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When 23-year-old grad student Maddy Kling asked if she could interview Lauren for her project on coming out stories, Lauren jumped at the chance to sit on the other side of the mic! But not only that; the work Maddy was doing sounded so fascinating that Lauren asked if she would come on the podcast to discuss it! Maddy is getting her master's in Dance/Movement Therapy, and her project explores how DMT can help the queer community "by allowing them to tell their coming out stories through dance and movement." Maddy identifies as both bisexual and demisexual, and regarding her own journey, she says that "the most comfortable space I felt being out was dance." Maddy describes the relief she experienced when she finally discovered the demisexual label, and also shares how she lived the bi dream of coming out in a Vans store! Now THAT'S how you embrace a stereotype! Learn more about Dance/Movement Therapy at adta.memberclicks.net/what-is-dancemovement-therapy.

It's Valentine's Day, and the pod is serving up a hot 'n spicy episode with educatrix, writer, and former AVN-nominated director, Tina Horn! Regarding her sexuality, Tina says "as soon as I knew that I had a crush on Fox Mulder, I knew I had a crush on Dana Scully." Unfortunately, she was growing up in a small, homophobic town in Northern California, and so the majority of her early sexual partners were restricted to cis men. Tina categorizes those early experiences as "all right," but even as an adolescent, she was already aware of a fundamental truth: "I knew that I really liked sex, and I wanted to do it all the time, and I wanted more variety and, like, different kinds of sex." Tina discusses becoming a sex worker at a time when the Bay Area had a thriving queer and feminist porn scene, and explains why it is so important for her to be out as such, even though her time in the sex industry has "waxed and waned over the years." We also talk about Tina's comic series, "Deprog" (which features a hardboiled leatherdyke detective and a genderqueer femme fatale!), and her upcoming book of fetish cultural criticism, "Why Are People Into That?" based on her long-running podcast of the same name. All this, plus Lauren gives a special Queer Root Shout-Out (TM) to the most sapphic music video of ALL TIME! Go to tinahorn.net to find out where you can pre-order both "Deprog" and "Why Are People Into That?: A Cultural Investigation of Kink" (and while you're there, sign up for Tina's newsletter as well!). Also follow Tina on Twitter and Instagram at @tinahornsass, and check out her podcast "Why Are People Into That?!" on all the usual platforms!

LGBTQ-affirming therapist Chris Tompkins clearly remembers knowing by the age of six that he was gay. So when he was told that his six-year-old nephew was "not old enough" to understand that he had a gay uncle, it started Chris down a path that ultimately led to him a writing a book titled "Raising LGBTQ Allies: A Parent’s Guide to Changing the Messages from the Playground." Chris describes how his religious upbringing made him genuinely believe that if he put all his energy into becoming "the best Christian," he could eventually make himself straight (spoiler alert: he couldn't). A natural storyteller, Chris details several close calls he had during his study abroad in Italy ("I feel like I was trying to come out"), and shares the beautiful story of how he eventually met his first boyfriend through a series of random-but-fateful events. Plus, Chris's record-breaking tour where he came out to a whopping seven family members during a single visit home! Follow Chris on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at @aroadtriptolove, and check out his website, aroadtriptolove.com, for info on his book, his work, and much more!

The pod welcomes its first ever Singaporean guest, Tania De Rozario, whose memoir "Dinner on Monster Island" comes out next week! At the time that Tania was growing up in Singapore, positive representations of queer people were literally illegal on public television. Since this was long before streaming platforms and the prevalence of the internet, this meant that all of Tania's childhood teachings about "homosexuality" came from her Evangelical-convert mother. Things culminated in Tania being subjected to a gay exorcism (or as it was called at the time, a "casting out") when she was just twelve years old. Tania, who now lives in Vancouver, shares this and other stories from her past with a good deal of perspective, and an admirable amount of levity. Plus, we discuss how the horror genre is intrinsically linked with queerness, which is a real bummer if you hypothetically can't watch scary movies because they give you nightmares HYPOTHETICALLY. Follow Tania on Instagram at @_tania.de.rozario_ (make note of all the underscores and periods!) and at @TaniaDeRozario on Twitter. "Dinner on Monster Island" comes out February 6th; find out where to pre-order/purchase it at linktr.ee/TaniaDeRozario, but also check your local bookstores!

Lauren gets into it with comedian Andie Main, who just released her aptly titled comedy album, "Rocky Mountain Bi!" Andie grew up in Portland's artsy district, and identifies as "classic '90s bi." She reveals the various cartoon characters who helped her realize her sexuality, discusses her adolescent passions ("I was a horse girl, and then I was a boob girl"), and details the path that led her to who she is today ("a divorced, 43-year-old bisexual woman who had dreams of Alanis Morissette as an early child"). Andie also describes the challenges of dating couples, and - brace yourself - because we talk a little bit of smack about astrology SORRY!!! Also, a word of warning to the person who left the podcast a three-star review on iTunes titled "Would love this if it weren't for the foul language": you should probably skip this episode. Follow Andie on Instagram at @andiemain, and listen to "Rocky Mountain Bi" (as well as Andie's first album, "Magpie") on all streaming platforms. Also, check out Andie's new podcast, "Recovering with Andie Main," wherever you get your pods!

Multidisciplinary author and artist Julie Delporte (they/she) was born in a village in the French countryside, and describes herself as "someone who is late in life." One of the ways in which this manifested was that Julie did not realize she was a lesbian until the age of thirty-five, which, as she says, "is not so old, but it felt so old." In her newly released graphic novel, "Portrait of a Body," Julie traces the arc of her coming out story through both text and illustrations, and the result is beautiful and moving. Julie speaks candidly about the conflict she felt between her need to explore her sexuality and her fear of potentially hurting someone in the process, and we have a vulnerable conversation about why we sometimes feel like we're "not sexual enough" as lesbians. Also, Julie tells an incredibly relatable story about how sometimes the slightest glimpse of a friend's shoulder can clarify everything... Follow Julie on Instagram at @juliedelporte_, and buy her GORGEOUS book "Portrait of a Body" at https://drawnandquarterly.com/books/portrait-of-a-body/, or wherever gorgeous books are sold!

Writer and filmmaker Sara Mossman grew up in Baltimore in the midst of a family dynamic that consisted of "a lot of dysfunction, a lot of chaos, a lot of people in the mix" (Sara is one of SIX children!). All of this led to her becoming emancipated from her family just before she turned fourteen...riiiiiight on the heels of also figuring out that she was gay. Suffice to say that Sara did not have an easy adolescence, but the saving grace came when she was accepted into a predominantly-female, VERY queer arts school for her high school years! Sara shares how generational trauma has shaped her journey, but hasn't prevented her from having a great deal of empathy for her mother (whose own mother was a child bride from the Philippines). Also, the wild tale of how Sara was assisted in her hardest coming out by none other than Mister Rogers! Talk about "It's a beautiful day in the GAYborhood!!!" (Sorry; I had to.) Check out Sara's website (saramossman.com) and YouTube channel (youtube.com/c/underaneonsky), and follow her on Twitter at @SMossman. You can also purchase her novel, "The Tree of Life," at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BGX5HGPL, and check out her BFF's charity that she mentioned at unmatchedathlete.org!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! The pod is kicking off 2024 in a big way with its first ever furry-identified guest! Comedian Adario Mercadante has been doing standup since the age of eighteen, and is truly one of the sweetest men alive. Like many '90s kids, Adario first discovered furry content on sites like LimeWire and Kazaa, and his fascination/titillation led him to further resources like Furcadia and Yiffstar. Adario not only details his full journey from pre-puberty to adulthood, but also answers several FAQs, such as "Is being a furry just a sexual kink, or is there more to it?" Plus, Adario discusses his decision to come out to the *entire world* via his appearance on ABC's The Prank Panel, and shares the incredibly moving story of how doing so literally changed his life. Forget everything you think you know about furries, and learn about the community from one of its proudest (and, since his appearance on TV, most prominent) members! First and foremost, watch Adario's episode of The Prank Panel for free at https://abc.com/shows/the-prank-panel/episode-guide/season-01/09-bride-swap-furry-double-cross (his segment starts just before the twenty-five minute mark)! Then give him a follow on TikTok at @adariomercadante, on Instagram at @adario1, and on Twitter at @YammoYeen. Lastly, if you want to check out the furry YouTuber who Adario shouted out, go to https://www.youtube.com/@BetaEtaDelota. Awoo!

