The Out Crowd

Five years ago, the government, under the premiership of Theresa May, pledged to ban conversion therapy - the insidious and psychologically damaging practice of trying to suppress a person’s sexuality or gender identity. Half a decade later, the LGBTQ community is still waiting. Back in 2021, the then-minister for women and equalities Liz Truss reiterated that the government would ban conversion therapy in England and Wales. She wrote: “There is no justification for these coercive and abhorrent practices and the evidence is clear that it does not work: it does not change a person from being LGBT and can cause long lasting damage to those who go through it. We are committed to building a society in which conversion therapy no longer takes place.” Well, that commitment has been wavering from the government. The conversion therapy ban was scrapped at one point, and then reinstated but excluding the trans community, and then another U-turn saying that all forms of conversion therapy would be banned. Again, we are still waiting. On this episode of The Out Crowd, the LGBTQ podcast from Reach, Daniel J. McLaughlin speaks to Gemma Byrne from Mind, the mental health charity, about the dangers of what they call conversion practices - and their demands to the government to protect all members of the LGBTQ community. *** The Out Crowd is a Laudable production for Reach, in partnership with ReachOut. It is presented and produced by Daniel J. McLaughlin. The title music is Sunny Travel by Nico Staf. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

'Coming out of the closet' - or telling someone about your sexuality and gender identity for the first time - can be a scary experience for those in the LGBTQ community. Opening up about your identity to family and friends is a massive step in your journey as a queer person, and sometimes you can feel very alone. But this is a path well trodden by many before you, and some of those stories have been shared on the Coming Out Stories podcast and book. Author and podcast host Emma Goswell joins Daniel J. McLaughlin on The Out Crowd to discuss what she has learned since launching Coming Out Stories, as well as chatting about her own experiences as a lesbian mother. The award-winning broadcaster, who has worked for the BBC, Gaydio, Virgin Radio Pride and more, also shares her tips and advice for those who feel that the time is right to tell their family and friends about their true identity. You can find out more about Coming Out Stories here: https://comingoutstoriespodcast.com/ *** The Out Crowd is a Laudable production for Reach, in partnership with ReachOut. It is presented and produced by Daniel J. McLaughlin. The title music is Sunny Travel by Nico Staf. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alexander Pemberton, aka Elta Avelon, is a 24-year-old drag artist and resident queen at the Creative Arts Gallery in Burnley, Lancashire.Since playing the part of young drag queen Angel Dumott Schunard in Rent the Musical as a teenager, and discovering RuPaul's Drag Race, Alex developed the character of Eltariel Avelorn, part-elf, part-kink, part-femme fatale.Now in the third generation of the character, Elta Avelon joins The Out Crowd host Joe Ali to talk about the development of their drag persona over the years, performing as a queer artist in Burnley, how they hope to inspire future drag queens, and how the kink community helped them embrace their sexual identity.The Out Crowd - An LGBTQ podcast is a Laudable production for Reach. It is presented by Joe Ali, and it is produced and edited by Daniel J. McLaughlin.The title music is Sunny Travel by Nico Staf. The photo of Andrew Moffat is by Darren Quinton/Birmingham Live. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Daniel J. McLaughlin is an award-winning podcast producer for Laudable, working behind the scenes on The Out Crowd, Alone Together, The Menopod, and many more. He also performs about his bisexuality as a stand-up poet on the music scene in Manchester and Salford.In the latest episode of our LGBTQ+ podcast, Dan describes his experiences as an out bisexual man, discussing the biphobia and bi-erasure he has faced in both the hetero-normative society and the queer community.He tells host Joe Ali that sexuality, like gender, is fluid and can change over time, as well as calling for a change in the language and behaviours aimed towards bisexual people.The Out Crowd - An LGBTQ podcast is a Laudable production for Reach. It is presented by Joe Ali, and it is produced and edited by Daniel J. McLaughlin.The title music is Sunny Travel by Nico Staf. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Andrew Moffat is a teacher and author of the No Outsiders curriculum, a teaching resource that educates students about the characteristics protected by the Equality Act 2010. It teaches children about all types of equality covered by the Act - such as protecting people from discrimination about age, race, disability, gender, sexuality. It includes inclusive education about LGBT+ families through the use of picture books.No Outsiders was met by religious protests at Andrew’s school, Parkfield Community School in Birmingham. Andrew received homophobic abuse and threats during the protests, and was advised by the police to do a risk assessment of his travel arrangements from school.In this second part of episodes dedicated to LGBT+ education, the openly gay teacher tells host Joe Ali how he has adapted his No Outsiders curriculum to religious communities, changing the language from celebration to acceptance.Andrew was awarded an MBE in 2017 for his work in equality and diversity in education. In 2019, he was listed in Attitude Pride Awards, awarded Pink News Role Model of the Year, and named Hero of the Year in the European Diversity Awards. He was also a finalist at the Global Teacher Prize.The Out Crowd - An LGBTQ podcast is a Laudable production for Reach. It is presented by Joe Ali, and it is produced and edited by Daniel J. McLaughlin.The title music is Sunny Travel by Nico Staf. The photo of Andrew Moffat is by Darren Quinton/Birmingham Live. