The Queerest Podcast

Who wrote the first draft of your opinion?
In this episode of The Queerest Podcast, Andraé takes on media literacy, not as a lesson in spotting “fake news,” but as a way of noticing the stories our brains build around the information we consume.
Through viral clips, missing context, questionable sources, unanswered texts, and the assumptions we make about other people, Andraé breaks down five questions for thinking more critically about what we see, hear, and believe: What am I actually looking at? What’s missing? Where did this come from? What story is my brain already telling? And what would actually change my mind?
Because seeing something isn’t the same as understanding it and sometimes the most important thing to question isn’t the information in front of us. It’s the story we’ve already written about it.

The Queerest Podcast is back, and Season 2 begins with one deeply inconvenient question: what if the “normal” life you were taught to want was just heterosexuality with better branding?
In the Season 2 premiere, Andraé sits down with cultural historian Dr. Nicole Rizzuto to unpack compulsory heterosexuality: the social script that treats straightness as the default and quietly shapes who we date, what we chase, and what we call a “successful” life.
First named by Adrienne Rich in 1980, compulsory heterosexuality isn’t just theory. It’s the reason so many queer people look back at old relationships, old expectations, and old versions of themselves and think: wait… was that actually me, or was I just following the script?
Together, Andraé and Dr. Rizzuto explore how respectability, homonormativity, modern dating, and the pressure to be “easy to understand” keep repackaging the same old message: be visible, be accepted, but please don’t make anyone too uncomfortable. Cute system. Terrible vibes.
This episode traces where compulsory heterosexuality comes from, how it still shows up today, and what it means to step outside the script long enough to ask:
What do I actually want?

Why has horror always felt so familiar to queer audiences?
In this episode of The Queerest Podcast, host Andraé BVR is joined by writer-director Amir Moini to explore why fear, transformation, and otherness sit at the heart of LGBTQ+ storytelling. Long before representation was explicit, horror offered queer viewers coded mirrors — outsiders, monsters, and survivors navigating worlds that wanted them erased.
From Frankenstein’s forbidden longing to the self-aware slashers of Scream, queer audiences have always recognized themselves in horror’s margins. Amir, the award-winning creator of the short film Slashr, shares how intimacy, vulnerability, and queer trauma shape his work — and why horror allows storytellers to confront what we’re taught to suppress.
Together, Andraé and Amir examine how queer horror reframes fear as power, survival as performance, and monsters as mirrors. This episode looks at horror not as a season or a gimmick, but as a language queer people have been fluent in all along.
🎧 Subscribe for more conversations on LGBTQ+ culture, media, and identity.

What happens when drag kings don’t just perform masculinity—but reshape it entirely?
In this episode of The Queerest Podcast, host Andraé BVR speaks with Johnny Gentleman—the Latinx, Indigenous, trans-masc force behind Dapper Puss and The Last Gentleman, two platforms transforming Los Angeles’ drag scene.
Through a fusion of artistry and activism, Johnny builds stages for kings, non-binary performers, and BIPOC artists to claim their power and visibility. From Pride main stages to features in Vox and the LA Times, his work blurs the line between entertainment and cultural revolution.
This episode dives into how drag kings challenge gender norms, celebrate queerness, and expand what masculinity can mean.

Can a meal be an act of liberation?
Okra has long symbolized health, prosperity, and community in Black food traditions—a seed carried through the Middle Passage that continues to grow today. For The Okra Project, it’s more than a vegetable. It’s a promise.
In this episode of The Queerest Podcast, host Andraé BVR speaks with Gabrielle Inès Souza, Executive Director of The Okra Project, to explore how this mutual aid collective is nourishing Black trans lives through food, housing, and mental health resources. Gabrielle reflects on her journey as an activist, the cultural legacy embedded in The Okra Project’s mission, and what it means to fight for liberation with radical love and care.

What if queerness wasn’t a contradiction, but a compass?
In this episode of The Queerest Podcast, host Andraé BVR speaks with author, artist, and equity strategist Dr. Raja Gopal Bhattar about their visually rich and deeply personal new book, Queering Constellations: Mapping This Journey Called Life. Blending memoir, community wisdom, beautiful illustrations, and interactive reader prompts, the book invites us to navigate identity as a constellation—where every point of culture, queerness, ancestry, and experience is connected.
Drawing from their lived experience as a queer, gender non-conforming, 1.5 generation immigrant, Raja shares stories of coming out, negotiating family and tradition, and building spaces for collective care. Together, they explore how queerness can be a practice of expansion—whether through personal reflection, intersectional community, or creative self-expression.
This conversation offers an invitation: to question, to reimagine, and to find belonging in the constellations of your own life.

