Lost Spaces: Memories from Gay Bars, Lesbian Clubs, and LGBTQ+ Parties
Episodes
an update....
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Keep in touch...Subscribe to Queer Word newsletter - https://queer-word.beehiiv.com/subscribeE-mail me - [email protected] me - https://buyme...
Greatest Hits - 'Where Do Lesbians Go For Fun?' - with Layne the Auctionista
24 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episodes first came out in 2024, and here's what I had to say about it: I love hearing people's stories of places that are close to their...
Greatest HIts - 'It Took Almost 30 Years Before I Actually Transitioned' - with Amethysta Herrick
17 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode first appeared in 2024, and here's what I had to say... There's one question that gets asked in this week's episode that’s ...
Greatest Hits - "'Love Is Love' - Until You're Black, Trans, Disabled, Non-Binary..." - with Andrew Gurza from Disability After Dark
10 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode was first shared in 2024, and here's what I had to say: I know there's always the risk with this show of completely romanticising...
Greatest Hits - 'Disco 2000 Was The Hub Of The Club Kids Scene' - with Abdi Nazemian
03 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I first shared this episode in 2024, and here's what I had to say: So, if you were to ask me to overly generalise and boil down the types of exper...
Greatest HIts - 'For Me, Drag Always Was Like A Political Act' - with Lil' Miss Hot Mess
27 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode first featured in 2022, and here's what I had to say: On this week's show we're talking to Lil Miss Hot Mess, who is as fun t...
Greatest Hits - 'When I Was a Young Teen Transsexual in Toronto' - with Morgan M Page
20 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
One of the things I love doing most about this show is, obviously, getting the chance to learn about different people's experiences and circumstan...
Greatest Hits - 'I Saw Gay Men Everywhere. Gay Women? Not So Much...' - with Jaimie Kelton from The Queer Family Podcast
13 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode was first shared in 2023, and here's what I had to say: You know how sometimes these conversations are only very, very, very tenuousl...
Greatest Hits - 'The First Gay Place That I Went Inside...' - with Alex Iantaffi from Gender Stories Podcast
06 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode first featured in 2024, and here's what I had to say... The lyric to that very famous 80s TV theme song is 'sometimes you want to...
Greatest Hits - 'I don’t think anyone thought I was full-hetero' - with Lori Bell
30 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode first appeared in 2021, and here's what I said: It's our very first visit to the city where I grew up…. Adelaide! I got to sit ...
Greatest Hits - 'Lean Into My Transness' - with Simona Castricum
23 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode first appeared in 2021, and here's what I had to say about it: Simona Castricum is a musician, DJ and producer based in Melbourne, Au...
Greatest Hits - “Where Are All The Lesbians?” - with Lisa Haas
16 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode first appeared all the way back in 2021, and here's what I had to say about it: Have you ever had someone try to coax you out of the ...
Greatest Hits - 'There Weren’t That Many Out Gay Actors Playing Out Gay Roles' - with actor David Paisley
09 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode first featured in 2021 (!), and here's what I had to say about it then: This week we are talking to David Paisley, a Scottish actor k...
Greatest Hits - "I Never Really Came Out To My Mother... She Read My Diary..." - with Sheria Mattis
02 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode first appeared in September 2023, and here's what I had to say about it:Sometimes I feel a bit dumb (or maybe just a bit sheepish) ab...
Greatest Hits: "You're Gay And Gothic... And You're A Christian Now?" - with Chris Conde
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode was first shared in 2023, and here's what I had to say about it:You know, in all of the time that we've been doing this show we&#...
Greatest Hits: "Are You 'In The Life'?" - with Phil Corin
18 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Greatest hits episode! This conversation was first shared in 2023, and this is what I had to say about it: One of the things that I've noticed is fair...
Greatest Hits: 'I'd Never Seen Any Lesbians... And Then I Saw ALL The Lesbians...' -with comedian Naomi Mourra
11 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Greatest hits episode! This conversation was first shared in 2023, and this is what I had to say about it: So, you know I love me a story about someon...
Greatest Hits: "The Very Beginnings Of My Actual Gay Life..." - with comedian Jacob Trueman
04 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're revisiting some of my favourite/most memorable/most impactful episodes throughout June!Sometimes I'm really taken aback by what an absol...
