Post-election, we're in a year that is very concerning regarding the rights of my LGBTQ+ community. I'm trying hard to hold space for things like joy and optimism and feel stronger than ever that visibility and allyship are vital.

So, who better to have a conversation about optimism and allyship than Molly Lee, the owner of Optimistic Soap, an Asian-woman-owned business that makes and sells artisanal handcrafted soap with natural ingredients and also highlights various LGBTQ+ fundraisers through its business and products?

Optimistic Soap has witty names like Concepts of a Plan (named after a batch of soap that didn't go as planned) and includes an entire line of soaps focused on the LGBTQ+ community, like the popular Love Wins soap.   

In this episode, we talk about everything from how Optimistic Soap started to why demonstrating visible allyship is so important, especially right now, and it can start with a little thing, like soap.

Find Optimistic Soap:
www.optimisticsoap.com
On Facebook or Instagram

Instagram reels mentioned in this episode:
"Organic lesbians" reel
Birthday reel benefitting the Trevor Project

Current fundraiser:
This month (January 2025), Optimistic Soap is fundraising for Point of Pride, which offers healthcare for the trans community, including surgery and gender-affirming gear, and Sylvia Rivera Law Project, which provides free legal services to low-income trans, intersex, and gender non-conforming folx.

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Instagram: @thegaypodcast_foreveryone

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I'm ending the year with a casual and enjoyable conversation with Soledad Fernández-Paulino (they/them), the founder and CEO of Wealth Para Todos, a money and self-care coaching company dedicated to empowering BIPOC, women, and LGBTQ+ communities.

The overall topic of our conversation was gender roles in the household and how we shift traditional household tasks from gender to skill set or personal preference. However, this conversation ended up flowing in so many wonderful directions, and we touched on so many different topics, including: 

• unconditional love versus unconditional acceptance
• the importance of living in safe and affirming spaces (and the importance of understanding the financial aspects of it)
• learning about gender expression and identity through our children

You can find Soledad at:
Instagram: @wealthparatodos
LinkedIN: www.linkedin.com/in/wealthparatodos
Website: https://www.wealthparatodos.com
Weekly Email Series: Todo Con Tiempo Tuesday
Free Mini-Course: How to Engage in D.I.V.E.R.S.E. Self-care

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Instagram: @thegaypodcast_foreveryone

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My guest today is Luis Ignacio Andrade. He's a writer whose collection of essays in He Played With Dolls, chronicles his life as a Latinx gay male growing up in a family dominated by machismo. The title highlights the stereotypes that folks have about gender and boys showing interest in "girl things":  dresses, dolls, and Barbies. 

In our chat today, Luis shares how he dealt with a lot of shame for those things growing up and how a seemingly small gesture from an uncle gave him a sense of acceptance when he needed it the most. 

He also shares how after a lot of bumps along the way, his relationship with his mom has done a complete 180, and today she is one of his biggest allies.  

If this episode leaves you with just one thing, I hope it's to remember a person who did that one thing or said that one thing that was so meaningful to you and left such an impression in your life that it's made the biggest difference. And I hope it inspires you to be a positive influence in someone else's life. 

mentioned in this episode:
The Velvet Rage by Alan Downs, Ph.D.

Follow Luis Ignacio Andrade on Instagram or at heplayedwithdolls.com

follow the podcast: theygaypodastforeveryone.com
Instagram: @thegaypodcast_foreveryone

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Morgan Henry Kerr (she/her) is a queer mom whose journey to parenthood with her wife was filled with a lot of questions. She quickly discovered a lack of resources for the queer community and decided to create the resources and tools she wished she had during her TTC experience.

In this episode, Morgan discusses what it means to be a TTC doula and shares some of the tools she uses to help folx navigate the hurdles of trying to conceive. She also shares the hurdles of what it means to be a non-bio parent and to pursue second-parent adoption to secure legal rights for her child.

This episode is for anyone in the lgbtq+ community or whose lgbtq+ loved one is curious about the journey of trying to conceive. 

To connect with Morgan and book a 1:1 consult call:
Instagram: Iam_mamomhk

follow the podcast: theygaypodastforeveryone.com
Instagram: @thegaypodcast_foreveryone

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My guest today is Pam Covarrubias (host of Café con Pam podcast). She is a business coach, podcaster, and speaker, and she introduced a concept called Calladita Culture. Calladita Culture is based on a cultural expression in the Latino culture: "Calladita te ves más bonita" (you're prettier when you're quiet)

In this episode, we'll dive into what that expression means and its impact on sharing our voice. Although this is rooted in Latine culture, this is something that so many of us have grown up with - learning to be polite and quiet and not make waves. But sometimes living out and proud or being a proud allly means you're gonna make waves, and learning to be comfortable in that isn't easy when you've been taught the opposite.

Pam joins me on the podcast today to break down the term Calladita Culture as it relates to sharing our voice and to share some insight on the inner work we can do to break the cycles (and the narratives) we've carried throughout our lives.

 
Follow Pam on Instagram , at cafeconpam.com or on the Café con Pam Podcast.

follow the podcast: theygaypodastforeveryone.com
Instagram: @thegaypodcast_foreveryone

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In this episode, I chat with author, Jillian Abby (she/her), as we discuss the topic of coming out later in life, which she chronicles in her memoir, Perfectly Queer: Facing Big Fears, Living Hard Truths, and Loving Myself Fully Out of the Closet. 

