“I was going on random forums & adding people as friends saying ‘I just want to hear your story’. They weren’t particularly mind blowing or interesting but just hearing people share what they’d been through made me really comforted.”

This simple act of interviewing people to help them understand their own experience for this guest on ‘Pause. And Rewind…’ led to the creation of Love Queers, a community platform committed to shining a spotlight on the LGBTQ+ community. As well as two successful & truly brilliant podcasts, Queer Talk & Outsiders Talk, both of which champion the importance of intergenerational & intersectional conversations.

Spencer Cooper (them/them) reflects on the role of Love Queers in their own journey as it has just hit 50k followers - which they find somewhat baffling but also proud of what they’ve achieved. It also sparks a timely & frankly refreshing conversation about Spencer’s attitude towards social media. It’s something I personally needed to hear & if you’re like me, you probably do too.

In preparation for this interview, Spencer asked their parents what Little Spencer was like & essentially, that they were a troublemaker - or in Spencer’s own words ‘a little shit’ who liked to push people. We dive deep - really deep - into their childhood, their relationship with their parents & school life which sees Spencer firmly in the driving seat from a young age as they share anecdotes that highlight their confidence, independence & strategic thinking - traits that they’ve channelled & carried into adulthood. We also explore the complexities around bullying & becoming a bully. A brave & open admission that has shaped the Spencer we know today.

Intergenerational friendships are crucial to Spencer, describing them as a blessing, and they share why it’s so important as well as their thoughts on the concept of ‘respect’. We chat about Spencer’s big move from Rhyl to London, their love of Lilo & Stitch, watching WWE wrestling & why you should “just give yourself a fucking break!” Enjoy…

Oh & BTW Outsiders Talk series two, featuring Spencer’s co-host & last week’s guest Paula Harrowing, is on the horizon. Stay tuned!

As usual, this episode contains some challenging topics so take care of yourself whilst listening.