Episodes
-
A Gay Navy Veteran on Faith, Healing, and Love at 55 | Carl Blea
🌈 Ever felt like you had to hide who you are just to fit in? If you walked into my gym and picked out the one person you’d most want to hug, the teddy bear of a man with the huge smile and the big, infectious laugh you can hear across the room, you’d be pointing at Carl. If you’ve been to Steel...
-
Shadow Banned for Existing: How Meta Made It Okay to Call Us "Mentally Ill"
In this solo episode of A Queer POV, David Begor takes apart what Meta has done to the queer community, with receipts. It starts with a thought experiment. A friend who notices everything you do, knows everything you watch, and one day leans in and whispers that if you keep posting about being...
-
Still Here: Kenny Patrick on HIV, Sobriety, and Living Out Loud
Kenny Patrick and David go way back to 1983. Life separated them, but reconnecting a few years ago gave David a front-row seat to someone living with extraordinary depth, honesty, and humor. In this conversation, Kenny opens up about living with HIV since the age of 21, nearly 28 years of…
more -
After 60: Mark Tammaro on Divorce, HIV, and Building a Life That's Finally His
Mark Tammaro didn't plan to start over at 62. After a 16-year marriage, a career he set aside to support his husband, and an HIV diagnosis that's followed him for 35 years, Mark found himself single, starting fresh, and, for the first time in a long time, building a life that's entirely his own.…
more -
We've Always Marched
We’ve Always Marched: Why We Protest, Why It Matters, and Why March 28th In this solo episode of A Queer POV: Friends, Loves & Life, host David Begor traces the full arc of LGBTQ protest, from the first Annual Reminder Day pickets in 1965, through Stonewall, Harvey Milk, ACT UP, and the fight for...
-
They're Coming for the Ring: The Fight to Overturn Marriage Equality
They're Coming for the Ring: The Fight to Overturn Marriage Equality In this solo episode of A QueerPOV: Friends, Loves & Life, host David Begor takes on one of the most urgent threats facing LGBTQ Americans right now: the coordinated effort to overturn marriage equality. From a Waco judge who...
-
Randy Dunbar: The Art of Making Mistakes — Double Exposure
Randy and I met in 1989 while doing laundry at the Chateau des Fleurs in Los Angeles. I had just moved to LA to work at Bullocks Wilshire in visual merchandising. Randy was working as a graphic designer at Exposure Magazine—the same publication where a young Ryan Murphy was working as an editor....
-
Sean McCormick: on Growing Older as a Gay Man
We don’t talk about aging in the gay community nearly enough. We’re great at celebrating youth and reinvention and whatever’s shiny and new, but we don’t slow down enough to actually listen to the people who lived through the experiences that made our community possible in the first place. This...
-
🏳️🌈 The Rainbow Flag: The Story of Gilbert Baker and the Colors That Unite Us
In this episode of A Queer POV: Friends, Loves, & Life, I trace the journey of the rainbow flag, from a small sewing studio in 1978 San Francisco to a global symbol of pride, protest, and belonging. We meet Gilbert Baker, the artist and activist who stitched color into our collective soul, and...
-
Dann Foley: Creativity, Confidence, and the Joy of Living Beautifully.
Today, I’m talking with someone whose name you might already know if you love beautiful spaces, Dann Foley. Dann’s been designing for almost four decades, and his work has this incredible mix of style, warmth, and personality. He’s an award-winning interior designer, a TV personality you might’ve...
-
Coming Out With Pride on National Coming Out Day
Coming out isn’t just one moment. It’s a lifetime of learning to live honestly, of choosing truth again and again, even when it’s hard, even when the world doesn’t make it easy. As October 11th, National Coming Out Day, approaches, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what coming out really...
-
Deb Levine: Breaking Barriers in Health, Sexuality & Technology
This week on A Queer POV: Friends, Loves, & Life, I sit down with someone who has had a remarkable influence on how we think and talk about health, sexuality, and technology: Deb Levine. Back in the early 1990s, while working as a health educator at Columbia University, Deb co-created Go Ask…
more -
I ask Derek Lenington: Should I Take Social Security at 62?
As I approach my 62nd birthday, I’ve found myself thinking a lot about retirement. Not the kind where you buy an RV and start glamping in national parks (though I’ll admit, that does sound tempting). No, I mean the kind where you sit down with your Social Security statement and suddenly feel...
-
Gregg: Love, Rituals, and the Small Things That Keep Us Together
Some kids dream of hitting the winning home run. Gregg dreamed of getting through Little League without having to actually touch the bat. His father was the coach, which made quitting more complicated—because it’s one thing to strike out, but another to let your dad down while doing it. Still,...
