The LGBT Sport Podcast

If you take a look at Pharrell Shaymar’s social media feeds, you’ll see that combat sports are a huge part of his life. As a professional boxing and kickboxing coach, you’ll get tutorials on everything from throwing the perfect left hook to the importance of counter-punching. But what makes Pharrell’s story all the more remarkable is that he only really started practicing combat sports as a way to...

It’s hard to find anyone more knowledgeable – or passionate – about the ins and outs of life at the Etihad than David Mooney. The broadcaster’s Blue Moon Podcast has been running since 2009, and is one of the most definitive voices on all things Manchester City - and it’s fair to say he’s had plenty to talk about over the time he’s been doing those shows! So, it was high time to get him onto our p...

It’s been a few weeks since Lloyd Wilson decided to share his story with the world. Alongside colleague Craig Napier, Lloyd came out as gay – and it’s fair to say life has been a bit of a whirlwind for the Scottish referee since then. Lloyd has already reffed his first few games back since sharing his story - so it really was the perfect time to get him onto the podcast to have a bit of a chat. An...

It’s shaping up to be a busy sporting summer for any number of reasons, including the second year of The Hundred competition. One of the players who’ll be hoping to take centre-stage in that is England’s Georgia Elwiss, who is representing Birmingham Phoenix in the tournament. From winning the World Cup with England in 2017 to lifting the Rachel Heyhoe-Flint Trophy with Southern Vipers, Georgia is...

Imagine if your job involves performing in front of a crowd of thousands, eliciting boos and cheers based on your athleticism inside a ring? And then imagine that you weren’t able to do any of that because of the pandemic. That’s exactly what British wrestler Brad Slayer – and dozens of others of UK stars – found themselves facing, so you can understand why they’re so delighted to be stepping back...

He’s a comedian, actor, writer and presenter – and at the start of May, Stephen Fry added another accolade to his CV when he was named as the next President of Marylebone Cricket Club. He described himself as ‘humbled’ and ‘honoured’ by the appointment – and to be honest, we're feeling the same emotions about having Stephen on the podcast today! But as you'd suspect, this episode doesn't disappoin...

It’s a big day for the world of cricket – and one that requires a special podcast to go with it. Later tonight, Surrey take on Kent at The Oval in a T20 Blast match that’s been specifically designated as a game in support of the club’s official LGBTQ+ supporters group Proud Surrey. And over at Lords, Middlesex face Somerset in their T20 game, where LGBTQ+ team Graces will be applauding the teams o...

In the small Welsh village of Resolven where Dan Jervis grew up, it was rugby that ruled the roost. But from the moment that Dan’s grandparents took him to the local pool, it was clear that swimming was the sport for him. Dan dreamed of being an Olympian – and last year, he made that happen at the Games in Tokyo, when he finished 5th in the 1500 metres freestyle final in his debut Olympics. Throw...

If you know anything about women’s rugby, you’ll know who Ali Donnelly is. A player, a coach, a journalist, a campaigner and the founder of the legendary Scrum Queens website, she’s dedicated more hours than most of us have in the day to promoting the women’s game. And with a book coming out shortly, now was the perfect time to get Ali onto the podcast to talk about her remarkable sporting story....

It’s been more than three years since we last had Anthony Bowens on the podcast. And it’s fair to say that a lot has changed in the time since then. The professional wrestler signed with All Elite Wrestling, where he’s been competing against some of his idols on national television and, alongside partner Max Caster, has become part of one of the most popular tag-teams in the company as one half of...

We’re taking a stroll down memory lane on the podcast today – and, more specifically, a trip across the pond to remind ourselves of some of the brilliant American guests who have joined us on the pod since 2018. It’s a celebration of sporting talent from sea to shining sea, as we go from state to state and coast to coast to revisit some brilliant conversations with some amazing sportspeople from t...

Ollie Burness always dreamed of making it as a professional wrestler, but probably never imagined that he’d do it as a spandex-wearing, lip-syncing, butt-kicking drag queen. But after getting frustrated with traditional definitions of masculinity and sexuality in the industry, he came up with Priscilla – a self-proclaimed Queen of the Ring and exotic diva. And now, Priscilla is one of the driving...

Lewis Gibson grew up in a sporty family, but it wasn’t long before he realised that football wasn’t for him. In fact, a chance viewing of ‘Dancing on Ice’ on ITV opened up his eyes to a whole world that he hadn’t seen before, and set him off on a journey that led all the way to this year’s Winter Olympics in China. We’ve wanted to have Lewis on the podcast for a while – and we have to tell you, th...

It’s been a twenty-four hour period that none of us will ever forget. After Jake Daniels’ history-making announcement on Monday, we’ve put together a special episode looking at the significance of the Blackpool striker’s decision to open up about his sexuality. We bring you the powerful reaction of LGBTQ+ fans, and take you behind-the-scenes to show how the story has played out over the past twent...

Jordan Robinson has always had sport in his life. Whether it’s following Newcastle United as a season ticket holder, playing and coaching rugby or, in his current role, as the general manager of Newcastle Thunder, it’s been an ever-present. Jordan has also known he was gay for a long time – but it was only in lockdown that he decided that he was ready to start the process of opening up to his fami...

When Chris Kinney represented Team USA in the bobsled at the 2018 Winter Olympics, it was the culmination of years and years of hard work and dedication. But it also represented a turning point in his own life, where he finally felt able to publicly embrace the whole person that he was. Up until that point, he had been on a journey - not just with his sexuality, but with his wider identity and whe...

If you love football in the UK, you’ve probably read one of Nancy Frostick’s pieces. The Athletic writer has her finger on the pulse of everything happening in the EFL, covering ownership battles in the boardroom, inspiring stories on the pitch – and pretty much everything else in between. She’s also a brilliant guest who we’ve wanted to have on the podcast for a long time, and this is just a love...

Rocky Clark is a rugby union legend. The most-capped England player ever with 137 international appearances to her name, she represented her country over a fifteen year career that included three World Cup runners-up medals and – in 2014, that elusive World Cup win. Made an MBE in 2015, she’s a now passionate and dedicated coach, pundit, summariser and personal trainer – and she’s an absolutely br...

Mark Foster is one of the UK’s most successful swimmers of all time. During more than two decades in the pool, he won 51 international medals; competed at five Olympic Games; won World, European and Commonwealth titles; and broke world records again and again. In 2008, he was the British flag-bearer at the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics in Beijing – and is now a commentator, broadcaster and moti...

Osian Jones smashed a record that stood for more than thirty years when he broke the Welsh men’s hammer record in 2017. Throw in two Commonwealth Games – including a seventh-place finish on Australia’s Gold Coast in 2018 – and you can see why the Welshman is such a formidable competitor in the world of athletics. Osian is also a fan of the podcast – so when he reached out to us, saying he’d been l...

Matthew Mitcham will always have a place in sporting history. In 2008, the Australian became the first out gay man to win an Olympic gold medal when he triumphed in the diving at the Beijing Olympics – and set a new Olympic record in the process. It marked the high-point of a remarkable sporting comeback for Matthew, who had only returned to diving fifteen months before after falling out of love w...

Who would be a referee? If you’ve ever asked yourself that question, you’re in luck – as we’ve assembled some of the very top officials who have joined us on the podcast since 2018 to discuss what it is that motivated them to become one in the first place. In this trip through the archives, you’ll hear extraordinary stories from individuals who have taken charge of World Cup Finals, World Series g...

We’re going to back to the grassroots and crossing the Atlantic today for an episode with someone who has a story that many people can relate to. A promising young athlete, Riley Parks raced at a college level – and now competes as a member of the US Navy. He does road-races for fun – and when he’s not doing that, it’s skiing that is his passion. He’s also a regular listener to the podcast – and w...

It’s got tens of thousands of members who play right around the world. In fact, with more than 70 global tournaments each year, the Gay and Lesbian Tennis Alliance may well be the biggest tennis organisation that you’ve never heard of. Daniel Merrithew is the GLTA’S President and Commissioner – in fact, he’s been in that role longer than anyone else who before him. It’s a role that takes him acros...

Chris Powell loves cricket. A handy leg-spinner growing up, he played Minor Counties cricket as well as for Gloucestershire’s second XI and, after completing a masters degree in sports science, returned to the club where he now works as a physio. Chris is also gay and, having come out to colleagues at the club in 2017, is now joining us for his first-ever podcast interview to chat about his story....