Episodes
MarkBecause I only heard the term in the playground, I used to think "gay" meant someone who was bad at sports.Mark Chesnut is an award-winning travel writer based in New York City.He is also the author of the memoir Prepare for Departure: Notes on a Single Mother, a Misfit Son, Inevitable Mortality and the Enduring Allure of Frequent Flyer MilesPresented by Emma Goswell Produced by Sam Walker We'd love to hear YOUR story. Please get in touch www.comingoutstoriespodcast.com or find us on twitter @ComeOutStories and on Instagram @ComingOutStoriesPod We have a book! Coming Out Stories i...
Yo YoI grew up where it was illegal to be gay. I had to write love letters to my girlfriend in codeMeet Yo Yo, a lesbian from Malaysia, where it's illegal to be gay. She nearly got caught when a love letter she wrote to her girlfriend was opened.Presented by Emma Goswell Produced by Sam Walker We'd love to hear YOUR story. Please get in touch www.comingoutstoriespodcast.com or find us on twitter @ComeOutStories and on Instagram @ComingOutStoriesPod We have a book! Coming Out Stories is available at all major shops now! JKP.com | Queerlit | Waterstones | Amazon Coming Out Sto...
AndrewI don't want to be hemmed into a box. I've done that for so many years.Meet Andrew from Brighton, who once considered himself a "gay man" and now identifies as a "queer person". Presented by Emma Goswell Produced by Sam Walker We'd love to hear YOUR story. Please get in touch www.comingoutstoriespodcast.com or find us on twitter @ComeOutStories and on Instagram @ComingOutStoriesPod We have a book! Coming Out Stories is available at all major shops now! JKP.com | Queerlit | Waterstones | Amazon Coming Out Stories is a What Goes On Media Production
Jennie"So many people knew they were gay from a young age, but that's just not my story""Jennie Guay is an author who had only ever dated men when she moved from Canada to England in her late 20s.After deciding to explore her sexuality, she set her dating profile to "seeking women" and changed her life.Jennie's book "Howie Blend: Playdate Adventures with Family and Friends" is available here and at all good bookshops.Presented by Emma Goswell Produced by Sam Walker We'd love to hear YOUR story. Please get in touch www.comingoutstoriespodcast.com or find us on twitter @ComeOut...
Jaxon My Dad joked "What's wrong? Are you pregnant? Are you getting a puppy? You're not trans are you...?"Happy Trans Awareness Week! To celebrate, we'd love you to meet Prison Officer Jaxon, a trans man from Wigan in the north of England, and hear his uplifting story.Please note: Jaxon is very honest about his mental health and this episode contains discussions of suicide.Presented by Emma Goswell Produced by Sam Walker We'd love to hear YOUR story. Please get in touch www.comingoutstoriespodcast.com or find us on twitter @ComeOutStories and on Instagram @ComingOutSt...
Rob “I tried so hard to change who I was. I changed the way I dressed, the way I spoke and even the way I walked. I didn’t feel safe being myself.”Rob is a travel expert, who you may well have seen on TV in the UK, on shows like Rip Off Britain and Morning Live. He identifies as gay and despite choosing to wear dresses and asking to be called “Sally” for much of his childhood, his mum still told him she had ‘no idea’ when he came out.Presented by Emma Goswell Produced by Sam Walker We'd love to hear YOUR story. Please get in touch www.comingoutstoriespodcast.com or find us on twitte...
SerenaWhen I came out to my 9 year old son, he said “Mammy, that’s very brave of you”Meet Serena, from Ireland, who came out as a lesbian later in life, just before she was due to marry the father of her two children.Serena’s story comes with a pretty big twist at the end…Presented by Emma Goswell Produced by Sam Walker We'd love to hear YOUR story. Please get in touch www.comingoutstoriespodcast.com or find us on twitter @ComeOutStories and on Instagram @ComingOutStoriesPod We have a book! Coming Out Stories is available at all major shops now! JKP.com | Queerlit | Waterstones | Am...