-
Stephen Crouse: Building a Life, One Brick at a Time
Join us in this heartfelt episode as we dive into the life and journey of Stephen Crouse. From his early days in very religious Colorado Springs to the decadence of San Francisco, Stephen shares his path from self-doubt to unapologetic self-acceptance. Along the way, he reveals unexpected…
more -
Brett Klein on Love, HIV, Aging, and Radical Authenticity
Meet Brett Klein. If you haven’t crossed paths with him yet, get ready ‘cause here we go. Brett’s journey is a vivid tapestry woven with courage, humor, and the unapologetic pursuit of living life on his own terms. At 32, Brett faced two life-altering truths at once: coming out and receiving an…
more -
The Final Ride: 545 Miles, Two Friends, and a Whole Lot of Love
Every June, riders gather at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, helmets on, hearts full, and begin a 545-mile journey to Los Angeles as part of the AIDS/LifeCycle ride. But this year was different. This year was the last ride. I sat down with two friends, Sean Rhodes and Mike Chandler, who trained...
-
Kevin Chiodini: Honoring the Past, Living Authentically
Some stories don’t shout. They hum. They make you want to sit down with a glass of wine in a crystal goblet and a cookie someone’s grandmother taught them to bake. This week on The Queer POV: Friends, Loves, & Life, I talked with Kevin Chiodini, who pronounces it Key-oh-dee-nee thank you very…
more -
Jeff Heinkel: Becoming Who You Are through Sobriety, Self-Acceptance, and Starting Over
Some people live out loud. Jeff Heinkel lives with just enough humor and mischief to keep you on your toes. In this week’s episode of Friends, Loves, & Life, Jeff shares the kind of life story that reminds you we’re all just figuring it out as we go. He came out in his 30s, got sober after a meth...
-
James Lindquist: Sobriety, HIV, and the Power of Being Seen
In this week’s episode of A Queer POV: Friends, Loves, & Life, I sit down with James Lindquist, a community leader, a survivor, and one of those rare people who manages to make you laugh and tear up in the same breath. James grew up in a group home, came out as gay when that still came with...
-
Ted Guice: Staying Active, Staying Visible—LGBTQ Aging and Resilience
Every once in a while, you meet someone whose presence reminds you that joy, resilience, and purpose are not just ideals — they’re choices. They’re the product of hard-won experience and deep personal growth. My guest today, Ted Guice, is exactly that kind of person. His life and work reflect a...
-
Julie Arie: A Lifelong Ally and Friend
What does real allyship look like? Sometimes, it’s not loud or showy. Sometimes, it’s simply showing up—over and over again. That’s the kind of love and friendship I’ve been lucky enough to have with my guest this week: my high school friend and first true ally, Julie Arie. In this episode of...
-
Ed Moreno: Growing Older, Finding Love, And Learning Who You Really Are
This week on Friends, Loves, & Life, I sit down with my dear friend Ed Moreno, a man whose life has been full of adventure, transformation, heartbreak, and healing. Ed and I first met at Gold’s Gym in San Francisco back in the day. What started as a flirt turned into a decades-long friendship. In...
-
Rich Hajjar: Survival, Love, and Laughing Through It All
In this episode of Friends, Loves, & Life, I sit down with my dear friend Rich Hajjar for a conversation that’s as vulnerable as it is hilarious. Rich and I go way back—to the early 2000s when we were launching Sex4HotMen, dreaming big, and laughing even bigger. But beyond the shared memories…
more -
Mike Ryan: Reconnection, Resilience, and The Crazy Chicken
In this week’s episode of Friends, Loves, & Life, I sit down with my longtime friend Mike Ryan — a creative force, a sharp wit, and someone I once shared an office with above Akbar in Silverlake. We talk about how we met, the business we built together (a gay men’s hook-up site, back before apps...
-
Dr. Alex del Rosario: Sex, HIV, Partnership, and Growing Into Who We Are.
In this week’s episode of Friends, Loves, & Life, I sit down with someone I’ve known for nearly 25 years—Dr. Alex del Rosario. He’s an HIV specialist, a leather man, a deeply thoughtful gay doctor, and one of the most open, generous people I know. Talking with Alex always feels like pulling up a...
-
Sean Rhodes: Resilience, Reinvention, & Real Talk
In this episode of Friends, Loves, and Life, I sit down with my longtime friend Sean Rhodes for a moving, funny, and deeply honest conversation about identity, reinvention at 60, and the messy beauty of starting over. Sean opens up about being adopted, finding his birth mother, ending a...
-
Derek Lenington: My Best Friend and Husband
Welcome to the very first episode of Friends, Loves, & Life! I’m so excited to finally share this project with you—and it felt only right to start this journey with the person who’s been beside me for nearly two decades: my husband, Derek. This episode is more than just an interview. It’s a...
-
We Are Not Going Back
The Pink Triangle: A Reminder of Our Past—and the Battle We Still Face In Nazi concentration camps, a pink triangle meant one thing—you were a target. A target for guards, who were given permission to unleash unimaginable cruelty. The triangle marked you as less than human, as someone who didn’t...