The LGBT Sport Podcast

He's a world and European medallist who has also claimed the British title on five separate occasions.

In fact, it's no exaggeration to say Luke Strong is one of Britain's top trampoline gymnasts - which is even more remarkable when you consider that he once suffered a leg injury so severe that he almost had to have it amputated.

Luke really does have an extraordinary story, and we're over the moon to have him with us as a guest on the podcast this week. There's bucketloads of stuff to enjoy in this episode - from how he got his start in the sport to bouncing back from injury; from claiming an historic bronze medal at the European Championships to helping the sport gain a bigger profile; and what impact, if any, his sexuality has had on his progress in the sport.

We really, really think you'll like this conversation - and we're massively grateful Luke took the time to join us.

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***PHOTO CREDIT: Team GB***

She was a key part of the Tottenham Hotspur Women's side for the past five years, helping them rise through the ranks and into the Women's Super League.

And as if that weren't enough, Chloe Morgan is also a qualified lawyer who takes a huge amount of pride in speaking out about her experiences as an out gay player in the beautiful game.

In fact, Chloe is adamant that players should always speak up, even if it’s difficult, if they can use their platform to help make positive change happen – and that’s exactly what she’s done on this episode.

There’s so much on the agenda, from balancing a footballing and legal career to the development of the women’s game through the years, to why Chloe feels it’s so important for athletes to use their voice when they can.

We can’t say enough good things about Chloe and this episode, and we really think you’re doing to love it.

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PHOTO CREDIT: Tongue Tied Management

When it comes to contributions to Irish hockey, few have done more than Nikki Symmons.

She made more than 200 appearances over a career that spanned twelve years - competing in three Olympic qualifying campaigns as well as half-a-dozen Nations Championships.

In 2015, she went into the European Hall of Fame - and as if Nikki's hockey career wasn't impressive enough, she's also represented Ireland internationally in cricket as well.

She’s an absolutely brilliant talker and we love this episode, because there’s so much in it to get our teeth into with a really incredible guest!

From getting her start in sport to some of the highs and lows of her international career; the things she accomplished in sport to what she didn’t quite manage to achieve; to her coming out experiences and the campaign for marriage equality in Ireland … there’s an awful lot to get into in this podcast.

In this episode, we had an absolute ball, and that’s thanks to how brilliant Nikki is – and we think you’ll love her just as much as we do.

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It's one of the most popular programmes on CBBC - the BBC's dedicated channel for kids aged anywhere between 6 and 16.

Jamie Johnson focuses on life for a group of young players hoping to make it into the competitive world of pro-football - and this week, it's been making more waves than usual after one of the main characters came out as gay. It's something that's been tackled before on-screen in grown-up films like The Pass and Mario, but it's the first time a children's television drama has taken a look at a subject like this.

And on the podcast this week, we've got two of the key people that helped bring this storyline to life.

Patrick Ward plays Dillon - the character the storyline focuses on - while Shaun Duggan is the BAFTA-nominated writer of the programme.

They're both brilliant talkers who offer different perspectives on this story. Patrick gives us an actor’s take on receiving the storyline; playing the role convincingly and credibly; and the responsibility he felt to get it right.

And Shaun, for his part, looks at the process of coming up with this journey for Dillon’s character; the importance of visibility on-screen for LGBTQ+ characters; and his experiences as a gay writer in the industry.

They’re both fantastic talkers, and we really think you’ll like this episode!

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How good is sport at tackling homophobia when it occurs? Have things improved over the past few years? If so, how, and if they haven’t, why not?

They're big questions - and ones that Dr Rachael Bullingham spends plenty of time looking at in her role as a Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Gloucestershire.

She’s a brilliant guest and someone we’ve wanted to have on the podcast for a little while, bringing us an academic perspective on the topics we usually discuss that we’ve not really had before.

There’s plenty on the agenda, from Rachael’s love of sport to conducting her research to what’s up next for her, and we think you’ll like her as much as we do!

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Devon's Jude Hamer was meant to be spending 2020 in Tokyo, competing at her third consecutive Paralympic Games as part of Britain's wheelchair basketball team.

Instead, she's still in the UK - training on her own and, amongst other things using her love of sewing to make kit for frontline NHS workers, all as a result of the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

It all means Jude has a little bit of spare time on her hand – and we’re delighted she’s used some of it to have a chat with us for a brand-new episode of the podcast.

There’s so much in this episode –finding a sport you love when you have a disability; why ‘fitting in’ can be overrated; testing the water when it comes to coming out; educating yourself to become a better ally to others; life after sport; and of all things, The Great British Sewing Bee!

We really, really enjoyed this episode – and we think you will as well.

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As an athlete in an Olympic year, Tom Bosworth couldn't have hoped for a better start to 2020.

The race-walker broke his own British record in the 5-thousand metres at the end of February, and then did the same in the 10-thousand metres at the start of March.

It was the perfect preparation for this summer's Games in Tokyo, until coronavirus put plans for that on hold - and threw everything else up in the air.

So what's it like to be an Olympian with no Olympics to prepare for? Tom's been talking to us about that; about what he's been doing during lockdown; about where things stand in terms of LGBTQ+ visibility in sport and whether things have changed since he came out; and about his wedding plans as well.

We're really grateful to Tom, who was one of the first people to talk to us when we were just finding our feet - and we think you'll like him as much as we do.

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We've been making this podcast since 2018 - and arguably, this is our most significant one yet.

What started as a little segment in a sports show has grown into a standalone podcast - and now, we're kicking off Pride Month on BBC Radio 5 Live with this special episode.

It features some of the most memorable moments from more than 100 episodes - and looks at things like visibility, coming out, representation and falling in love. We've tried to group them together into themes, but ultimately, they're stories from some amazing people that should help give you an idea of what it's like to be LGBTQ+ in sport.

If you can't stay up late to hear the BBC Radio 5 Live broadcast, this is an exclusive first listen to the show that will broadcast at midnight on June 1st, 2020. And if you're listening back or finding us for the first time, welcome to the club!

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It's fair to say pro-wrestling is one of the more unique forms of sports entertainment out there.

The villains pride themselves on being hated, the heroes do their best to get the crowd behind them - and even though the outcomes of the matches are pre-determined, they still involved real physical skill and strength from everyone involved.

It's something Lewis Nicholls has loved from a young age – and now he makes his living from it, both as the on-screen general manager for the UK’s Evolution Wrestling and as an interviewer with his own social media channel, carrying out in-depth conversations with people from inside the industry.

There’s loads to enjoy in this conversation – from how wrestling has welcomed him with open arms; how it has evolved to become one of the more inclusive forms of sports entertainment; what it takes to be a good ‘bad guy’ in wrestling; interviewing your heroes; and what makes a brilliant wrestling match/ moment.

So, even if wrestling isn’t your thing, we recommend you stick with this one – because we think you’ll find it really, really interesting, and we’re massively grateful Lewis took the time to join us for it.

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They say in sport that you're either a player or a coach - but the woman you're going to meet today is a dab hand at both.

Faye Easton plays for Peterborough Ladies - and when she's not doing that, she's fulfilling her other role as the Head Coach for the South London Stags.

So, it's fair to say that she's missing sport - and particularly rugby - as much as anyone at the moment, and we really enjoyed our conversation with her.

There’s loads on the agenda, from how Faye got her start in rugby to the difference between being a player and a coach – as well as the importance of inclusivity and diversity in all aspects of life, not just sport.

We love this chat with Faye – especially because, as you’re going to hear, we ended up having to do it twice!

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