The LGBT Sport Podcast

When it comes to MMA, Molly McCann is something of a trail-blazer.

She won the Cage Warriors World Flyweight Championship back in February, 2018, before signing for the UFC and becoming the first Englishwoman to ever win inside the Octagon.

She, like all elite athletes, is having to adapt to the new normal, and is currently preparing for her next fight for the UFC in February of next year. So we’re delighted she’s chosen to spend some time with us, and given us one of the most open, candid and honest conversation we’ve ever done.

There’s a lot in this conversation – mental health, finding your own identity, overcoming adversity, discovering your internal drive to be the best, using your platform to spread social change, educating yourself about issues you care about – but most importantly, it’s a genuine conversation with someone who has chosen to share her story with us.

Doing this episode was a privilege, and we really hope you come away from it feeling the same way we did as well – because we think it’s something special.

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From the Olympics to Euro 2020, coronavirus has disrupted major sporting events around the world.

And if we're honest, no-one knows whether things will end up being much different next year.

So it's no exaggeration to say the Gay Games in Hong Kong in 2022 could end up being one of the first multi-sport, multi-national events when things are 'back to normal'.

The two-year countdown to the Games starts this week, and we’re delighted to have two of the team on the podcast to tell us all about it.

Jackie Vierow is the event’s Director of Sports, and Charlz Ng is the Director of the Festival Village, and they’re both brilliant advocates for Gay Games 11 in Hong Kong.

There’s loads on the agenda in this conversation, from how Jackie and Charlz first got involved with the Gay Games; the importance of their respective roles; the impact the Games are already having in Hong Kong; what it means to them to see the wider community getting behind the Games; how they capture the character of the place; and how more people can get involved in making the event happen.

It’s great that we can mark the countdown to such a significant event, and we’re grateful Jackie and Charlz took the time to join us.

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Philip Collins has dedicated his life to swimming - and it's not gone unnoticed.

He was recognised in the Queen's Honours List with an MBE last month, and when you hear him talk, you can almost *feel* the passion Philip has for the sport.

This is a great conversation with someone who is a bit of a grassroots hero when it comes to sport, which ends up becoming as much about social history as it is about swimming.

From Philip’s time in the Royal Navy when it was illegal for gay men to serve to his work supporting gay men in London during the AIDs/ HIV epidemic; his love of Out To Swim, the Gay Games and encouraging inclusivity in sport; getting in the water in lockdown and finding out about the MBE – yes, there’s an awful lot of fascinating stuff in this chat, and we’re grateful that Philip took the time to join us.

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Sam Schofield is someone who lives and breathes cricket.

He plays for his local team; he’s head of cricket at Trinity School in Croydon; and he’s part of the coaching set up for the England Physical Disability side as well.

He’s also a cracking guest, and we’re delighted to have him joining us for this week’s episode of the BBC’s LGBT Sport Podcast.

There’s loads to get into in this one; where Sam’s love of cricket came from (including the unfortunate breaking of a window with a shot at school!); his work with the England PD side and his pride in wearing the Three Lions; coming out at a Test match; the importance of LGBT visibility, in sport and in schools; and plenty of other good stuff as well.

We really think you’ll like this episode – which, by the way, is the first ‘at home’ recording as a result of coronavirus restrictions! - and we're massively grateful that Sam took the time to join us for it.

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Whether you’re a football fanatic or a rugby nut, you’re going to know the work – and the voice! – of Ian ‘Downsy’ Downs.

Ian is the matchday announcer for Bristol City Football Club in the Championship, and hosts all sorts of matchday content across Bristol Bears’ social media channels in the RFU Premiership as well.

He’s also someone we’ve wanted to have on the podcast for a long time, and we’re glad we’ve finally got round to asking him, as this episode really delivers!

There’s loads of good stuff that we get into here – Ian’s love of sport; why the pandemic has made social media more important than ever before in terms of getting fans close to the action; some of his most memorable moments with both Bristol Bears and Bristol City; why his sexuality has never impacted on his ability to be involved in sport; and the importance of visibility.

Oh, and we also end up talking about how you explain what a ‘bear’ is to some of the world’s top rugby players!

We think this week’s chat is a cracker, and we really think you’ll like Downsy as much as we do.

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Are you one of those people who enjoys getting out on your bike for a good ride around where you live?

If you are, it’s really not surprising. After all, it gets you outdoors, keeps you healthy, and gives you a chance to meet new people as well.

CycleOut London has been providing those sort of opportunities to LGBTQ+ people in the capital for more than two decades – and this year, it’s celebrating its 25th birthday.

So it only seemed appropriate to have chairman Nasser Tell on this week’s episode to talk about everything that makes the club special.

From how he got involved in cycling to the growth of the club; the importance of being your authentic self in sport to the club’s decision to become more active in the wider LGBTQ+ community; the trips abroad, the impact of lockdown, and why liking a few pints is par for the course for some members … yes, there’s a lot to enjoy in this episode!

We always love shining a spotlight on grassroots inclusive clubs, and we hope you like Nasser as much as we do.

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It's National Coming Out Day - and we thought it was only appropriate to share some of our most memorable coming out stories from the past two years of the BBC's LGBT Sport Podcast.

So in the course of this special compilation episode, you'll hear from:

- MMA star Liz Carmouche

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READ MORE ABOUT THIS SPECIAL EPISODE HERE:

Trophies, trips and memories that last a lifetime - there's really nothing quite like a career in sport.

But how hard is it to adapt when all of that comes to an end?

Laura Lee is a former Arsenal and Leyton Orient footballer who now works for World After Sport - an organisation that helps prepare elite sportspeople for whatever comes next in their career.

She’s our guest on this week’s cracking episode of the podcast, and there’s loads that we get into in this conversation.

From how Gary Lineker and Paul Gascoigne helped inspire her love of football, to the growth of the women’s game; her work combating discrimination in the sport to some of the injustices she’s had to face; the difference being made by World After Sport to her favourite footballing memories – yeah, there’s a lot in this episode.

We really loved hearing more about Laura’s story – and we think you’ll really like her as well!

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They say that behind every great athlete, there's a great team - and in the world of British swimming, that includes Josh Rudd.

He's a performance lifestyle adviser with British Swimming and the English Institute of Sport, helping some of Team GB's top swimming medal hopes get ready for the Tokyo Olympics and beyond.

He’s also the brains behind Pride in Water – a new network supporting LGBTQ+ people across swimming, water polo, diving, synchro and aquatics in general.

This is a cracking conversation about a whole load of different things – from Josh’s love of sport; his time refereeing football matches at a semi-pro level; the actual work of a performance lifestyle adviser and the difference it makes; the founding of Pride in Water and the difference it’s already making … and for some reason, at the end, a mini-review of Sex and the City!

Like we say, it’s a wide-ranging chat with a great guest – and we really think you’re going to like it.

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On September 25th 2018, we published our first-ever episode of the BBC's LGBT Sport Podcast.

We thought that, at best, we'd last for a couple of months - and that if we reached fifty episodes, we'd have done well for ourselves.

So you can probably imagine how chuffed we are to be celebrating two years of the podcast, and of telling the stories of LGBTQ+ people from across the world of sport.

It's been quite a ride - 133 guests across 125 weekly episodes, encompassing everyone from Olympic gold medalists to grassroots supporters clubs - and on this episode, we thought we'd look back at some of the most memorable moments of the past twelve months.

This episode is a compilation of great guests you may have missed that we think show what we do best - so hopefully, you'll enjoy what you hear.

And as we say every week, we wouldn't have accomplished any of this if it hadn't been for your constant support, and we can't thank you enough for it.

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