8 queer-positive podcasts that’ll infuse your commute with some inclusivity

As a queer-identifying person, I’ve found that it’s hard to come by news outlets covering LGBTQ+ politics in a nuanced and intersectional way. Heck, pinpointing media that speaks directly to me and my experiences as a queer person can feel near impossible. That’s why, as of late, I’ve been tuning into podcasts to scratch my itch for LGBTQ+-focused content.

Some are NSFW and ROFL-worthy funny; others are deeply informative and intentionally political; and others are deeply empathetic and personal. But all have at least one thing in common: They’re totally binge-worthy.

Scroll down for 8 queer podcasts worth a listen.

1. Dyking Out

Hosted by New York City-based comedians Carolyn Bergier and Sarah York, Dyking Out explores lesbian and queer life, news, and pop culture. During each episode, they invite a gaycon (gay icon, duh) to chat about topics like threesomes, femme invisibility, or dating “straight” girls.

Pro tip: Start with the first episode to meet your co-hosts and learn their voices, then feel free to bop around.

2. Food 4 Thot

This podcast features four multiracial besties who dish on their salacious hookups and (in)significant others, play games, pass on the gender binary, and chat about books. You’ll laugh, you’ll snap your fingers in agreement, and you’ll probably blush.

But whether you’re just now coming out of the closet or have known your identity since you could say the word drag, the queer quartet will force you to ask yourself questions like: What does it mean to find community? What stories shaped who you are? And where do my body goals come from?

3. Inside the Closet

Emma Willmann and Matteo Lane’s podcast is my favorite queer snack. In each episode, they talk about wide-ranging topics. A given ep might be a deep dive into the specific anxiety of being a top, or insight into their relationship with their mothers, or unsolicited dating advice for Mariah Carey and Pete Davidson.

4. QUEERY

If you’re more interested in the goings-on of queer news (and the news as it effects queer folks) than LOL-ing, grab your earbuds: QUEERY, hosted by Cameron Esposito, taps some of brightest leaders in the LGBTQ+ community—Dan Savage, Andrea Gibson, Tig Notaro, Grace Bonney, Roxanne Gay, Gaby Dunn—for intimate and nuanced conversations around identity, sexuality, and civil rights, and the very nature of gender.

Esposito is a pro of an interviewer and doesn’t hesitate to (considerately) push her guests to expand on their thoughts or to disagree with their viewpoints. Start with Episode 67, “Best of 2018,” for a few quick queer tidbits that’ll leave you wanting more.

5. Making Gay History

Think of this podcast as the history lesson you didn’t get to learn in the classroom. In season one, host Eric Marcus shares snips of interviews he conducted with leaders of The Gay Rights Movement back in the late 1980s to bring their stories back to life. Seasons two, three, and four include more never-before-heard interviews with trailblazers from LGBTQ+ history. The stories, which were kept under wraps for far too long, serve as a great reminder that you are not and have never been alone. There’s a community available for every person—the challenge is to find it.

6. Homoground

The best way to describe Homoground is a queer-positive take on MTV. Host Lynn Casper introduces you to the queer creatives that many mainstream pubs ignore. Since its first episode in 2011, more than 1,000 LGBTQ+ musicians and bands have been featured. Not only will you discover tunes your Spotify algorithm almost certainly wouldn’t, but many of the bands share their stories about coming out, starting a band, and the struggles of getting mainstream radio time. Audiophiles and wannabe audiophiles—this one’s for you.

7. To L And Back: An L Word Podcast

ICYDK, the iconic lesbian TV series The L Word is getting a reboot later this year. But TBH, the premiere of the L Word Podcast might actually be more exciting. The first episode doesn’t air until April 8, but co-host Riese Bernard, CEO and editor-in-chief of queer-friendly media company Autostraddle, is The Most Knowing L Word Expert In The World (seriously, she penned The L Word recaps and hosted Showtime’s iconic web series Lezberado), so you know it’s worth the wait and will be good.

Bernard and co-host Kristin Russo will kick things off by rewatching and discussing every episode of The L Word, and once the reboot premieres (reports say by the end of 2019), they’ll recap the new material. As one reviewer comments, “This is the best thing that could ever happen to the lesbian world besides Elon Musk donating all his money to Autostraddle forever.” True.

8. Unerased

This podcast, co-created by Joel Edgerton, director Boy Erased (2018), isn’t here to make you laugh. Rather, using the film (and subject matter from Garrard Conley’s book, Boy Erased: A Memoir of Identity, Faith, and Family) as inspiration, it features stories of people in America who have been subjected to conversion therapy. The episodes skew deeply-disturbing, but surprisingly hopeful given the storytellers’ sense of vulnerability and empathy.

For more podcast love, Check out the series the Well+Good team can’t stop bingeing. And these podcasts are geared toward your skin-care and wellness routine.