Vocal Fry illustration. (Person is not the author of this blog, but is probably still cool.)

Ah, Pride Month. It’s the time of year when queers come out from hiding in their dark, sticky gaybourhood nightclubs to dance to Lady Gaga in the streets. It’s when big brands take the opportunity to capitalize on the deep pockets of cis-white male DINK (dual-income, no kids) couples by slapping rainbows all over their products and social media. The month when those who are still in the closet get a lot of rude, unsolicited pressure to fully come out because they “need to be the change they want to see” or whatever.

Truly, a magical season. But, if you’re reading this, it means that ✨Token Gay Month✨ is coming to an end! Oh no! What will become of you when you can no longer get famous drag queen Kim Chi’s Burrito Bowl from your favourite union-busting Mexican grill? How will you know if you’re supporting gay-friendly businesses if their LinkedIn icons don’t have a rainbow plastered on it anymore?

Fear not, my socially-conscious friend, because I, a gay, can confirm that myself and my queer peers continue on with our deviant sexualities and genders during the other eleven months of the year. And we do, in fact, continue making gay content for every season. If you want to keep supporting queer people (and the stuff they make) after this month, here are a few podcasts to start with, along with a few other ways to support the alphabet community year-round.

Maintenance Phase

Surprise, heteros! Queer people make content that isn’t just about, I dunno, dick and glitter. In this series, author and “fat gal about town” Aubrey Gordon and You’re Wrong About’s Michael Hobbes examine facets past and present of our diet-obsessed culture, and they deliver the deets in a fun, gossipy way. Topics range from questionable health fad peddlers like Dr. Oz, the Snackwells and Olestras of yesteryear, and the aftermath of diet shows like The Biggest Loser. Listen to the episode on Snake Oil for a fun history lesson… with a twist!

Inappropriate Questions

Have you ever been in a situation where you said the wrong thing, and only realized your mistake once the words were already out of your mouth? This CBC podcast aims to aid the socially clumsy (such as myself) with those tough conversations before they really step in it. Hosts Harvinder Wadhwa and Elena Hudgins Lyle bring in guests who have been at the receiving end of some of these inappropriate questions, and the group breaks down how to engage in these conversations in a trauma-informed way. As a former retail employee, I truly felt a lot of ways about the “Can I speak to your manager?” episode.

The Heart

This one shouldn’t… technically count on my list because it doesn’t come out all times of the year, but there’s no way I couldn’t include it. Radiotopia/Mermaid Palace’s The Heart kicks out powerful limited-run series and standalone episodes with heartfelt storytelling and impeccable sound design (an important factor when I listen to podcasts). Topics range from playing with gender, to lost love, to re-discovering your childhood diaries. A handful of the series are made by guest producers, like Nicole Kelly (of Bitchface fame), who wrote, performed, and sound designed the mini-series Divesting From People Pleasing. That’s a great place to start if you want to give this series a try.

Cancel Me, Daddy

I’ve mentioned this podcast on our blog before, but it bears repeating: go listen. In their day jobs as journalists, hosts Katelyn Burns and Oliver-Ash Kleine are well-aware of the current moral panic around “cancel culture.” In this series, they discuss the cancellation du-jour on social media and delve into the power dynamics of who is supposedly getting “cancelled” and the communities doing the cancelling (read: asking for accountability for the actions of said cancellee). Episodes come out monthly, but start from the beginning. You’ll thank me.

Secret Feminist Agenda

Secret Feminist Agenda explores the ways society enacts feminism in the day-to-day. Professor and host Hannah McGregor interviews feminist changemakers in popular culture, and on alternating weeks, they give a glimpse into what their secret feminist agenda is, in an impossibly entertaining way. Notable guests include Alicia Elliott, Vivek Shraya, Amber Nash, and, though not as exciting, yours truly. Secret Feminist Agenda wrapped up their fourth (and possibly final? Say it ain’t so!) season at the end of 2020. But, with well over 100 episodes, this series is sure to keep your tank of queer perspectives full for a good while.

Still feeling the need to gay up your life after midnight on Pride 30th? Here are some other ways you can support queer people year-round:

Learn about queer history. Yes, I’m sure most of you know by this point that Pride was originally a protest/riot started by racialized trans sex workers, but dig deeper and learn about the significance of kink at pride (and the history of the kinksters who created the original Pride parade) and about the HIV/AIDS epidemic that took so many of our queer elders from us at the end of the 20th century.

And while we’re on the topic of queer history, take the time to learn more about why marginalized groups are calling to defund the police in your community. The police violence that plagued queer people years ago continues to affect us to this day, but still there are debates on whether or not uniformed officers should be allowed to take up space in LGBTQ2S+ events (and that’s just a tiny bit of the debate on police presence in our communities). Take the time to educate yourself on how those in power continue to marginalize vulnerable groups, even in one of the most gay-friendly countries in the world.

Demand more space for stories about queer culture from your favourite content makers. If you are a content maker, ask yourself how you can make space for LGBTQ2S+ stories outside of Pride month. A gentle reminder that if you’re only telling queer stories when a queer person is getting hurt or being killed, that’s exploitative—you need to make space for queer excellence and queer celebration, too, if you want us to trust you.

Investigate how your work, social, and community spaces may be perpetuating homophobia, biphobia, or transphobia. Ask your LGBTQ2S+ colleagues how you can create a safer space for them (or, better yet, hire an inclusivity consultant to tell you what to do—here’s one, here’s another). Queers, this includes you: just because you’re gay, that doesn’t mean you are immune to discriminating against your queer and trans peers.

Give us money. Support queer artists by buying their stuff, help out a queer community builder by going to their events (but be respectful, for chrissake!), and donate to organizations that work to liberate/empower queer people. A couple examples of these organizations include...

Rainbow Railroad, a national organization that helps queer people around the world escape state violence. If you want to know more about the great work they do, here’s a Doc Project episode on their efforts.

QMUNITY, Vancouver’s queer, trans, and Two-Spirit resource centre.

The 519, a support and resource group for queers in Toronto.

And if you want to directly support a gay in need to immediately cleanse you of your straight guilt, feel free to email me for my PayPal 🌈✨

I’m kidding. Go listen to my podcast series on Vancouver drag instead.