'I Can't Imagine Not Being Gay' - with author Troy Ford
28 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s entirely possible that it’s just the contrarian in me, but I kind of love when I am talking to a guest who is like ‘been there, done that, ...
'A Gay Kid Trying To Fit In' - with Brian Gryphon
21 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ok, so this just might be the most obvious statement that I've ever made. And, that's really saying something, considering all of the clangers...
'Single and Celibate for Jesus' - with Alex Gay
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever decided that you were going to go celibate and swear off sex forever? Probably. It happens. Now, my follow up question - have you ever p...
'The Part I Couldn't Stand About The Lesbian Community' - with comedian Glo Butler
07 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Do you remember the person that you were before you first had your heart broken? How you moved through the world? How you approached relationships and...
'Oh, You Know, The 'Gay' Thing' - with actor Paul Cram
30 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week's episode feels like a bit of a culmination of different thoughts that have been bubbling up from recent conversations on the show.First, th...
'It Validated That I Am Gay' - with Greg R Baird
23 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week it's the story of The Copa, a club that was found (across two different sites) in Flint, Michigan between the years of 1980-1995But, re...
'Experiencing Gay Culture For The First Time...' - with drag queen Tita Baby
16 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Subscribe to my newsletter Queer Word, where we explore and unpack a different queer word every week. You know how we talk about queer spaces as a pla...
'The 'Gay Age'' - with Koby Falks
09 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever heard of the concept of a “gay age”?If not, here's the gist: the idea goes that we each have a gay age, which starts from the mo...
'A Queer Kid In A Small Town' - with comedian Sunny Laprade
02 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes when you live in a small close-knit community there is nowhere to hide. No where to disappear to. It can feel like you're always on guar...
'I Don't Do Very Well With Binaries' - with drag king Mr Wesley Dykes
26 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We talk a lot about — and when I say 'we,' I mean the wider queer community — how upsetting it is that queer bars and clubs are closing at...
'I Didn't Know Any Other Gay People' with Steve Whiting from Hey Queer London
19 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I've always struggled with the word community, because it's something that I've desperately wanted - I've wanted to belong, and I'...
'A Way I Could Express My Queerness' - with drag king Erik Sjon
12 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There's a reason that the theme song to the Golden Girls hits so hard for me. And, I think it's because I've always valued friendships ove...
'Darling, You're Gay...' - with Michael Bach
05 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
So, usually we talk about a bar or a club or a coffee shop… or some kind of building, at least. But this week we're doing something a little bit...
'I Was With My People' - with Brad Shreve
26 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Coming out can be both thrilling and exhilarating… but also kind of dangerous.There’s something about that first rush of freedom that makes you fe...
'I Thought I Was God's Gift To Drag' - with Jackie Daniels
19 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ugh, I can't believe that it's been almost five whole years since the Covid-19 pandemic came along and turned all of our lives upside down. Fi...
'Just Seeing Two Guys Dancing Cheek-to-Cheek...' - with Frank Akinsete
12 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week's episode could very well be titled 'The Many Lovers of Frank Akinsete', because we somehow manage to cover off about half a doz...
'Being In A Room Full Of Queer People Has Such A Power' - with author AJ Romriell
05 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
So, Mormonism doesn't have the best reputation on this show. And honestly, given their policies toward queer people, that's not exactly surpri...
'I Was A Fat Guy Living In The Gay World' - with Dan and Don from The Big Fat Gay Podcast
29 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
So, we're over 250 episodes in to this show, and on some days when I'm feeling particularly cocky I'm like 'oh, yeah, I think I've...
'People Are So Gay Now!' - with author Frank DeCaro
22 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
So if I were to tell you that this week's guest had just published a new book titled 'Disco: Music, Movies, and Mania Under the Mirror Ball...
Introducing 'Sex Ed With Tim'
15 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sign up for the Queer Word Newsletter We are back to our regular programming next week! But, for our final pod-swap I am sharing the conve...
Introducing 'Dennis Anyone'
08 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sign up for the Queer Word Newsletter This week we have Dennis Anyone, hosted by Dennis Hensley, as our special podcast-swap episode! De...
