Being yourself. Shouldn’t it be easier than it is? In this episode, you’ll hear one brave gay Black woman’s journey to showing up in the world as her full, authentic self — even when society, family, and her boss make it anything but easy.

A Special Note About This Episode:

I’m so honored that Sasha chose to share her story here on Invisible Lions. The mission of this podcast is to tell everyday people’s brave stories — especially the kind you wouldn’t hear in a casual conversation. 

When I invite people to tell their stories on Invisible Lions I make them two promises: 

1. I will never divulge their true identity (I change their names on each episode).  
2. They get to listen and approve the episode before I publish it. 

I do my best to honor their sacred stories, and tell it in the way I think they would want me to. But on this episode in particular, my storytelling abilities are limited by my lived experience as a straight white woman. When Sasha talks about her experience as a gay Black woman, expect me to miss some important points or say things in a way that doesn’t do this story or the topics covered justice. 

In fact, I’ll probably listen to this episode a year from now and cringe at what I did or did not say. That said, I still have faith that you’ll get a lot out of this story. 

Because it’s an important one and deserves to be listened to. 

I hope you enjoy this episode, and if you want to hear more stories from LGBTQ storytellers and Black men and women, here are some podcasts to check out:

• 12 LGBTQ Podcasts You Should be Listening to, Advocate — In this list, Jeffrey Masters doesn’t just give you names of podcasts to listen to, he also pinpoints the best episodes. So if you’re the type that likes to jump around from podcast to podcast, this article is a must-read.
• 1619 by Nikole Hannah-Jones — This New York Times podcast is deeply powerful and dives into the history of American slavery. The storytelling and sound engineering are masterful, and you’ll walk away with a deeper understanding of this country’s beginnings.
• Code Switch by NPR — If you’re a fan of NPR-style podcasts, I highly recommend this. It covers all kinds of topics on race and culture, as well as the broad perspectives around them.

There are literally thousands of podcasts created every day — many of them by talented LGBTQ and Black folks. This very short list encompasses what I’m listening to now, but a simple Google search will give you many more options.

Thanks so much for listening :).

— Laura