Thank You for Coming Out

In this week’s episode of the Gay City News podcast “Thank You For Coming Out,” creator and host Dubbs Weinblatt (they/ them) welcomes Tony Rodriguez  (he/him).

A longtime performer of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatres in New York and Los Angeles, Tony Rodriguez is currently on his 6th season voicing the role of gay, Cuban Julio on Fox’s longest running hit show The Simpsons (a role previously voiced by Hank Azaria). Tony’s other voiceover credits include Renaldo Raccoon on Tiny Toons University, and Blaine on Disney’s Hamster and Gretel.

Other screen credits include Late Late Night with James Corden, Crazy Ex Girlfriend, Adam Ruins Everything, Conan, Playing House, Jury Duty, the Emmy-winning webseries ‘Eastsiders,’ and Netflix’s Gente-fied. He also starred in the film Maximum Truth alongside Ike Barinholtz and Dylan O’Brien.

Listen in to our latest incredible conversation about the vulnerable and often hilarious stories of coming out.

In this week’s episode of the Gay City News podcast “Thank You For Coming Out,” creator and host Dubbs Weinblatt (they/ them) welcomes  Chloe Mikala (she/her).

Chloe is a Black Queer award winning actor, comedian, writer, and producer who won’t shut up about astrology. She’s opened for Bob the Drag Queen, Marie Faustin, Beth Stelling, Dulcé Sloan, Skyler Higley, Bobcat Goldthwait, Marcella Arguello, and more. Chloe has performed with The Second City, where she was a NBC Bob Curry Fellow, and is a co-producer/ensemble member for the award winning all Black comedy variety show “My Best Friend is Black”. She also co-host’s the podcast “Comedy is Dead!” with Marcella Arguello.

Listen in to our latest incredible conversation about the vulnerable and often hilarious stories of coming out.

In this week’s episode of the Gay City News podcast “Thank You For Coming Out,” creator and host Dubbs Weinblatt (they/ them) welcomes Sawyer Hobson (they/them).

Sawyer is originally from a small town in NC, where they (half) jokingly say the queer population at the time they lived there was 1 – theirs truly. They are an indie author of a queer memoir about growing up queer in the South and all that that entails called “Coming Home.” They’re a mental health professional by day and a parent to 3 gremlins also by day. They are happily married to their wife who is currently in nursing school.

Listen in to our latest incredible conversation about the vulnerable and often hilarious stories of coming out.

In this week’s episode of the Gay City News podcast “Thank You For Coming Out,” creator and host Dubbs Weinblatt (they/ them) welcomes Ali Leipzig (she/her).

Ali is a creative director, sound healer, and community builder based in Brooklyn. As the co-founder of Soul Camp, she has spent more than a decade creating experiences that help people reconnect with themselves, their creativity, and one another. Her companies and work have been featured in outlets including Oprah Daily, Forbes, Inc, Good Morning America, The Today Show, and Fast Company.

Drawing from brand strategy, sound healing, and ritual, Ali works with entrepreneurs and companies who are ready to build from the inside out — clarifying who they are, what they stand for, and how to bring that into their business and creative work. Her approach bridges the sacred and the strategic: part brand consultant, part guide, all rooted in the conviction that the most resonant work comes from people and companies who know themselves deeply.

Listen in to our latest incredible conversation about the vulnerable and often hilarious stories of coming out.

In this week’s episode of the Gay City News podcast “Thank You For Coming Out,” creator and host Dubbs Weinblatt (they/ them) welcomes Tony J. Westbrook, Jr.

Tony J. Westbrook, Jr. is an award-winning Jewish African-American activist, educator, and community leader committed to racial justice, inclusion, and building welcoming Jewish communities. He has held leadership roles with USCJ, Repair the World, Hillel at Washington University in St. Louis, and Capital Camps and Retreat Center, and has facilitated racial justice trainings and immersive Jewish travel programs across the U.S. and abroad. A recipient of the Covenant Foundation’s 2021 Pomegranate Prize, Tony holds degrees and certificates from Fontbonne University and the Pardes Institute and is currently a student at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies. 