Introducing 'The Queer Family Podcast'
01 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sign up for the Queer Word Newsletter Share your 2025 plans/resolutions with me: [email protected] Over the holidays I'm going to share...
Introducing 'Gender Identity Weekly'
25 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sign up for the Queer Word Newsletter Over the holidays I'm going to share episodes from other podcasts that I've guested on throughout 2024,...
'Queerness As A Kind Of Attitude' - with Emma Frankland
18 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lately I keep thinking about that phrase "the past is a foreign country", and how sometimes a space doesn’t have to disappear to feel lost...
'A Lot Of Gay Men Were Kind Of Rude' - with Matthew Hays
11 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I've been getting increasingly sappy with you recently, and I'm not sure whether that's because I'm just getting softer in my older ye...
'Oh, So You're A Lockdown Queen?' - with Jens Radda
04 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes when I'm putting this show together I like to imagine that someone has somehow found this show in 50 years time and are having a good ol...
'I Never Had To Say I'm Gay Or I'm Queer Or I'm Pansexual' - with D'orjay
27 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Although I can appreciate a lot of the things about getting older I wouldn't say that I'm totally super enthusiastic about it (especially the ...
'I've Always Been The Odd One Out Because Of My Queerness' - with Sam See
20 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Not many people can say they owe their entire career to their local gay bar, but for comedian Sam See, that’s exactly the case! His first brush with...
'Am I A Lesbian?' - with Jane Postlethwaite from All the Terrible Things: A Paranormal Queer Comedy Podcast
13 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I would never wish the years of uncertainty, overthinking, and isolation on anyone navigating their queerness. But, there's something magical abo...
'We Can All Kiss Girls (And Nobody's Mad About It)' - with Sinn Sage
06 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I've just realised that, for a podcast that is for mostly about queer clubbing and nightlife, we don't actually talk all that much about drugs...
'...Because I'm THAT Gay Stereotype' - with Nick Baker from Incomplete Geeks Podcast
30 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When I first moved to London I had this friend who I would go to bars and clubs with. And, he was totally, 100% a friend of convenience. In fact, the ...
'Being Gay Is A Great Superpower' - with Santana Sexmachine
23 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
You may have had some wild clubbing nights in your life, but were any ever as wild as obliviously walking around with a shit-stained t-shirt thinking ...
'A Beautiful Go-Go Dancer' - with Manuel Skye
16 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
So, if we were to say that clubbing is a religion, then the club is the place of worship, the music is the hymn, and the DJ takes on the role of the P...
'A Rite Of Passage For Any Gay Man Living In New York' - with David Kennerley
09 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I think that I might have met my match. For the last few years I've been feeling as though I'm the person who talks the most about lost queer ...
'I Didn't Have Gay Friends At That Point' - with Neil Laird
02 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week it's time to talk about love... Now, I know what you're thinking. Who am I to talk about love when all I seem to be interested in a...
'Queerness Is Such A Big Part Of My Identity And Definition' - with Matte Namer from The FMs
25 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We get assigned a lot of roles in life depending on how we look, how tall we are, which family we're born in to... Sometimes living up to these ro...
'It Didn't Feel Very Queer To Me' - with Ames Pennington
18 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What do you do if you think the scene isn't a welcoming place for you? If you don't feel particularly excited to be in spaces that are pumping...
'Full Blown Gay...' - with J3M
11 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I sometimes rail against this notion of 'chosen family', and I always assumed that the reason I did this was because somewhere in the back of ...
'I Wasn't Very Popular In Gay Male Spaces' - with Miah Jeffra
04 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We’re going to get really cheesy this week... You probably already know that I love me some cheesy, poetic imagery. And this week I may have stumble...
'Oh, Look, There's International Mr. Leather!' - with John Pendal
28 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
So, I will readily admit that I was a bit naive when it came to the world of leather pageantry. Obviously I knew that these leather competitions exis...
'The First Gay Place That I Went Inside...' - with Alex Iantaffi from Gender Stories Podcast
21 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The lyric to that very famous 80s TV theme song is 'sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name'. Whilst I think that's true...