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Baroness Debbie Wilcox of Newport was a teacher throughout Section 28, and continuously challenged the anti-LGBT+ legislation during her time in the classroom.From hiding her girlfriend upstairs from colleagues when they came to visit to being openly lesbian in her school, Debbie discusses her experiences of being an LGBT+ person during her 30 years in education. In a two-parter dedicated to LGBT+ education, Debbie speaks candidly to host Joe Ali how she navigated a dark time in our educational history.Debbie, who was made a Labour life peer in 2019 and was previously the first woman leader of Newport Council and the Welsh Government Association, also tells Joe about her view on education today - and how she thinks it should change to accommodate young learners.The Out Crowd - An LGBTQ podcast is a Laudable production for Reach. It is presented by Joe Ali, and it is produced and edited by Daniel J. McLaughlin.The title music is Sunny Travel by Nico Staf. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the first episode of The Out Crowd, Joe Ali looks back at LGBTQ history with activist and campaigner Lisa Power. Lisa, who co-founded LGBTQ charity Stonewall, discusses her activism over the years, the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, and how she consulted on Channel 4's hit drama 'It's A Sin'. She also tells Joe that the fight for equality is far from over for the LGBTQ community.The Out Crowd - An LGBTQ podcast is a Laudable production for Reach. It is presented by Joe Ali, and it is produced and edited by Daniel J. McLaughlin.The title music is Sunny Travel by Nico Staf. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The LGBTQ community is not just for Pride – it’s for life.”The Out Crowd is the new LGBTQ podcast from Reach. Launched during Pride Month in June, our podcast will hear from activists, artists, drag queens, writers, educators, journalists, family, friends, and colleagues about what it means to be LGBTQ in 2021. The Out Crowd speaks to members of the LGBTQ community about their experiences in the past and present, and their hopes for the future.This is a celebration of queer voices who fight to be heard against the insidious waves of homophobia and transphobia still experienced today. This is an education about the history and culture of the LGBTQ community. And this is a podcast that is loud and proud, here and queer, and most definitely out of the closet.The Out Crowd is a Laudable production for Reach. It is presented by Joe Ali and it is produced by Daniel J. McLaughlin. The title music is Sunny Travel by Nico Staf. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Proud Rovers, as it says in the name, are proud to represent LGBTQ fans of Blackburn Rovers Football Club. Formed in 2019, the supporters group is both an advocacy and social group for the community and its allies. Their chair, Chris Lofthouse, joins fellow Rovers fan Daniel J. McLaughlin to chat about the experience of queer fans on match days, what needs to improve in football, and whether campaigns like Rainbow Laces are effective. You can find out more about Proud Rovers here: proudrovers.co.uk *** The Out Crowd is a Laudable production for Reach, in partnership with inclusion network ReachOut. It is presented and produced by Daniel J. McLaughlin. The title music is Sunny Travel by Nico Staf. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Max Macmillan is a man of many talents. On screen, he has played Timothy Turner on Call the Midwife for the past decade; and off the screen, you can see Max play brilliant, epic songs in music venues. He’s an actor, musician, photographer, and filmmaker. Whether he’s in front or behind the camera, on or off stage, Max is insightful, fascinating, and an amazing storyteller. In recent months, he came out publicly as gay - and this is his first chat since that moment. Welcome to the podcast that chronicles what it is like to be LGBTQ today. This is the Out Crowd. *** The Out Crowd is a Laudable production for Reach, in partnership with ReachOut. It is presented and produced by Daniel J. McLaughlin. The title music is Sunny Travel by Nico Staf. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello there. You’re looking very well - I love what you’ve done with your hair. Oh yes, thanks for noticing - yes, indeed, we have had a makeover too. Welcome back to The Out Crowd - the podcast from Reach that speaks to members from the queer community about their experiences in the past and the present, and their hopes for the future. We are FINALLY back for a second series - just in time for Pride Month in June. But as we always say: “The LGBTQ community is not just for Pride – it’s for life.” This time, The Out Crowd has linked up with our friends at ReachOut, the LGBTQ inclusion network at Reach - the UK’s biggest publisher. And on today’s episode, you will be hearing from the committee about what Pride means to them. From the co-chairs of the committee to the allies in the network, Daniel J. McLaughlin speaks to Kate Allen, Ben Craven, Emma Oakley, and Corretta Kears about the important work that they do to support their LGBTQ colleagues.  *** The Out Crowd is a Laudable production for Reach, in partnership with ReachOut. It is presented and produced by Daniel J. McLaughlin. The title music is Sunny Travel by Nico Staf. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices