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. Follow the links for more info. If you enjoyed this episode, please let us know! Theresa Goh on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wheelie_wonka/ Amazin LeThi on Twitter - https://twitter.com/amazinlethi Numan Afifi on Twitter - https://twitter.com/NumanAfifi Pride House Birmingham - https://pridehousebham.org.uk/ Music credit: Song: MusicbyAden - Freedom. Music provided by Vlog No Copyright Music. Creative Commons - Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported. Video Link: https://youtu.be/AUQE67tap_E

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! Michael Gunning on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/michaelgunning1 J-FLAG website - https://www.equalityjamaica.org/ Pride House Birmingham - https://pridehousebham.org.uk/ Music credit: Song: MusicbyAden - Freedom. Music provided by Vlog No Copyright Music. Creative Commons - Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported. Video Link: https://youtu.be/AUQE67tap_E

Episode 3 of 'The Pride House Podcast' - supporting Pride House Birmingham for the 2022 Commonwealth Games - focuses on Birmingham itself, with one of the city's most successful athletes and one of its most prominent equality campaigners in conversation with host Jon Holmes. Stacey Francis-Bayman has won over 70 caps for England Netball since making her international debut in 2010. She grew up in Bromsgrove, a town just outside Birmingham, and she's picked up medals at both the World Cup and the Commonwealth Games during her career to date. When the defender was announced as a Pride House Ambassador in February 2021, she spoke of "championing visibility" and helping to educate around being LGBTQ+. On this episode, Stacey joins us from Perth, Western Australia, where she's currently playing for West Coast Fever in Suncorp Super Netball. Her fellow guest is the activist Khakan Qureshi, who is a member of the Pride House Birmingham Advisory Board team. His dedication to LGBTQ+ equality was recognised in the 2021 New Year's Honours List when he was awarded a British Empire Medal. Khakan set up 'Finding A Voice', an organisation for South Asian LGBTQ+ people and allies. He advocates for inclusive education, and played an important role in helping to bring an end to the protests held outside Birmingham schools in 2019. On the podcast, he talks through his experiences as a gay Muslim, and his hopes that more role models from his communities in the West Midlands will step forward. It's an emotional and uplifting conversation with two proud Brummies. You can follow Stacey on Twitter and Instagram, while Khakan can also be found on Twitter. To learn more about Pride House Birmingham, including how to register interest to volunteer, contact us via our website or social media - just search for @PrideHouseBham Music credit: Song: MusicbyAden - Freedom. Music provided by Vlog No Copyright Music. Creative Commons - Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported. Video Link: https://youtu.be/AUQE67tap_E

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. To learn more about Pride House Birmingham, including how to register interest to volunteer, contact us via our website or social media - just search for @PrideHouseBham Music credit: Song: MusicbyAden - Freedom. Music provided by Vlog No Copyright Music. Creative Commons - Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported. Video Link: https://youtu.be/AUQE67tap_E

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. A Pride House is a welcoming hub devoted to inclusion and culture that is established at a sporting event. Guests include competing athletes, fans and spectators, VIP visitors, and people fulfilling other roles in the event itself. Pride House Glasgow co-organisers Hugh Torrance and Katherine Burrows join host Jon Holmes to discuss what they set out to achieve in 2014 and how the space that they helped to create brought together a diverse mix of people from across the member nations. Hugh and Katherine also share special memories of the activities they put on in Glasgow and pass on advice for those interested in volunteering at Pride House Birmingham which will open its doors and welcome visitors in July 2022. To learn more, contact us via social media - search for @PrideHouseBham Music credit: Song: MusicbyAden - Freedom. Music provided by Vlog No Copyright Music. Creative Commons - Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported. Video Link: https://youtu.be/AUQE67tap_E