Happy National Coming Out Day!October 11 is National Coming Out Day in the UK and to celebrate, we've put together a very special episode just for you!In this instalment hear from three of our previous guests talk about how their lives have changed and moved on since we last spoke and we also discuss questions like;Why do we still need to come out? (Straight people don't do it!)Is there ever an argument for not coming out?How important are allies from outside the LGBTQ+ community when you're coming out?What can we do to help made the world a better place for trans and non b...
Paris: From the time I was a young kid, I always felt really connected to being both male and female
“From the time I was a young kid, I always felt really connected to being both male and female” The first episode of our brand-new season belongs to a non-binary icon! Broadcaster Paris Munro actually has a couple of coming out stories, firstly as a lesbian, then as non-binary.Presented by Emma GoswellProduced by Sam WalkerWe'd love to hear YOUR story. Please get in touch www.comingoutstoriespodcast.com or find us on twitter @ComeOutStories and on Instagram @ComingOutStoriesPodWe have a book! Coming Out Stories is available at all major shops now! JKP.com | Queerlit | Waterstones |...
It's been a long busy summer, but we're back with a brand new season of Coming Out Stories! We can't wait to share new stories with you, from fabulous folk from all over the world.We've spoken to people from England, Ireland, Malaysia, India, Australia, America and more!Do follow now, to make sure you don't miss an episode and we'd love to hear from you! Get in touch with your story or just to say hi! Hello@comingoutstoriespodcast.comNew season launches October 5Emma and Sam xPresented by Emma GoswellProduced by Sam WalkerWe'd love to hear YOUR story. P...
Ahead of a brand new season, we’re celebrating some of our favourite episodes!Oskar“I take the view with my trans identity, that unless you’re going to get into my pants, I’m not really interested in coming out to you” Oskar grew up in Trinidad and identifies as trans masculine, but non binary. In terms of their sexuality, they identify as pansexual. Suppressing the urge to transition for 20 years had a huge impact on their mental health.Presented by Emma GoswellProduced by Sam WalkerWe'd love to hear YOUR story. Please get in touch www.comingoutstoriespodcast.com or find us on twi...
Ahead of a brand new season, we’re celebrating some of our favourite episodes!Divina de Campo “If ever there was a little queerdo kid – it was me”Star of The Voice and runner-up in the first ever Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK, Divina de Campo talks about coming out as gay and then non-binary and offers some great advice on WHEN to come out.Presented by Emma GoswellProduced by Sam WalkerWe'd love to hear YOUR story. Please get in touch www.comingoutstoriespodcast.com or find us on twitter @ComeOutStories and on Instagram @ComingOutStoriesPodWe have a book! Coming Out Stories is available at ...
Ahead of a brand new season, we’re celebrating some of our favourite episodes!Angela and Lucia “Doctors tried to give me a lobotomy because I was gay” Two absolutely incredible women tell their coming out stories and also stories of being lesbian activists in Manchester in the 1970s and how the Gay Liberation Front changed the lives of LGBT people across the country.Presented by Emma GoswellProduced by Sam WalkerWe'd love to hear YOUR story. Please get in touch www.comingoutstoriespodcast.com or find us on twitter @ComeOutStories and on Instagram @ComingOutStoriesPodWe have a book! ...
Jacob“Before I go into a public toilet I have to think: is there anyone in there who could hurt me?” In a beautifully honest interview Jacob talks about coming out to themselves and then to their family, just four weeks before this interview.Presented by Emma GoswellProduced by Sam WalkerWe'd love to hear YOUR story. Please get in touch www.comingoutstoriespodcast.com or find us on twitter @ComeOutStories and on Instagram @ComingOutStoriesPodWe have a book! Coming Out Stories is available at all major shops now!JKP.com | Queerlit | Waterstones | AmazonComing Out Stories is a What Go...
Ahead of a brand new season, we’re celebrating some of our favourite episodes!Asad“Before you come out, you assume the worst of the people you love. That’s really hard” Asad grew up in a British Pakistani Muslim household and feared the worst when coming out to his parents. So much so, he packed a bag and had a friend wait outside in his car, ready to escape.Presented by Emma GoswellProduced by Sam WalkerWe'd love to hear YOUR story. Please get in touch www.comingoutstoriespodcast.com or find us on twitter @ComeOutStories and on Instagram @ComingOutStoriesPodWe have a book! Coming ...
