Compiled by Abi Mcintosh

Podcast hosts Rose Frimpong and Nana Duncan inform us how their show became among the go-to resources of activity for all Black British lesbians and just how it offers played a substantial part in their very own life, too.

You may battle to think about many Black British lesbians in the general public attention, if any after all. It’s something both Rose Frimpong, 29, and Nana Duncan, 28, from London felt if they had been in search of representation when you look at the conventional news. This not enough presence encouraged them to start out their very platform that is own Two Twos Podcast.

The duo are most readily useful buddies met through what they describe as “classic lesbian introduction” – with an ex-girlfriend five years back.

The podcast, which initially started off being a YouTube channel, is nearing its birthday that is first and of them expected the reaction to be therefore positive and on occasion even expected their talks to spark in-depth conversations on their Twitter schedule weekly. While amassing 1000s of listens across all streaming web sites, spotlighted on https://hookupdate.net/tr/interracialdatingcentral-inceleme/ Spotify as well as collaborating with RCA label – they’ve been for a roll that is great.

The hosts have honest and hilarious yet thought-provoking discussions with each other about everything from sex and relationships to lazy stereotypes, which of course is made easy because of their close friendship during each episode. “A great deal of the conversations are conversations we’ve with no microphone anyway,” Frimpong says, “So it simply moves.”

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She wasn’t yes the cis men that are straight follow her on Twitter would “even click the backlink to listen” but to her shock, they are among Two’s Two’s loyal audience while having expressed into the hosts that they’re are thankful to possess a space to listen to LGBTQ+ issues and stories. “They feel like they learnt a whole lot plus it’s helped them to dump their pre-judgement,” Frimpong says.

Over time, I’ve seen a shift that is huge people accommodating those people who are through the LGBTQ+ community and becoming greater allies nonetheless there clearly was nevertheless lots of work to be achieved specially using the older generation. “We come from households where our moms and dads needed to unlearn things that are certain” Duncan says. “I guess we simply wished for exactly the same from individuals who we don’t know”.

Over 41 episodes, Two Twos have already been accompanied by visitors to go over subjects such as for instance bisexuality, beginning a family group in a same-sex few, being gay and Muslim and interracial lesbian couples. The show is actually this kind of important hub for those into the LGBTQ+ community, to such an extent for certainly one of people they know whom arrived on the scene as non-binary on an episode. “They’ve for ages been a giant supporter of y our content from our YouTube times while having really mentioned it’s a safe space for them,” says Duncan.

While their platform has served as fundamental for a lot of, it has in addition been an accepted destination where both hosts have discovered and discovered a great deal within the last year. Certainly one of their many unique episode on Christianity and homosexuality with guest Reverend Jide Macaulay, that is gay is a certain stick out.

Macaulay may be the creator of House of Rainbow, an organization that aims to create a space that is safe QTIPOC. The episode dedicated to making peace with sex and faith, which can be one thing a complete large amount of LGBTQ+ folks from the Ebony community in specific have trouble with. It absolutely was also essential to Frimpong because it had been reassuring to possess an adult Ebony man whom affirmed her sex. “He had been validating us, whereas in the home, anyone who looks us, ‘No, you can’t do this, you can’t be this way’” she says like him in our households was telling. “Maybe whenever we had a voice that way inside our household, maybe a number of the traumas that we’ve skilled we’dn’t have. I do believe for me personally, We went back into younger Rose, while recording for this episode and more youthful Rose had been delighted at the time,” she continues.

Portrayals for the experience that is queer therefore bad that lots of of us watch for Pride to see ourselves in the forefront of main-stream media but the hosts share the belief that the representation for Ebony lesbians during Pride thirty days is restricted. Duncan argues that “there is not one experience that is queer but judging in what is on offer during June and July, you’d be mistaken. Whenever Pride month rolls around, social media marketing is full of sets from rainbow profile photos to T-shirts, to sandwiches, nevertheless the same sort of faces are submit for these campaigns – also it’s maybe perhaps not diverse.

Handling those brands and organisations who will be performative, Ducan claims people that are“Queer just exist in June and July. We’ve been right right here, we’ve for ages been right right here”. And she’s bang on – representation needs to get further compared to those 61 times. Echoing this, Frimpong states representation is not merely a buzzword, for Black lesbians, it is truly essential at you so you don’t feel so alone as it helps to be able to see a version of yourself reflected back.

Duncan claims Ebony women that are masc-presenting lacking through the main-stream media because they’re maybe maybe not viewed as palatable. “I think they brands have actually within their brain a sense of just just what lesbian is, and I just don’t think we fit that scope.” Frimpong interjects, incorporating: “We don’t really see dark-skinned Ebony, queer ladies, and plenty of the full time if you do see them, they’ve been American”.

Duncan happens to be a tomboy since she ended up being a young adult, but she states it’s been a gradual procedure within the next a decade of her becoming comfortable being masc-presenting. “I certainly encountered backlash from my loved ones, my mum, in particular, had been upset whenever she discovered I happened to be wearing boxers. At that point we wasn’t troubled by anyone’s viewpoint on your way we delivered, we just ignored it”.

Frimpong states, I ended up being constantly therefore embarrassing performing this.“ I attempted become what exactly is socially referred to as feminine but” She identifies as masc-presenting just 2 to 3 years back. “I dropped labels like stud and stem that I identified previously. We felt masc-presenting gave space for me personally to convey myself the way I desired and I also felt less restricted using this identity,” she stocks.