'Seeing These Beautiful Queer Faces' - with Terrence O'Brian Henderson
14 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Are you one of those people that has a crystal clear memory of where they were and how they reacted when they found out about momentous moments in his...
'My Queerness Is My Strength' - with John Sizzle
07 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I was gutted, understandably, when I found out earlier this year that my favourite queer bar, The Glory, was going to close. But I also had a bunch o...
'The Seediness of New York' - with Richard Skipper
31 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you were trying to seduce someone in the audience when you were performing at a piano bar or at karaoke... what song would you sing? I imagine you...
'There Is No Word for Gay in the Samoan Context' - with Edward Cowley (aka Buckwheat)
24 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
One of the things that I get asked a lot when people find out that I do this show is 'well, why are queer spaces important? bars and clubs close a...
'Maybe We Should Explore Polyamory...' - with Mehgan Sapphire from Sapphire's Earplay Podcast
17 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's time to talk all about the fine art of ho-ing. And who is going to guide us through this very important lesson? Why, it's Mehgan Sapphir...
'I'm In San Francisco And Everyone's Dying From Sex' - with Daniel Nardicio
10 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
San Francisco in the 80s. If you know anything about queer history then you may already know that that wasn't the most joyous of times. And, yet...
'Looking Back Through This Queer, Non-Binary Lens' - with Holly Revell
03 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
One of the constant gifts of doing this show is the reminder of how privileged those of us who get to grow old are. It’s easy to forget this in a ...
'I'm Really Lucky That I'm Gay' - with Eric Marcus from Making Gay History Podcast
26 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I don't know about you, but I really like the idea of being referred to as a gay elder at some point in the future. The only part about it that worri...
'Gays Aren't The Best At Catching' - with Recognition
19 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I think what's so magical about a place like London is the promise of what the city represents rather than what it can actually meaningfully offer peo...
'All These Gay Men With No Shirts On...' - with Van Hechter
12 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I love the kind of people that can go through a whole bunch of bullying, a whole bunch of othering, a whole bunch of shit in their life and still come...
'A Gay Man in New York' - with Colin Drucker from Alright Mary Podcast
05 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
One of my favourite things about queer people is that they make shit happen. Ok, ok, so that's a massive generalisation. And here's another ...
'That's Where Cruising Tends To Happen...' - with Marcus McCann
29 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
So, this week we’re doing something a little different. Rather than visit a lost space we’re setting out to answer the question ‘is the ancient ...
'Every Letter Of The Alphabet Mafia...' - with Karl Dunn
22 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
LA. Los Angeles. City of Angels. It's not really known to be the easiest of towns to live in. But, i think that's part of what makes it so ex...
'I Felt That Way About Pulse' - with JJ Ivey
15 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
So, if you're reading these show notes I'm going to go ahead and make the assumption that you know about the Pulse nightclub shooting that hap...
'I Didn't Have Any Gay Friends' - with Rudy Jeevanjee
08 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I've been thinking a lot lately about how your life can just happen to you. And, if you're not careful you can wake up one day wondering how y...
'Where Do Lesbians Go For Fun?' - with Layne the Auctionista
01 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I love hearing people's stories of places that are close to their hearts - places where they spent tonnes of time, met lots of wonderful people, a...
'Disco 2000 Was The Hub Of The Club Kids Scene' - with Abdi Nazemian
24 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
So, if you were to ask me to overly generalise and boil down the types of experiences that guests on this show have had when first accessing a queer s...
'I Can't Be Gay Because I'm Christian...' - with Dr Luke Wilson
17 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We seem to have, in the last few months, had a lot of religious guests, and through that we've had a lot of conversations about how religiosity can be...
'This Kid's Probably Gay...' - with Matt Fishel
10 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Can you really call yourself queer if you don't have a weird love/hate relationship with your home town? Because even if you love the place that ...
"I Needed To See Masculine-Of-Centre Black Lesbians" - with Anna DeShawn
03 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How much of yourself do you bring to the spaces that you spend time in? How much of the different sides of yourself do you bring out when you are at w...
"It Took Almost 30 Years Before I Actually Transitioned" - with Amethysta Herrick from Gender Identity Weekly Podcast
27 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There's one question that gets asked in this week's episode that’s really stuck with me and that I continued to ponder even after we'd s...
