, the first openly gay professional football referee, joins Nicola Adams to talk coming out, toxic masculinity and how football can be better for everyone. Presenter: Nicola Adams. Producer: Jennifer Nelson. Sounds Producer: Tom Ryan. Executive Producer: Emma Clements.

Triple Paralympic gold medalist Lauren Rowles shares her powerful story with Nicola Adams. From feeling shame about her disability and identity to being a champion who embraces queer love and motherhood. Lauren and Nicola also discuss how ADHD and living authenticity has helped both their careers. Presenter: Nicola Adams. Producer: Jennifer Nelson. Sounds Producer: Tom Ryan. Executive Producer: Em...

Dame Kelly Holmes shares her extraordinary story, from serving in the British Army under a ban on being gay, to becoming a double Olympic champion. Speaking candidly with Nicola Adams, Dame Kelly talks about the fear of being outed, the trauma of hiding her identity and the toll it took on her mental health. She shares her pride about the moment she finally came out publicly. Presenter: Nicola Ada...

Taking a look at LGBTQ+ issues in sport. Double Olympic gold medal winner Nicola Adams is joined by inspirational people from different sporting backgrounds to chat about their careers and their experiences of being in the LGBTQ plus community. Presenter: Nicola Adams. Producer: Jennifer Nelson. Sounds Producer: Tom Ryan. Online Producer: Rachael Smith. Executive Producer: Emma Clements. Commissio...

When it comes to the ice, Conor McDermott-Mostowy is fast – like, really fast! A national speed-skating champion and a member of US Speedskating who has won medals across the world, the American knows all about what it takes to compete at the top-level – and how to do it while balancing his sport with a university degree. Conor came out publicly in 2021 – and now he’s here with us on the podcast t...

You may well have seen Nick Ransom reporting on Sky, ITV, BBC and plenty of other outlets – covering everything from the footballing stories of Afghan refugees to LGBTQ+ representation in the media. He’s also worked as a producer, bringing together content for events like the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, Wimbledon, the Euros and more – basically, this is someone who lives and breathes sport. It...

Big games deserve the big build – and that’s what John Reavey does when it comes to the Premier League. The director and creative producer is responsible for some of the video packages that you’ve seen hyping a number of the beautiful game’s massive matches – including the Manchester Derby and the start of the new season. It’s not just there that you’ll have seen his work either – from a West Ham...

We feature professional wrestling on the podcast a lot – but this is only the second time that we’re speaking to someone from the world of freestyle wrestling. And honestly, what better way to do it than with Samantha Stewart?! The Canadian is a multiple-time medallist and a Pan-American champion who has been involved in the sport for more than twenty years – and has seen it take her right around...

‘It’s my church’ – that’s how Lucy Clark has previously described her love of football, and the meaning that she attaches to her involvement with the beautiful game. Her appointment at the end of January as the new manager at Sutton United Women was therefore not just a moment of personal achievement, but a landmark for the game as well – with Clark becoming the first transgender woman to manage i...

When Robbie Manson announced that he was hanging up his oars ahead of the Tokyo Games, he’d already achieved a bucket-load of amazing sporting achievements. The New Zealander had competed at back-to-back Olympics in London and Rio, had secured a spot for Tokyo – and, with multiple World Rowing Cups and a World Rowing Championship bronze medal in 2015 under his belt, no-one would have blamed him fo...

If you were watching professional wrestling in the mid-2010s, you’d have seen Gabbi Tuft in action – where she was better known as WWE superstar Tyler Reks. There were matches at the Royal Rumble, Survivor Series, appearances on many of the WWE’s flagship shows – but it was only when wrestling came to an end that Tuft was able to become her authentic self as a trans woman. She shared her story pub...

For as long as Chris Paouros can remember, she’s been a proud supporter of Tottenham Hotspur. But while she’s always loved her football team, she’s not always been sure that football has loved her back – which is why she’s spent years trying to transform the game into somewhere that everyone feels welcome. Her CV is formidable enough – a vice-chair and trustee at Kick It Out, a Board Member at the...

Take a look at the CV of Jason Webber, and you’ll see that a passion for equality and diversity is burned into everything does. For more than a decade, he was a campaign co-ordinator with Show Racism the Red Card – and since 2020, he’s been a key part of trying to make the beautiful game something for everyone in Wales as the senior EDI Manager at the Football Association of Wales. That love of th...

If there’s anyone who knows about what it takes to make football inclusive, it’s James Laley. As the founder of Rainbow Blades, he’s helped embed diversity in the heart of what Sheffield United does, and it’s not just us saying that either – as James has been recognised not once but twice as this year’s Football v Homophobia Awards. So, we felt it was the perfect time to get James onto the podcast...

In a way, Mikey Connor has his nan to thank for his love of football. It was her who took him along to Everton games, who encouraged him to give the game a go, and told him that he should give refereeing a go as well. So really, it’s her who Mikey has to thank for his love of the beautiful game which – by his own admission – is now a sport that he absolutely can’t live without. As a former semi-pr...

There are so many strings that Pollo Del Mar has to their bow that it’s hard to know where to begin! A performer, journalist, activist, philanthropist and campaigner – but our interest today is in Pollo’s position as one of the most prominent LGBTQ+ wrestling personalities out there today. First as a wrestling journalist, Pollo began participating in wrestling personally – as the host of EFFY’s Bi...

With a mother and a father who amounted to bowls royalty, it’s really no surprise that David Gourlay found his way into the sport. But David was determined to make his own way in bowls, and has amassed a whopping seven world indoor titles – including the 1996 World Indoor Singles Championship, as well as three World Men’s Indoor Pairs Championships and three World Mixed Indoor Pairs Championships....

To say that Ellia Green is an incredible athlete would be a dramatic understatement. As a kid, it was athletics – and particularly sprinting - that Ellia excelled at, competing at World Junior Championships, all with the encouragement of an amazing mum who was all in on supporting their journey. Ellia ended up switching to rugby sevens – and in 2016, they were part of the Australian team that took...

2023 is almost at an end – and in many ways, this has been the biggest year that the BBC’s LGBT Sport Podcast has ever had. More guests telling more stories in more places and more ways than ever before – so to round out the year, we thought we’d remind ourselves of some of the most memorable moments that we’ve had on the podcast between January and December. World Cup winners, Olympic gold medall...

John-Edward Heath is someone who lives and breaths sport. A powerlifter, a snowboarder, a Crossfit competitor and an adaptive athlete with dreams of medalling on the grandest stages of them all – John-Edward is a man with big ambitions and the drive to match. But he’s also a man who has had to overcome extraordinary obstacles. As a child, he experienced homelessness; as a gay Marine, he was outed;...

It was one year ago, almost exactly to the year, that Adam Bolt made his debut on this podcast. And since then, it’s fair to say that the British grappler has gone from strength-to-strength in a way that not even he thought would be possible. The Doncaster native has had millions of views across social media from people eager to hear more about his inspiring story outside of the ring – while insid...

When Jamie Ayshford dropped us a message, asking to come on to talk about the joys of spin, we were always going to say ‘yes’ to having him on. Partly, it’s because we’re always passionate about covering a sport or type of activity that we haven’t done before – and partly, because Jamie is so blinking passionate about it! He credits it with helping him with his mental health and empowering to acce...