As the fight for equality for transgender people coincides with a disturbingly steady rise in hate crimes against trans individuals, it’s abundantly clear that a spotlight needs to be shined on both the trans community and the LGBTQ community at large. While being vocal about the issues facing trans people (and trans people of color) across the planet is absolutely essential in the push for tolerance and acceptance, it’s just as important to take the time to listen to trans voices on the front lines of the struggle for change as well as the allies who routinely speak out against hate year-round, not just during Pride Month. One of the simplest ways to do this is by tuning into podcasts that amplify trans voices in the podcasting medium. Let these nine podcasts be your starting point.
Gender Reveal
Tuck Woodstock’s podcast Gender Reveal is a long-running show — over 90 episodes and counting — that sets out to understand gender and all its complex facets through the lens of trans voices and nonbinary people. Through enlightening interviews with members of the community to news-heavy deep-dives into the current events of the day, Gender Reveal is a comprehensive and thorough examination of individual identity and all that it encompasses. From trans artists to nonbinary activists to LGBTQ educators, Tuck Woodstock’s efforts to simultaneously amplify marginalized voices within the community and educate those outside the community have been hugely successful so far.
Listen to Gender Reveal here and amplify your favorite parts across social media using the sharing feature on the Backtracks Player.
What The Trans?!
While many of these podcasts are notable because they amplify trans voices from the United States, it’s also worth looking into podcasts that provide a worldly perspective. What The Trans?! is one such example, where British hosts/trans journalists Michelle and Ashleigh talk about the biggest issues facing the LGBTQ community in the U.K. (in addition to some guest interviews and pop culture discussions, too). Their episodes often clock in well at over an hour long, but there’s simply too much to talk about to keep things under 60 minutes.
Listen to What The Trans?! here and amplify your favorite parts across social media using the sharing feature on the Backtracks Player.
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Growing Up Moonie
Writer-producer Hideo Higashibaba goes from behind the mic to front-and-center with his series Growing Up Moonie. Why, you ask? To tell his story… and what a story it is. You see, Hideo left home at 22 years old. It just so happens that home for Hideo was a cult called the Unification Church, also known as the Moonies. Originating in Korea and led by a man named Sun Myung Moon who advertised himself as the Second Coming of Christ, growing up in the Unification Church was incredibly difficult for Hideo, who has since come out as queer and transgender since fleeing his oppressive upbringing. Each of the show’s seven episodes are essential listening for anyone interested in learning about what it’s like to grow up scared to be who you truly are.
Listen to Growing Up Moonie here and amplify your favorite parts across social media using the sharing feature on the Backtracks Player.
How to Be a Girl
It’s not often you find a podcast co-hosted by a kid. It’s even more rare to come across one co-hosted by a single mother and her six-year-old transgender daughter. That’s exactly what How to Be a Girl is, though. Marlo Mack — the aforementioned single mother — and her daughter have recorded 37 episodes since 2014, each one tracking their family’s journey as they navigate the definition of womanhood and wrestle with the challenges the pair faces on the daily. It’s fascinating to hear their perspective as they attempt to set the record straight about raising transgender children, finding a place in the LGBTQ community, and grappling with the way they’re treated (and mistreated) by the public on the regular.
Listen to How to Be a Girl here and amplify your favorite parts across social media using the sharing feature on the Backtracks Player.
Marsha’s Plate
At nearly 200 episodes and coming up on three years on the air, the podcast Marsha’s Plate proves to be one of the earliest and most prolific shows to tackle trans issues. Spearheaded by three friends, Diamond Stylz, Mia Mix, and Zee, Marsha’s Plate aims to cover the current day’s issues within the queer community from the perspective of its three black trans voices. No matter if they’re discussing politics, social media, gender, pop culture, Pride Month, Black Lives Matter, or the hot topic of the day, long-time and first-time listeners alike can be certain that the unique perspectives presented by the trio at Marsha’s Plate will illuminate unique perspectives in a whole new light.
Listen to Marsha’s Plate here and amplify your favorite parts across social media using the sharing feature on the Backtracks Player.
Transgeneral
One of the smaller trans podcasts to be featured here, Transgeneral had seemingly run its course between January of 2016 and February of 2017 before suddenly resurfacing with new episodes in the spring of 2020. Hosts Chelsey and Charlotte covered the basics back in their first run, dedicating entire episodes to topics they dubbed “Transgender 101,” “Dysphoria 101,” and “Transition 101,” but now spend the new episodes tackling more advanced subjects such as transphobia, mutualist queer spaces and mental health through poetry. Ultimately, no matter where exactly you hop in, Chelsey and Charlotte have the charisma and the know-how to keep you informed.
Listen to Transgeneral here and amplify your favorite parts across social media using the sharing feature on the Backtracks Player.
One From the Vaults
If One From the Vaults wasn’t the very first podcast dedicated entirely to covering trans history, then they were certainly one of the pioneers. Covering the secret and hidden history of important trans voices and history makers within the LGBTQ community with highly informational episodes since December of 2015, One From the Vaults host Morgan M. Page has made a point to shine a light on the key events in the history of the fight for equality for trans people. Plus, One From the Vaults episodes typically clock in at under 30 minutes, so there’s really no excuse not to get educated on the main events on the trans historical timeline.
Listen to One From the Vaults here and amplify your favorite parts across social media using the sharing feature on the Backtracks Player.
Queersplaining
Callie Wright’s podcast Queersplaining has had one simple goal in mind for 250 episodes now: to tell true stories from queer people and trans voices in their own words. By and large, Callie’s mission has been an incredibly successful one (and it’s not just because of the impressive episode count). With a loyal following and a consistent schedule of uploads, Queersplaining is a dependable and easy-to-follow podcast for those just starting their journey through the world of trans-centric podcasts. Not only is it a great place to kick off from, but Queersplaining is also a podcast worth revisiting again and again.
Listen to Queersplaining here and amplify your favorite parts across social media using the sharing feature on the Backtracks Player.
TransPanTastic
Given the popularity of parenting podcasts, it’s not surprising that TransPanTastic has been able to gather such a dedicated fanbase. Hosted by George, a transgender man, and Jess, his pansexual genderqueer wife, the couple have spent the last seven years discussing sexual orientation, gender and identity, parenting struggles, work problems, social media, Pride Month, and just about anything else that would fall under the umbrella topic of life itself. While the show’s 300+ episodes might be intimidating at first, fear not: George and Jess are great hosts and their podcast doesn’t require you to start from the very beginning. Just hop in anywhere — they’d be happy to have you join them.
Listen to TransPanTastic here and amplify your favorite parts across social media using the sharing feature on the Backtracks Player.
Further Listening
Whether you’re interested in pursuing more queer voices in podcasts or looking to discover a completely different kind of podcast entirely, Backtracks has you covered. There’s an endless supply of great shows on our site in addition to many great curated collections like this one on our blog. For further listening, check out our series on Amplifying Black Voices in Podcasts, which includes Women, Society & Culture, Comedy, and Health & Wellness, or the first entry in our Amplifying Queer Voices in Podcasts series, which focuses on Black queer podcasts.