Ahead of a brand new season, we’re celebrating some of our favourite episodes!JJ“I was scared to tell my wife how good it felt to wear a dress” JJ, or Jessie, is a gas fitter from Manchester who is happily married to a woman and has two children. But they identify as non-binary or gender fluid and were terrified they would lose their family when they came out.Presented by Emma GoswellProduced by Sam WalkerWe'd love to hear YOUR story. Please get in touch www.comingoutstoriespodcast.com or find us on twitter @ComeOutStories and on Instagram @ComingOutStoriesPodWe have a book! Coming O...
Ahead of a brand new season, we’re celebrating some of our favourite episodes!Dean“I remember regularly being called a fa**ot at just 9 years old” In this episode, actor and BBC Radio 1 presenter Dean McCullough talks about growing up as "Gay Dean" in Belfast in the 90s and 00s Presented by Emma GoswellProduced by Sam WalkerWe'd love to hear YOUR story. Please get in touch www.comingoutstoriespodcast.com or find us on twitter @ComeOutStories and on Instagram @ComingOutStoriesPodWe have a book! Coming Out Stories is available at all major shops now!JKP.com | Queerlit | Waterstones | A...
Tracey “I came home to find my son on the sofa with his school friend. I could feel the chemistry between them. It was a real lightbulb moment for me” It’s the final episode of our “Meet the Parents” season, where you’ve been hearing from the families of LGBTQIA+ folks about their experiences of having a child come out to them. On this episode, meet Tracey, mum to Jake, who came out to her at 12, although he wasn’t sure how to identify. Presented by Emma Goswell Produced by Sam Walker We'd love to hear YOUR story. Please get in touch www.comingoutstoriespodcast.com or find us on twi...
Des “When my sons first came out, I had to re-evaluate the ideas I had held about the lives they would lead. That took time" On this season of Coming Out Stories, we’re going to “Meet the Parents!” Over the next six episodes, you’ll hear to hear from the families of LGBTQIA+ folks about their experiences of having a child come out to them. On this episode, meet Des, dad to not one, but two gay sons. He now has a "Proud Father" t-shirt that he wears to Pride, but admits he did struggle when his sons first came out. Des now volunteers for https://www.fflag.org.uk/ Presented by Emma Goswell Pr...
Sarah “I really wish as a family we’d had conversations about LGBT+ lives with all our children much earlier on” On this season of Coming Out Stories, we’re going to “Meet the Parents!” Over the next six episodes, you’ll hear to hear from the families of LGBTQIA+ folks about their experiences of having a child come out to them. On this episode, meet Sarah, mum to the child she affectionately calls “Noots” When Noots came out as trans, Sarah admits she “didn’t know what to say” and went on a personal journey of education, understanding and love. Sarah now volunteers for https://www.fflag.org...
Aruna “He started crying and asked me 'mum, do you still love me? Are you ashamed of me?' " On this season of Coming Out Stories, we’re going to “Meet the Parents!” Over the next six episodes, you’ll hear to hear from the families of LGBTQIA+ folks about their experiences of having a child come out to them. On this episode, meet the supermum from Mumbai, Aruna. She not only accepted her own son Abhishek coming out as gay, when it was still illegal in India, she went on to create an organisation helping parents across the world to embrace their LGBTQ+ children. She was also th...
Marilyn “I didn’t realise they were both struggling with their sexuality, although looking back, all the signs were there” On this season of Coming Out Stories, we’re going to “Meet the Parents!” Over the next six episodes, you’ll hear to hear from the families of LGBTQIA+ folks about their experiences of having a child come out to them. On this episode, meet Marilyn. She is a single mum to a son and a daughter, who both came out to her on the very same day. In fact, in the very same phone call! Presented by Emma Goswell Produced by Sam Walker We'd love to hear YOUR story. Please get...