Jillian's story, which she shares in her book, is about her coming out later in life - after a nineteen-year marriage and having two children. As you can imagine, it wasn't an easy process.

As I was reading it, I stopped right in the middle of it to ask her to be on the podcast because I kept thinking how this wasn't a book just for the LGBTQ+ community. I mean, yes, the title is Perfectly Queer, but the story, at its essence is one that, I think, anyone can identify with.

Without giving anything away, I think my favorite chapter was when she shared the fact that her mom was now the parent of an LGBTQ+ person, and how that not only challenged their beliefs but also shifted the dynamic of their conversations. 

I've talked a lot about that particular topic on the podcast, and that's exactly what this podcast is rooted in so, for me, it's just another reason why this book isn't only for the LGBTQ+ community, but also parents and allies. 

I don't want to give too much away, but I hope this chat with Jillian inspires you to grab the book asap and share it with others.

Find Perfectly Queer HERE.
Follow Jillian on Instagram and Substack

follow the podcast: theygaypodastforeveryone.com
Instagram: @thegaypodcast_foreveryone

mentioned in this episode: Episode 9 - Chris Tompkins, author of Raising LGBTQ Allies: A Parent's Guide to Changing the Messages from the Playground

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Speaker, author, and an LGBTQ+ inclusion advocate, Ben Greene, joins me on the podcast to chat about his book,  My Child is Trans, Now What? A Joy-Centered Approach to Support.

Ben is a transgender man who is using his voice and his experience to educate parents and families as they navigate questions regarding their child's coming out as transgender. 

Ben's book is a unique go-to guide for parents of transgendered children, offering insight as to how parents of trans kids can be better allies, build supportive communities, and find a joy-centered approach to navigating the journey as a family.

Find Ben's book HERE. 
Follow Ben on Instagram at @pseudo.bro

follow the podcast: theygaypodastforeveryone.com
Instagram: @thegaypodcast_foreveryone

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Happy Pride, everyone!

For Pride Month, I thought it would be fun to hear some proposal and wedding stories because who doesn't love a gay wedding?

In this episode, a few of my past guests share their proposal stories and some of their favorite moments from their weddings. Whether you're in the LGBTQ+ community or an ally, I think you'll enjoy it. It's a great way to celebrate Pride Month!

Listen to the guests in past episodes:
Episode 23 Holly Krivo
Episode 29 Two Gay Grandpas Travel
Episode 30 Steve Silverman

Share this podcast with someone you think might find value from it, and please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts! New episodes every month (with some bonuses in between).

Please subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss an episode!

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Instagram: @thegaypodcast_foreveryone

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In 2021, I got a DM from a jeweler designer named Laura Stuart. She reached out, asking for some feedback on a couple of jewelry designs. 

She was creating some pieces that she was designing at the request of a grandmother whose grandson was being bullied at school for being gay, and the grandmother wanted Laura's help in designing something that would symbolize her pride and allyship. 

The story behind those necklaces is such a great story of a grandmother who wanted to support her grandson, and of Laura herself, who is an absolute ally. 

As we start Pride month, this is such a great topic because the question that I get a lot from friends and family members is, "Can I wear a rainbow if I'm not gay?" My answer is: YES! Your allyship and support are always welcomed, in my opinion, and I hope this episode will encourage you to wear your support for your lgbtq+ loved one.

Topics in this episode:

• the background of the Pauline and Ricky Rainbow Acceptance necklaces.
• how Laura recently started to incorporate more inclusivity in her jewelry line after she was contacted by a trans woman looking for jewelry in other sizes. 
• we're gonna re-visit one of the first topics we chatted about via Instagram about the word "partner", and how our thoughts on that word have changed in the last few years.

Laura Elizabeth is sustainable, ethically made jewelry made in the US, for women, by women. And more than that, Laura Stuart is an ally of the lgbtq+ community and a good friend of this podcast. 

Shop Laura Elizabeth to support small businesses and the LGBTQ+ community. Look for the Pauline and Ricky Rainbow Acceptance necklaces. 

connect with Laura Elizabeth: lauraelizabethjewelry.com and on Instagram

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Instagram: @thegaypodcast_foreveryone

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 "I've noticed more lesbian women referring to themselves as gay... I'm curious as to why." 

This is something someone said to me recently. An inference that lesbians (like myself) were using the wrong word. 

At first, I was a bit shocked by the question because I've never known anyone who was bothered by it. Like, this isn't new. Lesbians say gay. It's ok. Then it made me think (Gay men can't be lesbians, so does that mean lesbians can't be gay?). Ultimately, it made me listen to the words folx use to describe themselves. What word feels comfortable? 

This is a quick episode about all all the above.

spoiler alert: lesbians can (and do) say "gay."

mentioned in this episode: Perfectly Queer by Jillian Abby

Connect with me:
Instagram: @thegaypodcast_foreveryone
Website: thegaypodastforeveryone.com

Please subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss an episode!

Share this podcast with someone you think might find value from it, and please leave a rating and review on Apple podcasts! New episodes every month (with some bonuses in between).

Did you like the episode? I'd love to hear what you think! Click HERE to reach out and lemme know!