We talk with Manchester-based poet Amy about growing up without queer role models, first love with a best friend, and learning to claim “lesbian” with joy. The chat ends with her live poem about a double coming out in Wetherspoons.

• childhood in Grimsby with little queer visibility
• legacy of Section 28 shaping silent classrooms
• first crushes, confusion, and a secret relationship
• telling mum and dad in small, human moments
• TV and history as lifelines for representation
• reclaiming lesbian and standing with trans siblings
• haircut, visibility, and letting beauty be ours
• poetry from slam urgency to crafted page work
• practical advice on safety, timing, and community
• live reading: Coming Out In Wetherspoons

Follow Amy on Instagram HERE

Presented by Emma Goswell

Produced by Sam Walker

We'd love to hear YOUR story. Please get in touch www.comingoutstoriespodcast.com or find us on twitter @ComeOutStories and on Instagram @ComingOutStoriesPod

We have a book! Coming Out Stories is available at all major shops now!

JKP.com | Queerlit | Waterstones | Amazon

Coming Out Stories is a What Goes On Media Production

A goodbye note found on a computer.

A father who says, “I don’t understand, but I love you.”

A marriage that proves joy can grow in places once ruled by fear.

From rural West Virginia to an online audience that shows up for humour, makeup, and honesty, we sit with Bobby Jean Spears as he traces a path from secrecy to self-belief.

If you’re weighing how and when to come out, you’ll find practical advice: start with a trusted friend, build a small circle, and save the family talk for when you feel safe.

If you’ve faced rejection, you’ll hear how life can still open up in surprising, ordinary, wonderful ways.

Subscribe, leave a review, and share this with someone who needs a reminder that better isn’t a slogan; it’s a direction we can walk together.

Follow Bobby Jean:

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@bobbyjeanspears

IG https://www.instagram.com/itsbobbyjeanspears/

This episode also honours the legacy of Anne Algar, a lesbian trailblazer whose activism for lesbian mums shaped the ground we stand on for so many of us.

Presented by Emma Goswell

Produced by Sam Walker

We'd love to hear YOUR story. Please get in touch www.comingoutstoriespodcast.com or find us on twitter @ComeOutStories and on Instagram @ComingOutStoriesPod

We have a book! Coming Out Stories is available at all major shops now!

JKP.com | Queerlit | Waterstones | Amazon

Coming Out Stories is a What Goes On Media Production

The moment Christina saw a woman looking back at her in the mirror changed everything. "I can't really describe the euphoria," she reveals. "It was like finding something I didn't know was missing."

Christina's journey began with childhood signs that went unrecognised. Growing up in the 1990s, she always gravitated toward traditionally feminine activities and friendships with girls, yet lacked the framework to understand her identity. When her father bought her football tickets as a treat, she innocently asked, "Have I been really naughty? Is this a punishment?"

Her journey took a troubling detour at university when she first approached a GP about gender dysphoria, only to be dismissed with antidepressants that numbed rather than helped. "I was treating a symptom in a very negative, very non-constructive way," Christina reflects. Years passed before the COVID lockdown forced her to confront suppressed feelings and begin her transition in earnest.

Coming out proved so challenging that Christina initially wrote letters to friends, unable to verbalise her identity. While most relationships survived her transition, including a remarkable friendship with her supportive ex-wife, others couldn't accept her authentic self. Today, Christina works with trans support groups in Greater Manchester, helping others navigate similar journeys.

Her story illuminates the power of persistence through societal barriers and personal doubt. As Christina puts it: "It's a marathon, not a sprint... I never thought I'd be able to get to where I am now." Her experience reminds us that while finding yourself may be difficult, the joy of authenticity makes every step worthwhile.

Presented by Emma Goswell

Produced by Sam Walker

We'd love to hear YOUR story. Please get in touch www.comingoutstoriespodcast.com or find us on twitter @ComeOutStories and on Instagram @ComingOutStoriesPod

We have a book! Coming Out Stories is available at all major shops now!

JKP.com | Queerlit | Waterstones | Amazon

Coming Out Stories is a What Goes On Media Production