The Pride House Podcast

It's the 10th and final episode of the Pride House Podcast series, bringing you conversations about LGBTQ+ rights and Commonwealth sport in and around Birmingham 2022.

The conversations in and around the Commonwealth Games continue on The Pride House Podcast, presented by Jon Holmes - for this episode, our guests are the Olympic and Commonwealth gold medal-winning diver Matthew Mitcham, history-making activist Jason Jones from Trinidad and Tobago and a rising star in athletics, Glen Quayle.

Matthew, who was a Glasgow 2014 champion for Australia in synchro 10m platform and who also has six Commonwealth silver medals to his name, popped in to Pride House before heading to Sandwell for commentary duties. He was also a Pride House Ambassador at Gold Coast 2018 - in the chat, he gives us his take on the venue in Birmingham and discusses the impact of LGBTQ+ visibility among athletes at major events.

He also talks about Tom Daley's appearance at the Opening Ceremony alongside a group of activists, one of whom - Jason Jones - came back to Pride House afterwards for another visit! He talks about what it was like to be part of that special moment in the fight for equality watched by a billion people around the world, and how next year's Commonwealth Youth Games in his homeland present an important opportunity to keep the Pride House momentum going.

Finally, we were delighted to welcome one of the competing athletes from Birmingham 2022 - 20-year-old Isle of Man pole vaulter Glen Quayle - to Pride House and we showed him his entry in our 'Photos of Pride' exhibition. Hear from Glen ahead of his challenge at the Alexander Stadium on Saturday night.

Remember, if you're in or near Birmingham up to and including Monday 8 August, visit Pride House at 143 Bromsgrove St, above The Loft Bar & Kitchen! We're open every day from 10am til late.

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We're back with another special episode of The Pride House Podcast, presented by Jon Holmes - this time our guests include Tom Daley who visited Pride House Birmingham in the Gay Village on Thursday with friends ahead of his appearance as a batonbearer in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony that night.

Find out what Tom had to say about our venue - he also reveals new information about his forthcoming documentary film about LGBTQ+ rights in the Commonwealth, which airs on Tuesday 9 August.

With Tom was previous Pride House Podcast guest Glenroy Murray from the Jamaican rights organisation J-FLAG. Glenroy was also part of the group of LGBTQ+ rights activists accompanying Tom at the Alexander Stadium. We catch up with him as well.

And we also grabbed a chat with Sydney Morning Herald writer Andrew Webster, who happened to pop by at a very opportune moment to meet Tom! We spoke to Andrew about the big LGBTQ+ in sports story in Australia at the moment - the Manly Sea Eagles pride jersey - and his thoughts on the need for Pride Houses at major sporting events.

And remember, if you're in or near Birmingham - whether for the Commonwealth Games or not - be sure to pop into Pride House at 143 Bromsgrove St, above The Loft Bar & Kitchen! Open every day from 10am til late until Monday 8 August.

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When para swimmer Theresa Goh came out publicly via the media after a career in which she had competed at two Commonwealth Games and won a Paralympics medal, she was truly blazing a trail for Asian LGBTQ+ athletes.

Goh shared her truth in 2017 in an interview with the biggest newspaper in her homeland of Singapore, one of three Commonwealth countries with coastlines onto the South China Sea. Malaysia and Brunei are the others - all retain colonial-era laws put in place during British rule that criminalise same-sex intimacy.

On the fifth episode of the Pride House Podcast, Goh joins Pride House Ambassador and fellow athlete activist Amazin LeThi and the Malaysian equality campaigner Numan Afifi for a conversation with host Jon Holmes about fighting for change in the region in the face of contrasting levels of discrimination.

Goh carries what she describes as “a pretty unique set of labels” and she talks through her passion for an intersectional approach to advocacy. She says that, in Singapore, Section 377A - the part of the penal code that makes sex between male adults illegal - may not be stringently enforced but it contributes to an ongoing climate of stigma and discrimination.

She also explains why she wanted to be visible for more than just her sport and offers suggestions for how Pride House can make an impact on podiums at Birmingham 2022.

Amazin says these Games offer “the perfect platform” for detailed discussions about specific forms of inclusion, such as for Asian LGBTQ+ athletes, and explains how “the power of storytelling” can make a difference.

Numan describes the worsening situation in Malaysia with regards to hate speech and urges sports personalities competing at the Games to raise their voices as allies.

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Jamaica's biggest sporting stars are household names - legends, even - and there's an exciting new breed of athletes coming through too.

At the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, you can expect the team to again place in the upper reaches of the medal table - impressive for a nation with a population of under 3 million and a relatively low GDP per capita.

On this fourth episode of the Pride House Podcast, we ask if Jamaica's ongoing success in track and field and other sports could open up opportunities for visible allyship - something that would certainly be a fillip for J-FLAG, the country's biggest LGBTQ+ advocacy organisation.

Joining host Jon Holmes to discuss the topic is Michael Gunning, who after five years representing the country on the international stage is now retiring from competitive swimming.

Michael reflects on the concerns he had about Jamaican attitudes while growing up and before he made the switch to swim in the black, yellow and green. He also describes how he felt embraced and supported by so many team-mates, staff and fans, even if the "slow burn" of change in attitudes is often frustrating.

For the view from Jamaica itself, J-FLAG's executive director Glenroy Murray is with us to provide an overview of his organisation's 24-year history and their current strategy. He explains the need for patience while campaigning for equality in countries like his homeland, and why sports represents "a new frontier" in terms of LGBTQ+ visibility. He also recommends playing dancehall music loud and proud at Pride House Birmingham this summer!

Helping to keep our conversation focused on that next generation of Jamaican athletes is our third guest, Orlando Pearce, who has worked in youth advocacy with J-FLAG and other organisations and has a background in netball and badminton. There are challenges just in participation for LGBTQ+ youth, let alone having out sportspeople at an elite level - Orlando talks about what he's learned from his experience as a sports administrator.

Follow the links for more info. If you enjoyed this episode, please let us know!

In Episode 2 of 'The Pride House Podcast' - the destination for conversations about sports and LGBTQ+ rights - we head Down Under to learn about the success of Pride House Gold Coast at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

The venue at Surfers Paradise in Queensland welcomed over 5,000 visitors who enjoyed entertainment, exhibitions, workshops and other activities created to grow understanding of LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport, in the region, and throughout the Commonwealth instead.

Joining host Jon Holmes for this episode is Matt Hall, who was the Project Manager of Team Rainbow Inc. - the not-for-profit organisation that made Pride House Gold Coast happen.

Matt's fellow guest is Caroline Layt, who was a lead writer on 'Australian LGBTIQ+ Sporting Trailblazers', one of two outstanding large-scale exhibitions that were on display. As trailblazing athletes themselves, Matt and Caroline were both featured in that exhibition.

They chat about how their involvement came about; the hard work they undertook to bring the exhibition and Pride House itself to life; recruiting ambassadors such as Olympic champions Matthew Mitcham and Natalie Cook; how Tom Daley's mum helped to set up a visit from the diver with his then-fiance, Dustin Lance Black; and much more!

Matt and Caroline share lots of fond memories and the conversation is the ideal accompaniment to our debut episode when we looked back at Pride House Glasgow at the 2014 Games. It's sure to whet your appetite for Pride House Birmingham, which will open in July and welcome visitors throughout Birmingham 2022.

In Episode 1 of 'The Pride House Podcast' - the place for conversations about sports and LGBTQ+ rights in the Commonwealth - we unearth stories from Pride House Glasgow, the first venue of its kind to be held during the Commonwealth Games.