How Two Twos Podcast became a crucial platform for Black LGBTQ+ individuals in britain

Published by Abi Mcintosh

Podcast hosts Rose Frimpong and Nana Duncan tell us just just how their show became one of many go-to resources of activity for a lot of Black British lesbians and exactly how it offers played a role that is significant their particular life, too.

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

The duo would be best buddies came across through just just what they describe as “classic lesbian introduction” – through an ex-girlfriend five years back.

The podcast, which initially started off as being a YouTube channel, is nearing its birthday that is first and of them expected the reaction to be therefore good if not anticipated their talks to spark in-depth conversations on the Twitter schedule weekly. While amassing numerous of listens across all streaming web internet sites, spotlighted on Spotify and in addition collaborating with RCA label – they’re on 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 those conversations are conversations we’ve without having a microphone anyway,” Frimpong says, “So it simply moves.”

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She wasn’t yes the cis straight males who follow her on Twitter would “even click the url to listen” but to her surprise, they are among Two’s Two’s faithful listeners and have now expressed to your hosts that they’re are thankful to own a place to concentrate to LGBTQ+ problems and tales. “They feel like they learnt a whole lot plus it’s helped them to dump their pre-judgement,” Frimpong says.

Through the years, I’ve seen a huge change with individuals accommodating those people who are through the LGBTQ+ community and becoming greater allies nonetheless there is certainly nevertheless lots of strive to be achieved especially aided by the older generation. “We come from households where our parents had to unlearn particular things,” Duncan says. “I guess we simply expected exactly the same from individuals who we don’t know”.

Over 41 episodes, Two Twos have now been accompanied by visitors to talk about subjects such as for example bisexuality, beginning a family group in a couple that is same-sex being gay and Muslim and interracial lesbian couples. The show is becoming this kind of hub that is essential those who work in the LGBTQ+ community, so much so for certainly one of people they know whom arrived on the scene as non-binary for an episode. “They’ve for ages been an enormous supporter of y our content from our YouTube days and also really mentioned it’s a safe room for them,” claims Duncan.

While their platform has offered as fundamental for all, it has also been an accepted destination where both hosts have discovered and discovered a great deal within the last year. Certainly one of their most episode that is special Christianity and homosexuality with visitor Reverend Jide Macaulay, that is homosexual is a certain be noticed.

Macaulay could be the creator of home of Rainbow, an organization that aims to produce a safe area for QTIPOC. The episode centered on making peace with sexuality and religion, that is one thing lot of LGBTQ+ individuals from the Black community in specific have trouble with. It absolutely was also important to Frimpong since it ended up being reassuring to own a mature Ebony guy whom affirmed her sexuality. “He ended up being 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 possessed a sound that way inside our home, possibly a few of the traumas that we’ve skilled we’dn’t have. I do believe for me, We went back into younger Rose, while recording for this episode and younger Rose had been happy at that time,” she continues.

Portrayals associated with queer experience is therefore bad that numerous of us watch for Pride to see ourselves regarding the forefront of conventional media though the hosts share the sentiment that the representation for Ebony lesbians during Pride thirty days is bound. Duncan argues that “there is not one queer experience” but judging in what is being offered during June and July, you will be mistaken. Whenever Pride thirty days rolls around, social networking is full of sets from rainbow profile photos to tees, to sandwiches, nevertheless the same form of faces are submit for these campaigns – plus it’s perhaps perhaps not diverse.

Handling those brands and organisations who will be performative, Ducan claims people that are“Queer only occur in June and July. We’ve been here, we’ve for ages been right here”. And she’s bang on – representation has to get further compared to those 61 times. Echoing this, Frimpong says representation is not merely a buzzword, for Black lesbians, that is certainly crucial 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 masc-presenting ladies are missing through the conventional media since they are maybe not regarded as palatable. “I think they brands have actually inside their brain a sense of just just what lesbian is, and I just don’t think we fit that scope.” Frimpong interjects, including: “We don’t really see dark-skinned Ebony, queer females, and lots of enough time them, they are American” if you do see.

Duncan was a tomboy since she ended up being a young adult, but she claims it’s been a gradual procedure within the next ten years of her becoming comfortable being masc-presenting. “I absolutely encountered backlash from my family, my mum, in specific, ended up being upset whenever she discovered I happened to be boxers that are wearing. At that true point i wasn’t troubled by anyone’s viewpoint in route we introduced, I just ignored it”.

Frimpong states, “I attempted to be what exactly is socially referred to as feminine but I became constantly therefore embarrassing doing so.” She identifies as masc-presenting just 2 to 3 years back. “I dropped labels like stud and stem that we identified previously. We felt masc-presenting gave room for me personally to convey myself the way I wanted and I also felt less limited with this specific identity,” she stocks.