"Oh, But I AM Queer..." - with Eric Kostiuk Williams
20 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever shown up at the tail-end of a really exciting party just as everything was ending, and you get that overwhelming feeling of having had m...
"This Hotbed Of Trans Activism..." - with Dr Syrus Marcus Ware
13 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
So, it's well documented on this show that queer spaces are good for many things - they're for dancing, socialising, drinking, falling down, g...
"'Love Is Love' - Until You're Black, Trans, Disabled, Non-Binary..." - with Andrew Gurza from Disability After Dark
06 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I know there's always the risk with this show of completely romanticising queer spaces as these glistening oasis' of tolerance and acceptance....
"My Faith Side And My Queer Side" - with Crystal Cheatham
28 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I have a fairly straightforward relationship with religion in that... well, I don't have one. I wasn't brought up religious, I've never ...
"I've Never Really Liked This Concept Of 'Coming Out'"- with Lamya H
21 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We talk in this episode a little about Lamya's new memoir, Hijab Butch Blues. If you're interested in snagging yourself a copy why not take a ...
"Gay and Emo?" - with Matt Hey
14 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's time to put on your skinny jeans, dig out your studded belt, and apply about a week's worth of black eyeliner, because this week.... we&#...
"She Gave Us The Space To Be Ourselves" - with Barrak Alzaid
07 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This study was published at the beginning of 2024, and it talks about the key role of Aunties and 'othermothers' in supporting queer children ...
"It Felt Like There Was Only One Way To Be Queer" - with Natali Caro
31 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
So it's fairly well established that I think queer spaces are really significant and an important way to explore your identity and dip your big to...
"All The Other Black Queer Boys Who I've Known..." - with Jord Hailwood from The Winning Side Podcast
24 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Now, you might want to sit down or take a deep breath before you read this episode description, but.... it's possible that I've managed to fin...
"Other Kinky Queer People" - with Auntie Vice from Fat Girls On Top Podcast
17 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's show I'm starting to question whether I should be getting in to the world of kink or not. And, who is enticing me over to the k...
Introducing 'The Queer Family Podcast'...
03 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
More new podcast recommendations this week! This week I'm sharing an episode of The Queer Family Podcast, a show all about queer families. Every ...
Introducing 'This Queer Book Saved My Life!'....
27 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ahoy! I'm taking a few weeks off over the festive period to recharge (and eat too many mince pies). But, rather than leaving you languishing out ...
"I Started Discovering These Gay Country Bars" - with David F M Vaughn from Gaytriarchs Podcast
20 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes on this show we talk about spaces that my guest went to religiously, and they have stories from years of partying and socialising. And some...
"Becoming A Nightlife Celebrity..." - with Miss Guy
13 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What do you do when Malcolm McLaren, that hugely influential promoter and manager for punk rock bands like Sex Pistols, Adam and the Ants, and Bow Wow...
"Drag Can Be Different Things For Different People" - with Zelda Moon from Death to Everyone Podcast
06 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What do you do when you're a drag queen who wants to get more gigs? Well, that's simple - you create you own night! Easy, right? But we'...
"Drag And Gayness Requires Delusion" - with Lazy Susan from Drag Race Down Under Season 4
29 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Who doesn't love a bit of competition? I'm rarely happier than when there are dreams to crush, plans to thwart and hearts to break. But, enough abou...
"I Don't Want To Be Gay, I Want To Be Normal" - with Stephen Griffiths from Are the Gays OK? Podcast
22 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
So, if you are a long time listener of this show you will probably know that I am on a bit of a quest to stamp out the use of the word 'normal'...
"Once I Get To College I'll Start Doing Gay Things..." - with Corey Sherman
15 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Picture it. It's an evening sometime in 2012. You've met up with a guy from one of the apps (Grindr or Scruff or something). He takes you t...
"You Can't Defeat Queerness" - with Mya Byrne
08 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes being in a new location, surrounded by strangers and new-ness, is just the thing that you need to give you the bravery to embrace new things...
"Small Town Gay Bar" - with Freddy Freeman
01 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I recognise that it's a total romanticisation, but I have a really soft spot for small-town gay bars. I love that they are inclusive (even if it ...