One third of Gen Z identifies as queer – queer topics are therefore no niche topics.In this panel, three women from different countries talked about their way of raising queer voices and creating sensible content.
Miriam Harner, who works on “Willkommen im Club” – the queer podcast from the Bavarian public radio station BR, shares their secrets to success. First of all, the podcasts hosts, Sophia Sailer and Dimi Stratakis, are queer – they share their own experiences and take the audience with them in reports. Interactions with their audience is also a crucial part, over social media or in person at live events. But not only dothe hosts identify as queer, the entire podcast-team does! That of course makes the experience more authentic. And “Wilkommen im Club” is quite successful. Over 120 episodes were produced since may 2020 – and there is a lot more to come.
Rozenn Le Carboulec is a French journalist and works mainly on LGTB+ topics. She has written a book about the legalization of same-sex marriage in France and founded the podcast “Qouir”, the first French podcast about LGTB+ topics. In the session, she talks about left wing magazines publishing homophobic articles – dramatic for her.
In her work, she does not only interact with the queer community, but also with their families and friends. For Rozenn Le Carboulec, podcasts are a safe space, a very intimate form of communication. “It is not a coincidence that the most famous podcasts in France are created by women and minorities”. For that reason, podcasts play a big role in the representation of minorities – minorities that deserve just as much respect as others.
Ella Gibson-Weekes, producer of the two-twos podcast from London, advises that building a real community takes time and authenticity is everything. Her podcast aims at closing the gap between cis-gendered black people and the queer community. Her ultimate tool for making good queer content is to listen to the audience:“adapt to their needs whilst also keeping up your goals for the podcast”. In swipe your sign, the first- ever black-queer dating podcast, hosted by the bbc, she implemented this by creating an engaging and entertaining format that spotlights black, queer people within the traditional broadcasting company.
