Youth hosts explore identity, tell LGBTQ+ stories on I'm Feeling Queer Today! podcast

College students Sam Smalls and Zorian Edwards are two of the hosts of the I’m Feeling Queer Today! podcast, a production by the nonprofit The Future Perfect Project that amplifies the voices of queer youth by exploring current themes and issues through a queer lens.

In a conversation with The Democracy Group, Sam and Zorian shared how their identities and lived experiences have shaped their work on the podcast and gave a sneak peek at upcoming projects. 

Tell me about what you do on IFQT!.

Sam: The thesis is for us, by us — for queer youth, by queer youth. We’re starting conversations, continuing conversations, adding to conversations about queerness in our space in the world and also bridging the gap between queer youth and queer people that aren’t youth, and youth that aren’t queer, and people everywhere. 

I’ve done a few interviews, including one with Desmond Napoles (Desmond is Amazing), a former drag performer and also a fashionista and author. That was a lot of fun. My favorite episode that I hosted was one on blackness, queerness and femininity.

How has hosting the podcast influenced or deepened your understanding of LGBTQ+ issues?

Sam: When I’m doing an interview or a segment, I have to do a lot of research. Research has been a way I’ve learned about the things I would never have known about. Being in a space with each other as a cohort, because we all come from different walks of life, we all have different experiences that are related and unrelated to our queerness. I’ve learned so much from listening to some of the podcast episodes that I wasn’t involved in. Because there are so many perspectives, just sitting and being in conversation with each other, I can learn about queerness.

Zorian: We’re all very different, even if we have something that’s unifying us. Meeting new people and hearing their life experiences has definitely changed the way I see things and has helped educate me on different issues that I wouldn’t have thought of before, even if they are issues that I’m a part of. Hearing someone else from a different viewpoint puts things into perspective for me. 

How do you bring your lived experiences and identity into the work you do on the podcast?

Zorian: I had joined my school’s newspaper at the same time I joined this podcast. That kind of changed my entire life. I have a huge passion for journalism and for learning about other people and their lived experiences. IFQT! only meet once a month, and I have college work and being a human being out in the world. But every time I come back, it’s like that spark is reignited. I realized I do have a passion for this. 

There was a lot of book banning and negativity toward the LGBTQ+ community where I’m from. I used to speak at school board meetings against those policies and against discrimination as a whole. A lot of that I took with me to this podcast, whether it be speech writing, which was a thing I liked to do that helped me with script writing, being in the newspaper, learning how to do interviews, being a part of the broadcast, or learning how to manage video and audio… All of that I was learning at the same time. 

Sam: Being a Black queer person, I find myself in a lot of spaces where I am the only person like me. The beautiful thing about our cohort is that I’m not the only queer person here, which is cool, but I am the only Black person in the cohort. I feel emboldened to always make sure that there is someone speaking for Black people or Black queer people. 

For our upcoming season, I’m working on a segment called Black Queer Revolutionaries where I talk about a revolutionary who’s Black and queer and who’s changing the world or has changed the world. I feel like those types of segments are important because if I don’t do them, who will? The Black voice is important and it can often go overshadowed. I don’t feel overshadowed when I’m with the cohort or as part of the Future Perfect Project or as part of IFQT!.

This is Jessie Nguyen, The Democracy Group's Community Manager. Here are some of my favorite podcasts this week, check them out!

Democracy Decoded: How the U.S. Supreme Court is Drastically Reshaping American Democracy

Democracy Decoded is back with a fifth season: Solutions for a Democracy in Crisis! This first episode explores the recent Supreme Court decisions that have dramatically reshaped American democracy, like rolling back voting rights and expanding presidential power, making it more difficult to hold leaders accountable.

The TRM Podcast: Beyond Hearts and Minds: On Advocating for Palestine

The first part of the two-part conversation discusses the current state of Palestine and how it has worsened over the past two decades. Joined by guest Josh Reubner, a scholar of U.S.-Palestine relations, this episode argues that there is an urgent need to address the U.S. government's complicity in human rights abuses and a broader need for a representative American political system.

The Politics Guys: Bruce Schneier on AI and the Future of Democracy

AI is already transforming multiple aspects of democracy that go beyond political deepfakes or misinformation. The government's rapid adoption of AI worldwide has streamlined legislation drafting, yet it has also brought about numerous risks, including overconfidence in AI systems. Listen to this episode to understand why the regulation of human use of AI is more important than ever.

FEATURED EXPERTS

TPNR: Dr. Beth Allison Barr Women, Power, and the Pastor's Wife Problem in Evangelicalism

Beth Allison Barr is a professor of history at Baylor University. She previously served as an Associate Dean in the Baylor Graduate School and has been teaching courses on European women, medieval history and feminist theory. Barr is the author of the recent bestselling book, "The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth."

Let's Find Common Ground: Former Senator Joe Manchin in Conversation with Bob Shrum

Joe Manchin is a businessman and retired politician. He served as a U.S. senator from West Virginia from 2010 to 2025. Manchin previously served as the state's 27th secretary and 34th governor. He recently authored a memoir, "Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense."