feature image photo by Rodin Eckenroth / Stringer via Getty Images

Well, well, well. Another month, another white queer person saying stupid shit into a microphone, with other queer white people standing around letting it happen. I am, of course, referring to Betty Who’s appearance on the Made It Out podcast with Mal Glowenke. Admittedly, this is the most I’ve ever heard of Betty Who, an Australian pop artist who has apparently been active in the music industry for quite some time and is best known for marketing her music to the sapphic community. Betty Who identifies with both the bisexual and non-binary labels, but it seems as though many listeners were under the impression that Betty Who is a lesbian and were surprised to hear her reveal on the aforementioned podcast that she is indeed married to a man she’s been with since 2014.

Conversations around labels and policing identity can get real murky real quick, so let me make a few things clear:

• A queer person is still a queer person even if she is currently dating someone of the “opposite sex.”
• A person’s labels are entirely up to them, and people should use labels that best help them move through this world.
• When we police someone’s identity — especially queer and trans folks — we are playing into conservative, right-wing playbooks, and we should do our best to avoid doing so.

With all of that out of the way, I’d like to focus specifically on the two things that Betty Who said in the podcast interview, which are the issues that many creators have pointed out in response videos.

Betty Who stated, “Now we’ve come so far, that our community is so strong, that now it’s like a crime to be straight.” This is obviously a preposterous statement to make at any given time, but especially as we bear witness to the stripping of LGBTQIA+ rights, including the threat of overturning Obergefell v. Hodges — aka federal marriage equality.

While speaking about her own experience falling in love with a man after identifying with the lesbian label, Betty Who made the dumbfounding decision to name Reneé Rapp by first and last name in a conversation in which she had not consented to be involved. “Reneé Rapp is like, ‘You’ll never catch me dating a man.’ It’s like, ‘Go off, queen! I love that for you! But I also hold space for her in 10 years if she goes, ‘Oops, I met the love of my life and it’s this man, I didn’t mean to.’” As many other writers and creators have pointed out, you have never — and will never — see a similar sentence be said about a gay man falling in love with a woman. It simply would not happen. The only way to view that quote is for what it is: lesbophobic.

Many creators have pointed out exactly what is wrong with Betty Who’s statements and, further, with Glowenke’s lack of intervention during or after the interview was recorded and shared. Many Black creators and creators of color have been correct in pointing out a glaring pattern with comments like Betty Who’s and where they take place: by, with, and in front of white people. This has created a much needed conversation around the sheer lack of representation of queer and trans people of color in podcasting. I share the same sentiment that I’ve seen many others post: something’s gotta give.

While Betty Who has since issued an apology statement to her Instagram, which lacks specific accountability for the lesbophobia and oddly omits Reneé Rapp’s name this time around, the issue remains the same and will likely continue to happen so long as we *only* platform white queer people.

As a white man with a podcast, I am overjoyed to share with you a list of podcasts (or similar formats) led by Black queer women and gender nonconforming folks, and queer and trans folks of color.

1. Afterlives: Marsha P Johnson

Hosted by Raquel Willis

This podcast celebrates and chronicles the life and legacy of Marsha P. Johnson.

2. Best Friends with Nicole Byer and Sasheer Zamata

Hosted by Nicole Byer and Sasheer Zamata

Best friends Nicole Byer (who doesn’t really use labels but has said in the past she is not straight) and Sasheer Zamata, who recently came out as a “late-in-life” lesbian, combine their superb comedy chops in this podcast where they talk about sorta everything.

3. Gender Spiral Podcast

Hosted by Babette Thomas and Ally Beardsley

Gender Spiral explores queer folks’ relationship with the gender binary and what it looks like to navigate the gendered world we live in.

4. Glass Closet

Hosted by Nia

Here’s a podcast about queerness, pop culture, NYC, and all the various things those touch.

5. Hoodrat to Headwrap: A Decolonized Podcast

Hosted by Ericka Hart and Ebony Donnley

Sexuality educator Ericka Hart and activist Ebony Donnley offer decolonial, queer, Black analyses of everything from pop culture to consumerism to voting, history, music, and more.

6. I‘m The Devil Podcast

Hosted by Sophia Wilson Pelton and Hannah Wakefield

Queer and trans comedian Sophia Wilson Pelton and their bisexual co-host Hannah Wakefield recap reality series Vanderpump Rules and other scandalous pop culture moments.

7. The Jade Fox Show

Hosted by Jade Fox

Jade Fox interviews and celebrates Black queer artists and creators.

8. The Lavender Menace

Hosted by Renaissance and Sunny

Two nonbinary lesbian communists of color offers their thoughts and takes on pop culture and media, and the show is broken into three acts.

9. Lemme Say This

Hosted by Hunter Harris and Peyton Dix

Celebrity and internet culture are at the heart of this podcast from two besties.

10. Normal Gossip

Hosted by Rachelle Hampton

Rachelle has taken over the wildly popular Normal Gossip podcast, where real-life gossip from people you’ll never know gets retold and dissected.

11. Purse First

Hosted by Sesali and Prince Piérre

This podcast is all about queer and woman-fronted hip-hop and includes music and video reviews, interviews with artists, commentary on the industry, and more.

12. The No Homo Show

Hosted by Boss Britt and DJ EXeL

Through interviews and topical conversations, The No Homo Show looks at the wide range of LGBTQ+ relationships, lived experiences, and communities.

13. Scam Goddess

Hosted by Laci Mosley

If you’re fascinated by scammers, you’ll want to check out this podcast all about wild fraud, robberies, scams, and capers from throughout history.

14. Sistas Who Kill

Hosted by MaRah and Taz

This weekly true crime podcast presents the stories of Black women who have killed.

15. The Strapdown

Hosted by Aurea Young and Sheria Mattis

The hilarious Black queer femme comedian co-hosts of this podcast cover dating, news, queer parties, and so much more and often have guests on for interviews, games, and humorous debates.

16. Today in Gay

Hosted by Nay Bever, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Vico Ortiz

The short-form daily news podcast rounds up joyful queer news.

17. Tunnel Wars The Podcast

Hosted by Ian Isiah and Lily Marotta

This podcast about basketball and fashion is for the WNBA gays.

18. Two Idiot Girls

Hosted by Deison Afualo and Drew Afualo

These co-hosts will talk about just about anything, from culture to advice and beyond.

19. Upstairs Neighbors Podcast

Hosted by Dom Roberts and Maya Umemoto Gorman

Another catchall conversational podcast, Upstairs Neighbors offers wild stories, chats about culture, and advice.

20. The Wellness Wives

Hosted by Ashley Tierra and Cortney

Love, entertainment, and wellness are the primary topics of this pod.

This may not be a perfect list of active podcasts — though, it never hurts to go back and listen — and it’s certainly not complete. Please leave a comment sharing your favorite podcast that you think folks should tune in to, and we can continue to add to this growing list.

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