Bruce “We had no idea he was crying himself to sleep every night" On this season of Coming Out Stories, we’re going to “Meet the Parents!” Over the next six episodes, you’ll hear to hear from the families of LGBTQIA+ folks about their experiences of having a child come out to them. Today, one of the most extraordinary changes of heart we've ever heard. Bruce was a Pentecostal Minister, who felt "disgusted" watching a Gay Pride parade on TV. Yet now, after an incredible journey following his own son coming out, Bruce has left his church and now attends those very same parades, with gr...
Jackie “I realised that the magazine I found under my son's bed was not a body building magazine..." We’re back for Season Three! This time on Coming Out Stories, we’re going to “Meet the Parents!” Over the next six episodes, you’ll hear to hear from the families of LGBTQIA+ folks about their experiences of having a child come out to them. Today, meet Jackie. Around 20 years ago she set up a group supporting the parents of gay and trans children called Families Together London. She has not one, but two gay children, a son and a daughter, who had very different experiences coming out. ...
Annie “When my child was three she told me she didn't want to wear 'boys' clothes anymore" We’re back for Season Three! This time on Coming Out Stories, we’re going to “Meet the Parents!” Over the next six episodes, you’ll hear to hear from the families of LGBTQIA+ folks about their experiences of having a child come out to them. As ever, there will be laughter, tears, perhaps some tension, but also love and understanding. Today, meet Annie. She’s the proud parent of a seven-year-old daughter who is trans. Presented by Emma Goswell Produced by Sam Walker We'd love to he...
Stevie “When I came out to my mum as gay she said "Is that because you can't get a boyfriend?" In our final episode of season two, meet Stevie! Podcaster and musician Stevie came out twice to their family, firstly as gay, then as non-binary. If you are the parent of an LGBTQ+ person, or you identify in that way and your parent would like to speak to us for our next season, please do get in touch, we'd love to talk! Email: hello@comingoutstoriespodcast.com Presented by Emma Goswell Produced by Sam Walker We'd love to hear YOUR story. Please get in touch www.comingoutstoriespo...
Stephen “I didn't know what intersex even meant, until I discovered it was who I am" Founder of Surrey Pride, Stephen, only discovered he was intersex after a diagnosis of bowel cancer when he found out that his parents had chosen to raise him as a male. For more information on being intersex click here. Presented by Emma Goswell Produced by Sam Walker We'd love to hear YOUR story. Please get in touch www.comingoutstoriespodcast.com or find us on twitter @ComeOutStories and on Instagram @ComingOutStoriesPod We have a book! Coming Out Stories is available at all major shops now...
Marie “Even today, my kids say to me, Mommy, you're not gay" Marie is a grandmother, who grew up in the Bronx in New York City and she didn't come out until her 50s. For more information on the organisation SAGE click here Presented by Emma Goswell Produced by Sam Walker We'd love to hear YOUR story. Please get in touch www.comingoutstoriespodcast.com or find us on twitter @ComeOutStories and on Instagram @ComingOutStoriesPod We have a book! Coming Out Stories is available at all major shops now! JKP.com | Queerlit | Waterstones | Amazon Coming Out Stories is a What Goes...
Alex “I remember thinking: 'When I grow up I want to be a girl'" Alex is a trans woman who grew up changing into dresses the moment she got home from her all-boys school, but knew it "wasn't what boys should do". She is also the host of the "She Said, They said" podcast. For more information on the charity Mermaids, click here Presented by Emma Goswell Produced by Sam Walker We'd love to hear YOUR story. Please get in touch www.comingoutstoriespodcast.com or find us on twitter @ComeOutStories and on Instagram @ComingOutStoriesPod We have a book! Coming Out Stories is ...
David “My wife found my chatroom history, that's how I came out to her" David spent many years married to a woman and being a stay at home dad to his children. He didn't come out until he was 55. He is the author of the book "How to Tell your LGBTQ+ Story" Presented by Emma Goswell Produced by Sam Walker We'd love to hear YOUR story. Please get in touch www.comingoutstoriespodcast.com or find us on twitter @ComeOutStories and on Instagram @ComingOutStoriesPod We have a book! Coming Out Stories is available at all major shops now! JKP.com | Queerlit | Waterstones | Amazo...