The LGBT Sport Podcast

October is Black History Month - and we wanted to use this episode of the podcast to spotlight some of the brilliant black sportspeople who have joined us over the course of the past three years. So, we’ve gone back into the archives to revisit some great conversations featuring people who are smashing it at all levels in their chosen discipline, and hear their stories from in and out of sport. We...

With a childhood love of the beautiful game and a father who officiated in the Football League, it somehow seemed inevitable that James Adcock would find his way into refereeing. And with more than 500 matches under his belt in a career that’s taken him from the amateur level to the Premier League, it’s fair to say James has now done pretty much everything when it comes to being a ref. James also...

Lor Sabourin started rock-climbing when they were just twelve years old. They had to overcome a fear of falling to really succeed in the sport - but now, they're known for conquering some of the most intimidating ascents out there. Lor happens to be transgender - and the story of their journey in the sport is the subject of a brand-new film named 'They/Them’ which was released on Thursday and is a...

It was hard to watch the Olympics in Tokyo and not know who Raven Saunders is. The Team USA athlete wore a collections of masks while competing that were inspired by Marvel Comics characters like the Hulk, and twerked in celebration after completing her final throw in the shotput. After clinching a silver medal, she crossed her arms in an X on the podium to represent the ‘intersection of where all...

Joseph Parsons has loved sport for as long as he can remember. From the joys of non-league football to the thrill of getting along to Ashton Gate, it's always been part of the comedian's life - but like many LGBTQ+ people, he didn't always find it easy to reconcile that with his identity as a gay man. Now, Joseph is turning his experiences of being an LGBTQ+ sports fan into a brilliant new hour of...

If you follow professional wrestling, you’ll know who Nyla Rose is. A former AEW Women’s World Champion, she’s been a stalwart of the All Elite Wrestling women’s division since the company’s debut in 2019. Nyla also happens to be the first transgender wrestler signed to a major American promotion – and as AEW prepares for its biggest show ever tonight in front of a sold out crowd in New York, we t...

It’s been thirty years since Stonewall FC was founded in London as an inclusive place for people who wanted to play football. Three decades on, the club has gone from strength to strength to strength – so it only made sense for us to speak with Stonewall FC’s club chair Alex Baker for a cracking episode of the podcast. Alex has an amazing footballing story to tell in his own right – as a referee,...

Sebastian Vettel is a legend of Formula 1. The four-time world champion took part in his first grand prix when he was just nineteen years old, and has topped the podium in F1 on more than fifty occasions. But recently, Vettel has made headlines due to his visibility as an LGBTQ+ ally, wearing rainbow-coloured attire at the Hungarian Grand Prix to show his support for the LGBTQ+ community in the co...

It’s no exaggeration to say Cyd Zeigler helped to change the game when it comes to telling LGBTQ+ stories in sport. As the co-founders of Outsports.com, he’s been helping to share the stories of LGBTQ+ people in sport for more than two decades – with Michael Sam, John Amaechi and Conner Mertens just a few of the big names he’s worked with. So, it only seemed right to finally have him on the show t...

If you want to know what’s going on in horse racing, there are few better people to ask than Lee Mottershead. The Racing Post senior writer has covered all the big races during his time in the sport, and sat down for in-depth interviews with everyone from elite trainers to champion jockeys. Lee also works with both the British Horseracing Authority and the Racing with Pride network to help increas...

It was the fear of failing to pass one of the Royal Navy’s fitness tests that really got Mel Haslam into sport. She needed to meet that criteria to serve on the frontline in Afghanistan – which she ended up doing – but it also led Mel in directions she could never have dreamed of. To kick things off from a sporting point of view, there were the European and World powerlifting events that she smash...

By anyone’s reckoning, Joyce Cook has an extraordinary story to tell. She grew up loving football, kicking a ball around with the neighbours when she was just a child. She began a career in nursing that took her around the world, and it was only when she unexpectedly became disabled that she became an active advocate for making the beautiful game accessible to everyone. She became heavily involved...

He’s widely recognized as one of the best umpires in baseball. With multiple World Series and All-Star Games under his belt, there’s very little Dale Scott failed to accomplish in a major league career that spanned more than three decades. And in 2014, Dale Scott did something no other umpire before him had done when he came out publicly as gay. We’ve wanted to have Dale on the podcast for a long...

