Hung Up Podcast

George M. Johnson dials into the Hung Up Podcast this week for a personal conversation about HIV, advocacy, grief, healing, censorship, and the journey to becoming your most authentic self. We unpack what led George to tell this next chapter of their story in And If I Die Before I Wake, how they transformed grief and loss into hope, and how being the author of one of America’s most banned books has shaped their advocacy and voice. From the realities we don’t always say out loud to the resilience and joy that keep us moving forward, George gets vulnerable about what it means to survive, evolve, and keep telling your story unapologetically.

instagram.com/iamgmjohnson

https://l1nq.com/81mf0km

☎️ This week I'm hung up on past guest Dr. Shanea Thomas and the Nolan Wells cell phone forensic report that Ben Crump just released.

What happens when gaming, HIV advocacy, queer youth, and community collide? This week on the Hung Up Podcast, we’re getting into the REAL work behind creating safer, more connected spaces for LGBTQ+ people. Rosko shares his HIV advocacy work journey, we celebrate one year on the Philly Black Pride Board, and unpack his connection to the growing Queer gamer community. It’s a conversation about visibility and what it really means to show up for your people.

instagram.com/roskos.modernlife

Bloomsbury: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/accountable-care-and-identity-camaraderie-for-transgender-and-queer-service-providers-9781666961423/

Ainjo sits down with Hung Up to unpack the wild full-circle moment of going from covering SZA’s “Good Days” in 2021 to having SZA share her own song, “If Pretty Was a Contest,” years later. We get real about Ainjo’s journey from military service to independent R&B artist, the radical honesty behind her music, and the love, heartbreak, healing, and self-discovery fueling her upcoming project, HIM (Hopeless In Men). And of course, we have to ask the question behind the title: who—or what—made Ainjo hopeless in men?

www.ainjomusic.com

www.instagram.com/therealainjo

This week on Hung Up, we’re unpacking:

Ten years after Colin Kaepernick took a knee, we look at what his protest changed and what it cost him. A decade later, is America finally honest about what that moment was really about?

Then, a shoutout to Philly Black Pride for showing up for unhoused LGBTQ+ youth and putting community care into action this past weekend. Because Pride isn’t just about a party!

And finally… Fat Joe said what?! Let’s get into whether a Latino rapper should use the N-word, why his explanation isn’t sitting right with everybody, and the bigger question underneath it all: who gets to claim language that was created through Black American history and experience?

☎️ A new podcast episode featuring Dr. Shanéa Thomas LICSW, CSE @drshaneathomas @drkchocolatnoir drops TODAY on @youtube and all podcast platforms.

📌Episode Topics:

😷COVID and tele-health transformed mental healthcare. The pros and cons

🏢Organizational accountability and protecting practitioners

🏳️‍🌈Shared identity can sometimes create emotional burdens

🖤Rest in power Nolan Wells

and more!

instagram.com/drkchocolatnoir

Hung Up Discount Code to order Dr. Thomas’ book is: GLR AT8

https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/accountable-care-and-identity-camaraderie-for-transgender-and-queer-service-providers-9781666961423/

#hungup #hunguppod #pod #philly #fyp

Full episode also on YouTube ☎️ This week we’re giving flowers while people can still smell them.

We’re talking about the LGBTQ+ community, the icons and legends we’ve lost, and why it’s so important to celebrate the people who helped shape our culture and our lives while they’re still here. We also take a moment to remember Nolan Wells and reflect on the impact people leave behind.

And then… 🇺🇸 Is Trump simply a political phenomenon or is he a reckoning? A mirror forcing the country to confront who we’ve always been, what we’ve tolerated, and where we’re headed?

It’s a conversation about legacy, loss, accountability, and giving people their flowers before the funeral.

youtube.com/@UCfsCUyAB9SHRwbu4T1Lv_Iw

Brandon Collins founder and creator of Drunk Black History and High Black History dials in this week to talk about some upcoming Philly shows. But not before I do my own version of Drunk Black History.

@officialdrunkblackhistory

drunkblackhistory.com/upcoming-shows

Full Video on YouTube! This week we unpack Saucy Santana’s trending hit “Quiet on the Creek” and use it as a jumping-off point for a bigger conversation about DL culture. Why is it still thriving? How does the LGBTQ+ community contribute to it? And the controversial question: should DL men be included in the LGBTQ+ community? No easy answers—just an honest conversation about secrecy, identity, shame, and why the DL life still works for some men.

https://youtu.be/mOZat5xpXKw

instagram.com/mrpleasedontirkme

This week, we’re getting into the life, career, and evolution of a man who became legendary in adult entertainment before bringing that same visibility and lived experience into LGBTQ+ health, HIV prevention, housing, and community work. Kevin Mines aka VENOM. We’re talking about the person behind the persona—sex, fame, family, stigma, reinvention, and what it means to walk into a room as your whole self when people think they already know who you are. So yeah, we’re going there—no judgment and no filters.

x.com/thekevynmshow

onlyfans.com/kyngvynm

This Week I’m Hung Up On:

02:06 Hoe Responsibly hosted at Indy Hall

03:45 We won’t stop talking about Nolan Wells until justice is served!

—

Black House and Ballroom has been around since the late 60’s. Dr. Terrell J.A. Winder and I never ventured into Ballroom or House life within the LGBTQ+ community. But we wonder (34:42) what life would have been like if we did. Dr. Winder’s book, shameless the making of black gay identities in LA, explores that. Along with (48:02) how Black Queer men can navigate stigma, understanding and unraveling internalized self-hate (53:18) and how media, community organizations and chosen family (01:09:59) can better show up for us.

Full Video Available on YouTube

https://youtu.be/QWQHlZNmjoA

https://www.terrellwinder.com