In the second of our episodes about LGBTQ History Months around the world Sam and Rodney speak to the organisers of LGBTQ History Month Cuba and Queer History Month Berlin which both take place in May. Raúl Pérez Monzón is the organiser of the Cuba effort and Giuseppina Lettieri is the coordinator of the Berlin effort. Raúl is a historian at the University of Havana and Giuseppina has been involved with Queer History Month Berlin since 2016. She has been a political educator, community organiser and activist in the field of queer empowerment, intersectionality and anti-discrimination for more than 10 years at the 'Archiv der Jugendkulturen' in Berlin. Berlin: https://www.queerhistory.de Cuba socials: Facebook: facebook.com/lgbtqcubahistoria / Twitter: twitter.com/lgbtqhistcuba / Instagram: instagram.com/lgbtqhistoriacuba

On this episode Sam is joined by Jenee Arthur, co-host and creator of the 'Daughter-Father Dance' podcast which features funny, frank and fraught conversations between Jenee and her Dad. Jenee is the only gay person in her large Catholic family (70 immediate members!) which has had its difficulties to say the least and through her podcast series she hopes to explore different perspectives and tackle difficult issues head on. But when is an opinion just hate and can we truly address division in our society?More about Jenee - http://www.jeneearthur.com More about 'Daughter-Father Dance' - http://daughterfatherdance.com 

Felix Fern from Trans Activism UK joins Sam to talk about the ongoing situation in the U.K. as transphobic rhetoric from government and media continues to increase. A petition calling for transgender people to be included in any ban on so called conversion therapy on the U.K. Parliament website has hit 100,000 signatures meaning it must be considered for debate in Parliament. It comes after the U.K. government removed trans people from the long awaited ban on LGBTQ conversion therapy.Trans Activism UK - Trans Activism UK

LGBTQ fauthor Mario Dell'Olio talks about his latest book 'Forbidden Rome', a 'complex and timeless journey of beautiful self-discovery. Mario has written a total of five books including 'Letters From Italy' and 'Coming About: Life In The Balance'. He holds a doctorate in sacred music and has a masters in Music in Vocal Performance and Religious Education, he is also a founding member of 'Queer Indie', a writers alliance established to promote queer and ally literature. Mario chats to Sam about his writing, coming out and even getting stuck at sea!

In this episode we look at a turbulent week of transphobia in the UK which has transphobic talking points echoed by top figures in the UK government including Prime Minister Boris Johnson. It follows the removal of trans people from a proposed ban on conversion therapy abuse which subsequently led to hundreds of LGBTQ organisations pulling out of an LGBT conference set to be held by the UK government. Sam is joined by Phoenix, a trans woman who presents on 'Trans Radio UK' and runs the @LGBWithTheT Twitter page and Oscar Hoyle a non-binary voluntary LGBTQ youth worker who is the director of 'Blossom' which provides services aimed at LGBTQ young adults and those who support and live alongside them. Trans Radio UK - https://www.transradiouk.com/members/phoenix/ Blossom - http://www.blossom.lgbt/

Transgender actor and author Alexandra Billings joins Sam to talk about her new memoir ‘This Time For Me’. The memoir has been described as a celebration of endless possibilities. Alexandra is a history making LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS activist and moderated a panel on trans rights at the White House. In 2016 she was awarded the Human Rights Campaign visibility award.Find out more – https://www.schmengieinc.com/alexandra-billings/ 

Author Veronica Gutierrez joins Sam to discuss her new book ‘As You Look’, a detective story following latinx lesbian Yolanda Avila, a former LAPD police officer turned private investigator. Veronica is an LGBTQ author based between LA and San Francisco, as well as writing she is a former community organiser, civil rights attorney, and non-profit leader. In this interview we talk about the book, the demonisation of immigrants, the importance of authenticity and more.Find out more: http://www.veronicagutierrez.com 

April 2022 marks the first ever Italian LGBTQ History Month. In this special episode co-hosted by Being LGBTQ founder Sam Wise and the founder of LGBT History Month in the U.S. Rodney Wilson, we interview three of the organisers of LGBTHM Italy - Alessio Ponzio, Chiara Beccalossi and Oscar-Silvi Bertoliss. The Italian effort comes as an international committee has been setup to celebrate LGBTQ history months around the world. Find out more: http://www.lgbtplushistorymonth.it 

Marieke Nijamp is a non-binary New York Times bestselling author and joins us to talk about her latest book ‘At The End Of Everything’, a novel which focuses on a group of teenagers exiled at a juvenile treatment centre. The book is bursting with LGBTQ representation. In this interview Marieke gives more details about the book and gives her take on a number of different issues including the treatment of disabled people in society and her previous book ‘This Is Where It Ends’ which focussed on gun violence. Marieke lives and works in the Netherlands.  Find out more about Marieke: http://www.mariekenijamp.com 

In this episode we speak to a transgender activist who has been fighting for LGBTQ rights for almost 30 years. Tanya Walker is a military veteran, co-founder of the New York Transgender Advocacy Group and facilities the trans women’s group at SAGE which provides services for LGBTQ elders. She lobbied the Assembly and Senate in Albany for 17 years to pass the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act and in 2021 gave testimony on inequality and discrimination to the US House Committee on financial services.New York Trans Advocacy Group – http://www.nytag.org SAGE – http://www.sageusa.org