Our Black Gay Diaspora Podcast™

Rob Berkeley is the founder and managing editor at BlkOutUK.com, “a not-for-profit social enterprise run and owned by a volunteer collective of black gay men.” He's also a writer who contributed to the 2014 anthology Black and Gay in the UK. His story is titled The Brotherhood Dilemma. Described as an educationalist with interests in media, creativity, and the arts, Rob has a desire to disrupt power dynamics for the betterment of those on the margins of society.

Paulo Saka is a Swedish senior content programming manager at Spotify. He’s also a writer for Krull Magazine, “a creative digital platform and the preeminent lifestyle publication for black culture in Stockholm, Sweden.” Paulo is a dynamic and engaging individual who shares who he is as a Black queer Swedish professional.

Cameron Johnson is an American screenwriter, director, and producer. He's written for series like Fox’s Empire, the CW’s Nancy Drew, and BET’s Zoe Ever After, starring actress and singer Brandy Norwood. Cameron is also the co-creator and executive producer of the CW series Tom Swift, and producer of The Best Man: The Final Chapters. He shares with me how he use his professional credentials and personal experiences to breathe life into Black openly gay characters.

Byron Adu is an Australian senior policy and project officer for a governmental agency in Melbourne. Originally from Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia, Byron and his sister were contestants on season two of Hunted Australia, a reality television series based on the British series of the same name. He’s also the founder of Every Minority, “a platform to share and showcase the diverse stories and experiences of people in Australia, with a particular focus on LGBTIQ + POC communities.”

Antoine Craigwell is the President and CEO of DBGM, Inc., an organization “dedicated to recognizing, articulating and highlighting LGBTQIA+ Black and people of color in the African Diaspora and their mental health needs.” This past June 2023, Mental Health America presented Antoine with the Clifford W. Beers Award, an honor presented annually to an individual who best exemplifies the examples set by MHA founder Clifford W. Beers, to “improve conditions for, and attitudes toward, people living with mental health conditions.”

Russell Brooks is a Montréal-based Canadian crime novelist with familial roots in Barbados. And he has the distinction of being my first Canadian guest. Russell is the author of four suspense thrillers which include Pandora’s Succession, Unsavory Delicacies, Chill Run, and The Demeter Code. His most recent is titled Jam Run, Russell’s first Afro-Caribbean LGBTQ-themed crime novel. It's the second in the Eddie Barrow crime novel series.

John-Paul Zaccarini is a Professor of Performing Arts for Bodily and Vocal Practices at Stockholm University in Stockholm, Sweden, and the Project Leader of FutureBrownSpace. John-Paul is a trained dancer and actor who has directed and choreographed circus and theater productions in the UK, Denmark, and Sweden, working with circuses and choreographed aerial dances for The Royal Variety Performance, The Nobel Prize award ceremonies, and Hermès luxury design house.

Gamal 'G' Turawa returns to interview creator and host Erick Taylor Woodby, who shares his pride in being gay. His pride in being Black. His pride in being himself.

Ashanti Martinez serves as the first openly LGBTQ+ member of the General Assembly from Prince George’s County District 22 in the Maryland House of Delegates. A graduate of Howard University, a historically Black college in Washington, D.C., Ashanti, shares about this and more as a Black LGBT politician.