Virgin Radio Pridecast

Tom Allen kicks off 2022's queer conversations and chats to fellow comedian and podcaster Suzi Ruffell.They discuss their friendship, career highlights, dating horror stories and their coming out stories. It's definitely not to be missed! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TV fanatic Benjy Potter and The Sun's TV Editor Rod McPhee are joined by Jamaican competitive swimmer Michael Gunning as he dives into his top LGBTQ+ telly picks.Michael discusses coming out on reality TV on E!'s 'The Bi Life', LGBTQ+ representation in sports including the importance of his friendship with Tom Daley and the impact of this year's LGBTQ+ TV smash hit, Heartstopper. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the return of Virgin Radio Pride right around the corner, this week is the final Virgin Radio Pridecast! But fear not - Alex and Shivani will be hearing from some of Virgin Radio Pride’s most special guests on perhaps one of the most important questions of all: what does Pride actually mean?!You’ll hear from Kate Holderness and Adele Roberts, Virgin Radio’s very own Graham Norton, and more - plus some of our brand-new and returning presenters will be here with all the info about the return of our incredible pop-up radio station for the LGBTQ+ community next week!Please note, some of the topics discussed in this episode might be sensitive and/or triggering. For help and support with any LGBTQ+ issues you might be facing, you can contact Switchboard on 0300 330 0630. Alternatively, the Samaritans are available twenty-four hours a day on 116 123. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the return of Virgin Radio Pride, and Pride season itself fast approaching, this week on the Virgin Radio Pridecast, Alex Milsom and Shivani Dave are looking at Pride events; how they started, their purpose, and how they are evolving. They’ll hear from activist Tony Openshaw on attending one of the first Pride marches, and singers Conleth Kane and Dan Gillespie Sells on Pride being both a protest and a celebration. They’ll also hear from student and journalist Mishti Ali on ‘pinkwashing’ at Pride, as well as Carl Austin Behan OBE, who is currently the LGBT advisor to the Mayor of Greater Manchester, on the importance of smaller, local Pride events. All that, plus Daryl Jackson is here as always with your Virgin Radio Pride Weekly Update!Please note, some of the topics discussed in this episode might be sensitive and/or triggering. For help and support with any LGBTQ+ issues you might be facing, you can contact Switchboard on 0300 330 0630. Alternatively, the Samaritans are available twenty-four hours a day on 116 123. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Virgin Radio Pridecast, Alex Milsom and Shivani Dave are exploring the many different identities which are found inside the LGBTQ+ community. They’ll hear from comedian Stephen K. Amos on how these different identities give us different perspectives and experiences, and from Skin from Skunk Anansie on the changes that are needed if we want to make the community more equal. They’ll also be talking about the way that cultural appropriation occurs both inside and outside of the community, hearing from Tik Tok inclusivity educator Benjy Kusi and Britains’s first out muslim drag queen Asifa Lahore, as well as journalist and student Mishti Ali. Please note, some of the topics discussed in this episode might be sensitive and/or triggering. For help and support with any LGBTQ+ issues you might be facing, you can contact Switchboard on 0300 330 0630. Alternatively, the Samaritans are available twenty-four hours a day on 116 123. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Virgin Radio Pridecast, Alex Milsom and Shivani Dave are taking a look at the benefits that LGBTQ+ people can take from being part of a community, hearing from our very own Matt Cain and author Lo Shearing on the shared set of experiences the community has, as well as historian Dan Vo on having a sense of outsider perspective. They’ll also be discussing the more negative aspects of community, including some of the in-fighting which takes place, hearing from Tik Tok educator Benjy Kusi and author Laura Kay. Plus, Daryl Jackson will be back as usual with his Virgin Radio Pride Weekly Update!Please note, some of the topics discussed in this episode might be sensitive and/or triggering. For help and support with any LGBTQ+ issues you might be facing, you can contact Switchboard on 0300 330 0630. Alternatively, the Samaritans are available twenty-four hours a day on 116 123. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Virgin Radio Pridecast, Alex and Shivani are talking about something which nearly all of us use every single day - social media. But - is living life online really that positive, or are there downsides? And what effect does social media have on the LGBTQ+ community in particular?You’ll hear from broadcaster Riyadh Khalaf on his experiences of getting trolled online, poet Sophia Blackwell on the pressure to share opinions on social media, YouTuber Calum McSwiggan on posting images of his body on Instagram, and more. Plus, Daryl Jackson is here as usual with your Virgin Radio Pride Weekly Update! Please note, some of the topics discussed in this episode might be sensitive and/or triggering. For help and support with any LGBTQ+ issues you might be facing, you can contact Switchboard on 0300 330 0630. Alternatively, the Samaritans are available twenty-four hours a day on 116 123. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Virgin Radio Pridecast, with so much discussion about the new ban on conversion therapy for sexuality but not gender, Alex Milsom and Shivani Dave are going to be talking all about conversion therapy and the harm that it causes. You’ll hear from evangelical gay Christian Jayne Ozanne, who resigned as a Government Equality Advisor over what she termed a ‘hostile environment’ for LGBT people, as well as Matt Mahmood Ogston, whose fiancé Naz tragically took his own life after coming out to his family and being offered conversion practices for his sexuality. You’ll also hear from singer Conleth Kane on the terrifying impact of hearing conversion therapy discussed on the radio whilst he was growing up.Plus, Alex and Shivani will be chatting to presenter and ex-solicitor Alex Woolhouse all about the proposals for the new ban on conversion therapy, and how these proposals exclude those in the trans community. Please note, some of the topics discussed in this episode might be sensitive and/or triggering. For help and support with any LGBTQ+ issues you might be facing, you can contact Switchboard on 0300 330 0630. Alternatively, the Samaritans are available twenty-four hours a day on 116 123.Mermaids is a charity providing support for gender-diverse young people and their families. You can find more information at mermaidsuk.org.uk or you can call 08088010400.Gendered Intelligence is a charity that works to increase understanding of gender diversity and improve the lives of trans people. Their website is found at genderedintelligence.co.uk or you can call their support line on 0330 3559 678.Stonewall is an LGBTQ+ charity with plenty of information about conversion therapy and the proposed conversion therapy ban. You can find more information at stonewall.org.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alex Milsom is back for this week’s episode of the Virgin Radio Pridecast, joined as always by Shivani Dave, and this week we’re getting a little bit linguistic, talking about the different ways we can describe our diverse community, and of course ourselves. You’ll hear from sociolinguist Sophie Holmes-Elliott on whether words which have previously been used against us can be reclaimed, actor Jake Graf and author Juno Dawson on why they like using the term ‘Queer’ to describe their identities, plus author and activist Jack Monroe will be giving their advice to someone who is struggling to define themselves… All that, and Daryl Jackson will be here as always with his Virgin Radio Pride Weekly Update!Please note, some of the topics discussed in this episode might be sensitive and/or triggering. For help and support with any LGBTQ+ issues you might be facing, you can contact Switchboard on 0300 330 0630. Alternatively, the Samaritans are available twenty-four hours a day on 116 123. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the Virgin Radio Pridecast, we’re continuing our celebration of Trans Day of VIsibility, which took place at the end of March. Last week we examined the rise in anti-trans discourse and debate in the UK, and this week we are going to be looking at the experiences of trans people in their day to day lives and careers. Alex is away for this one, so Shivani will be joined by super-sub producer Felix for one week only!Shivani and Felix will be hearing again from actor Jake Graf on the impact which anti-trans discourse and debate has on the lives of the trans community, as well as their families and loved ones, author Juno Dawson on her experiences of dating as a trans woman, and even footballer Natalie Washington on the process which she had to go through in order to be able to play.Plus, they’ll also be chatting to presenter Stephanie Hirst about her own coming out journey, her career, and her ‘Believe Achieve’ mindset!Please note, some of the topics discussed in this episode might be sensitive and/or triggering. For help and support with any LGBTQ+ issues you might be facing, you can contact Switchboard on 0300 330 0630. Alternatively, the Samaritans are available twenty-four hours a day on 116 123. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.