How are queer couples redefining parenthood today?
Eden and Jay Treviño—creators of Preciosa Night, a grassroots space for queer women of color, gender non-conforming people, and the Latinx/Latiné community—share their journey from nightlife to family life. After navigating in vitro fertilization as a mixed-sexuality couple, they are now raising baby Jayden while continuing to grow community through Preciosa Night and beyond.
In this episode of The Queerest Podcast, host Andraé BVR talks with Eden and Jay about queer family building, the lessons and surprises of in vitro fertilization, and how the spirit of Preciosa Night lives on in their parenting. Their story shows how queer families are not only possible, but powerful—and how community can be the blueprint for raising the next generation.

What happens when a government decides love is a threat?
In the 1950s, the Lavender Scare quietly purged LGBTQ+ people from government, media, and culture under the same paranoia that fueled McCarthyism.
In this episode of The Queerest Podcast, host Andraé BVR and cultural historian Dr. Nicole Rizzuto unpack this hidden history—from the surveillance of Billie Holiday to the contradictions of J. Edgar Hoover—and trace how fear gave way to resistance through art, testimony, and memory.
With anti-trans laws spreading in 2025, the echoes are chilling, but so is the resilience. This episode reminds us: the fight didn’t start today, and it won’t end here.
 

What does it mean to turn unimaginable loss into lasting change?
After losing her close friend Drew Leinonen in the Pulse Nightclub shooting, writer and strategist Sara Elizabeth Grossman co-founded the DRU Project to carry forward his vision of a world where queer youth are safe, supported, and empowered.
In this episode of The Queerest Podcast, host Andraé BVR speaks with Sara about transforming grief into advocacy and why the classroom can be as radical as the protest line. Together, they explore the legacy of the Pulse tragedy, the importance of inclusive curriculum, and how storytelling became a survival tool for a generation shaped by loss.
From GSA grants to youth leadership, Sara shares how the DRU Project honors Drew’s life while building a future where queer students thrive—not just survive.
 

What makes queer cinema so enduring—and why does it matter now more than ever?
In this episode of The Queerest Podcast, host Andraé BVR is joined by legendary film critic, podcaster, and author Alonso Duralde to explore the power and legacy of LGBTQ+ storytelling on screen. As the author of Hollywood Pride: A Celebration of LGBTQ+ Representation and Perseverance in Film, Alonso takes us on a journey through more than a century of queer film history—from early silent reels and coded characters to New Queer Cinema and today’s streaming-era breakthroughs.
Together, they unpack how queer film has offered both refuge and resistance, shaped identity and culture, and battled against censorship, erasure, and commodification. This conversation isn’t just about what’s shown on screen—it’s about the people who made sure those stories were told.
 

What does it take to lead a global movement for queer youth?
On this episode of The Queerest Podcast, host Andraé BVR speaks with Brian Wenke, Executive Director of It Gets Better—the world’s largest LGBTQ+ youth empowerment organization. Since 2016, Brian has expanded the project from a viral video campaign into a multilingual, multi-continent platform centering queer youth through storytelling, mental health initiatives, and authentic brand partnerships.
Together, they explore how It Gets Better reaches young people where they are—classrooms, social media, or moments of crisis. Brian reveals how the organization builds hope not just with words but with action, and why authentic allyship is more urgent than ever.

How can weddings become symbols of love, resistance, and equality?
In Queerly Beloved: Love and Marriage Equality, host Andraé BVR and his husband Albert share their journey of planning a wedding that celebrated their identities while challenging societal norms. Together, they explore how their celebration connects to the broader fight for marriage equality and the enduring power of queer love. This heartfelt episode celebrates resilience, joy, and the activism that keeps equality in focus.

What does it mean to rewrite the narrative—on your own terms?
In this episode of The Queerest Podcast, host Andraé BVR is joined by Marie-Adélina de la Ferrière—equalpride’s Community Editor and your favorite Lovable Trans Auntie—to talk Black trans joy, storytelling as survival, and the radical power of being seen. From the media myths she’s helping dismantle to the unlikely journey of acceptance from her 80-year-old Haitian grandfather, Marie-Adélina opens up about family, advocacy, and becoming the role model she never had growing up.

How can technology combat human trafficking and protect LGBTQ+ individuals at risk of homelessness?In Stepping into the Spotlight: Human Trafficking, LGBTQ+ Homelessness & Tech Solutions, host Andraé BVR and Kristin Boorse, CEO of Spotlight, discuss the systemic vulnerabilities that leave LGBTQ+ individuals at risk of exploitation. Together, they uncover how innovative technology is empowering survivors, preventing exploitation, and building safer, more equitable communities. This urgent episode highlights the critical role of tech and community in addressing systemic injustices.

What challenges are LGBTQ+ youth facing today—and how can we be part of the solution?LGBTQ+ youth continue to face significant mental health struggles, often rooted in the environments around them rather than their identities. In this episode of The Queerest Podcast, host Andraé BVR is joined by Juan Acosta, an award-winning mental health advocate and author, who began his work in activism at just 13 years old. As a first-generation Mexican American and LGBTQ+ leader, Juan shares his journey from community-level organizing to national platforms like the Born This Way Foundation, NAMI, and Mental Health America.Together, they explore the intersection of identity, advocacy, and mental health, especially in the face of current legislative and social challenges.