Listen in to our latest incredible conversation about the vulnerable and often hilarious stories of coming out.

In this week’s episode of the Gay City News podcast “Thank You For Coming Out,” creator and host Dubbs Weinblatt (they/ them) welcomes Cantor Laura Stein (she/her).

Cantor Laura Stein grew up in the New York Reform Jewish community, where she discovered her love of Jewish music. She received her master of sacred music and her ordination from Hebrew Union College. She also holds an MSW from New York University. Laura obtained her clinical social work license while working at Mount Sinai Hospital’s Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery. Currently, she is a Ph.D. candidate in Practical Theology at Boston University. Her doctoral research is in the psychology of religion, with inquiry into how Jewish clergy experience their formation. She is passionate about exploring how people live religious values, aligning DEI & justice beliefs with lived experience, and ways of turning religious trauma into healing and thriving. She shares insights from her doctoral research via real talk about what’s working and what needs to change in the Jewish community. The best place to follow her work is on Instagram @cantorlaurastein

Listen in to our latest incredible conversation about the vulnerable and often hilarious stories of coming out.

In this week’s episode of the Gay City News podcast “Thank You For Coming Out,” creator and host Dubbs Weinblatt (they/ them) welcomes Amy Schneider.

Amy Schneider is an American software engineer and Jeopardy! Champion. Following an impressive 40-game winning streak, she became the most successful woman ever to compete on Jeopardy! Since then, she has gone on to become a writer and LGBTQ advocate. She has spoken at the White House and has been covered in a multitude of publications including People Magazine, USA Today, The New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times. Her book, In the Form of a Question, serves as an inspirational memoir and an exploration of what it means to ask questions of the world and of yourself.

Listen in to our latest incredible conversation about the vulnerable and often hilarious stories of coming out.

In this week’s episode of the Gay City News podcast “Thank You For Coming Out,” creator and host Dubbs Weinblatt (they/ them) welcomes Dani Roberts (she/her).

Dani is a writer, speaker, and advocate whose work lives at the intersection of identity, rest, and reclamation — challenging the broken systems that keep people burned out, boxed in, and disconnected from themselves. A queer, multi-passionate human who has never fit neatly into one box, Dani explores what we owe ourselves versus what the world told us we owe it. Her TEDx, Why Working Harder isn’t Working, has been viewed over 54,000 times, and she has an upcoming TED talk at TED Democracy Philadelphia in June 2026. Her sapphic poetry collection Read My Lips is a 2026 Goldie Awards Finalist. When Dani’s not on stage or on the page, you can find her deep in a 3D puzzle, a good book, or nature.

Listen in to our latest incredible conversation about the vulnerable and often hilarious stories of coming out.

In this week’s episode of the Gay City News podcast “Thank You For Coming Out,” creator and host Dubbs Weinblatt (they/ them) welcomes Nasiyah Isra-Ul (they/she).

Nasiyah is an autistic and multiply-disabled self-advocate, author, public speaker, entrepreneur, Jewish educator, rabbinical student, content creator, and policy professional working in the fields of education reform and disability justice. They are the founder of the Mishpacha Rising Collective and the creator of Living Confident with Nasiyah. Their ultimate aspiration is to be an affirming rabbi, using their experiences to create inclusive spaces for people of all abilities and backgrounds to flourish. When they are not working, volunteering in their local community, or traveling across the country for speaking engagements, they enjoy baking, business coaching, crafting, singing, and taking care of their beloved leopard gecko. .

Listen in to our latest incredible conversation about the vulnerable and often hilarious stories of coming out.

In this week’s episode of the Gay City News podcast “Thank You For Coming Out,” creator and host Dubbs Weinblatt (they/ them) welcomes Nathan Manske.

Nathan Manske is the Founder and Executive Director of I’m From Driftwood, a nonprofit that has spent 17 years producing, publishing, and preserving first-person LGBTQIA+ stories. Its mission is to send a simple but life-saving message to queer and trans people everywhere: you are not alone. Manske led a 50-state story collection tour which is now archived in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, and the stories have reached over 50 million viewers worldwide.

Listen in to our latest incredible conversation about the vulnerable and often hilarious stories of coming out.