It's POD SWAP day! Leigh and Ellie of Lez Hang Out thought Coming Out Pod's listeners might especially enjoy this episode of theirs from February 2023. Lez Hang Out Episode 613: Missed Queer-nections with Elle Mills Your eyes meet across the aisle in Trader Joe’s. Then, your fingers brush as you reach for the same container of oat milk. The moment passes, but you can’t help wondering, could she have been the one? This week Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida) hang out with writer and director Elle Mills (@elle.mills) to talk about her journey from longtime Youtube creator to filmmaker with her directorial debut of short film Reply available to rent now on CreatorPlus.

Lauren and Nicole are reunited for the pod's *FIFTH* ANNUAL LISTENER MAILBAG!!! In this double-stuffed episode, we're taking on allllll of your burning questions with our usual #workwife candor! Hear our thoughts on if gaydar is real! Listen as we debate whether or not straight people should have to come out! Delight in our very different (BUT EQUALLY VALID) answers to "what's on your queer bucket list?" Nicole also gives her take on several poly-specific questions, including what she's learned from being the hinge partner in a V relationship! It's a warm, funny, and insightful way to say goodbye to 2023. Happy holidays, y'all, and thanks so much for listening this past year! Follow Nicole at @nicolepacent on Instagram, and be sure to check out her upcoming episode of The Poly (Pod)Cast when it drops! You can find the info for Zig Zag Pride (and all of the L.A. LGBT Center's other community groups) at https://socialnet.lalgbtcenter.org/social-networking-groups/. Also mentioned as a resource in this episode was the Cuties mailing list, which you can subscribe to at hicuties.com. Last but not least, there's no time like the present to give the *podcast* a present by leaving a 5-star rating and/or a li'l review on either iTunes or Spotify!

If you listened to last week's special episode about A Holiday I Do and found yourself thinking "gee, this is great, but I sure wish I knew Lindsay's coming out story..." then you're in luck, because this week Lindsay Hicks is BACK, and she is TELLING ALL! Lindsay (who uses bi and pan interchangeably) moved around a lot as a kid, so she was far less focused on things like crushes and dating than she was on simply keeping herself safe from bullying. It wasn't until she got to college and met her first ever lesbian that she started to sense that something was "different." Lindsay describes the surprisingly emotional experience of coming out to "some, like random dude...after four Bud Lights," and discusses the tumultuous intensity of her first queer relationship (relatable!). She also talks about meeting her parents with compassion despite their initial negative reaction to her sexuality, and shares the very sweet experience she had watching the original L Word ("I was like, oh my God - they're so safe! They're so safe, and they're so comfortable to be who they are!"). All this, plus a dog named Bagel! Follow Lindsay and Bagel on Instagram at @linzhicks and @candicebergenbagel respectively. Also, watch Lindsay in A Holiday I Do and The List on Tello (tellofilms.com), and check out Suicide Kale on Amazon!

Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, it's officially holiday movie season, and if you follow Lauren on Twitter, then you know that she is absolutely *obsessed* with made-for-TV Christmas movies. As such, she jumped at the chance to talk to former guest Rivkah Reyes (Episode 136) and upcoming guest Lindsay Hicks, who are the two leads of Tello Films' latest QUEER LADY CHRISTMAS MOVIE! In this special episode, Lindsay and Rivkah dish on what it was like filming A Holiday I Do in the coldest place on earth (aka Michigan in January), and discuss the reactions they've been getting from viewers (Rivkah's future mother-in-law is a huge fan!). They describe the process of shooting their climactic, movie-ending kiss in a 4° barn, and Lindsay reveals how she produced a copious amount of tears for her emotional tour de force with an equine scene partner ("I just trusted the horse"). Plus, Rivkah gushes about her recent real-life enGAYgement! It's the perfect episode to usher in the happiest season; pun *fully* intended. Check out A Holiday I Do and all of Tello's other queer and lesbian content by subscribing to their platform at tellofilms.com, or buy/rent A Holiday I Do directly at https://www.tellofilms.com/products/a-holiday-i-do.You can also follow Rivkah on Instagram and TikTok at @rivkah.reyes and on Twitter at @rivkahreyes, and don't forget to follow their full moon/new moon party HOWL on Insta at @howl.party.la! Lindsay can be found on Instagram at @linzhicks, and tune in next week to hear her coming out story!