It’s been just about a week since Clay Davies shared his story with the world. In a brilliant feature-length article with ‘The British Continental’ website, the elite rider from the Spirit Racing team spoke openly about his sexuality for the first time. If you haven’t read it yet, we’d really suggest you go and find the piece and give it a read. It went viral on social media and in the world of cy...

It’s a sports day like no other, and is a vital fundraiser for one of the UK’s leading LGBTQ+ charities. And after a year off due to COVID in 2020, the RVT Sports Day returns on Monday 30th August to raise money to support the work of LGBT HERO – the UK’s national health and wellbeing charity for LGBTQ+ people, who hold the event in partnership with the Royal Vauxhall Tavern. Ian Howley is LGBT HE...

On this day in 2013, a little bit of history was made in the UFC. Jessica Andrade squared off with Liz Carmouche in the organisation’s first-ever match between two out gay fighters – and we thought that anniversary was the perfect opportunity to hear from not one, but three LGBTQ+ competitors who have graced the Octagon. Up first, you’ll hear from Brazil’s Jessica Andrade, the former UFC Strawweig...

It’s fair to say that Laura McAllister is a Welsh sporting legend. The ex-Wales football captain played in every single one of the country’s international matches between 1994 and 2001, and is also a former chair of Sport Wales. In April, she narrowly lost her bid to win a place as UEFA’s representative for women on FIFA’s ruling council, which was the latest move from a woman who is passionate ab...

Grant Skene has been with Aberdeen Taexali since its earliest days. In fact, he’s played an instrumental part in growing the club to where it is now, and it’s not just us saying that either. Scottish Rugby agrees – which is why it gave him one of its Community Champion Awards at a special ceremony held last month. He’s now Taexali’s head-coach – and a cracking guest to have on this episode of the...

It’s no exaggeration to say that sport changed Bethany Tucker’s life for good. Born with cerebral palsy, she never really enjoyed PE at school – and only took it up again later in life when her chiropractor recommended it to help with her CP. That suggestion ended up changing everything for Bethany – and the T37 para-athlete has now competed far and wide. She’s been to Diamond League events, the C...

Andy Paul first got involved with Birchfield Harriers when he was 11 years old. He was, by his own description, a fairly average athlete – but his love affair with the sport has existed ever since. He’s been a club at the coach for decades, as well as a deputy-chair and chair – and now, he’s a life vice-president. He’s also one of the founders of the Athletics Pride Network, which launched last ye...

He’s 6 foot 7 inches tall, and combines his rugby career with studying theoretical physics at Trinity College, Dublin. By anyone’s reckoning, Leinster’s Jack Dunne is no ordinary rugby player. Today, he’s part of the club’s special Pride panel – alongside the likes of referee Craig Maxwell-Keys and Ireland international Lindsay Peat, as well as Richie Fagan from the Emerald Warriors inclusive rugb...

Born into a family of watersports enthusiasts who spent their holidays chasing the waves, it’s no surprise that Frazer Riley wanted to learn how to surf. But the experience of doing it in a country where it was illegal to be gay helped inspire Frazer to create a community where LGBTQ+ surfers from around the world felt comfortable being themselves. It’s called Queer Surf Club – and this month, it...

It’s not often that we have the same person on the podcast twice. But MMA star Molly McCann made such a splash when she joined us in November that we wanted to have her back on – especially when she let us know that she was releasing her first-ever children's book. Her collaboration with Sean Webster is called ‘Be True To You’ and is out at the end of the month, and that was reason enough to have...

It’s a club with a history that dates back more than 130 years. And while Sheffield United fans probably won’t want to dwell on too many parts of the season that’s just gone, there is at least one reason to be positive. Rainbow Blades is the club’s inclusive supporters group, and has just launched a new programme to celebrate all the ways that allies can play a role in making football everyone’s g...

It’s no secret that Jack is a massive Spurs fan. So it’s probably a surprise to see it’s taken 180 episodes to get the club’s inclusive supporters group onto the podcast for a chat! Chris Paouros, Lee Johnson and Sian Wallis are all from Proud Lilywhites, and this is a cracking conversation with three brilliant talkers who all have their own experiences of what it’s like to be LGBTQ+ in the beauti...